Reflections on CSR

Hello, friends!

Last week I mentioned how Megan and I were going to be attending Central Staff Retreat (CSR) for the weekend. Well, we're back! It was a great time being with other staff from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska on both the undergraduate as well as the graduate/faculty side of things. Here are a few of my takeaways and highlights from the weekend. 

Highlights: 

- Being an MC is my happy place. When dividing up roles for CSR, the conference director offered me 3 options: prep the testimonies, lead a seminar, or be the MC. I told him that so long as what she needed was a "hype" MC and not a "spiritual pastoral" MC, that I was her man. She said that was great so I said "yes" and it was so much fun! Being an MC really plays to my strengths. Giving out useful information? Check. Telling a bad joke every now and then to lighten the mood? Check. Being the center of attention? Check. 

- I wrote a song! One of the things I used to when I was younger was write song parodies as welcome songs to various InterVarsity events. I hadn't done one in a while, and since I was the MC, I had the microphone, which meant I could do whatever I wanted! We went with Since U Been Gone, in honor of me reaching my goal of being in the top 0.01% of Kelly Clarkson listeners on Spotify. 

- I'm going to read a book! At most of the meals there were table discussions. Some of those meetings were business related (since this is the only time we are all together in person throughout the year, it makes sense to get some work done) but some were fun! One of the meal sessions I attended was for one of my colleagues, Mark, who is writing a book about Star Trek and Christian apologetics! It's going to be nerdy and spectacular in the best possible way. 

- We totally crushed it on snacks. Saturday night, the undergraduate team (that's us!) hosted snacks (the graduate/faculty team hosted on Friday night). We opted for state themed snacks, with Missouri and Kansas hosting one room and Nebraska and Iowa hosting the other. While I have to admit that MO/KS "won" on account of them having Arthur Bryant's barbecue sauce at their room, but honestly, the NE/IA crew really crushed it. We had state staples like popcorn, Dutch letters, and various cheeses. Plus, we just had so much food! Folk may or may have not spent more time in our room than the other room... =0). 

All in all, it was a really great weekend. Not having the kids there meant that Megan and I could be fully present to do the things we were asked to do (Megan crushed it leading her seminar, as I knew she would). Next year will be an Urbana year so we won't have a staff gathering in December, meaning the next time we'll all be together will be in 2026. Still, these kinds of weekends remind me that I have great coworkers and I'm so blessed to be on this team. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam