Drug Bust & Other News

Last night (8/27), Jennifer and I came home after a date night to see tons of flashing blue lights in our neighborhood.  Another drug bust was in progress on the street that runs parallel to ours (N. Columbia Ave.).  So with our neighbor three houses down facing drug charges and awaiting conviction and now another close neighbor getting busted, we are start to wonder just what kind of community did we move into. 

Jennifer is considering going before the city council and demanding tougher action.  I just told her to run for office herself.  She declined to put her name into the candidate pack.  It is election season.

In other news, the CKNJ posted my CU press release.  To see the story, click here.  I am embarrassed to say that my fat head has now become an official Tale from a Small Town.  Boo hiss.

Where Did the Elders Go?

As I was teaching the two Deacon Ministry seminars this past Saturday, I was stunned at the response of the groups when I mentioned the word “elder” or biblical “eldership.”  I asked the groups to raise their hands if they had ever heard a sermon on eldership or even knew what a biblical elder was, I think I got two hands out of 50 attenders.

So where did the elders go in Baptist life?  I have been asking that question for several years now.  We had them in nearly all Baptist churches for hundreds of years (see Leon McBeth’s Baptist Heritage for proof), but then they disappear.

I don’t have a verified answer to my question.  I am not a Baptist historian.  But the last place I find the term “elder” in Baptist church history and polity is in the early 1900′s.  My hypothesis (and it may be totally off) is that when thousands of men went to war in WW1 and WW2, there was an immediate lack of male leadership in the church.  The congregational response was to take the role of deacon and elder and combine them into one to make up for the shortfall.  So now in the modern Baptist church, we have deacons acting as both deacons(table servants) and elders (overseers).

To read more on each biblical office of the church, I have prepared this little outline of key passages describing each.  You can get that here.

Our Big Son Turns 3

This Saturday, August 30th, is Isaac’s third birthday.  The big no. 3.  His birthday is always a reminder of Hurricane Katrina.  As Jennifer was in labor, we were watching the news from New Orleans and Mississippi.  My father is a captain on a tow boat and was right in the middle of the storm.  Katrina hit on Sunday, Isaac hit on Monday afternoon.

I will never forget the moment I looked at him for the first time.  My (our) little “laughter,” the child of promise, a new life God gave to us to love and care for.  He had so much hair. 

 He was so chunky and plump.  Now he is a growing boy, fully of energy and spunk.

Happy Birthday Son.  I am so proud of you.

Camden Nicholas Cain Garrison

On August 13, 2008, Jennifer and I became an aunt and uncle again.  My brother and his wife, Chris and Stevie Garrison, gave birth to their second son Camden Nicholas Cain Garrison.  He weighed 6 lbs 8 oz.  He was 19 in. long. 

However, baby Camden has been struggling the first 10 days of his life.  He has been in two hospitals battling seizures which cause him to stop breathing.  We visited him yesterday at the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville, TN.  Please pray for him and his mom and dad.  The doctors believe they have found out what is causing the seizures but he is still in serious condition.

Dear God, please be with this precious little boy.  He needs your help and power in a mighty way.  Be with this mom and dad as they are exhausted.  We know you hold all life in your hands.  Please be merciful to this baby.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Super Saturday

Tomorrow I will be at St. Matthews Baptist Church in Louisville, KY, teaching two seminars for the Kentucky Baptist Convention’s Super Saturday.  I am very excited about this opportunity.

The last time I was at St. Matt’s Bapts was when I was a CU student going to a BCM-Baptist Campus Ministries event (used to be BSU-Baptist Student Union).  It will be interesting returning to be leading seminars on Deacon Ministry.  How things can change in 10 years.

First Day Gitters…Nah

I had a great start to the semester.  Two classes yesterday, a couple today.  My primary goal has been to get every student to smile on SYLLABUS day.  Syllabus day is usually short, no fun, very boring, blah, blah, do this and turn in that. 

But my mentor encouraged me to show some pics of the family, talk about my path back to CU, and ask students to share some of their stories.  The doors of communication and relationship flew open as we talked together.

It was too much fun.  Connecting with students can be a challenge, especially when you are new, but you just have to listen to their stories and find a connection point.

We are GO for Launch

Today is the DAY!  Classes begin.  Students in seats.  Introductions to be made.  Syllabi and books to be discussed.  A ton of first impressions to be made.

