RLT Assemble!!!

Hello! 

First of all, thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes. I had a great birthday. The only downside was that it was cold and snowy, with the potential for ice, so I didn't spend as much time outside as I would have liked. Still, we had a great dinner at home, Megan and the kids made a delicious cake, and we watched Kelly Clarkson's Ugly Dolls movie. (How she didn't get nominated for an Oscar, I'll never know...). =0). 

Next week will be another momentous occasion. Actually, there will be TWO special events. Not only will it be the 4 year anniversary of us moving to Omaha, but our Regional Leadership Team (RLT) will be in town for our first in-person RLT meetings since before the pandemic! Get pumped! 

Working with the RLT is one of my favorite things about my role. These are people who love Jesus, love the campus, and I am honored to call friends. We don't always agree on everything but we are all trying to follow Jesus together and lead the whole staff team well. The past 2+ years have been hard on a lot of different levels, college ministry certainly being one of those. Being able to celebrate, commiserate, and seek Jesus with these brothers and sisters has made the experience a little more bearable. 

Please be praying for us these next few days. Folk are traveling from Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri, which always poses some risks. Also, we have some big decisions ahead of us for this semester. Also, please pray that we'll be able to enjoy one another's company freely, without the threat of COVID hanging over us. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

A Word for 37!

Hello, friends! 

On Friday, I turn the ripe old age of 37! I haven't decided yet if 37 is officially my late 30's or if I still have one more year in my mid-30's. Either way, I'm excited to have made it another year! 

Every year, somewhere around this time, I pick a word or theme for the year. Since the New Year, my birthday, and the Lunar New Year are all close together, my deadline is a little fluid. Some years, it takes all the way until early February for me to decide on a word for the next almost 12 months. 

This year, I actually had my word come in pretty early. I don't know if it was in November or December, but I knew that it was going to be my word for the next year. Drumroll please...

"Everything is Worship"

Why this word/phrase? There are a few good reasons. I think this phrase continues my theme of trying to be more intentional in my life. Last year the word was "balance" which was me trying to be more intentional in how I spend my time. "Everything is Worship" is a continuation of that theme. I want to make sure that I'm intentionally thinking about everything that I'm doing. How I treat my body is worship, which will hopefully include completing some more triathlons and getting better at curling. How I interact with my kids and my wife is worship. How I do my work with InterVarsity is worship. I want to be more intentional about seeing the things I'm doing as worship. 

Another reason is because I want to remember that the things I'm doing are worshipping SOMETHING, even if I don't think of it that way. The pandemic (and the Enneagram) has helped me realize that when I'm stressed, I turn to escapism like videogames and snacking. I want to see those things as they are; the worship of pleasure and comfort. When I see things that way, it's a little easier to put down the fries (even though they are so delicious!).

So, here's to another great year, hopefully one full of intentional worship. And, here's to (at least) 37 more years! =0). 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

A California Christmas!

Hello, friends! 

Here's hoping you are having a great start to the new year. I don't know about you but I'm ready to leave 2021 in the dust. =0). 

It's been a few weeks since we got back but I wanted to update you all on our trip to California for Christmas. In spite of all the omicron cases and the fact that we'd been to California twice already in 2021, we felt like it would be good to be there for a Christmas. Megan and I were doing the math and realized that we hadn't been to California for Christmas since 2017! 

2018 - Went for Thanksgiving and did SoDak for Christmas

2019 - Jojo was born so we didn't travel

2020 - COVID was in full swing

We figured that waiting 5 years between Christmas visits was a bit much, so we made the trip! Here are a few blessings and lessons from our trip: 

- Traveling at more convenient times is worth the extra cost. Instead of flying based solely on cost, we tried to take our schedule into account. This meant leaving a little bit later to Cali so we weren't stressed in the morning and leaving a little earlier on the way back to Omaha so we wouldn't get back so late. Friends, it was SO MUCH BETTER! The kids were in better moods, which meant that we were in better moods, and the flights weren't even all the way full, so Jojo (who now needs his own seat) could wiggle a bit. It was pretty great. 

- There might be TOO much good food in Cali. When I go back to Cali, I have a list of places where I need to eat. There are really only 5 or 6 places on the list that are absolutes. This trip, somehow, I only hit ONE of them. Granted, it was my absolute favorite, so I'm OK but it was weird running out of meals! Of course, I still ate really well. We cooked at home a lot more and some folk treated us to meals for various reasons. It was a different eating experience for sure but certainly still an enjoyable one. 

- It's ALWAYS beach weather, even when it isn't. My nephew turned 7 on December 31 so the Sunday before we left (26th) we had a surprise birthday party for him. His surprise? Playing flag football on the beach. Friends, apparently, you can still play flag football on the beach even when it's in the low-50's. Was it the most enjoyable experience? No. Did I have to keep Ezra from running into the ocean where he would almost certainly catch pneumonia? Yes. Was I pleasantly surprised at the fact that I didn't freeze my everything off at the beach? Also yes. =0). 

- Family time is good time. The last time we were in California was for my sister's wedding reception. We were just there for the weekend and the trip was very full, meaning we had some time to be together but there was also a lot of action. This time, there was no real agenda. We spent a LOT of time together. It was so good to see the cousins interact with each other. It's nice that they actually do like each other. It was good to see my siblings and my parents. It was also good that we were the only ones staying at my parents' place so there was some time when we weren't all together too. 

The next time we'll be out in Cali is probably November for Thanksgiving, which will be a while. But, that's OK. Cali will always be there and I'll always be happy to go back. 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam