Evotional.com - Mark Batterson

Over the past year I've detailed the year-long discipleship program I went through with my son, Parker. It started with a covenant. It involved a spiritual, intellectual, and physical challenge. And we celebrated with a pilgrimage to the Grand Canyon. Actually hiked the Canyon rim-to-rim.

This year I'm keeping it simple: we're reading through a one-year Bible together. I honestly wasn't sure if he was old enough to do it and then I thought about the fact that young Jewish children actually memorized the entire Torah!

We'll still do Father/Son Meetings. We'll probably read some books together. And we're planning on running another triathlon together. But I really felt like I need to re-discipline myself and re-read the entire Bible cover-to-cover this year. Parker was up for the challenge so we'll do it together. Honestly, I think that'll help me stay accountable!

For what it's worth, we're using The Daily Message.

I went to post a blog today and realized I just passed the 3000 post mark. That is a lot of blog entries!

Thought I'd take this opportunity to share the genesis behind my blog. I've always journaled. Helps me process what I'm thinking and feeling. But as NCC got larger and I started connecting with more pastors, I decided to "go public." Been blogging since 2003. I felt like it was a way to do some digital discipleship. So three thousand posts and millions of hits later, here we are.

Blog on.

A few months ago I read a biography about Martin Luther. I did it in preparation for my trip to Germany. I was actually at the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany where Luther posted His ninety-five theses on Reformation Day.

As I read about Luther several things struck me. One of which was the simple fact that he would spend as much as six hours in a single day confessing his sin. What I drew from that is this: either he sinned a ton or he was incredibly detailed in his confession. One thing is certain, that amount of confession requires a great deal of self-examination.

Question: What is the longest confession you've ever made?

Here's a thought. I wonder if the objective of our confession is wrong. We want God to forgive us. But is that only objective? I think God wants us to discover, via confession, the sinful patterns and tendencies that destroy us spiritually. And then find ways to break those sinful habit.

I decided to bring in the New Year by practicing confession in a little different way. I spent a half-hour writing out my confession. It was sort of like a stream of consciousness writing assignment. I just let it flow. And I decided to write it out because writing forces me to be specific. Too often our confessions amount to this: forgive me for everything I've ever done wrong. That's weak. Vague confession = vague faith. Or to put it another way, half-hearted confession = half-hearted joy.

We need to be more courageous in our confession. That might mean confessing to a confidant. That might mean a written confession. I wrote six pages. And if I had taken more time I'm sure I could have written a lot more. Like everybody else, I have issues! Then after I had purged my soul, I put the six pages through the shredder. That allowed me to honest with myself and with God.

I think we try to move into the future without bringing closure to the past. Without the cross of Christ we're struck. We can't do anything about the past. But the blood of Christ is power over the past. We can begin again. We can start over.

Well, there is always next year. Tough loss for the Purple People Eaters, but at least the Vikings won the NFC North. I thought they would go deeper into the playoffs, but it seems like any team can beat any other team on any given Sunday. A lot of parity this year.

Always have a tough time getting over the last loss of the season. But this isn't as tough as the Packers loss in last year's NFC Championship. I was in a funk for several days after that loss.

By the way, in case your wondering why I'm a Vikings and Packers fan? I know. I know. How can you like two arch rivals? Well, I was born in Minneapolis and lived in Wisconsin when I was kid. Love both teams. It's who I am. Half purple. Half cheese.

I'm currently reading Malcolm Gladwell's new book, Outliers. Wanted to share a finding I've heard before. Basically, it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at anything! It doesn't matter whether it's athletics or academics. According to Gladwell, there are no "naturals." You have to put in the time. Generally speaking, the only difference between an elite person in any field and everybody else is usually a few thousand hours of practice time.

I find this study so empowering. Anybody can become an expert in just about anything. Obviously, you need a baseline of talent if you're talking about music or sports. But you can accumulate knowledge and become an expert.

