What Does Jesus Value?

I recently had the opportunity to reflect on a portion of scripture from Matthew.  Admittedly, I have read or heard this particular portion of scripture several times.  This time, though, a question came to mind as I was reading: What does Jesus value?  As you read the following verses (Matthew 14:22-36), keep this question in mind.

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.  After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

So, what does Jesus value?  In the next couple blog posts, I'll share some thoughts.

The World Didn't Even Notice

It has been several months since my last post. I guess you could say that I have had an extended problem with writer's block. Actually, I'm still not sure if it has lifted, but I have been writing some as an alumni blogger for SJC.

Some significant developments have occurred since my last post. First, in August, I started teaching Core One for St. Joseph's at St. Elizabeth School of Nursing in Lafayette. Second, in September, I completed the final requirements for the MBA with an accounting specialization from Indiana Wesleyan University. Perhaps, I will write more about these developments in the future.

Last night, I was reading from John in The Message:

The Life-Light was the real thing:
Every person entering Life
he brings into Light.
He was in the world,
the world was there through him,
and yet the world didn't even notice.
He came to his own people,
but they didn't want him.
But whoever did want him,
who believed he was who he claimed
and would do what he said,
He made to be their true selves,
their child-of-God selves.
These are the God-begotten,
not blood-begotten,
not flesh-begotten,
not sex-begotten. (1:9-13)

We have experienced and continue to experience exponential changes in communication and technology. Society continues to focus on "more." The only measure of the economic success seems to involve growth.

In the midst of our current environment, "the world didn't even notice" popped out of the page. Could it be the world didn't even notice that the Light was present because the world was distracted? How much do Facebook, Twitter, the latest advancement in TV size, and a focus on economic growth actually distract us from what is really important? In my case, I struggled inside through much of the MBA because I sensed that it was distracting me from a deeper purpose. Hopefully, I will remember that sense of struggle in the future and keep what is truly important at the forefront.

The Joy of Failure

On Friday, I spent much of the day with one of our supervisors and a production associate. We were attempting to produce a new product. The key word here is "attempt" because, after several hours, we ended up pulling off the trial and switching the machine over to a new product.

Faced with this failure, I smiled.

Sure, we failed to meet our intended objective for the day.

However, in many ways, the day was also a success.

In the process of working on the product, we had the chance to interact and learn about each other. For example, I learned that the production associate used to run and play soccer. This naturally progressed to me sharing my interest in running and that I had been out on the road running at 5 AM that day. I then told him that another one of our associates had also been an avid runner. In other words, we created connections.

This day was a also a bit of a rude awakening for me.

I realized that, in the process of focusing on cost reductions and scrap reductions, I had started to lose focus on our people.

And, dang it, setting up this product was hard work - both physically and mentally. By the end of the day, I was extremely impressed by the efforts of the supervisor and the production associate.

And, sure, we may have failed, but maybe, just maybe, we also succeeded.

Egg-celent

Over the last few days, I've been thinking a great deal about eggs.

Okay, so I like eggs.

Scrambled eggs.

Deviled eggs.

Egg salad.

Eggs sliced in salad.

Easter eggs.

Omelets.

If you too enjoy eggs, I'm sure that you get the point.

On Saturday, Jenn made eggs sunny side up. Well, even after searching Google images, I'm not sure if they were sunny side up or over easy. Maybe they were over easy.

At any rate, these eggs were perfect. The yellow yolk was completely encased in a while film of, well, egg white. Actually, as my eyes gazed longingly at these eggs, I wondered if Jenn had actually removed the yolks.

I picked up my knife and carefully poked the perfect white film. The yellow yolk burst through the white film. I happily dipped my toast in the yolk enjoyed a pleasant breakfast with Jenn.

However, this breakfast left me challenged.

We live in a world of mores.

More money.

More success.

More vacation time.

More retirement funds.

More fitness.

More... fill in the blank.

I wonder, though, if there is more to what we already have. Are there more yolks hiding just under the surface waiting to burst forth?

Experiences

This past weekend included several exciting experiences.

Jenn and I played hind and seek in our house.

We built a tent out of blankets in the living room.

I had the chance to catch some rays.

Creating an Infrastructure for Change

In my last post, I briefly discussed fire-fighting and foundation-building. Over the last six months, my coworker, Niles, and I have have been on a journey in the development of an infrastructure for change. We started on this journey by moving our process guides from Excel to Access. However, it has not stopped there and nearly each week Niles adds additional features to our database.

Now, each process guide includes a trend chart of gram weights and a quality log. This week, we will be launching a verification process that will close feedback loops between the production floor and engineering. This will allow for continuous improvement in the context of the historical trends and current processing conditions. Additionally, I have found the quality log to be an outstanding tool for keeping improvements organized. We have a pull-down menu with categories including material, tooling, and scrap. We are able to keep track of incremental improvements of individual products and quickly pull all changes within the category for a broader overview of improvements.

This week, Niles is going to add bill of material to the category list because cleaning up the bills is one project for this year. I'll be able to quantify each change and document this in the database by part. At the end of the project, I will simply need to print out the changes and be able to show our boss the impact of the project.

In addition, Niles is developing flags in the system. He has an automatic schedule checker that ensures we have a process guide for every product on the schedule. Products without process guides are listed in an email that automatically gets sent to the necessary email addresses.

We have described our program as an infrastructure for change and are continuously thinking about how to improve the infrastructure and how to use it to improve the processing of our products.

Foundation-Building Versus Fire-Fighting

Each day, we only have so many hours available to us.

We are able to choose how to spend those hours.

My experience in business over the last decade (yeah, that is hard to believe) has led me to conclude that too much time is spent on fire-fighting and not enough time is spent on foundation-building.

What are some examples of fire-fighting? Perhaps, it is the quality issue that reoccurs every few months (or years). Some quick fire-fighting fixes the problem for the moment but it comes back again. Or maybe it is dealing with the latest, super-hot quote that requires rummaging through packets of data and using various calculators to determine the necessary inputs for the costing system.

So why is fire-fighting so attractive? It offers the opportunity to be heroic - to save the day. In the midst of many fires, sometimes the only possible reaction is to fire-fight. And of course, it requires a fire-fighter.

I wonder if the time spent on fire-fighting would be better spent on foundation-building. Sure, results might not be immediate. The return on investment might be a month, year, or decade (gasp). However, eventually, that reoccurring quality problem would no longer be a problem. The customer would input his or her own design parameters on a website and obtain a quote immediately. Eventually, the time spent on putting out fires would be used to continuously improve.

Sounds like a pretty sweet deal.

A Final Reflection from Running (for Now)

Okay, so I have been thinking quite a bit lately while running.

On Saturday, I was out running and praying again.

The sun helped to mitigate the snow and biting temperature. Originally, when I set out on the run, I planned to run seven miles. However, after a few miles, a quiet voice suggested to run an additional three miles.

As I neared the rec center, I was really ready for some warmth and thought it probably would be okay to run a few miles on the indoor track. Nope, the voice recommended continuing on the outside journey. So I turned north - directly into the wind - and the voice said it might be better to turn around to get a break from the wind. Not a bad idea!

So I'm running along and then the people that I had been thinking about during the run start popping in around me - not physically, but in spirit.

I was offering encouragement to a friend. Jenn swooped in and reminded me that cold toes weren't that big of deal. We were all there running together - offering each other mutual encouragement. The weird thing was that there was this other person running with us, too. He didn't really say too much. He offered an occasional laugh or comment. But there was something different about this runner - a certain lightness to his step, a certain radiance to his presence

Another Reflection from Running

On Sunday, I was reading some more of Dan Miller's book, No More Mondays. I had to laugh when I came across this gem:

There will always be naysayers and whiners; avoid them. Find winners and spend time with them.

On Friday evening, Jenn and I set out for a three mile run in some of the coldest, windiest conditions I have ever experienced out on the pavement. We were running half mile laps in the neighborhood around our house. So every half mile, we were right back by our house - and warmth. As we approached the 1.5 mile mark, my toes were officially icicles. I said that maybe we should head for the warmth of the house. Jenn adamantly replied that we had planned to run three miles and that is what we were going to do. I was a little taken aback by the forcefulness of her reply. Of course, when we approached mile 2, the end seemed in sight. It is amazing the difference that half a mile makes. That is one reason why it is so important to be a part of a team of winners. Winners don't let other people stop early at the 1.5 mile mark just because of some cold toes. Winners encourage each other to perservere through those difficult half miles of life.

Running

In the basement, a plaque hangs on the wall that is engraved with Romans 12:2.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

I have had this plaque hanging nearby for the last seven years. I have thought about this verse and the preceding verse on numerous occasions. Eugene Peterson offers this transliteration of Romans 12:1-2 in The Message:

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Three Sundays ago, I departed from home for my normal weekly long run. The long run is a time when many thoughts circulate around in my mind. The thoughts often become a jumbled mess with no clear direction or focus. However, as I set out on a chilly run, my thoughts went to a friend experiencing a challenging situation. I found myself asking, "What can I do to help him?" I was a bit surprised to actually hear a response to my question.

The response:

"Pray."

So I prayed:

"Strengthen him.
Encourage him.
Give him peace."

As the miles continued to pass and my mind began to wander, I returned to these three requests and just kept repeating them. Gradually, the run turned into something more. It transformed from a run into a mission. It transformed from my normal, ordinary run into something extraordinary. It transformed the coldness and the fatigue into a gift. Running became an opportunity to surrender the body to God's business.

Chili Pepper Lights

Earlier in the week, I took this picture of the Christmas tree in my office but just didn't quite have the words in mind to go with the post. However, after a good work out and shower, the image of a hidden lamp emerged from the depths of a busy day. A hidden lamp is kind of absurd. Lamps provide light in the darkness of the night. It doesn't make much sense to hide a lamp. Yet, in some ways, the red hot chili pepper lights that emblazon this tree were hidden lamps.

These lights hung in the cafe during our days at Saint Joseph's. The lights always made me smile when I entered the cafe. (The smell of bacon wafting through the cafe also made me smile, but I'll save that for another day.) Something about those lights just humored me and grabbed my attention. I didn't hesitate to make this known to others - including the director of the cafe. The director ended up leaving the college. However, before his departure, he gave me these lights. The thrill of receiving the lights still brings a smile to my face. Of course, they proudly hung in our apartment all of senior year. Then, they went into a box for over seven years.

This past Sunday, Jenn and I visited my home church. The message involved light and darkness. My mind wandered a bit to Christmas lights. I decided that my office needed some lights. Later that evening, I went into the garage to get the Christmas lights for the other tree that did not go up this year due to the move. Much to my surprise, the chili pepper lights were situated neatly in the box of lights and ornaments. Unfortunately, when I plugged them in to the socket, they did not light up. Jenn noticed that a wire was actually cut. However, one strand of clear lights also emerged from the box. Furthering my surprise, Jenn and my brother, Troy, promptly sat down on the couch and began moving the chili peppers from one strand to the other. Meanwhile, I was dancing around and acting goofy.

Needless to say, I could barely contain my smile when I carried this tree into work on Monday. A supervisor greeted me with a smile and shaking head. I'm incredibly thankful for the chance to share these lights with others.

I kind of wonder how many other "lights" are hidden and waiting to be shared.

A verse from Mark came to mind as I was thinking about hidden lamps this evening.

He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?"

Still Excited?

Last night as we were preparing for the Holy Walk, I asked, "After all of these years, is it still okay to be extremely excited for the Holy Walk?"

