Hey all! Surprise post. I found a computer lab here on the campus of College of the Ozarks and am able to post briefly.
Hand update: Not broken. Just deeply bruised. Kind of like my ego after Sunday’s basketball game. Good news is that I can totally bring my game on Thursday night as volleyball begins.
Conference update: Intense conference and long days. 8 am – 9 pm with a couple of hours down time at lunch and supper. This is a little challenging for me as an introvert who needs alone time and processing time. It should be a very beneficial experience though. This is week one of four weeks spread out over the next year on developing young pastors for leadership in the 21st century church.
Accomodations: The lodge where we are meeting and staying is great and top-notch. The meals are definitely not going to help me lose weight and with no downtime to exercise this may not be the most stellar fitness week. Maybe I can do a bunch of butt-squeezes while sitting in my chair during the conference. 
Unexpected blessings:
- I get to have lunch with Kailey on my way home on Thursday.
- The bakery here has "to-die-for" chocolate chip cookies.
- Some good introspection on my calling to ministry and how to develop better boundaries if I continue in this field.
- A very nice and comfortable hotel room where I can relax and get wonderful rest.
- Some forced silence as part of the conference to really listen to God’s spirit.
- A diagnosis for how I’ve been feeling for a while: burnout. Although burnout is not the unexpected blessing, naming and claiming it is. More on this later.
Alrighty – time to head out again for the afternoon session. Hope everyone is doing well this week. Leave me a comment telling me how much you miss my witty and humorous posts each day.
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