This resonates with me on lots of levels. I'm not claiming expertise in any particular discipline, and I certainly see myself as a work in progress, but to become a great writer you have to be a great reader. Since I graduated from college I've read at least 2500 books. I think this is a conservative estimate, but if you allow at least 4 hours reading time per book you end up with about 10,000 hours.

So here's the question: what do you want to become an expert in? Gladwell says, "Ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness."

Our family spent a couple days at Massanutten Ski Resort in Harrisonburg, VA. Lots of laughter! Lots of memories!

A few of the highlights included a hike through the woods on New Years day; skiing the slopes and riding the chair lifts; and lots of board games.

Good old-fashioned fun!

Our family is headed to Massanutten for a couple days. That is actually where Parker and I learned to snowboard. Gonna hit the ski slopes a couple of days. Great way to bring in the New Year!

Gonna check out of the blogosphere for a couple days.

Happy New Year!

One of the gifts I got for Christmas was a picture of Lora and the kids. Awesome picture! And I just put it on my desk today. I'm sitting here looking at it and it's hard to describe the feeling. So grateful for my wife and kids. I always try to re-prioritize going into a New Year. And that picture is my priority.

Everybody in ministry knows that balancing family and ministry is a complicated dance! Like the Tango. Actually, I'm dancing-impaired so they're all complicated.

I absolutely love what I do. But family comes first. For what it's worth, one of my New Year's Resolutions two years ago was to use all of my vacation days. Up until that point I hadn't. And I was sort of proud of that. But God really convicted me. I owe it to my family to use all of my vacation days! That is one resolution that has become a way of life.

I'm so far from perfect as a husband and father. But I can honestly say that nothing is more important to me than my family. That picture is the best gift I got this Christmas! Priceless.

Have you ever stopped to thank God for the simple fact that He designed the universe in a way that we experience both day and night?

For some reason, He designed planet earth in a way that we'd make one full rotation around our axis every 24 hours. And I'm so grateful. Why? Because I have bad days. But I can go to sleep and wake up the next morning and it's a new day! His mercies are new every morning! I think our daily cycle is God's way of saying, "You get to start over every 24 hours."

So thank God for a new day. And thank God for a new year. For some reason, He choose to design our particular galaxy in a way that we'd make one round-trip around the sun every 365 days. And then we get to start over.

We sang the Song of Hope by the Robbie Seay Band on Sunday. It's one of my personal favorites. And I love one line of lyrics: I can start again.

So true. So grateful.

In the 1960’s, a study was done on the campus of Yale University. The subjects were Yale seniors who were educated about and encouraged to get a tetanus shot. Most of the students were convinced by the lecture that they needed to get the shot. But only 3% actually went and got the shot.

Another group of students were given the same lecture, but they were also given a copy of the campus map with the location of the health center circled. Then they were asked to look at their weekly schedules, make a plan for when they would go and take the shot, and look at the map and decide what route they would take. 28% of that control group got the shot. That is nine times as many! Why the radical increase? Because they identified how, when, and where?

I'm guessing all of us need to make a change going into the New Year. You need to stop doing something or start doing something. You need to do something less or do something more. But I'm guessing about 3% of us will make the change because we never identify how, when, and where!

So here's a plan. It's as simple as 1,2,3.

#1 Look at the calendar and schedule an hour between now and January 1^st. Put it on your calendar. Make an appointment with yourself. It may be in the morning or in the evening. It may be at your house or a coffeehouse. It may be on New Years Eve or New Years Day. Just set aside one hour.

#2 Spend an hour reflecting and praying. And here’s a suggestion. Think in categories. I think it helpful to think in these five categories: spiritual, relational, intellectual, emotional and physical. Do an honest self-assessment. And ask God to reveal the answer to this question: what change do I most need to make?

#3 Make the change. Call it a goal. Call it a New Year's Resolution. Call it whatever you want. The goal is to make a change that honors God. Here's a suggestion. Don't make ten resolutions! If you make lots of resolutions you'll probably keep none of them. In my experience, you need to make three or less. And I'd start with the spiritual category.