This year marked the 30th year of the Holy Walk in my home town, Bremen.

The Holy Walk and I were born the same year.

In fact, the first Holy Walk was at my parent's house.

I kind of grew up with it.

This year, though, was different. On Friday evening, Jenn and I packed the car after work and made the trek to Bremen so that we could could go through the Holy Walk before serving as angels on Saturday night. I have longed to go through the Holy Walk for the last several years but never had the chance due to serving as an angel or working with our youth group at the produce tent.

We arrived in Bremen and headed to the school. Last year Jenn and my sister-in-law snuck into a group at the start of the journey. However, this year, I asked if we could start at the school to gain the full experience.

Jenn obliged and we waited for about an hour and a half before catching a ride on a big yellow limousine to Bethlehem. The time, though, went by fast because we talked with a friend from Horizon and enjoyed watching the other people in the gym.

After the bus dropped us off at the site, we met our guide, James, from Caesarea. We were part of a family of 21 members on our way to Bethlehem to pay our taxes. On the hill outside of Bethlehem, we met a couple, Mary and Joseph. Mary was well along in her pregnancy. They were tired and cold.

As we left the couple, we were enshrouded by the darkness of night.

Soon, though, we came across some shepherds watching their sheep and were startled by angels proclaiming great news of a Savior to be born in Bethlehem.

We hurried on our way.

The innkeeper turned away our cold and weary family.

The Roman soldiers harassed us. I got in trouble for smiling too much.

We unsuccessfully tried to barter for rations and bedding in the village.

We paid our taxes.

Then, about 45 minutes into our journey, we found ourselves approaching the light of a lowly stable situated in the darkness of the night. The calmness of the stable contrasted significantly with the craziness of our journey. Even the wild 4th and 5th grade students that were in our family were completely quiet and still.

Some people were with the animals:

Joseph,

Mary,

and a little baby,

Jesus.

The story has been the same for the last 3o years.

The story has been the same for the last 2000 years.

Yes, it is still a pretty exciting story!

Love You, Bye

Jenn and I take turns praying at meals.

At one recent evening meal, it was my turn to pray.

Some of you know that when I'm hungry, I tend to get a little crazy. I also tend to get a little crazy when juggling more than a couple activities. This particular night, I was definitely more than a bit frazzled.

So we sat down to eat and I prayed.

Of course, I got to the point in the prayer when it was time to end.

Amen.

Right?

Wrong?

I heard, "Love you, bye," exit from my mouth.

I was thinking, "What in the heck just happened?:
At first, I was a little embarrassed by this. I mean, who says, "Love you, bye" to end a prayer. That is how my wife and I end phone conversations. That is not how you are supposed to end a prayer.

I have wondered about this situation, though, several times since its occurrence.

I mean, isn't prayer supposed to be a conversation with God? So where did the "Dears," "Amens," and other formalities start entering into the picture?

The worship band at Horizon used to joke around quite a bit before church. Then, invariably someone would say, "Okay, it's time to dial up." In other words, "It's time to pray." At the time, this just seemed part of the humor.

Maybe, though, prayer really is more like a phone conversation or a face-to-face conversation - a conversation with a spouse, friend, coworker, or parent.

"Love you, bye."

Action versus Reaction

An action is offensive.
A reaction is defensive.

An action is doing something before a problem becomes a problem.
A reaction is trying to fix a problem after it has already happened.

An action is part of a calculated plan.
A reaction is a response to a crisis.

An action is taking the first step and allowing others to follow.
A reaction is, at best, forcing people to follow.

An action involves forward thinking.
A reaction involves backward thinking.

An action changes an idea into something.
A reaction changes something into something.

An action is a vitamin.
A reaction is an aspirin (or alcohol).

An action is exercise (eating right, getting enough sleep, etc).
A reaction is cold medicine.

Special thanks to my coworkers-in-change, Matt Gongwer and Trent Miles, for their contributions and inspiration.

