buckle

So the rumors are true...my favorite online store is coming to Augusta Mall. Buckle opens up on July 17. And for additional cool points, it is located directly across from Starbucks.

seven

My baby turned seven years old today.

I am putty in his hands.

the family y...part two

I took my first Pilates class at the Family Y last week and I think it will be one of my favorite forms of exercise. My goal is long and lean muscles and NO SWEATING. The less I sweat, the happier I am. Before I took the class I did not know what people meant when they referred to core muscles. I was introduced to mine as they were screaming at me for a couple of days after the class.

The hour long class concluded with the instructor turning off the overhead light and turning on a small lamp in the room. Soft music was playing as we rested on our mats in the dark for about five minutes. I am a person who likes to be efficient with my time, so I closed my eyes and prayed.

It was nice.

And I bet I wasn't the only one.

the family y...part one

Laura: Alan, I'm thinking about joining the new Family Y.

Alan: You don't want to try Gold's Gym?

Laura: Isn't that a meat market?

Alan: Isn't the Y?

Laura: No...that's why it is called the FAMILY Y!

free chikin biskit

Chick-fil-a in North Augusta is giving away a FREE Chicken Biscuit to all customers from 6:30am until 10:30am tomorrow, Friday, June 20. No coupon necessary.

Go git u one.

done!

I have always wondered how the Disneyworld powers-that-be convince some college kid to wear a heavy Eyeore costume while posing for pictures with bratty little kids in 200 degree weather in Florida. How do you make that attractive? Maybe by using some of the techniques like those from a book I just finished reading.

"Influencer" was not a fast-reading book for me...I would read a section, then re-read it to make sure I understood what I just read. But I'm glad I stuck it out because there were some great messages throughout the book. These are good!

1. People will attempt to change their behavior if (1) they believe it will be worth it (2) they can do what is required.

2. Make the Undesirable desirable. Make an activity an issue of personal significance.

3. When people are able to meet their personal standards, they feel validated and fulfilled.

4. The instant you stop trying to impose your agenda on others, you eliminate the fight for control.

5. Smart leaders accomplish great results when they replace dictates with dialogue.

6. It is wrong to assume that when people don't change, it's because they don't WANT to change.

7. Telling people to hunker down doesn't improve performance.

8. Opinion leaders are those who are most admired and connected to others. They aren't seen as using their knowledge to manipulate or harm, but to help. They rub shoulders with those who look up to them.

9. Make the Undiscussable discussable. Create an environment where formal and informal leaders encourage vital behaviors and skillfully confront negative behaviors. We should never accept the argument that it is wrong to talk openly and publicly about a problem.

10. Reward small improvements in behavior along the way. Don't wait until people achieve phenomenal results. Apparently people hand out praise as if it were being rationed, and usually only for outstanding work.

11. Watch coaches as they speak about the importance of teamwork and then celebrate individual accomplishment. Kids quickly learn that it's the score that counts, not the assist, and it turns many of them into selfish prima donnas.

12. In many companies, the only way to get fired is to get caught in a raging violation of ethics or political faux pas. If you aren't willing to go to the mat when people violate a core value (such as giving their best effort) , that value loses its moral force in the organization.

13. Make the Invisible visible. Search for subtle features from the environment that are silently driving you and others to misbehave.

14. Physical proximity affects our behaviors and relationships. If you want to predict who doesn't trust or get along with whom in a company, take out a tape measure. Distance keeps people from routinely interacting, often leading to animosity and loss of influence...and loss of informal contact where casual conversation oftentimes turns into a shared task.

**Those were the highlights with many, many case studies included throughout the book. Which of the above statements stood out in your mind...the one that made you say "Amen!".

I would like to know.

one prayer

Matthew is at Vacation Bible School at his cousin's church this week. As I was walking him to his class on the first day, I saw many TrueNorth families in the hallways. Our church does not offer VBS, so the TNC kids are scattered around different churches in our area for the summer program. I have to admit that the question entered my mind: Will my child be accepted here because we are from "over there"? It has been encouraging to see that we have been greeted with open arms and smiling faces. Is it safe for us all to believe that the old mentality of Us vs. Them is beginning to disappear in the church as a whole?

TNC has joined over 1400 other churches worldwide to participate in the same sermon series entitled "One Prayer". Each week for four weeks, a speaker will give their response to the question "If God would answer one prayer for the church at large, what would you ask?"

The heartbeat behind the One Prayer focus is to unite the church and the people in them. We may have our different styles of worship but the common thread is One Lord and One Faith. I'm excited about this series and hoping that the church will continue to impact the world by standing together "so that with one heart and mouth we may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 15:6)

goldfish breath

I was trying to have a conversation with Walt, our soon-to-be church planter, yesterday at church. And since the music was loud, I had to yell in his face. I apologized for my coffee breath (even though it was Dunkin' Donuts French Vanilla). He said not to worry, it's Goldfish breath that knocks him out.

Say who?

Apparently those cute little unassuming Goldfish crackers we offer on Sunday mornings do a little number on your breath. Maybe that's why the bowls of peppermints at Guest Services can never stay full!

Now ya know.

collision at my front door

This is what happens when you fly toward your own reflection in the window...

well-oiled machine

Matthew is on a swim team this summer and we experienced our first full-blown swim meet last week. Every square inch of the pool deck was occupied by somebody's feet. It was hot and it was crowded.

But it ran like a well-oiled machine.

- Everyone received an event sheet by email in advance, stating the exact time of each swimmer's event and what stroke was expected.

- Many parent volunteers are necessary to fill positions of timer, shepherd, runner, concessions, and so on. All positions were filled and no one skipped a beat.

With the swim team leadership providing good communication of expectations, I am watching closely to decide which role I can fulfill as a future parent volunteer.

Our team won the meet that night. Matthew swam three events and received ribbons for each. Check them out (with my added comments of course)!

things that make you go hmmm

It's amazing what ocean water can do for a person's hair!

warning!

Awards day programs, graduations, class parties.....beware of the Mamarazzi!!

mornin'

I've been wanting to throw out all my random coffee mugs and replace them with a matching set. Instead I bought another random one this past weekend ($2.99 clearance, Kirklands). I couldn't help it.

"Drinking Coffee and Slacking Off are all part of what I do".

But not really. It just makes me smile.

everybody has a story

Around 40 people made a public profession that Jesus is their Lord and Savior last night in front of a crowd of hundreds at the Riverwalk Amphitheater. This evening reminded me that everybody has a story. And sometimes it takes many years to realize that God is in those stories. We don't always see it at the time.

My friend Mike has more pics here. There is a story in each picture. What's your story?