Crazy Week Indeed!!

This has been a crazy week indeed for my first week at Forest Park Carthage–and it’s ONLY THURSDAY!!? Here is a few of the highlights:

• Attended my first Forest Park Carthage staff meeting–AWESOME!? This is a really good team we are putting together!!? Really sharp people!? Exciting things on the horizon.
• Had to go the Social Security Administration to get a new Social Security Card because you need two forms of ID for the Homeland Security Administration form–guess how many forms of ID the Social Security Administration asked for??? One! My drivers license–WHICH IS MY SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER!!!
• Drove around with Mark Dinwiddie to see where a good location for the West Joplin Campus might be!!
• Went by AT&T store to see about my new iPhone!! They come tomorrow, but I probably won’t be getting it then for a myriad of reasons . . . I’ll get to them in a second!!!
• Hung out with a Forest Park Carthage Small Group on Monday night until like 10:30 p.m. and then stayed up until almost midnight talking about groups with our groups coordinator (I am staying at his house when in Carthage.)
• Met with Don (small groups guy) all morning and hammered out a lot of stuff for groups.
• Had my first “one-on-one” with Pastor John!! Was really good!? He gave me a bunch of preaching resources right off the bat!? Funny, I thought I wasn’t going to preach that much!? Actually going to be preaching my first message at FPCarthage on the 27th!? I feel like I am really going to learn a TON about how to “do” church from John!
• He also gave me the secret staff knock to get in to his office–I’m not telling!!
• John and I are teaching the 1st Base class (membership) on the 27th too!
• I am BAPTIZING TAYLOR on the 27th!! WAY COOL!!!
• We are moving on the 25th and 26th after closing on our house on the 24th–can you say CRAZY WEEKEND!?!
• Ran home to Taylor’s game on Tuesday night–canceled because of the monsoons that occurred on Tuesday morning!? Good to be in my own bed!
• Had my first Forest Park Carthage Staff meeting Wednesday afternoon!
• Stayed up late working on Small Groups with Don and Brenda again!!? I am PUMPED about Groups this fall! Exciting things a-brewing!
• Ordered small group books from my cousin, Mark Sanders, at For All Bible in Joplin–he’s the manager!? Good to be close to them again!
• Mark Dinwiddie had a surgery this morning and the staff went to see him and “serenaded” him in his room!? TOTAL SWEETNESS!? “Do Wa Dinwiddie, What Did He Do??” Let you mind wander!!!? I have a feeling their will be a “ENCORE PERFORMANCE” in staff on Wednesday!!
• Right when I got back to church, had Ryan Hunter help install some software on my new Mac and got a call from Jenny that TUCKER had an accident and she was taking him to the doctor (in the St. John’s network).
• Got another call that HE BROKE HIS ARM!!? NO WAY!!
• Spent the rest of the day on the phone with doctors, nurses, and several insurance companies to figure out what to do because we had just switched over to a new insurance on Monday.? We hope to get him in to an orthopedic surgeon tomorrow (in the Cox network now) or early next week to set his arm.? When it rains it pours!!
• AWESOME NEWS–We have an offer on our house!!!! Don’t know what it is yet, but we are praying and hoping we have good news in the morning!!!
• Exhausted!! Heading to bed early tonight!!!