Main Things?

Stephen Covey has said that, "The main thing is to keep the main thing the win thing".  I often find myself knowing what the "main thing" is, but get distracted trying to figure out how to get the "main thing" done.  Soon I am caught up in the process trying to remember why I am doing what I am doing.

The challenge from The Bible to all believers is to "go and make disciples".  I think we, too often, spend time and effort creating programs and theories to do that, but then we soon forget the "main thing" - making disciples - and spend all our time and effort keeping the program running that was created to make disciples.

Make sense?

Becoming a Church of Excellence

One of the misconceptions about the idea of becoming a Church of Excellence is that it has to be perfect.  Wrong!  Perfectionist have the idea that nothing is ever good enough.  Nothing is ever completed because, "there's got to be a better way, a faster way, a cheaper way, etc."  Well I'm here to tell you that God wants souls to turn to Him.  Excellence is us giving our best with what we have.  People's changed hearts is the goal!

Smart Birds

Hmmm - What can I learn from them?

A lot!

Sometimes I wish I could ask God to 'STOP' time for just a while. But then again, what would 'a while' mean if time was stopped.

Just a quiet walk in the park.

Tonight Millie invited me to join her for her evening walk around Lake Murray. I thought she meant that it would be a great time for us to be alone and talk (as married couples need every so often). I should have known, when she got her headphones out and flipped her iPod to the sound track of Top Gun, that I might be in trouble.

We walked together for about twenty yards and then she was gone.

Maybe that is how she has lost so much weight lately? I didn't even have a chance to say 'good-bye'.

And then, I finally caught up

to her ... wait a minute! She's already heading back - in a full jog.

So much for me thinking I'm in shape. I need to take a lesson from Millie.

I'm proud of you Mil!

Move Over Gerber Baby

Here is the latest picture of my grandson, Beckham Bear Bearchell.


Some say he looks like Bear, others say he looks like Jen. I say he just looks cool - with a personality to match.

A Good Day

Millie, Megan and I spent the first part of the day watching Zach play in the flag football championship, and the second half of the day with Bear and his family. Life is good, and God gave it to us. Thank you God!!!

Imperial Beach, CA

I just spent 3 days at 6th Grade Camp with 66 kids from our school. It was a lot of walking and a lot of watching (camp staff did all the teaching and training). the camp is right on the beach, so it made all the negative stuff melt away into a positive experience for the kids and our staff.

Here area a few sketches for my experience. (Notice anything missing from the pictures? Kids.)

From One Week to the Next

I spent the other day on the cliffs of La Jolla sketching and painting with a friend. It was an amazing day at the ocean. And then ...

I spent this last week proctoring the CA STAR test for a group of 8th graders. Basically that means I read them the instructions and then let them do the work. My job was to make sure no one cheated and no part of the test (including scratch paper) left the testing room.

Funny - I can't even remember taking the STAR test when I was in school. I just remember running to get in line with the schoolmarm rang the bell, then get in trouble for running. Were there such tests in the olden days.

I love what I do for my job and I love what I do on my own time. Life is good!

NOTHING BETTER

There isn't much in this world better than spending time with my grandson Beckham. We walked through the park, along the bay, ate lunch at Panera Cafe and napped. He is a true blessing from God. Thanks Bear and Jenn for doing your part, too.

ONE OF THOSE DAYS

Ever have one of those days when you just want to sail away? Not far - just away? It's not that i don't like where I am, it's just that I want to experience the freedom and the solitude that sailing in the Puget Sound, and anchoring in it's many coves can bring.

Just Thinking

I can't believe that at 16 year old girl is sailing around the world - by herself - non stop - never getting off her boat - no one helping her - parents letting her (though if one of my kids was to do that, I suppose I would be excited for them). Well she is. Abby Sunderland. What the heck, why not? Her brother did it last year at the age of 17 years. They are the first 2 of 7 kids.

What are the other 5 kids going to look forward to. What if the other kids get seasick, or are afraid of the dark, the ocean, being alone? Will everyone think of them as wimps? I'm just thinking ...

A grandfather's thought...

I'm told that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

BEHOLD!

San Diego is what it is - a beautiful place (even on a cloudy day).

25th World Wide Sketchcrawl

It was a beautiful morning in Old Town San Diego, CA.

70 degrees and sunny.

I often wonder what it would have been like in the 1800's. I wonder if I would still be a teacher - I mean with the one room school house and all.

Welcome Beckham Bear Bearchell

Born October 13th at 8:37am.

Can I just say he's perfect?

He is perfect!!!

SketchCrawil - Temecula

More sketches from the self-proclaimed sketchist.

I am a 'Sketch-ist' not an artist.

I love the art of sketching. No pressure, No expectations, just getting it out there on paper, driftwood or whatever happens to be the canvas of the day.

So long, summer?

Alas, summer is over - not the season, just the break. It time to start getting ready for the classroom again. What can I do to teach the same thing a different, and more exciting way? how can I compete with the hi-tech mentality of today's youth? Do I need to compete?

How much have the students remembered from last year? How much have they forgotten over the last 10 weeks?

Most of the kids are really excited when they come back to school. How do you keep that excitement up for the rest of the year?

Just some thoughts ...
Brian

It's that time of year again...

Kids look forward to summer - Summer camp, the beach, Disneyland, hours of TV, video games & texting, etc. Yet parents wonder, what the heck am I going to do with my kids this summer. And then there are the teachers, like myself... it's a Good News - Bad News situation. We are free for the summer, yet that means we are free of income for the summer, too. Suggestions?