We're stickin' around

For those of you who were wondering, "Hey, I wonder what happened with this whole California thing that Theron mentioned?" Well, let me take a moment to catch you up. After a very successful trip to Manhattan Beach, we knew we would have a tough decision to make in the coming weeks. We could tell that they really liked Jessica and what she could bring to the congregation. We could also tell that this "interview" was really a meeting that consisted of them trying to pitch the church to us. Not that this is a bad thing at all...it was just a little odd since we figured it would be the other way around. The people were very nice and of course the area was incredible. The pastor gave us indication that there was a 90% chance that they were going to call her (I guess they still had to make sure she hadn't murdered anyone yet), so it was just a matter of when the official call would come. That day came the Sunday before Thanksgiving. He called Jessica on the phone and told her that they were going to call her and within a flash, this situation became very real. Well, it was probably already pretty real for her...I tried my best to not do too much talking because I wanted her to decide if she would want to do the job before we talked too much about whether or not I liked the idea. In the end, we realized two things. 1. We want to teach. 2. We want to go to a church where we feel comfortable. We realize that we are pretty spoiled by having St. John in our backyard, but the idea of not opening a hymnal for a number of years just didn't sit well with either of us. We decided to turn down the call and wait to see what else God decides to bring before us. We have full confidence that the Lord will provide. He already has by giving us such an amazing community here in Seward where we been able to grow together. That being said, we look forward to the adventure that awaits us. Thanks for all the prayers from both family and friends as we have gone through this process for the first time. Cheers

p.s.- It's the most wonderful time of the year

p.p.s.- 4 more days...

Stay Tuned

I'm not dead

There is much to tell you

I promise to do so very soon

I hope you like video

Cheers

California Dreamin'

I'm currently sitting in our hotel in Manhattan Beach, CA wondering, "What the devil am I doing here?". Jessica is off with the pastor practicing for tomorrow's worship while I attempt to get some lesson planning done before we go out for supper tonight. So far, our trip has been very enjoyable. Nebraska was just dreadful yesterday. You know how Nebraska can be when it decides that it hates you...cold, wet, mean...like a dog who is usually loyal and then has a pee all over your leather shoes. I could really get used to the consistent 75 degree temperature and having the ocean just two blocks away. We met a lot of really nice people so far, in fact, I think people from California are really funny. They are always talking about how they are so relaxed here and how easy livin' is the way to go. They should visit Seward. I would certainly never call myself a small town expert, but I feel as though we in Seward understand easy livin' and relaxing. Anywho, we are very excited about the possible opportunity that God might lay before us. I know it's early in the game, but so far things seem to be going well. We will have a better picture of how we may or may not fit in after we worship with them tomorrow.

All of this possible California talk leads me to the question, "Am I cool enough for California?". Do I have what it takes to be the Kobe Bryant of teaching? I'm going to pose that question to my students on Monday. This should lead to a very interesting discussion since they seem to think Mr. Jenkins spends his free time riding bikes, listening to Mozart, and reading history text books. Cheers!

p.s.- Remember the Toys R Us "Big Toy Book" that would come out around Thanksgiving? Those were the days...

p.p.s.- Google Fran Healy and listen to his solo release "Wreck Order". Quality

Hello World

Greetings. November is here already! Perhaps it is just me, but it seems as if October came and went like a flash in a pan. I really fancied everything that October had to offer. Educationally speaking, the month culminated with attending the Musical Arts Day concert last friday at Concordia. I had at least 30 or 40 of my students were involved in the concert and I was as proud as a mom watching her kids at the annual Christmas pageant. It was incredible to see them really enjoy a musical experience that they worked hard to produce. An added bonus was getting a chance to hang out with Chuck and Peter since a few of their students were also involved.

In other news, Jessica and I have received some great...well, news. Jessica found out that First Lutheran Church in MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIFORNIA is interested in possibly calling her to fulfill the position of church musician. They are so interested that they are flying both of us out next weekend to visit. Even if nothing else comes of it...we will surely enjoy a free weekend trip to California. Keep us in your prayers as we await and see what God has in store for our future. November promises to be an adventure indeed. Hope all is well for you all out there! Cheers!

p.s.- This Saturday night is my first ever chance to direct a high school choir in concert! That's right...it's OPENING NIGHT! If you find yourself in Seward on Saturday night, you should check out some choral-pop music. I'm directing "Haven't Met You Yet" by Michael Buble and "Life in a Northern Town" by Sugarland. Be there...