I am very excited about today.  This is what I have been waiting for for quite some time.  I am really looking forward to meeting my students, hearing their stories, and learning from them. 

On today’s schedule: Introduction to Educational Ministries and Introduction to Youth Ministry.  Two topics I get very passionate and excited about.  For tomorrow, I have two sessions of Religion in Life. 

T minus 10, 9, 8, 7……..

CU Press Release

The CU Public Relations Office did a nice press release about my coming here to teach.  Very kind article, not so flattering picture.  I need to lose some weight…fast.  To see the article, select here.

http://www.campbellsville.edu/news/2008/08_18d.asp

KY State Fair

After church yesterday, the Garrison’s packed up and went to the KY State Fair.  I hadn’t been to the state fair since I was a 5th grader.  We had a really good time.  Here are some fun pics.  The video is of Isaac getting his Driver’s License from the KY State Police.  He is the one in the red shirt and blue hat. 

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A Fun Day at the Park

This video of Isaac swinging Ethan is just too precious not to share.

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KY Railway Museum

Last week, we took a little trip over to the KY Railway Museum in New Haven, KY.  Isaac is addicted to trains right now, so we thought it would be a great day.  It was.  Here are some pics and a fun video.  (To see full size, just click on the picture.)

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http://www.kyrail.org/

My New Neighborhood

I have been highlighting the scenes from my new neighborhood.  My tractor-lovin’ neighbor, Mr. Wright.  The sweet old ladies who check up on Jennifer and the boys.  (They keep track of us when we are at home or away.)  But this week, my Tale from a Small Town has a darker side.

In Thursday’s CKNJ (Central KY News Journal), we saw a story that we are not too happy about concerning our neighborhood.  (Actually one of the older ladies told Jennifer about it.  There is quite a gossip circle with these women.)

Three houses down from us, a man was arrested with possession of cocaine, prescriptions drugs, a stack of rolled 20 dollar bills, the whole bit.  Three houses down.  Less than a hundred yards away from our house lives a DRUG DEALER.  You can read the entire story here.

I know these kind of things happened when we lived in Northern KY.  I am sure I had neighbors who were involved in crime and civil disobedience.  But this one kinda made me feel weird.  When you are in a small town, everything is so compressed and tight.  Social distance is a thing of the past; up-close and personal is the norm. 

The man will stand before the judge on Wednesday.  I hope he is put away or sent to rehab.  God has prompted me to pray for him as I walk by his house each morning on my way to work.  I pray God will intersect in his life and bring him to a point of new birth and sobriety.

Prospectus APPROVED!!!!

I presented my prospectus yesterday and it was APPROVED by my dissertation committee.  Yipe!  Hurray!  A few edits here, a couple changes there, add this, remove that and send it back in 2 WEEKS.  That is a lot of work in two weeks, but I will make it.

There was a slight change in the title.  My title is now: Models of Academic Governance and Institutional Power on Southern Baptist Related Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities.  They wanted to add “universities” to be more inclusive.  Good point.

I am relieved by this approval, but know more work is ahead.  It just feels good to know you are on the right track and heading in the right direction. 

May ’09 Graduation…here I come.

School of Theology Retreat

Prayer, Bible study, planning, discussion, imaging, kayaking, canoeing, cornhole competing, encouraging, eating, calendaring, fellowshiping, a little guitar playing, worshipping and enjoying God’s glorious creation all at a beautiful lakeside cabin on Lake Cumberland.  Two days of team & community building for our school’s faculty was well spent.  Thanks Doc Carter (owner of the cabin) for your gracious hospitality and servant’s heart.

This retreat was such a blessing!  Retreats are needed in our day and time.  Our busy lives cause us to miss so much.  We run from this to that and forget to stop and smell the rose (or flip the canoe…twice).

I needed the retreat mentally and spiritually.  I learned so much about my teammates and their passion for ministry and students.  It was refreshing and challenging all at the same time.

I look forward to many more trip to Doc Carter’s Cabin in the future.

Students Have Arrived

This morning while in worship at Campbellsville Bapt. Church, I got my first sight of our CU student-athletes.  Probably 225 students were in attendance.  180 of them were football players.  Women’s volleyball, men’s & women’s soccer, cross-country, and the golf teams.  My heart started to pitter-patter as I looked at their faces.   

