Today was a good day. God was very good to me. Here's how.
Jason and I had thought about going to the Willow Creek Leadership Summit next week. It's pretty expensive, and you're really just watching a video. We thought it would make more sense to get the DVD's when they came out. However, today I got an email from the Church Planter's Network that Hope Pres sponsors. They had ten tickets to give away. I got us two tickets.
A week or so ago I signed up for a new phone service - SunRocket. It's like Vonage, only a MUCH better deal. The promotion was, sign up for a year for $199, get three months free. (You get two lines with this deal). So I signed up. Yesterday I hooked everything up. So far I've been very pleased. Today I was at work. I was telling my friend Camille about SunRocket, and went to the website to show her a few things. They had a new promotion - 2 years for $199. You can imagine that I was a little frustrated. I decided to call. I was on hold for close to ten minutes, but I used that time to get my ammunition ready. Fortunately for them, I didn't have to use that ammunition. They gave me the new promotion price!
Today was a good day.
Oh yeah...if you want to get SunRocket, please give them my info. I get free stuff.
Phone Number: 901-881-7724
Email address: robgrish@hotmail.com
Monday, July 31, 2006
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Minimum Wage
I just finished watching the first episode of a documentary series called 30 Days. Morgan Spurlock is the creator of this series. He also created Super-Size Me. The first episode was called "Minimum Wage." He and his fiance, Alex, move to Columbus, OH, with around no car, no credit cards, no place to live, and around $300 cash. They have to find a place to live, then find jobs. The experiment lasts thirty days. It was a pretty amazing experience for them.
My first thought is that I'm extremely grateful that I have always had everything I need. My last minimum wage job was when I first moved to Nashville, right out of college. I lived with three other guys in a church-owned home, so rent wasn't much. I also had my parents helping me a little. It wasn't a stressful situation. I don't know what it's like to not have what I need. The sad thing is that here in the U.S., many people know exactly what this is like. One out of every eight children under the age of twelve goes to bed hungry every night. But that's nothing compared to children in other parts of the world. Every year 15 million children die of hunger. (These statistics can be found here).
One of the most touching parts of the episode was when they heard about a church-sponsored store called "The Free Store." They were able to get blankets, furniture, dishes, etc. - all for free. They were blown away by the goodness and generosity they experienced. Alex later commented that it made her realize that humanity can be so good, and that the world isn't that bad of a place.
I continue to be faced with the question, "So what is my role in all of this?" Or, as a community of Christ-followers, "What is our role in this?" Over the next few weeks my goal is to put to paper (or to blog) some of my questions and thoughts relating to this issue.
My first thought is that I'm extremely grateful that I have always had everything I need. My last minimum wage job was when I first moved to Nashville, right out of college. I lived with three other guys in a church-owned home, so rent wasn't much. I also had my parents helping me a little. It wasn't a stressful situation. I don't know what it's like to not have what I need. The sad thing is that here in the U.S., many people know exactly what this is like. One out of every eight children under the age of twelve goes to bed hungry every night. But that's nothing compared to children in other parts of the world. Every year 15 million children die of hunger. (These statistics can be found here).
One of the most touching parts of the episode was when they heard about a church-sponsored store called "The Free Store." They were able to get blankets, furniture, dishes, etc. - all for free. They were blown away by the goodness and generosity they experienced. Alex later commented that it made her realize that humanity can be so good, and that the world isn't that bad of a place.
I continue to be faced with the question, "So what is my role in all of this?" Or, as a community of Christ-followers, "What is our role in this?" Over the next few weeks my goal is to put to paper (or to blog) some of my questions and thoughts relating to this issue.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Catching Up
I've been really busy lately. It's not that I've given up on blogging. It's just very difficult, once I've procrastinated this long, to get "caught up." So...I'm just going to write a little bit, just to get back in the swing of things.
As I said, things have been pretty hectic. Jason and Barb arrived in Memphis a few weeks ago. It's GREAT to have them here. I'll write more on that later. I have about two more months at my accounting job. The corporate office is relocating to Des Moines, so we're being laid off. A severance package is involved, so it's not that bad. My plan is to stay through the transition, but it's getting more complicated now that others are leaving.
I applied for the executive director position for the Cooper-Young Association around a month ago. I had no idea if I was qualified for the job. I didn't get it, but I was the runner-up, for whatever that's worth. Actually, it's worth a lot. I had two interviews with the board officers, which was great. I also got an invitation to join the board soon.
Adam is doing great. I'll post pictures soon! He is such a fun little boy. I love spending time with him. He is truly a gift from God.
Mandy just landed a great part-time job in a Memphis City school. She is going to be co-teaching with a lady who could be a great mentor for her. She also just found out that she's eligible for benefits!
I've been reading a lot lately. I think part of the reason I've been frustrated with not blogging is that I've been doing a lot of intaking, but haven't taken the time to reflect (which often comes through writing). I just finished up Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis. Great read! I've also gotten into Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. I heard a sermon from a conference at Mars Hill, and, though it was the first time I had ever heard or read anything by him, I felt like I had been reading him for a long time. I finally realized the reason: many of the people who have influenced me have been influenced by him. Mandy and I are reading Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller. It's very refreshing.
I think I'll stop now. More to come soon - I promise.
As I said, things have been pretty hectic. Jason and Barb arrived in Memphis a few weeks ago. It's GREAT to have them here. I'll write more on that later. I have about two more months at my accounting job. The corporate office is relocating to Des Moines, so we're being laid off. A severance package is involved, so it's not that bad. My plan is to stay through the transition, but it's getting more complicated now that others are leaving.
I applied for the executive director position for the Cooper-Young Association around a month ago. I had no idea if I was qualified for the job. I didn't get it, but I was the runner-up, for whatever that's worth. Actually, it's worth a lot. I had two interviews with the board officers, which was great. I also got an invitation to join the board soon.
Adam is doing great. I'll post pictures soon! He is such a fun little boy. I love spending time with him. He is truly a gift from God.
Mandy just landed a great part-time job in a Memphis City school. She is going to be co-teaching with a lady who could be a great mentor for her. She also just found out that she's eligible for benefits!
I've been reading a lot lately. I think part of the reason I've been frustrated with not blogging is that I've been doing a lot of intaking, but haven't taken the time to reflect (which often comes through writing). I just finished up Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis. Great read! I've also gotten into Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. I heard a sermon from a conference at Mars Hill, and, though it was the first time I had ever heard or read anything by him, I felt like I had been reading him for a long time. I finally realized the reason: many of the people who have influenced me have been influenced by him. Mandy and I are reading Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller. It's very refreshing.
I think I'll stop now. More to come soon - I promise.
Monday, July 03, 2006
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