Worst Brother Ever=Me

Let's all wish my young brother, Taylor, a happy 20th birthday shall we? I forgot to give him a shout out on the 16th when it actually occurred. Here's to hoping he gives up his desire to be a rapper this year.

Cheers

Fall Break...

Fall break is the simple truth that God really loves me. I woke up at 9 am last Friday!!! Well, it was more like 8:15, but I forced myself to stay in bed till 9. It was a great weekend. My battery needed a nice recharge and I accomplished just that.

In other news, I traveled down to Kansas City wif my wife to see out dear friend Rachel Micheel and also to see Sufjan Stevens in concert. It was a a nice little holiday. Rachel is just as vibrant about little kids as I remember and she is doing very well at her school. If I were a first grader, I would want Ms. Micheel as a teacher. Sufjan was incredible...simply incredible. His new stuff is a bit of a divergence from what we usually expect from him, but Jessica and I both agreed that he pulled off the "new sound". I love the way we crafts a song lyrically. I always find myself wanting to have a piece of paper with the lyrics on it as I listen to him so I can try and figure out what he is saying. Very deep that Sufjan is.

Now I am back at school, commencing the Student Teaching II phase of this experience. I like the nice groove I have discovered and I look forward to doing big things over the next 7 or so weeks. Cheers to those of you have who traveled to other places for your experience. I hope you made it safe and sound...and that some sort of big time adventure takes place while you are there. Health is going to be ever important as we move towards colder temperatures. I am hoping to keep using my bike to get to school at least till the end of the month. We'll see, my wife is urging me to use the car...but I'm much too tough and ignorant to do something like that.

ALSO....Eric Whitacre's new album, Light & Gold, was released today!!! Jessica and I listened to it while enjoying supper this evening. It's stunning. There were many occasions when we both looked at each other and thought...wow, what did we just experience. I aspire to move people with the music that I write. Studying and listening to his work always makes me want to scratch that creative itch which I have had absolutely zero time to scratch. Soon. I promise myself to write something soon. I have a brilliant idea about a choral operetta based on the conversion of Saul. Once I get a chance to put pencil to paper, look out!

Cheers

p.s.- I love you (I wept like a baby during that film)

Don't Wait...

I just got back from having a great conversation with a buddy (Keegan Bloomfield) of mine as I was biking back from the music building. We both are currently applying our trade of teaching at Seward High School and each lunch together everyday. We were reflecting on how much of a blessing it has been to go through this experience together and share stories. We shared how we are both still unsure about teaching as a career. It's so easy to just get stuck in a routine and not actually feel like you are doing something that matters. We both talked about how important it will continue to be to have other like-minded teachers on staff when we get out first gigs teaching. Just having a mentor to keep you focused on WHY you are teaching in the first place would be monumental in terms of our growth in ministry. Because that's what it is right? Isn't teaching a ministry? Didn't we decide to go into this profession because we wanted to impact young lives? So what are we waiting for? How come we look forward to the final bell of the day just like the students? Are we becoming complacent? I think that's part of it. You see, as a student teacher, you are just trying to make it. We don't really know what we are doing half the time and we find ourselves clock-watching the other half. Keegan summed it all up tonight when he said, "The devil feeds off of complacency". It's so true. I found myself becoming complacent. I found myself just filling time instead of actually planning something meaningful. We both recalled out amazing experience meeting the team of teachers from Orange Lutheran and how passionate they were about their ministry. I think I need to be in that type of environment. Don't get me wrong, Seward is a great place...but it's tough when you can't talk about the very reason you got into the job in the first place. Without that daily reminder of WHY, I and many other teachers turn ministry into a 9-5. There is too much work to be done.

I feel better now. Perhaps rejuvenated is the correct word for it. Whatever it is...this is how I want to feel once the school day is over. Is teaching hard? Yes. Is it extremely exhausting? Yes. Do high school kids make me want to bang my head against a cement wall sometimes? Ya you betcha. Is it worth it? That's up to you.

Cheers

p.s.- The mixed chorus kids are making sounds they never thought possible

p.p.s.- I love the fact that they don't even realize it yet