Once you come up with your resolution you need to write it down. Then you need to keep it visible. Put it on a screen saver. Put it on your bathroom mirror. If it's diet related, put it on the refrigerator. You might even want to find an accountability partner who will make the same resolution. It helps to have someone hold you accountable.

Is there anything greater than a game winning field goal? Gets the adrenaline going! Huge win for the Vikings today. Ryan Longwell hit a 50-yarder with time expiring. I picked the Vikings to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season. And I know they are still a long shot. But they did take one small step/one giant leap by winning the NFC North. Amazing how many playoff spots are being decided on the final weekend of the season.

PS. Superman wears Adrian Peterson pajamas!

A couple decades ago, a pair of psychologists named William Samuelson and Richard Zeckhauser discovered a phenomenon they dubbed the status quo bias. Simply put: most of us have a tendency to keep doing what we've been doing without giving it much thought. And on one level it’s harmless. NCC offers eight services at four locations. But most NCCers attend the same service at the same place week-in and week-out. And most of us sit in about the same place. Some of you are right-side people. Some of you are left-side people. We’ve got front people and back people. And there is nothing wrong with that. We are simply creatures of habit. But maintaining the status quo can become detrimental.

For example, a study was done on college professors who were part of a pension plan. And the researchers discovered that the professors picked a plan upon entering the program, and while they had the freedom to change plans based on life circumstances or market conditions or even the size of their portfolio, the median numbers of changes in their asset allocation was zero! In other words, most of them picked a plan and forgot about it. They stopped evaluating. By the way, what was even more telling is that many of the married participants who joined the program when they were single still had their mothers listed as their beneficiaries.

Have you have ever been offered a free subscription to a magazine for the first year? Why would we be offered something for free? It’s because magazine companies understand the status quo bias. Most of us will forget to cancel. And it’s not really that we’ve forgotten. We’re just too lazy to make a simple phone call or write a simple letter. Right? That is human nature! We tend to keep doing what we’ve been doing. And the problem with that is this: if you keep doing what you’ve always done you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten.

As we get ready to begin a New Year, let's challenge the status quo. I know there is nothing magical about midnight on December 31st. And not everybody has a resolution personality. But all of us need to make changes. Take some time to evaluate your life spiritually, relationally, physically, emotionally, and intellectually. What changes do you need to make? Is there something you need to stop doing or start doing? What do you need to do more or do less? I've always felt like New Years is an opportunity to reevaluate and recalibrate my life. The only other option is maintaining the status quo.

What New Year's Resolution are you making this year?

One of the reasons I blog is to capture moments. And every year I spend some time reviewing and reflecting via re-reading my blog. Here are some 2008 highlights. They definitely cross the spectrum: family highlights, travel highlights, pastor highlights, writing highlights, etc.

Recording and releasing my first audio book
Snowboarding at the Canyons in Utah
Eating Lou Malnati's pizza in a taxi during a layover at O'Hare airport
Staff Rap
Visiting the hospital where I was born in Minneapolis
Fasting TV for forty days during Lent
Spending a day in Santa Monica with no place to go and nothing to do
Father/Son meetings with Parker
Ebenezers voted #1 coffeehouse in metro DC area
Riding Space Mountain with Parker and Summer
A visit to Kopp's Custard while speaking in Wisconsin
Seventh printing of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day
Witnessing a baptism at Lake Langano in Ethiopia
Dinner at Rick Warren's house
Speaking in Willowcreek auditorium where I felt called to church plant
Joining facebook
Joining twitter
playing corn hole during our pray and play retreat
playing corn hole during our unplugged conference
speaking at an NFL chapel
Taking Josiah to Sea World
Signing books at ICRS
Hiking the Grand Canyon from rim-to-rim
Helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon
Doing devotions at the Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim
Playing St. Andrews Golf Course in Scotland
Writing and releasing Wild Goose Chase
Hosting the Convoy of Hope
Running a sprint triathlon with Parker
Parker's Birthday surprise and celebration
Sponsoring a child via Compassion International
Visiting Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany on Reformation Day
Seeing the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall with Lora

Filled with gratitude when I look back at 2008. This year has not been without its disappointments and failures. And I face some challenges going into 2009. But God is good. And I feel blessed.

