Go Cowboys!

I love football and I love the Dallas Cowboys. So how much fun is VBS when we theme it around sports and our favorite teams? Opening night at McGregor VBS was awesome! I'm not sure how many kiddos we had, but the buzz was this was our biggest ever first night. And I tend to agree.

Sports Freak: Early Edition (Mark & Miller's very own late night sports TV show that is part of VBS Children's Assembly) got off to a good start last. Our first guest was Wade Phillips (the new head coach for the Cowboys). If you actually thought for a moment we had Wade Phillips here, we didn't. Coach Phillips was played by our very own Wade Harmon. Wade did a great job and the best part is when he whacked Miller up side the head. The kids loved it. Dude, you're awesome!

I'll keep you posted...

Sports Freaks & VBS

As I was walking around our campus this morning, looking at all the cool sport theme stuff everywhere, including a picture of me as a football player, I was reminded once again that this week is going to be a really cool time. VBS at McGregor is not just another activity, it's a humongous opportunity for us to make an impact. I think it is so cool we make it a priority.

VBS is a big deal around McGregor. Why? I'll tell you why...

• Children are valued around here
• We care about children's spiritual growth and development
  
• Reaching families is also a high value
• And we love to have fun at church!

So, get ready for an awesome week of sharing the love of God with hundreds and hundred of children.

If you're wondering what I'll be doing during VBS, here's a sneak peek: Miller and myself will be hosting our very own sports show called "Sports Freaks: Early Edition." It's gonna be fun, just like the whole week.

FYI: Macy and Michael are playing Monopoly again - thank goodness this time without me!

Monopoly, Running, VBS and Other...

Macy and I have really enjoyed having our nephew Michael with us. We completed week one of a two week stay yesterday. Even though Friday's big water park plans got rained out, we have still managed to have a lot of fun. Monopoly is Michael's favorite game and Uncle Mark and Aunt Macy played it with him until late into the night Friday night (Uncle Mark dominated) and Saturday afternoon/evening (Michael dominated). I forgot how much fun Monopoly is!

Saturday we ate lunch at a brand new restaurant called Hurricane Grill and Wings located in the Gulf Coast Town Center. I'd give it about 3 out 5 on the food. They do have a huge selection of different types of sauces and rubs for their wings. I still like Smokey Bones wings the best.

I was able to get a good run in Saturday morning in the wind and very humid conditions. Posted a 25:05/3 mile! I'm getting ready for my next 5K this coming Saturday. My goal is to run 24:00/3 mile time in the race, putting me under 25 for the 5K. That means I still have a minute to slash off, but the race atmosphere should help me with that. I still can't believe I'm actually running and enjoying it. And I feel tons better!

I'm also praying and looking forward to this coming week - it's VBS Week at McGregor! I'll keep you posted on how it goes this week.

Awesome Wednesday Night!

Last night (Wednesday) was a very special night for McGregor. Our students (6th grade through 12th grade) moved into their brand new Student Building (Studio G) and had their very first Wednesday worship experiences. It was awesome. High School was in Stage 1 and Middle School was in Stage 2. It was so cool to see so many students hanging out, having fun, worshiping God and hearing His Word in this new building that was built just for them.

Special kudos to our Middle School and High School teams. Way to go Jeremy, Steven, Erica, Gerald, Megan and the interns for pulling off the move and the worship services. I was so proud of you guys. Thanks also to the awesome army of volunteer leaders who made the night. It was so cool to see them with a place to hang with their students. Also a special shout out to our support ministry teams that worked so hard leading up to last minute (and I'm talking right up to the very last minute) getting the building and it's systems up and running.

I can't wait to see how God is going to continue to use this new facility for His glory in reaching and growing Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers.

Being A Part of A Team

I love being a part of a team.

I have the privilege of being a part of several awesome teams at McGregor. Whether I am leading the team or am a member of a team, being a part of a team makes the work a whole lot more fun. Let me tell about you about a couple of the awesome teams I have the privilege to lead and be a part of.

Our Educational Team. I have the awesome responsibility of leading this team of age-graded ministers at McGregor. This goes from our Preschool all the way through our Legacy Adult Ministry. This team leads all of our church's educational ministries, with our focus being on the Sunday morning Bible Study ministry we call Sunday School. We have around 2,600 people show up every Sunday morning and our team's desire is to provide each person with an incredible Bible study experience along with helping them connect with other believers.

