this much i can tell you right now - renting a house is definitely the way to go. we have so much room and privacy, it’s worth every penny. not to mention that it is much cheaper than staying in a hotel.  everybody wins.

Day 3 highlights:

• got the morning started early because of the time change. boys were up and ready at 6:00a. the girls - not so much. 
• lazy morning at the house pool soaking up the sun.
• the boys played billiards - 8 ball, 9 ball, and worked on our trick shots.
• Wii games included - Wii Play and Wii sports. working our way to Wii Olympics.
• the boys fixed sandwiches for lunch. then more time at the pool
• in the afternoon we headed out to see Batman - The Dark Knight
• We followed that up with a little Chick-fil-a for dinner and over to the Cheesecake Factory for dessert.
• We capped of the evening with a little Phase 10 before calling it a night.

spent the night in Las Cruces, NM at the brand new Drury Inn. pretty decent place as far as travel hotels are concerned. as usual, I was up at the crack of dawn. i woke, showered, went to the lobby where I ate breakfast and read the newspaper before returning to the room to wake everybody up. it was 7:30am and daylight was wasting.

Day 2 highlights:

• traveling tunes: more switchfoot, 80’s mix CD and the Eagles
• movies: school of rock, 27 dresses
• we played music trivia. and yours truly totally dominated.
• just before leaving New Mexico we stopped at an old ghost town in Steins, and ironically it was “closed”.
• we stopped at the In-n-Out burger in Tucson for lunch. simple concept and simple menu. the french fries are great.
• after leaving Tucson, we slowly watched the temperature increase from 98 to 111. make no mistake, it’s hot,  but very little humidity actually makes it bearable.
• after arriving in Phoenix, we drove around town to get our bearings. then headed to our vacation house.
• the rental house is more than we could have expected. great area, friendly neighbors, everything was just perfect.  Everybody unpacked, kids hit the pool, Wendy and I hit the grocery store for steaks. life is good.

we left Austin yesterday morning to venture to sunny (and hot) Arizona for a week long vacation.  a bit of a delayed start though because someone TP’d the house. that’s the second time in the last 2 months that someone has rolled the house the night before we were leaving to go out of town. I’m beginning to think conspiracy.

Day 1 highlights:

• traveling tunes: the fray, david crowder, u2, switchfoot, michael buble and the jonas brothers.
• movies: batman begins, sydney white, caitlin’s spring dance concert
• we played trivia - American and Kids trivia. Wendy is the champ so far.
• i had forgotten how beautiful the drive is on I-10 between San Antonio and El Paso. wow.
• stopped in El Paso for dinner at AJ’s Diner.  Wendy lived here one year during high school. AJ’s is an old 50’s diner. the vanilla and chocolate malts were incredible.
• after 8 hours in the car we were still in Texas. drove 45 minutes past El Paso to Las Cruces to spend the night. didn’t want to drive all day and not leave the state.  

this is my participation in Tony’s post on what your desktop may (or may not) say about you.  what does mine say about me?

click to enlarge

Here’s some stuff on my brain:

• My 14 year old got braces last week. Don’t tell her I said this, but i think they make her look cuter than she already is. She wants them out. now.
• Last night’s Rock Camp concert was the culmination of an amazing week. About 400 people or so attended the show which allowed the students to display their hard work. To hear and see the talents of the kids was such a great experience. See you next year no doubt.
• My kids made me so proud at the concert. Caitlin loves the mic and the spotlight. Parker is so laid back, he should be a bass player instead of a guitar player. They did great.  
• I get the opportunity to speak at church tomorrow. I’m not really nervous, but I am not feeling very well - allergies I think. Pray for me if you think about it.
• My topic for tomorrow is divorce. Did you know God has been divorced? see Jeremiah 3:8 
• I changed office locations yesterday. Looking forward to seeing if my new paperless office idea works. I have no desk, no filing cabinets, and no books. Just a couch, 2 chairs, and a coffee table. Oh, and a lamp.
• We leave for vacation on Monday. We are headed for sunny Scottsdale, AZ just outside Phoenix. Or, as one friend described it - the surface of the sun. It’s gonna be hot, but that’s what pools are for right?

I don’t own an iPhone (old or new), so this might be my jealousy coming out.

my wife has spent the last two weeks completing this 2000 piece puzzle. she’s about to finish any minute. what she doesn’t know is, is that i actually placed 1 of the pieces the other day when she wasn’t looking. so when she proudly exclaims to the family to come and see the puzzle that “she put together”, it technically won’t be so.

it’s our little secret right?

While the LHC Downtown campus does not officially launch until September 7, yesterday we held our first official “preview” service at the Austin Music Hall. This was an opportunity to work out the bugs before guests arrive in the next month. My phone didn’t take great pics inside the hall, but here’s a few that did turn out for your viewing pleasure. 

How do you train up the next generation of worship leaders? You invite them to camp for a week where they will spend time hearing about God’s heart for worship, as well as, singing and playing their hearts out. Then you invite family, friends, and the church family to a concert where the students will lead worship. Can’t wait to see what happens. 

I’m a huge fan of decentralized leadership. I like having responsibility. I thrive on the pressure that comes with it (responsibility). This is one of the primary characteristics of a decentralized organization - leadership and accountability spread throughout the organization and not falling on the shoulders of any one individual.

Here’s a qoute from a fascinating interview with Johnson & Johnson CEO - William Weldon.

“This is because the problem with centralization is if one person makes one mistake, it can cripple the whole organization. This way, you’ve got wonderful people running businesses. You have to have confidence in them, but you let them run it — and you don’t have to worry about making that one big mistake.”

This, from a CEO who leads a decentralized organization with $61 Billion in annual revenue! (click HERE to read or watch the interview.)

I believe this was Jesus’ intent in empowering the disciples (12 or 72 - take your pick). He understood that for the church to truly make an impact, He would have to give up control (He also knew He wouldn’t be around to do it himself). He knew they would make mistakes, and He wouldn’t have to worry about the one big mistake. He had faith and confidence in them. 

The fact that I am writing this blog some 2000 years later is testament to that.

Control or chaos, take your pick. I’ll take chaos everytime. Jesus did.