Kernals from the Cornfield -- Tuesday

We decided that Dad and I would postpone our fence building to visit the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska. I thought the only great thing about Omaha was it's mail order steaks, but I was wrong. The zoo was fantastic. The facility was top-notch and the kids had a blast.

In the image you can see the "Desert Dome" which is a multi-level facility that like, well, like a desert in a dome...

We continue to enjoy the balloons each night. So far three have launched from our property.

Kernals from the Cornfield -- Monday

After adding a little more than 3 G's into the economy, me and my three kids headed west in our newly re-transmissioned Trailblazer. Our destination -- Indianola, Iowa, AKA - Grandma and Grandpa's. Our goals: Put up a new fence row, watch some hot air balloons, visit a zoo, a try to hit a swimming pool.

After a couple of hours putting up the fence (I'll post a picture or two from that tomorrow), we were rewarded with two fantastic Indianola experiences -- a cornduster show and the launch of three balloons.

The cornduster happened to hit our property! The plane was only 25 feet from our vantage point. We watched the plane strafe the armies of corn from our front yard. It was amazing to watch the plane fly by about 10 feet off the ground.

Moments later the hotair balloons started arriving. Three balloons launched from our yard minutes after the cornduster flew away. Jacob, Sam, Lilia collected some souveniers and stood amazed at the larger-than life balloons filled with propane-heated air lifted into the Iowa sky above us.

Effeciency - The Plastic Ware of Christanity

Efficiency. I like efficiency. I take pride in bathing my daughter, editing sermon audio, and text messaging at the same time -- gotta watch for the random splashes of bathwater from my three year old.

Efficiency is critical to production. But it detrimental to relationships -- to discipleship.

One of the most inefficient activities my wife and I devote ourselves to is what we call a New Comer's Lunch. My wife spends roughly 30-40 hours preparing for these meals with new friends attending our church. Today we hosted 28 adults and 10 kids in our home.

There's hardly a thread of efficiency to be found in the event. No pizzas, cans of coke, or plastic forks for our guests. Today we set, served, and washed 28 plates, 28 glasses, and 84 pieces of silverware. There were four courses to prepare, serve, and eat. The New Comer's lunch is as inefficient as relationships. They are slow and costly yet worth every moment and every dollar.

We're often asked if we'll make the lunch more efficient. I don't think we will -- at least not for the foreseeable future. Efficiency is simply not the goal. There will be no plastic ware at our dinners!

I wonder how often I settle for plastic ware relationships and discipleship. A quick examination of my schedule convicts me. One hour for this person. Half and hour for that one. Quick! Get off the phone, I've got email to reply to! Relationships are often handed plastic forks.

I need to learn a lesson from my wife's dinners. No plastic forks allowed when it comes to discipleship...

Barn Construction, 1-24-09

I took a couple of snapshots of the barn this AM. Huge thanks to Craig, Merrill, Mark, and Frank for their tireless work painting, staining, and climbing ladders. Next week my dad and I will head to Joplin, Missouri. There's not a long list of reasons to go to Joplin. In fact I can only think of one -- to visit my brother.

Daniel, my younger brother, owns DanWood & Moore custom woodworking in Joplin. Check out their website.

Dan, Dad, and I will load up the barn cabinetry on Friday morning. Hopefully by the end of the first week of February we'll have the cabinetry installed!