Our Adult Planning Team. I also have the joy of leading this incredible team made up our adult ministers and their administrative assistants. They oversee all the adult Sunday School classes here at McGregor (55 classes). In addition to working with our adult Bible Study Classes, this team plans and puts together our FORUM Leadership Meetings and our TEAMS Rallies. This is also the team that loves to act (click here to see pics from a recent TEAMS Rally) and make awesome videos!

To all my fellow team members at McGregor - it is a joy to serve our Lord with you! You are awesome! Special kudos to our awesome Preschool Staff Team that I have been working with for the last year - you guys are super!

Being a part of a team definitely brings joy to my journey. Don't go it alone. Be a part of team!

Weekend Thoughts

I know, I used a similar title for a posting last weekend, but what else do you call it? I'm just in the mood to share some cool stuff that has taken place the last few days. Here's goes...

• Macy and I had a 7 hour date! And part of that date included another trip to PF Changs! It also included some fun time hanging out at the new Borders at Gulf Coast Town Center.
  
• I ran by personal best 3 miles Saturday morning - 24:52! (that's an average of 8:18 a mile) My next 5K race is June 9.
  
• We picked up our nephew, Michael Bricker, at the airport today. He will be staying with us for 2 weeks. He's just finished 5th grade and is an awesome kid.
• And I had JC's Barbecue for dinner. If you've not tried JC's yet, you're missing out on the best barbecue in Fort Myers. JC's trailer/cooker (pictured at top) is located at the corner of Fowler and Carol Street. He's there all day on Friday and Saturday. Tell 'em Mark sent you. You won't be disappointed.
  

Interesting note: Macy told me Friday night that she learns more about me through my blog sometimes than she does in person. Uh Oh! Back to my posting Thursday on communication. I need to add one - don't be more transparent with others than you are with your spouse.

This just in: Congrats to Steven and Kristi Anderson - birth of their second child Sunday morning!

Are We Communicating?

Lately I've been talking about communication a lot with some of our ministry teams here at McGregor. Communication is a funny thing. We often think we have communicated well, but in reality, the receiver of our communication missed our intentions completely.

The biggest problem with communication is the assumption that it has taken place.

So, how's your communication? Here are several of my thoughts to hopefully encourage you in your ability to communicate more effectively with others...

• For overall impact, nothing beats face to face communication. I love emails, blogs, podcast, etc..., but nothing is as effective as talking to someone in person. I have to remind myself of this all the time.
  
• Never, ever, assume you have communicated your intended message. Ask your intended audience if they really heard what you thought you intended to communicate. Get feedback.
  
• Think "intentionality" when it comes to effective communication. In other words, are you intentionally planning how and when you are going to communicate. Good communication will not just happen - especially in marriage!
  
• Make time to communicate with the ones that matter the most. This includes family, team members, etc. Good communication will always cost you time.
  
• Become a better listener. The best communicators are usually the best listeners. How good do you listen to those around you?
• Keep communication as simple as possible. I'm still learning this. The tendency for me is to communicate everything I know. The most effective communicators are those who have learned to simplify their message. For those of us who communicate to groups, this may be the single most important factor in really good communication.
  

So, are you communicating? Feel free to post your ideas on what you think makes for effective communication.

It's Almost Over

I just finished watching the finale performances by Blake and Jordin, and the show did not disappoint. Macy and I really enjoyed the show (and yes, Macy still watched even though Melinda was voted off last week). So, what did you think? My thoughts and observations on the show:

• Great opening performance by Blake. Loved the energy.
  
• Jordin is an AMAZING AWESOME singer!
• The show's audio was not very good (bad mix). Come on, it's the finale!
  
• Poor Blake, having to sing a ballad for his last song.
  
• Simon admitting he was wrong!
• Scott Krippayne winning the song writing contest. (Christian recording artist and song writer. Only song I can remember of his was "Sometimes He Calms the Storm.")
  
• IMing Miller during the show.
• Jordin blowing Blake out of the water on the last song!
• Final thought: After tonight, it's Jordin all the way!!!
  

So, what do you think. Who's going to win? Who should win? And what are we going to do next Tuesday night?