Not sure which day I love more--Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

It's always been a Batterson tradition to open stocking gifts on Christmas Eve. Then the boys make breakfast for the girls on Christmas morning. That is actually a Schmidgall tradition. My specialty? Cinnamon toast. Extra cinnamon. Piled high!

After breakfast we open our gifts one at a time from youngest to oldest. Then we'll hang out with the Schmidgall clan for a couple days.

Love Christmas traditions!

Have you ever left your gas cap at a gas station after filling up? Or what about leaving your bank card at ATM machine after making a withdrawal? I know. Most cars come equipped with an attached gas cap so you can't forget. And most ATM machines beep when the card is ejected. But that phenomenon of forgetting is something psychologists call a postcompletion error. It is the tendency, after completing a task, to forget the steps that got you there.

I think the postcompletion error is one of the dangers we face going into a new year. Let me put it this way. I know lots of people who have been Christians for twenty-five years. But they don't have twenty-five years of experience. They have one year of experience repeated twenty-five times. Why? Because God has to re-teach them the same lessons over and over and over again.

What lessons has God taught you this past year? Let's not forget the old lessons so God can teach us new lessons next year.

I think a huge part of discipleship is overcoming this postcompletion error. If you've overcome an addiction, don't forget the steps you took. If your marriage has been reconciled, don't forget the steps. If you've experienced success in business, don't forget the steps. Share the steps with others. That's called discipleship.

One of my New Year traditions is preaching a message called Live and Learn. It's my way of capturing the lessons God has taught me over the past year. I need to double-back. Why? Because I don't want to forget how I got here!

You've heard of a Ghost Town right? Over Christmas, NCC is a Ghost Church. It is a combination of factors. First of all, no one is from Washington, DC! Second, our church is primarily single twenty-somethings. So everybody heads home for the holidays! That translates into about 25% attendance.

That is why we have an abbreviated service schedule. Basically, one service at all locations. But for the locals that are staying in town, we will have a Christmas Eve Service at 5 PM @ Ebenezers Coffeehouse.

This post is a little random. But I was thinking about it after taking our family to see The Tale of Despereaux. Two thumbs up, by the way! So good. And one of the scenes is a powerful depiction of forgiveness. I won't ruin the storyline, but the phrase, "I'm sorry," changes everything.

I feel like my job as a parent is to teach my kid's three phrases: please, thank you, and I'm sorry. Those three phrases are three keys that will open any door.

"Please" symbolizes a humble approach to life without a sense of entitlement. It is the magic word. Or think of it as the master key. A simple "please" will open doors nothing else can.

"Thank you" symbolizes a grateful heart. When you stop saying "thank you" it stops the flow of blessing. But if you genuinely thank people when they do something for you, it keeps the door open.

And "I'm sorry" symbolizes courage. Why? Because it takes tremendous courage to admit that you were wrong. But if you learn to say "I'm sorry" when you make a mistake it reopens doors that have been closed.

So to recap...

"Please" opens doors. "Thank You" keeps them open. And "I'm sorry" reopens closed doors.

I know that sounds awfully simplistic. But the happiest and healthiest people are the people who are really good at those three things. They have mastered the three phrases.

Here's a must read for the ladies. I'm almost as excited about this book releasing as one of my own. All I Need is Jesus and a Good Pair of Jeans releases on January 1st. Sue Aughtmon is one of the most naturally gifted writers I've read. And few people are as funny. Plus she's the real deal. Sue and her husband Scott were on staff at NCC before planting Pathway Church in Palo Alto, CA. Love them!