Thank you, God

The past few days have been quite a whirlwind. Honestly, it is wonderful to be sitting here in the living room with my feet propped on the coffee table.

On Wednesday evening, Nick and I ventured up to the chiropractor. (This trip in itself turned out to be quite humorous and featured a vocal performance by Ben. K. To avoid digressing too much, I'll get back to the main point.) Upon returning, I noticed that my brother's car and brother-in-law's truck were parked on the street in front of the house. This is not totally unusual because Jenn makes dinner for them from time to time. However, she typically would have mentioned that we were having them over for dinner. As I walked up to the front door, though, I could see more of our friends through the front windows. Jenn had put together a surprise pasta party in anticipation of Saturday's run. Surrounded by friends and family, we enjoyed some amazing spaghetti, breadsticks, salad, and brownies.

On Saturday, around mile 24, the love and support of my wonderful wife, friends, and family started pouring out as tears. All, I could do was just say, "Thank you, God. Thank you, God."

Later, Jenn asked me about what I thought about during the run.

Here are some of the thoughts.

I thought about my wonderful wife and her encouragement. I pictured her riding her bike during training and offering much needed water.

I thought about some of my closest friends and my gratitude for them. I prayed for those struggling with health issues.

I sang "You Are My Strength" and pictured a group of friends singing the same song at a little church in Wisconsin.

I thought about seeing "Marathon" on my mom's refrigerator calendar and "Run, Todd, Run" on the poster in our living room.

I thought about long bike rides with friends in Bremen and Rensselaer.

I thought about running in the mountains of Vermont.

I thought about Kerry, also running in the marathon, and her encouragement.

And yes, by mile 24, all that I could say was, "Thank you, God."

"Let's have a picnic."

Friday evening was cold and dark.

Obviously, this was a perfect night... for a picnic.

After putting together a great comfort meal of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, Jenn exclaimed, "Let's have a picnic!"

So we put some blankets down on the living room floor and moved the food from the kitchen to our picnic blankets. We proceeded to enjoy a picnic and movie - a walk-up-and-sit instead of a drive-up movie.

Although this picnic was relaxing, it also left me challenged. We managed to turn an "ordinary" meal into something different, something "extraordinary." What does this mean for the remainder of the day? What other ordinary parts of the day can undergo transformation into something extraordinary? Yes, this left me feeling challenged.

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (Romans, 12:1-2, MSG)

Vibrant

We are very fortunate to have received Fiestaware from many of our friends and family as wedding gifts. This morning, I looked at our breakfast table and was just kind of mesmerized by the colors. It mind sound kind of goofy, but the table looked full of joy. The table looked vibrant. I have learned a great deal from Jenn at this table. Instead of virtually inhaling the food, I have learned to slow down and enjoy the food and company. I usually still have to pause and let Jenn catch up :), but we are so fortunate to eat meals together and just enjoy each other's company.

This morning as I was gazing at this vibrantly happy table, a verse from The Message came to mind:

He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds it proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross. (Colossians 1:18-20)

God brings together colors in vibrant harmonies.

God brings together people in vibrant harmonies.

Problem-Solving

Jenn and I recently moved into our new home. Last evening, we went on a trip to Lafayette for what Jenn describes as "retail therapy." For me, this translates to Jenn dropping me off at Starbucks. I read and write. She shops. It works out great. Anyway, she was searching for a few key items for the house.

One of these items was a mat for our precious puppy's food and water bowls. This mat was an issue at our previous residence. While drinking water, Gus would invariable splash some onto the mat. The mat absorbed the water, and, over time, the moisture damaged the floor. Jenn unsuccessfully looked for a mat at Target while I was sipping a pumpkin spice latte.

After she picked me up, we stopped at PetSmart. The mat she found was $10 or $11. She was not happy with this price and was also afraid that it would end up doing the exact same thing as the previous mat. She described what she was looking for in a little bit more detail. She needed something that would protect the floor. She needed something to keep the moisture from getting trapped against the floor.

