They Came from the Pond Out Back
We had some backyard visitors a few evenings ago – a gaggle of 27 geese!
About 100 yards away from our backyard is the community pond, and one of the nice things about the move has been exchanging the sound of trains grinding, barreling, & whistling by 24/7, for that of geese and ducks wafting up from the pond.
Thus, at about 7:30 last Thursday evening, we were excited to look out the back windows & see that tableau of geese just waddling about, complete with two crotchety noisemakers that just had to keep honking at each other throughout…
-ghp
Logos for Mac
The long promised, eons in alpha, seemingly never to arrive native Mac version of Logos is just about here!
While in several ways I kind of prefer Accordance, Logos will win out in the end because it has superior Lutheran resources at its disposal (read: CPH only makes its stuff available in Logos/Libronix format, and sees no business reason/case to hammer out agreements with the folks at Accordance…). So, for anyone who wants a wide range of the latest in good Lutheran materials available in a native Mac Bible software application, this is great news. (I just hope that Logos follows it up with a quick push to make all the remaining Lutheran resources available on the iPad & iPhone!)
-ghp
Logos Bible Software is giving away thousands of dollars of prizes to celebrate the launch of Logos Bible Software 4 Mac on October 1. Prizes include an iMac, a MacBook Pro, an iPad, an iPod Touch, and more than 100 other prizes!
They’re also having a special limited-time sale on their Mac and PC base packages and upgrades. Check it out!
Regenting – the Election Gets Real
Yesterday afternoon, my election to the Concordia – CA (Irvine) Board of Regents became very, very real.
I got a phone call yesterday from Dr. Kurt Krueger, President-Elect of the University, congratulating me on my election, and welcoming me to the Board. I thanked him and reciprocated, congratulating him on his recent appointment as President of CUI.
He then informed me about the first Board meeting, as well as the upcoming Inauguration.
It’s all pretty darned nifty, if not a little overwhelming if I let myself get too far along in thinking about it all. I’m very much looking forward to serving in this capacity, not only because it’s a higher-profile kind of thing (and it was, being honest, very cool to win a synodical election), but more so because I have some professional skills that I can bring to bear in service to our church body. I.e., this is a vocation for which I am actually well equipped.
Another thing that is pretty cool, in “the LCMS is a small-world way”, is that someone that I grew up with is actually on faculty at CUI! The odds that two classmates from St. John, Rochester & Lutheran High North (graduating class size: 123) would cross paths 25 years later in SoCal are kind of small. That said, I’m looking forward to chatting with Lori (Christiansen) Siekmann, who has distinguished herself as Dept. Chair & Director of Theatre Activites, such that she was mentioned in CUI’s report to the Synod in the recent Synodical Convention Workbook. Lori always was a very smart cookie! ;^)
I’m almost afraid that this is going to be more fun that I should be allowed to have… ;^)
-ghp
Swept in by the Issues, Etc. Revolution
The truest indicator that there was really something to the whole “Issues, Etc. Revolution” thing was that yours truly got elected to Synodical office — on the first ballot, yet! — last Friday.
It’s true. The coattails of President-Elect Matt Harrison’s Issues, Etc.-stoked run to the top were wide & strong enough to get me onto the Board of Regents of Concordia University – California (Irvine).
Not too shabby, eh?
Perhaps the most shocking outcome of the convention was the result of the balloting, from the top-spot on down. As Mollie Hemingway stated several times during her daily convention updates on Issues, Etc. this was a land-sea change. The United List, populated with many names known by Issues, Etc. listeners, got 77.7% of its nominees elected. 77.7%!!!
Included in that shockingly high percentage:
- Synodical President
- Synodical Vice-Presidents 1, 2, 4, & 5
- 5 of 6 open slots on the Synodical Board of Directors (including all 4 lay members; and the 1 ordained member was a floor nomination who just happens to be Todd Wilken’s Sr./Admin Pastor…)
- 16 of 20 members on the two new Mission Boards (that Res. 8-08a restructured into existence, replacing the old program boards…)
This was a hugely significant electoral event. I’m still processing everything that we did – good and bad – over our week in Houston. I’m hoping to wring several good posts out of it, at the very least. Some will be more substantial than others, but hopefully they’ll all be as interesting to read as they were to live.
I’ll do my best…
-ghp
Convention: Day 1
Day one is just about over. Nothing too earthing shattering, but a good day.
