ShaneGarrison.org

I was mailing my prospectus off this morning at the local post office, when I overheard the man behind me tell the Postal worker, “I have some more chicks arriving next Monday.”

I thought to myself, did he just say he has “chicks” arriving.  Women or little chickens?  And why would they be coming to the post office?  I just had to ask.

“Sir, did you say that you have 100 chicks arriving here on Monday?  Can you really mail baby chickens?”

He then explained to me that he orders baby chickens from Texas and they are shipped ALIVE in a box with holes and food to him here in Northern KY.  A box holds about 25 chicks each and because they are all packed together, they stay warm.  He said he has never got a box with any chicks who didn’t make the journey (if you know what I mean).

I just thought it was weird that we can use the United States Postal Service to ship little animals from 800 miles away.  On second thought, there are such things as mail-order brides.  Maybe that is how you ship the other kinds of “chicks.”

This is my final week as the Main Street Christian Eduation Center (CEC) Administrator.  The CEC Board of Directors decided in March to hire a full-time administrator.  A very good decision, mind you.  The CEC and its six entities had outgrown the ability of a church staff member to carry the load and do church work at the same time.

Since I can not have two full-time jobs, I needed to resigned in order for them to be begin their search.  The search was really no search at all.  The Board had their pick all along.

So last Thursday at our Year End Program and Fifth Grade Graduation, I announced that Mrs. Laura Kalfas would become the new full-time CEC Administrator.  Laura has been a teacher with the CEC since its inception four year ago.  She has been an educator for over seventeen years.  She is WAY MORE experienced in education that I ever thought about being.  She is going to do an amazing job.  So during the month of June, I get to help Laura transition into her new role. 

It has been a great honor for me to serve in this capacity over the last six months.  I have learned a ton about management, human resources, hiring, interviewing, evaluation and reviews, business & finance.  I have learned how to work with the state government, upset parents, prospective families and be a substitute teacher for 1st & 2nd graders.

Mostly I have learned what it means to serve as an administrator of a Christian organization.  Something I believe God will use continually in my life. 

It has been a while since I posted a plethora of family pics.  So here is a good batch.  Some are from the house.  Some are from Isaac’s bedroom when he decided to read Daddy a story and make me go to bed.

The last set are from Wright Patterson Air Force base in Dayton, OH.  We took a little Memorial Day excursion.  Enjoy.  (Click on the gallery picture to see a large copy.)

I will be preaching the second part of the To Live is Christ series tomorrow. 

Message Title: To Live as Partakers of Grace
Message Text:  Philippians 1:6-11

If you would like to listen to last week’s message or this week’s, you can go to http://sievechurch.wordpress.com or iTunes, under key word: Sievechurch.

Lord, send the rain of grace.

Tonight at Main Street, we celebrate the retirement of Mrs. Diana Reis.  She has served our congregation for over 30 years.  She started back in 1977 (the year of my birth). 

Diana is an amazing woman of God.  She is so kind, compassion, and caring.  Her warm smile welcomes nearly every person that comes through our doors.

We will miss Diana very much when she is officially finished July 3.  She will never be replaced.  Her gifts have truly blessed the people of Main Street.

If you would like to send Diana a note of congratulations, you can email her at dianareis@sievechurch.org.

I am writing the last paragraph of my Prospectus, which means my rough draft is finished. 

The final result is 123 pages of hard work, plently of sweat, some tears, a lot of gray hairs, long nights, early mornings and too many Mountain Dew Code Reds.  This work has been bittersweet.  Sweet because I am really interested in my topic and how it all works into my calling in life.  Bitter, because it has been stink’n hard and complicated.

I have a lot of cleaning up to do before I can send this THING down to my professor.  But the feeling of getting this first chunk done is allllll righhhhtttt. 

I am not even going to consider putting this mammoth up on the blog.  No one will ever want to read it. 

Ethan’s first tooth has pushed through the gum line.  Another tooth is close behind. 

