Every company I have worked for has been massive — both in size and in success. This massiveness is due to no small degree to the abilities these companies have of leveraging themselves as competitors in the market. They set themselves apart as unique; but it is not only marketing. These companies also must protect their data, their processes, and their products from other companies. My present job is much different; collaboration has replaced competition. We work together with other groups in an effort to do what we do better. Why? Because we share a common goal: help humans encounter God. I am new to this whole mentality (of open collaboration) and it is not an easy concept to embrace. Fortunately I am surrounded by other ex-marketplace personnel who can relate. I am curious about two things:

1. How does one relax his/her competitiveness?
2. How long will this last? As more and more churches are on the Internet, will we continue to embrace collaboration, or will we soon turn into the two churches on opposite street corners who bicker over everything?

It has been just about one month since we have moved to South Carolina and we love it. We love the town, the church, and the job. Here are the top ten things I love about the South:

10. Meat & Three Restaurants — pick one meat and three veggies, all cooked Southern style
9. Carolina-style hot dogs — “all the way” — comes with chili, mustard, onions, and [optional] coleslaw on top
8. Country roads to drive on — quickly
7. The bird-dog — chicken tender wrapped in bacon on a hot dog bun with melted cheese and honey mustard on top
6. Fall colors — the variety of colors is unlike anything I have seen before (here are some pictures I took this weekend)
5. Southern Hospitality — people are generally nicer here than in other parts of the country (you know who you are); I especially love the people I work with
4. The Corner Bagel Shop — best deli sandwich ever, seriously
3. Pulled pork sandwiches — sweet victory
2. Carolina mustard sauce — mustard, vinegar, and other goodness: completes the pig referenced above
1. Sweet tea!

Much of my list is consumed by food and drink. So what?

What about you? Perhaps you have visited the South or maybe you live here already. What do you love about the South?

I attended my first NewSpring all-staff meeting today. It was amazing. We had a time of worship, Perry brought some amazing insight and encouragement, and then we ate Buckys BBQ. It is impossible to annotate here all the things I learned and was challenged by today, but I want to point out one of the concepts I am loving right now. It has to do with admiration of others.

Perry said that admiration in something else should result in our departure towards that something else or it should result in motivating us to improve what we do.
I am so fortunate that what I get paid to do every day is something that I believe in with my whole heart. I get to work with some of the coolest people on the planet; together working towards finding ways to make Jesus famous. And I am convinced that the reason I love this so much is because I believe in what we are doing here at NewSpring.

If you admire something, then stop admiring it and improve what you are doing. Or go join that which you admire. It is fun… trust me!

I am reflecting on something Perry said a few weeks ago. He said, “There must be a reason why we are not immediately zapped up to Heaven when we get saved.” The reason, of course, is that we were meant to share that with others. (Read on …)

We traveled just about 1600 miles to get to South Carolina. It was a long, but fun trip. We drove through Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, a few feet in Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and finally arrived in South Carolina. We had two cars, three kids, one dog, and a bunch of fast food hamburgers. Lizzy rode with me and spent much of the time reading — which left ample time for me to think. And think I did.

(Read on …)

So — we are here in South Carolina. I noted some random thoughts I had during the trip:

• The movers showed up on Monday morning and charged me $1500 LESS than what I was expecting. When does that happen? They also showed up in South Carolina the day we did… no waiting for our stuff!
• Kansas is absurdly boring to drive through.
• Gas station bathrooms are almost certainly nasty.
• When all you can pick up on your radio is fundamentalist preaching, it is not all bad.
• Fantastic Caverns in Springfield, Missouri is a cool, albeit expensive, sight to see. It would be cooler if they let the patrons drive the Jeep.
• Driving on a two-lane bridge with no shoulder over the Mississippi River while a semi is barreling towards you is unnerving.
• I am not sure why there are so many elderly couples driving along in Buicks in the Ozarks. Peer pressure?
• There is an all-gospel, all-bluegrass radio station in Paducah, Kentucky.
• A family of five can eat at Cracker Barrel for the same price as Arby’s.
• Driving through Nashville at 5pm is not recommended.
• I am pretty sure that the $7 fee I paid to have my dog at the hotel means that I do not have to pick up the poop.
• Any cross country road trip that does not include at least one trip to the ER is really lacking. (BTW, Luke is just fine.)
• The kids think that any hotel room is the coolest thing ever — that is awesome.
• For some reason, I-24 leaves Tennessee, enters Georgia, and then re-enters Tennessee a few miles later.
• Finding postcards in gas stations is harder than it seems it should be. Fortunately a free state map at the Visitor Center seems to suffice as a souvenir.
• If one spends several hours in a car with a dog, then one begins to smell like said dog.
• Talking on walkie-talkies is fun; especially if you say stuff like: “cut the chatter, red two,” “roger,” “10-4,” “niner,” “copy that gold leader,” “over and out,” and other such garble.
• It does not matter where you are going — when you get there, it is pretty much awesome.
• Mandy tells me that the movie Elf is just as funny if you can only hear it and cannot watch it.
• German cars were made to be driven fast and that’s just all there is to it.
• One of my favorite realizations is when you understand that what is happening RIGHT NOW is a memory that you will not forget for a lifetime.
• If you are moving to Anderson, South Carolina and you hit the Georgia/South Carolina border on I-85, it is time to party… because you are almost there.
• It really does not matter where my mail gets delivered; if I am with my lovely bride, then I am home.
• Our house is still on the market — we are anxiously awaiting that sale so we can buy a house here. Patience!

It is hard to specify the excitement I have towards the future. It is like an adventure I know I am embarking on yet not really understanding what is going to happen. But it is also hard to say goodbye to Colorado. I really love this state. I was born here. I love the mountains, the Broncos, and Denver. And it is with this twist of emotion that I look around and realize there is a lot more work to be done. Less typing and more packing! Tomorrow we start our journey across the country. I expect lots of corn and sunflowers in the immediate future. And hopefully a good roadside chicken fried steak. Carolina or bust!

The past few days have been quite difficult. Mandy and I have been constantly on the move — even when we are not moving, our minds certainly are. There are lots of things to ponder and question. There are decisions that have to be made. And while we are confident in our larger decision to move to South Carolina, there are dozens of other decisions that cause confusion. And over the past couple of days, I have come across the obvious answer.

(Read on …)