Travel was good, quick, & nicely uneventful. The plane arrived 20 minutes early, which is always nice, and the shuttle to the hotel didn’t suck.
The Hyatt is still the Hyatt. IOW, it looks pretty much the same as it did 3 years ago.
One thing that has been pretty cool is that my stress level has been way down this go around because I’m familiar with the surroundings & procedures, after having done it 3 years ago. I wish we were at the Hilton, instead of 10 blocks away at the Hyatt, but it’s not as off-putting when you know what the shuttles look like & where they pick up & drop off from…
The FC8 open session was mildly interesting, if only because there were some testy moments, where it was quite obvious that the FC just did not want to hear what the delegates were asking/saying. Not surprising, but still sadly amusing…
Didn’t get a chance to meet up with many folks today, but I did start to see a bunch of traffic on Twitter. I’m really hoping to see some of them tomorrow.
Tomorrow morning, I think I’m gonna try to swing by some of the open FC hearings, most likely FC6, so I can say hey to Dave Benke. Then things more formally begin with the all-delegate orientation and dinner.
Hopefully, there’ll be some good stuff to tweet & write about!
-ghp
Tech to Take
Well, it’s just about that time. I’m basically packed & ready to go.
Everything’s ready & in order to head out in the morning.
Drive to Highland in time to catch the 7:20 bus to Midway.
Get to Midway within the recommended 2hr window.
Wheels up at 10:45
Wheels down in Houston by 1:20
Buckle up & strap it down.
On the technology front, I’ve decided to take a slightly different route this time. I’m leaving my mainstay 17″ Macbook Pro at home, and I’m going to rely on my iPad & iPhone for connectivity & productivity while down in Houston. Augmenting the wifi iPad, I’ll have a keyboard dock for use while on the convention floor & in my hotel room. I’m banking on my experience to date that the iPad will give me the 80+% functionality that I need, while having ultra portability & convenience, compared to lugging the laptop around. And that’s a significant factor, given that I’m once again billeted at the hotel that’s 10 blocks away from the convention center.
Time & frustration levels will tell if this was the right choice.
You’ll no doubt find out in dribs & drabs over the course of the next 10 days, and certainly shortly after I get back from the festivities.
-ghp
This OR That
Only ’cause it’s funny, yo!
JF video (attached to Delegate Letter #9): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrONJf3kiio
The response, self-described as light-hearted: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew2d9G8JkFg
*giggle*
-ghp
T-Minus 10 & Counting
10 days until I leave for Humidity Fest 2010, aka the LCMS Synodical Convention…
I’ve been rather low-key about it this go around, not because I don’t care (I do), but more because I’ve been occupied by things like a house move (consolidating two homes worth of stuff into one, while dealing with contractors & renovations in the new abode; work that still isn’t done even as we’ve now moved into said abode…), the normal ups & downs at work, and some particularly vexing & divisive issues at church.
Frankly, I’ve been too tired to obsess about the convention, keeping up with every online conversation/forum/tidbit/debate, and then blogging my opinion for all to see. I certainly still have my opinions, as I’ve kept properly informed. And I’ve felt greatly frustrated at not being able to write as much as I’ve wanted, with my only outlet having been Twitter (which is good for what it is, but it’s certainly not satisfying or able to scratch the “deep thought” itch…).
In a way, though, I think it might be good that I’ve been sort of off-grid & not spouting my opinion everywhere. I’ve still been able to form it. I’ve read the Workbook & 1st Today’s Business. I see what’s been going down. While I haven’t slavishly read all the delegate mailings this go around, I have read enough to form an opinion about what the two sides are thinking by how they are acting/writing.
It’s all very, very interesting.
Now, it’s time to start getting ramped up for the festivities.
It’s going to be a bumpy ride, but I think it’ll be a fun one.
It’s a guilty secret, but I really do like Synodical politics. If I could always be a delegate, I’d jump at the chance. I love the ins & outs of it all. The experiences, the interplay, even dealing with the people. I find it all so very fascinating. In a twisted way, when people ask me about it, I’ll give the standard “Oh, it’s gonna be such a *chore*….” type of answer, particularly when I’m at the local level. Why? Because I don’t want to seem to eager, and I certainly don’t want anyone else to see how very cool and desirable an opportunity being a delegate is — I want it all for myself!
Now I just have to get through the next week — It’s like a kid waiting for Christmas… 
-ghp
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