“Currently my associate Tom is on vacation. Rather than inundate him with e-mail, I have been keeping a daily journal of what’s been going on. The thought occurred to me this might be of interest to my readers. Take a look:
Saturday, June 1
– Had lunch today with Brian [Crook, our Mission Director]. We have been going through some staff transitions and I wanted to talk to him about them, see how he’s feeling.
– Weekend message [Week III of Comparison Trap] seemed to come together, even though my preparation time was cut shorter than usual [because of travel for the book].
Sunday, June 2
– Morning Mass was well attended for summertime.
– Lots of visitors checking us out because of the book. Kellie [Caddick, my assistant, hosting a visitor’s Q & A] had about 50 people.
– One visitor was a lady from Virginia, who drove up because her friend Patrick Lencioni [the author] told her he wanted her to check us out for him, “to see if these people are for real.”
Monday, June 3
– Talked to Chris [Wesley, our Youth Minister] who drove me to the airport this morning. Checking in about everything that is going on staff wise. Chris is always very honest and open.
– Flew to Louisville, then driven to St. Meinrad’s Archabbey, in Indiana: Quite the old pile of a place. The Archbishop and priests are quite gracious and the talk went well, though problems with the sound system compromised the overall presentation.
– Noticeable reaction from the Archbishop when I said, “We’re inviting Catholics to come home, but what are they coming home to…if its more of boring and bad and irrelevant, we could be doing more harm than good.”
– Did not get finished until about 10pm…they got their money’s worth.
Tuesday, June 4
– Quiet morning at the Abbey, a mini-retreat. This would be a nice place to come for an extended visit.
– Flight home uneventful, and all my work waiting here for me when I got back.
Wednesday, June 5
– Worked on some administrative stuff today, since I am off this weekend, I don’t have any message prep, which changes the whole completion of my week.
Thursday, June 6
After a typical day in the office drove to my sister’s in Olney Maryland to have dinner with them; spending the night in anticipation of my nephew’s graduation. Went to a really great Italian restaurant called “Facci” where I had Spaghetti Carbonara.
Friday, June 7
– 8th grade graduation was 2 + hours. The last 8 years flew by, but time stood still for the graduation.
– Afterwards we high tailed it out of town for my cousin Matthew’s wedding in Philadelphia. Since it was a Friday, and pouring, traffic was a nightmare. I ended up missing the rehearsal entirely.
Saturday, June 8
– Wedding was beautiful. The key to a good wedding homily is that you make them laugh, make them cry, and keep it short. My message is the only thing standing between them and happy hour, and they know it.
– When my great big Italian family gets together, they are loud.
Sunday, June 9
– Got back to Nativity in time to go to 5:30pm Mass and hear Chris’ message, which was really good.
– The youth band’s appearance at the end of Mass was a smashing success. People were cheering, and the band deserved it too.
Monday, June 10
– Spent some time with Kellie trying to sort out my various trips and speaking engagements. Just accepted one in Canada.
– Really, really good staff meetings today. Lucas [Our Creative Director] is not only creative, he can also be wise.
Tuesday, June 11
– Two long meetings today: Strategic Oval [senior staff] discussing our staffing structure and Parish Council [board of elders/counselors] discussing and eventually approving the next steps in our campus development.
Wednesday, June 12
– Unexpectedly we received the edited manuscript from our editor. The whole timeline has now changed, all our edits are due back next week. Guess what my schedule now looks like?
Thursday, June 13
– Interview with Relevant Radio; I like Radio interviews, they’re fun and you don’t have to get dressed up or go anywhere.
– Good day for the book, #2 on Amazon for “Christian Ministry & Leadership” and #1 for “Catholic.” That Catholic ranking was hard won, we had to beat out a book about UFO’s attacking the Vatican.”