To quote Lora, "How can someone's first book be this good?"

Is email an official addiction? If so, I'm really wondering if I belong in EA. As I go into the New Year, I'm really trying to evaluate my life. And I'm realizing that the quantity of emails in my inbox really does effect me emotionally. And sometimes spiritually. I honestly feel like more than half of my day is spent emailing. And maybe that is normal. But I'm not sure it's entirely healthy.

More specifically, here is what I struggle with. If I have any down time, doesn't matter whether I'm at a red light or in the bath room, I find myself checking my phone to see if I have an email. And if I do, my subconscious response is "I better read and respond as quickly as possible."

That sentence just dislodged an ancient memory. When I was a kid I used to come home for dinner, believe it or not, when my mom rang our dinner bell. Sounds like Leave it to Beaver or Mayberry doesn't it? I'd come home, but I remember saying, "We have to hurry up and eat. My friends are waiting." If I said that once I said it a hundred times. So even at five years-old, I think I was already driven. I don't like to keep people waiting! And on one level, that's respectful and prudent. We actually have a 24-hour rule at NCC. Staff needs to respond to email in a timely fashion.

The problem is this: I can't seem to keep up.

I had a defining moment at the Willowcreek Group Life Conference a few months ago. I turned off my phone when I got up to speak. I turned it back on afterwards and I had 69 new messages. I wish that was an anomaly, but it's not. For some reason, it struck me that day. I was pretty tired from a long fall of traveling and speaking. Basically, I felt like a marathoner around mile 18 who realizes they can't sustain the pace!

Here's my question: how many emails can you answer per day before it begins to consume your life? I think that varies. If you're working on Capitol Hill, it may be several hundred emails. But I think we need to know our threshold.

Two years I set three New Years Resolutions that really helped me maintain my personal boundaries:

1) Use all my vacation days.
2) Don't be away from home more than 30 nights.
3) Don't check work-related email on my day off.

Using all my vacation days has become a way of life. No turning back on that one! And I'm actually reducing the number of days away to 25 in 2009. But I still struggle with the email boundaries. I check it first thing in the morning. I check it last thing at night. And I check it all the time in between.

That's my blog confession. I'm honestly not sure how I manage this. But I know I need to make some changes. I'm thinking about an occasional blog fast. And I'm thinking about reestablishing some blog boundaries around my day off.

Thanks for letting me purge!

We getting close to a balanced budget. Honestly, I thought budgeting would get easier as income increased. Not the case. I think it's far more complicated. We have more staff, more ministries, more locations. Plus we've got several visionary initiatives this year: internet campus, fifth location, hope center, and another Ebenezers. All of those require a big budget.

Here is one thing that has helped us keep our sanity during the budgeting process. Several years ago we created a category in our budget called wish list. These are things that don't make the budget, but we're believing God will provide above and beyond. As He does, things on the wish list become budgeted items. I feel like it's an approach to budgeting that is is fiscally sound, but full of faith. We recognize, in some instances, that it'll take miracle. But that puts us in a position to live by faith.

I've heard from dozens of churches that doing a Chase the Goose series in early 09 so I thought I'd share a few tips:

1) Check out www.chasethegoose.com. We've got videos, graphics, transcripts, etc. You can download them and customize them for your series. And it's all free.

2) You can get a bulk discount on books. Email resources@theaterchurch.com.

3) It's not available yet, but we're working on small group curriculum. It should be available in August 09.

Went to a swearing-in-ceremony for new citizens yesterday. So cool. There were 701 new citizens from 104 countries, including our friend and Spanish campus-pastor Dairo Borja. It was the largest group of new citizens sworn in at one time in the history of DC.

I think there is a unique appreciation of America among immigrants that those of us born in the US don't fully appreciate. We take an awful lot for granted.

