Leadership

Participated in staff training for Austin Presbyterian Cursillo this weekend. I am looking forward to serving with Presbyterians from all over Austin and getting to make some new friends. The music team that I am a part of has been rehearsing most of the summer and I have truly enjoyed getting to know Angela, Drew, Karin and Michelle. Victor was with us, but had to step out for health reasons, he will be missed. I am also giving a rollo (talk) on leadership. It has caused me to struggle this summer.

Leadership is critical in any organization, but I sense it is particularly critical right now in the Presbyterian church. The church is in need of strong leadership at all levels of the church and especially from the laity. Unfortunately right now I see many leaders within the church who are too worried about political statements and I feel we have let ourselves get away from the true purpose of the church.

It bothers me that the church is spending so much time and energy rehashing the same issues over and over. I would like to see a day when the church quit fighting amongst itself and focused on people. Christ was more concerned with the people around him and not the politics. Unfortunately money and politics seem to drive so much of society and the church has gotten sucked into it.

I would like to see leaders who focus on the people and what we can do to be the body of Christ. I would like to become a leader who focuses on the people and how we can be the body of Christ to reach out to a hurting world. How can we be the face of Christ to those who do not yet know him? Looking at Karl Barth's 3 fold form of the Word model, the church is the first circle that draws people closer to Christ. Hopefully, I can find a way to spread that message to the folks who will be at APC #20 in late September. Hopefully I can drive that message home with myself as well.

Points to Ponder (via Nancy Alsup, edited by me)

THe first one is probably my favorite. A good reminder to laugh and play.

* Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
* The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.
* Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.
* All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention
to criticism.
* Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?
* If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about
him?
* If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
* Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the
same tune?
* Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

Musical Baton

I was "tagged" with the musical baton by Sara Stegeman…
Number of Tunes on Itunes
I have 1232 songs in my itunes – 3 days worth plus other random midi and wav files
The last CD I bought was: Natalie Cole Unforgettable. Love all the songs, great jazz album.
Song I am listening to right now: Rodger Fox Big Band from Australia, don't know the tune name

Five songs I listen to a lot (or that mean a lot to me):
Dive – Stephen Curtis Chapman
1985 – Bowling for Soup
I Love Being Here with You – Diana Krall
I’m Trading My Sorrows
Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice

Passing on to Tim .