Our visitor...

Well, coming home from the marina on Saturday (from another great day at the beach with the boat), we picked up a lost dog in the middle of traffic. Kelly has a soft spot for lost animals. No tags or anything. Clean and well taken care of - no smell, good teeth, very well mannered. We are housing him while we are looking for the owner. We have been putting the word out everywhere. He is extremely well behaved and I am becoming very attached to him. You see, he is a "man's dog".

1. I now understand how kelly is so attached to Connick.

2. If anything, this has improved my patience with Connick.

3. If I have grown this big attachment to him in this short amount of time, someone out there is really missing a well trained dog. I feel bad for them and hope we can connect them again.

Amazed again today by our Campus purpose

Today, through one of Larry's Networks, we hosted one of our first conference/workshops at the new Grace campus. It proved yet again how God has blessed us with one incredible facility that blows people away. This was an outside event that was completely unrelated to our church, but we helped to host it. So many people from outside the community stepped foot into our church for a conference about autism (YAP), some of which may have stepped into a church for the first time. Through God's blessings and the faithfulness of the family here at Grace we are using this facility for so much more than Saturday nights and Sunday mornings. Some of the observations I had from today:

1. Everyone at the conference were expecting to be meeting in some big church basement when they heard they were going to a workshop hosted at a church. Instead they found a unique and warm environment that was at the completely opposite end of the spectrum of thought.

2. Through God's blessings, we made huge impressions on a community organization and many other community leaders who were also present. People in the community are slowly learning of the unique facility we have and how it can be used in a non-threatening environment for community functions and conferences. Simply stated; this building is more than a place of worship, it is a tool and a vehicle to make people become comfortable to a sometimes uncomfortable environment. All of the attendees today can now walk into Grace on a Sunday morning and have that first bit of awkwardness stripped away.

3. Because of our bold changes to the cafe mission, etc. We were able to "wow" the attendees with better than expected breaks and lunch.

4. Larry networks well.

I love this place! I hope that all who have contributed to what we have here realize our vision, why we do it, why we charge 50 cents for coffee, why the building is laid out like it is, why we made the move, and why it is so valuable to keep making more steps towards the future. Lives are being affected, people are stepping into a church that never have before, and the community is becoming more and more familiar with Grace, God's love, and why we strive to do all things with excellence.

Coffee Talk

Seriously,
I need some suggestions for new blend varieties and fall/winter products for in the cafe at Grace.

Currently we have:
House, Decaf, Jamaican Me Crazy, Chocolate Hazelnut, and Caramel Nut Biscotti
Iced Jamaican Mocha
French Vanilla Capp, Swiss Mocha, and Latte

teas and etc. any thoughts for something different?

Any food other than the snacks?

3 Thoughts

Recently, I have been having problems sleeping. The one positive is I have had a lot of time to reflect on many thoughts including where my position.

Now that the new "jobness" has worn off, I have centered on the following 3 thoughts:

1. Excellence in Everything - With trying to build something from almost the ground up, I am faced with 2 paths daily. Try and do everything that is needed now or focus on doing less with focus and excellence (at least to the best of my ability). How do I get these paths to meet in the middle. What am I doing that I shouldn't even be thinking about right now. I struggle with wanting to solve it all now. This is a constant struggle for me. So the question is - Is there anything that I am doing right now not being done excellently.

2. Organization - In the process of creating and building the Campus Development and Support Teams; Am I doing it in an organized fashion that states clear goals? How am I casting vision to my volunteers for life change through washing windows and repair work?

3. Comfortable - What can I do to make sure I never lapse into "comfortable" mode here. This is a big one that can be laced with complacency. In order to stay ahead of the game, know the needs of the church, and consistently take "unventured" steps into the future. I need to constantly remind myself of staying ahead of the curve and the what do I need to do next mindset. How do I do that?

3 P.S. thoughts-

1. How do I get the grass to look better without paying for even more fertilizer?

2. Trying to be accomplished everyday in a cubicle environment. What systems can I put in place to keep myself in motion without distraction.

3. What is the next up and coming blend of coffee we need to get in the cafe? Any suggestions? Winter Ideas?

New Project - Phase One Landscaping

Last weekend we began phase one of a 5 year landscaping plan at Grace.

With the help of:
Al Ganzer

Kevin Long

Tony Gingrich

Ben Corbin

John Pavkov

Dan Dunn

Frank Fogl

Tr and Brooke Morrison

Trevor Fischera

Greg Kujawa

Derek Gilson

Larry Shallenberger Sr.

Duane Stutzman

Myron Rodgerson

Javier Sanchez

Mike Carlson

Chad Green

Kelly Lundberg

We accomplished:

Electric to our new sign

Loaded many boulders into a Dump truck from Pavkov's Farm

Design and Beautify the front entrance and sign bed

Remove Rocks from lawn areas

Patch lawn with grass

Clean all exterior windows of Church

Be sure to thank these members of the Campus Development and Support Team as you see them at church. They bonded and put together a beautiful project.