As a Municipal Judge, my grandfather used to lead citizenship classes and ceremonies. I remember hearing about how life-changing it was for those who immigrated. In fact, our family used to have an annual meal at a Chinese restaurant that was owned by immigrants that my grandfather had helped become citizens.

For the record, my ancestors on my mom's side immigrated to the US from Sweden in the late 19th century so I've got some Swedish blood running through my veins.

Here's a shot of new citizens pledging allegiance.

I'm spending some time today reflecting on this year and planning for next year. I love this time of year because it's an opportunity to evaluate. I always try to reestablish some good habits via New Years Resolutions.

To be honest, it usually comes down to this. I need to exercise more, pray more, read more. Right? Oh yeah, I also need to watch less TV. Not exactly rocket science. It's all about reestablishing priorities. But doing it in a way that is motivating and sustainable. For example, exercising more will never do the trick for me. I need a specific goal like training for a triathlon. Same with spiritual disciplines. I need goals. For example, reading through a new version of the Bible. I was convicted recently by something J.I. Packer said: "I've been telling people for years that every Christian worth his salt ought to read the Bible from cover to cover every year."

By the way, I've found that fasting is a great way to reestablish habits and priorities. It helps you kick start things and gain some spiritual momentum.

I was asked last week to write the foreword for Brennan Manning's next book, Furious Longing. Getting asked to write a foreword is a humbling experience. Especially for an author that you esteem. Manning is in a rare league as a writer. Hard to describe his style. It's raw yet poetic. His words gracefully confront the status quo, but he manages to do it in a way that is not threatening. It elicits a deep desire to know God.

Furious Longing releases in March 2009. While you're waiting, I'd recommend a few of his other books, The Ragamuffin Gospel or The Importance of Being Foolish.

One reason Christianity has a perception problem is because we tend to criticize culture instead of creating culture. We are more known for what we're against than what we're for. We need to aspire to something Michelangelo said: criticize by creating. Let's not just complain about what's wrong. Let's celebrate what's right.

Just got off the phone with Gary Ross, Oscar-nominated writer and producer. A couple of the comedies he wrote, Big and Dave, are classics! And Seabiscuit is one of my all-time favorites! His next project, The Tale of Despereaux, is based on the best-selling book by Kate DiCamillo. It opens in movie theaters on Friday, December 19.

The movie is filled with redemptive themes and virtuous characters. The hero is a mouse named Despereaux, a small mouse with big ears and big dreams. I love his defining moment because it reminds me of mine. When I was a senior in college I discovered the thrill of reading, and for several years I read at an average pace of about 150 books per year. If you want to write, read. If you want to lead, read. If you want to dream, read. Back to the movie. Despereaux sneaks into the royal library and learns to read. And those stories fuel his dreams and help him muster the courage to save the kidnapped Princess Pea.

Our family is going to go see The Tale of Despereaux when it opens this weekend. And NCC is going to buy out a showing as an outreach event for our Kingstowne launch. Just wanted to put the movie on the radar. The film will make for a great family outing over the holidays!

Excited about our live nativity today!

A few years ago we felt like there wasn't any kind of visible reminder of what Christmas is all about on Capitol Hill. So we decided to do a live nativity celebrating the birth of Christ. I think this is our fifth annual. Love the animals. The angel choir. The manger scene.

Feel like it gets me in the true Christmas Spirit.

For locals, it's at Lincoln Park (12th and East Capitol Streets, NE) from 4-7 PM.

So excited about the Christmas Catalog we produced. If you want to give a gift, check out the online marketplace. You can give a brick that will help build an orphanage in Uganda. You can give a goat that will help feed a family in Ethiopia. You can even give a mud hut to an elderly widow in Malawi.

Would love for every NCCer to participate in some form or fashion!

Just got out of a meeting with our Stewardship Team. Thought I'd share a few budgeting thoughts.