Like his big brother, Ethan’s teeth appear to be coming up on the bottom row first.  We have tried to get a picture, but it is hard to catch him with his mouth open so you can see the tooth.

He is getting so big and growing up so fast.

Please read a great review of the film at www.pluggedinonline.com

I was embarrassed to invite church friends and family to this film.  Too much violence.  Too many swords and crossbows.  Too many “charges.”

The story of the book was lost in the intense, yet bloodless, violence.  Walden Media should be ashamed that they blotched this second film.  They tried for Braveheart, but with a PG rating.

C. S. Lewis would not be proud.

I will be seeing Prince Caspain tomorrow afternoon with a bunch of families from my church.  Very much looking forward to this second installment of the Chronicles of Narnia.

C.S. Lewis is an amazing story teller.  Andrew Adamson, the director of the film, is good at taking a great story and putting them on film.

I am probably the most excited about one of my favorite characters in the entire series coming to life on the the big screen.  Reepicheep.  Small mouse that packs quite a punch.  He is central in this story.

For my movie review, check back next week.

May 13, 1977 at 7:34 AM at Jellico Hospital in Jellico, TN, my beautiful wife was born.  Jennifer Rose Hale, born to Earl and Linda Hale of Wolf Creek River Road in Williamsburg, KY.

Linda and Earl arrived at the hospital at 7:30 and little Rose was born 4 minutes later.  She has always been an early bird.

Birthday cupcakes were made: yellow cake with chocolate icing.  The birthday date is coming this weekend.  For presents, she received some 8 x 10 photos of our family and her boys.  Mom’s always like pictures for presents. 

If you would like to wish Rose a happy birthday, her email address is: jrgarrison@hotmail.com

I get a special treat this Sunday to preach at my church.  I usually preach about 3 or 4 times a year.  My pastor will be on vacation, so he has asked me to fill the pulpit.  I will also be preaching the following week (May 25) as he will be on a mission trip to Uganda.  So I get the joy of two weeks bringing God’s word to the people I dearly love.

Here is preview of this Sunday’s message.

Sermon Series:           To Live is Christ
Sermon Title:             To Live as Participants in the Gospel
Sermon Text:             Philippians 1:1-7

The message will be on iTunes next week.

Isaac, Shane and the Monks – St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City, Rome, Italy 2006

I was clearing out an old file on my computer today and stumbled upon this picture from two summers ago (2006).  I had just started my doctoral program.  Isaac was not even one yet and just learning to walk.  Jennifer and I headed off on our first international mission trip with a child in tow. 

Isaac did great.  He grew out of his only shoes we took on the trip.  On the last day in Italy, he and I cruised the Vatican together with our dear friend, Charlie Worthy.  In less than three hours we hit the Coloseum, the Vatican, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.  My little boy was riding in style.

The Garrison’s have been grounded since that trip.  No vacations.  No international travel.  No time away from school.  Plus we had Ethan over the last year. 

I remember vacations way back then.  Might be good to get another one in soon.

Great video of our jumpin’ bean Isaac performing “This Little Light of Mine” at the Awana celebration.  It is on my Facebook page.  He is the third from the right (the smallest one of the bunch).

You got to check it out.  Go to: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=586006913

I am going to try and get a copy for the blog.

Mother’s Day, for the majority of my life, has not been a very good day.  Mother’s Day church services always cause me pain and sorrow.  Not that I didn’t like women who were mothers.  I just didn’t have a mom around which caused much celebration. 

You see, I have a very estranged relationship with my mother.  I have not seen her since I was 12.  That has been a long time.  She has never met my wife face to face.  Never held either of my sons.  Was not at my wedding, graduations, or the births of my boys.  She lives in Florida.  I live in Kentucky.  We do talk on the phone very occassionally, but those conversations are more like talking to a distant Aunt or relative.

But God has worked in my life to give me other women to affectionally love as ”Mom.”  My mother-in-law, Linda Hale, is a wonderful mom to me.  I even call her “Mom.”  She has embraced me as her very own son.  She would do anything for me and has blessed my life so much over the last six years Jennifer and I have been married.