We went to Walmart and checked the pet section and still did not find anything that would work. I decided that it was time to think outside of the pet area. My first thought was a dish drainer. Nope. My second thought was a car mat. Sure enough, we found this clear floor mat for the rear seat of a car. It is stain resistant rubber so it provides a barrier between the water splashes and the floor. It also captures the water and allows it to evaporate instead of seeping to the floor. Even better, the mat was only about $4.

Problem solved!

Odd Friends

Well, first, it has been quite awhile since my last blog post. Honestly, I wasn't very happy with the direction of the blog, and I'm still not sure of a new direction to take with it.

Today, though, I had the chance to spend a Sunday morning doing what I love to do most on a Sunday morning - drink french pressed coffee and read. (Okay, I also love to eat, and Jenn made these wonderful pumpkin pancakes. They were so fluffy!)

My reading material included Statistics for Managers Using Microsoft Excel and the book of Haggai. The stat book is for the statistics class that starts tomorrow. The book of Haggai... well, I mean who isn't ready the book of Haggai these days, right? (Actually, I recently read Habakkuk and for some reason I woke up this morning wondering about the book of Haggai. I'm not sure what the connection really is between these two books except they are close to each other in the OT - separated only by Zephaniah.)

So anyway, what could possibly be shared by a statistics book and Haggai? Well, the readings this morning both focused on priorities. Levine, Stephan, Krehbiel, and Berenson (2011) discussed the Pareto principle and referred to the "vital few" and the "trivial many" (p. 35). What does this mean? Well, the stat book provided the example of using a Pareto chart to prioritize improvement opportunities. Several improvement opportunities might exist, but the Pareto chart makes it possible to pick the "vital few" that will have the most drastic effect for the effort expended.

Haggai also deals with priorities.

Consider the text (Haggai 1:6):

"You have planted much, but have harvested little.
You eat, but never have enough.
You drink, but never have your full.
You put on clothes, but are not warm.
You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."

This sounds like the people are spinning their wheels. They are working hard and not getting much done. They are focusing on the wrong priorities. In the text, the people have lost their number one priority, God. Maxwell (2007) writes that one of the symptoms of this incorrect prioritization is that "they felt dissatisfied in their production" (p. 1148).

The challenge is to choose the correct priorities and focus the most time on those priorities. As Maxwell writes, "It is not about working hader, but smarter" (p. 1148).
_____________
Levine, D. M., Stephan, D. F., Krehbiel, T. C., & Berenson, M. L. (2011). Statistics for managers using Microsoft Excel (6th ed.). Boston: Prentice Hall.

Maxwell, J. C. (Ed). (2007). The Maxwell leadership Bible: The New King James version (2nd ed.). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

"Keep It Simple"

Jesus now called the Twelve and gave them authority and power to deal with all the demons and cure diseases. He commissioned them to preach the news of God's kingdom and heal the sick. He said, "Don't load yourselves up with equipment. Keep it simple; you are the equipment. And no luxury inns—get a modest place and be content there until you leave. If you're not welcomed, leave town. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and move on." (Luke 9:1-5, The Message)

I read these verses from Luke while spending some time in my office at Lake Banet. An image from this past week entered into my mind upon reading, "Keep it simple; you are the equipment." On Tuesday, Jenn and I did our normal 4.25 mi run. Lately, I've been running an additional mile after this run. This works out great because we are able to run to the athletic complex on campus. Then, Jenn turns right and heads home. I turn left and take another pass through campus. On this last pass, I took the alternate way around the grotto from our normal route and came across a substantial pile of branches, brush, and twigs. "Hmm," I thought, "that was sure nice of someone to clean up in the grotto." Later, I was so pleased to find out that this was Jenn's work. In reflecting today, I was also excited to think about the simplistic beauty of her actions - of her being God's tool to help in the maintenance efforts of this haven of peace.