-Gonna be a busy weekend. Heading out to Prescott, AZ this evening for North Phoenix Student Ministry’s Mid-Winter Retreat. Going as a family group leader for 11th grade guys.  It’s gonna be cold and I won’t sleep much.  But one of the best weekends I spend all year.

-Coming back early Sunday afternoon to teach at Crash.  We launch our new series, What a Waste: A Series on Suffering.  Talking about suffering on Valentine’s Day is quite ironic, but trust me, it could have been worse.  :-)

-I am incredibly excited about this new series.  It has challenged and pushed Maxie and I in ways few other series have.  Definitely will be a “messy” series, but we are praying one of our most hopeful ever as well.

-My most meaningful moment as a pastor came last February when I go to be involved in planning and leading an Ash Wednesday service with my friend, Shane Copeland, pastor of St. George’s Anglican Community in Downtown Phoenix.  We are having another service this year.  This upcoming Wednesday, February 17th, at 7:15pm in the Chapel at North Phoenix.  Four or five churches will be involved and I promise you it will be a worthwhile and moving experience.  Please come and invite friends to join you.

-I start a new job next week. Yes friend, let the jokes begin, but I am now a barrista at Starbucks, 35th Avenue and Bethany Home location.  While I have done whatever was necessary to get the job done, I do have a part-time position at North Phoenix and need to supplement my income.  So, starting next week, my family begin what we are calling a “new normal”. (And, no, I don’t need reminders to be careful of eating food in the store or watching my coffee intake.  If you were thinking I needed a comment regarding this, you don’t know my wife well enough!)

-There is only one TV show that I watch first-run episodes of – Burn Notice on USA. I have been excited to have it back, but with the shows starting Thursdays at 11pm on Cox, and having a 6am alarm daily,  I have been watching via Hulu a couple of days later.  I don’t know why I didn’t start engaging Hulu sooner.  It is saving me at least two hours of sleep a week.

-I enjoyed watching the Super Bowl last Sunday night (the most-watched event in TV history, eclipsing the series finale of MASH), but I missed the intro to the game.  Found this video online later.  Love the merging of classical sound with a hit R&B/rap song. A great example of the future of music.