First of all, I'm grateful. I remember when our total income was $2000/month and the DC public school we rented was $1600. That left $400 for all other expenses including salary. Whenever I'm feeling discouraged or stressed about finances, I remember where we've come from!

I know that lots of churches are feeling the financial pressure right now. So I'm grateful that we haven't been grossly effected by the economy. I pray that we never have to lay off staff for economic reasons. I know some situations are unforeseeable, but one way to avoid that is to staff conservatively. I know the percentage of budget dedicated to staff varies greatly from church to church. And I'm no expert when it comes to church finances. But I feel a comfort level in the 40-45% range. I know this is all relative! But anything significantly less than that and you might be under-staffed. Or you might under-pay your staff. And if too much of your budget is devoted to staff it really cuts into mission budgets.

In my estimation, budgeting is the place where reality and faith intersect. Especially when you're projecting income. You want to budget by faith. But if you budget too high on the income side, you often live with a tremendous amount of financial pressure from week to week.

On the flip side, few things reveal your true priorities as much as your line-item expenses. That is where the rubber meets the road. I recognize the importance of buildings, for example. And I have no issue with them being first-class and fully-operational. But if your facilities category is too high, you're putting lots of money into brick and mortar. For what it's worth, the one expense category where I want to exceed budget is missions.

That's a little philosophy. Now here's the reality. I'm feeling overwhelmed. I feel that way every year around this time. It's so hard to balance a budget. And it ought to be hard. So I'm feeling the stress, but I'm also believing God will once again prove Himself to be Jehovah Jireh, God our Provider.

Here's the balanced budgets!

We are beginning to produce the small group curriculum for Wild Goose Chase. Working with Threads, the division of Lifeway that produces small group studies for young adults.

I'd like to include your story.

Looking for some good Wild Goose Chase stories that will inspire, encourage, and challenge. It could be a cage you've broken out of, a story about the sovereignty of God, or maybe a story about how God has taken you someplace you never expected to go.

Email your story to resources@chasethegoose.com.

While in NYC we visited the museum at Ground Zero.

In a word? Intense.

A few things struck me.

The cranes and construction. The faces and the names of the victims. Personalized the tragedy in a profound way! The view from the church cemetery across the street was surreal and serene. And finally, the museum displays that had the most impact where the personal articles that were recovered from the acres of debris. The picture I'm posting includes a bank deposit from the morning of 9/11. Something about that impacted me deeply.

The Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall was a-mazing. Incredible staging. They had a really cool 3D film of Santa flying through New York City. And I have no idea how you choreograph all those dances and perform them perfectly. Reminded me of Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. One of them is Bodily-Kinesthetic. The Rockettes Kinesthetic IQ is off the chart.

On our walk to Radio City we looked at all the storefronts with their Christmas decor. Walked by the ice rink at Rockefeller Center on the way back.

It was about seven years ago that I was invited to serve as a trustee for the Des Plaines Charitable Trust. One of the most enjoyable things I do. We aren't a large foundation, but we give small grants to start-up ministries. And those small grants make a big difference!

This year our annual meeting was in New York City. Spent the morning reviewing grant requests and financials. Our portfolio, like everybody else who has investments in the stock market, took a huge hit this fall. But it makes me doubly grateful for the grants we're able to give.

Loving NYC.

Love getting off the train and walking out of Penn Station! Always a moment. Ate lunch at Carnegie Deli. Love their pickles and sandwiches! Walked around Time Square. Saw the Naked Cowboy. No idea how he does it. It was 29 degrees out. Topped things off with some hot honey roasted peanuts.

Have a dinner meeting tonight with Des Plaines Trustees.

Very relaxing day!

Lora and I are going to spend a couple days in New York City. Love the train ride from DC to NYC. We're headed up there for the annual meeting of the Des Plaines Charitable Trust which I serve as a trustee. But we'll have some free time too. Gonna hit Carnegie Deli. Hope to hit Rockefeller Center. And we're going to Radio City Music Hall on Tuesday night for the Christmas Spectacular.