Dianne Miller, a mother of one of my close friends from college and fellow member of Main Street, treats me like her own son.  She checks up on me all the time and acts as a Grammy to Isaac and Ethan.  She is always available if I need anything.  Every Mother’s Day she gives me a hug as a mother would, because she knows how hard those days are on my soul.  (I am sure I will get a hug on Sunday.)

But the one mother that I have learned more from than any other is my wife.  Not that she is a mom to me; she is my best friend, my love, my dear.  But seeing her care for my boys is the greatest picture of motherhood I have ever witnessed.  Her devotion to them is simply unbelievabe.  There are moments when I wonder “how does she know to do that” or “what book did she read that in” because her mothering is spectacular. 

I may not have had a perfect motherly example in my home as a child, but I have an amazing example in my home now.  Rose, Happy Mother’s Day.

A quick congrats goes out to my sister-in-law, Janice Hedayati (aka Aunt Jan Jan).  She will be graduating on Saturday from Eastern Kentucky University (Go Colonels!) with her Masters in Nursing.  She will officially be a Nurse Practitioner.  Jennifer, the boys, and I will be traveling down to stand among the masses for the graduation ceremony.  We will be the ones in the upper deck, wrangling the children, and taking all the pictures.

Everyone is very proud of Jan.  She has worked very hard to get this done.  Jennifer is pretty pumped because now she only has to proofread my dissertation and everyone will be done writing papers.  Her proofreading skills are heavily sought out by our family.  You get a degree in English, people want you to proof their papers.

Great work, Jan.  You deserve a huge pat on the back.  You are going to make a fabulous Nurse Practitioner.

(Sorry, this is the only picture I had on my computer.  Jan is standing in red.)

Ethan has said his first word.  Well, it is not necessarily a word, but he does know who he is talking to.  When he wants me to come and get him in the middle of the night for some milk, he starts yelling “Dadadadadadad…my Dadadadadada.”  I immediately wake up and go get him.

Now when I come home from work, he starts yelling “my Dadadadadada” and “ohhhh Dadadadadada.”  It is the sweetest little noise one could ever hear.

Jennifer is not jealous.  Isaac’s first words were “Dadadadada.”  I think it is just easier for babies to say.  But I also practiced 4 hours a day with Ethan to make him say my name.  The regiment really has paid off.

The boys were dressed like twins (Jennifer’s idea, not mine), so why not take a family pic. 

• I mowed my yard yesterday and watched Lost and The Office last night.  Place that in Free Time.
• Tonight we are taking the boys to the park to play on the playground and walk around.  Place that in Kids.
• Tomorrow morning I will cook breakfast for my family.  Place that in Wife and Kids.
• Tomorrow afternoon I will spend 6 hours in the library working on my dissertation.  Place that in School.
• Sunday morning, teaching, worshipping, fellowshipping at Main Street.  Place that in Faith and Work.
• Sunday afternoon, lunch with family and take a nap and then back to the library.  Place that in a mixture of Wife, Kids, Free Time and School.

Finding a proper balance is a constant struggle for me.  Finding peace knowing that you can never do everything, but still must be a good steward of your time, talents and treasures.  My family seems to always sacrifice for school.  Putting the boys to bed, helping with chores, having a late night dessert with my wife seem to get put on the back burner for higher priority things. 

How could there be anything with a higher priority than time spent with my beautiful wife and two glorious little boys.  Deadlines must be met.  Assignments must be completed.  Church people need my help.  Oh yeah, and I need to mow the yard…AGAIN. 

The reality is that we all must find a proper balance in our lives.  And in finding balance, there will always be somethings sacrificed so that others can receive the attention needed.

No great suggestions here.  No tips or good ideas.  Just live by this motto, “Do what you can, the best you can, and leave it at that.”

A news brief about the CEC’s (Christian Education Center) first graduation hit the streets today.  The CEC is the school I am the principal of.  We are so proud to have our first four graduates walk the line.  To check it out, click here. 

http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080430/NEWS01/804300431/1077/RSS09