9 Ways To Manage People Who Bother You

via feeds.lifehack.org

You never work with difficult people in ministry….do you?

Handwriting Practice Could Improve Your Cognitive Abilities

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via lifehacker.com

I have a computer degree and have worked as a computer consultant, and have promoted technology for years. But, there is nothing like a good pen and a moleskine journal to write down ideas, thoughts, prayers, etc. So, I thought this article was pretty cool.

So far….

Well it has been over two months since starting at Starbucks. It is a fun job in the long run because I get to meet people, which was part of the plan. But, it is hard mental work to remember drinks, and people’s names and their drinks. I have done a pretty good job so far. The job is physically demanding because of being on my feet for 8 hours at time, so I have started losing weight.

Back in 1999 I did my Clinical Pastoral Education at a hospital in Lexington KY. It was 400 hours of hell as I ministered to the sick, the dying and their families. I remember every Friday we would have this Inter-Personal Relations time, where we would psychoanalyze our emotions and our motivations for what happened in our daily interactions.

All that is to say that Inter-Personal Relations (IPR) was the worse time for everyone but also the best time. I would come home crying as I had to really listen to my motivations for doing ministry. Did I have a Messiah Complex, where I thought I could do a better job than Jesus or I at least was Jesus in the situation. There are many books on that topic! Or, did I project my personal experiences onto the situation at hand. E.g. when ministering to a family whose 10-month old son was having seizures from almost drowning in a tub–was I helping them or was I feeling the pain from losing a child when we had a miscarriage (I say “we” because it was my child as well, it doesn’t mean I wasn’t spiritually or emotionally connected to my lost child or to my hurting wife). It was tough.

Now I find that I give myself IPR time once in awhile. As I turn 43 this Sunday, I have to admit my career choice to do this missionary approach to ministry doesn’t make sense to most. I have an M Div. from a pretty good Seminary, I have 17 years experience in youth ministry, I even have had success as a teacher to students. I created a successful ministry in Durham UK that is still going to this day. Why walk away from all that? That is in my face as I tell people I work at Starbucks.

I have not been successful when I have done the popular thing. I have been more successful doing the RIGHT thing. I feel in my bones that this approach is going to pay out in the lives of Canton.

I have already made connections with staff people as well as the customers. I have had youth pastors in the area see me working here and they come here to ask my questions about how to approach a certain Bible study or how to approach a way of doing ministry or how to handle a conflict.

I am personally excited to see what happens between Starbucks and LoveCanton (more on that later).

I will say that I am going to ask you to pray for me as I continue down this path. I am not totally at my goal financially for the year. I still need to raise additional salary and funds for expenses for the ministry; in total, I am hoping to raise another $17,000. I greatly appreciate all the support so many of you have already offered, both financially and through your prayers and other encouragement.

God bless you all as you read my rants on this missional highway.

Transition into the working world

This past summer was very crazy.  For some reason God told me I would have a job by end of August. Poof! It happen.  I have been working at Starbucks on Washington Square in Canton since the end of August.  It has been my goal to work here for about 2 years now.  I have had this vision of working at a Starbucks as part of my missional approach.  That is, I wanted to meet people in their comfortable environments instead of trying to attract them first to the church building, then have discussions about God.

Observations:

• This job is hard!  There are over 8,000 drink combinations and that doesn’t include the crazy drinks the regulars want like a “yada yada” or a “nano nano.”
• I meet a lot of different people here. This store is the crossroads for 2 universities, 2 high schools, the parents of those high school kids, judges and lawyers, business owners, and various grumpy unhappy people.
• I made three women cry in the drive through becauase I asked if they were okay.  One just started to work at a inner city school as a counselor and found it rough.  The next she was losing her house and her boyfriend dumped her.  The last was a person who is very grumpy but cried because her father died.  I listened to them all.
• Did i say this is hard work?  My body is getting used to constantly being on the go.

Spiritual Technology Disciplines

Don’t tell my doctor but I stole his copy of Newsweek from February 16th, 2009 (the link is in this sentence).  I have come to terms that I am having information overload/ anxiety.  I am a total addict to post its, pads of paper, My Palm Centro, Gmail, Blogging, RSS Reader, Facebook…the list is endless.  So much that I think I have forgotten how to breath.  I mean literally and figuratively.  I catch myself  saying “doh, I need to write that down!” or “I need to do  that.”  I actually catch myself sucking in air like I am about to get punched.  Figuratively, I forget to be in constant prayer, connecting with God, in everything I do.  I forget!!!! I hate that!!!!

So, I am going to tune out sometimes from cell phone, twitter and facebook during the day, and only connect once in a while.  Y’all might not even miss me during that time.  So consider it twitter time with God, or Facebooking with Jesus, or blogging with the Holy Spirit.

I would love to hear what all y’all have to say about this after reading the article.

Lee

Please

I switched to WordPress

I finally did it. I switched to WordPress. Its within my goals to expand my web development skills and reacquaint myself with my old skills of computer geekness.

Why should you twitter

I keep on getting asked why one should do TWITTER. First I usually show them a video of what twitter is…. well go to this link and find out what it is.

Then review this article on 12 reasons why one should do twitter.

Why Can’t Church do commercials like this?

My mini lee

After I gave Connor a haircut I thot why not see what he looks like

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It is said that a disciple looks like their menter after a while…well I gave haircuts to joey and cory so they look like me now

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