These are the students I have come to encourage, influence and hopefully, teach.  These are the students who will be filling my Religion In Life class with serious questions about the Bible, about Christ, and about the Gospel.  These are the students who have come to play a sport on the college level, but hopefully will get more than just playing time.  We pray they leave Followers of Christ.  Either stronger than they came or for the first time.

These are the students God has entrusted to us, the faculty, coaches, and administration, to lead.  What a responsibility!  I can’t wait for classes to start.  I am giddy as a school girl.

Prospectus Defense Wednesday

Wednesday, 2 PM, Louisville, KY.  I will be presenting my dissertation topic and research proposal.  This is a big day in my doctoral process.  I feel pretty good about my presentation and proposal, but this will be the first time I get any face-to-face feedback from my profs.  They have read the first 125 pages of my dissertation and will give me the “green light” to go forward or “thumbs down” to revision and resubmit.  The thumbs down could really delay my goal of graduating in May ’09, so let’s pray for a GREEN LIGHT.

5 Years of Technology

Five (only 5) years ago I was entering my last semester in seminary.  Jennifer and I were still living in Fort Worth, TX, in a 600 square feet apartment.  We had only been married for a couple years.  No kids.  She was making the majority of our income.  I was a part-time Youth Minister and a full time student.  She was a full time case manager and a part-time student.  That was only five years ago.

A lot has changed.  But more than in just our family, city of residence, careers, etc.  Consider how much technology has changed in only 5 years. 

Five years ago, I didn’t know what a blog was, much less have one.  I had never created or edited a web page.  We had ATM cards, but no on-line banking.  We had a cellphone, but it was the first generation Nokia phone with barely an address book and the game “Snake” (which I played a lot).

If you would have asked, “What’s on your i-Pod?”  I would have looked at you crazy.  Or if you asked if I had seen that video on YouTube, I would have laughed because no one but the uber-computer geek, gamers had dsl.  Even at my church, we only had dial-up.  One person at a time using the internet in a multi-staff church.  I didn’t google anything.  I still used Yahoo!.  I had one email account–my school account.  Now I have at least 5 different email accounts I keep up with.  Facebook wasn’t even a word 5 years ago.  The amount of change in technology in only five years is staggering.  I could go on and on with examples of this: blackberrys, text messaging, online classes, Skype, GPS, Google Earth, eBay businesses.

Five years seems like an eternity ago but it was only 60 months.  It was the year 2003.  But doesn’t it seem so far removed.  My encouragement – put down the technology for a minute and smell the roses.

Detailing a Tractor

My tractor-lovin neighbor was at it again this morning.  As I was driving to work (…not walking today because the heat index is supposed to be 105…too hot for walking), I noticed he was on a ladder buffing his new tractor.  I just had to take a picture. 

So I turned around, got the camera out, and drove back for the drive-by.  It just so happens that he was off the ladder and now windexing the motor.   This man loves his tractor. 

Two pics: from my truck and a zoomed in shot of the buffer (look at this left hand).

Cool Clapping

Ethan has begun clapping his hands and saying the word “cool.”  He still won’t say “mama” but he will say cool all the time.  Jennifer is getting frustrated.  He calls me “dada” and his brother “buba,” but for mom…nada.

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My Friend, Nate Gaddis

After 6 years without seeing each other face-to-face, my dear friend Nathan Gaddis dropped by today for a visit.  He is from Campbellsville and was in town preparing for a Canadian camping trip with his dad.  A cup of coffee, a quick lunch, and 5 hours later, we were still talking about life, ministry, parenting, blogging and today’s church culture.  It was like time had stood still and we were back in our dorm room thinking about our future careers.

Nate and I met in 1996 when we were roommates at CU.  He only stayed for a year, but our friendship continued as he moved to Nashville to finish school at Belmont University.  Since then we have talked on the phone, on fantasy football, and occassionly met up whenever, and wherever, we could.

Nate has been a great inspiration to me.  He inspired me to consider leading worship way back when I was a youth minister in Millsap,
TX.  He also encouraged me to join other creative arts people in learning about the use of art in modern worship environments.  He is a class act in walks of life: his songwriting, his worship leading, and musicianship.  But most of all, he is a brother in Christ who loves the Lord and his family deeply.  That is what really makes him stand out amongst the crowd.

Nate, great to see you man!  Happy camping.  Watch out for the poison ivy.  And I look forward to many more years of lasting friendship. 

To see Nate’s blog, go to www.nathangaddis.com