A Different Pace of Life

With two months under my belt in this new life outside the computer biz I'm still adjusting to the completely different pace this brings.

Losing my 1.5 hour commute to work each way has been awesome! And living 45 seconds from work is a big plus as well! Now, the alarm goes off at the time that I used to be standing outside freezing at the bus stop. Breakfast each morning with the family is wonderful... it did take a bit of getting used to at first. For years, I was always all alone in the mornings. It was quiet with everyone else still in bed. Now it's fast and furious as we get Cameron off to school and prepare Samantha for preschool. Being home for lunch is another great blessing. I'm already seeing the effects that less McDonald's and fast food at lunch is having on my waist line.

Some parts of my brain are still wired with a business mentality. Last week I went for dinner with Pastor Brian Bartlett from Grandview Baptist Church. Brian is a super guy and I really enjoyed our time together. He serves at his church in a position which is pretty much the same as mine. He shared some of the work that he's done in changing the church's culture in regards to small groups. He is now seeing the results of working on these changes after eight years. I was shocked! Eight years?!?!? WOW! I'm reading research on culture and organizational change, and the average amount of time for real, long lasting change is five to eight years. That's quite interesting. I can just imagine a conversation with my previous boss in the consulting world:

"Kevin, I would like you to head up our Notes/Domino Practice. We want to change the perception of Notes with our existing and new client base in order to gain a greater market share of Notes work here in Montreal."

"Sure, sounds good. I'll get right at it. You'll start to see the increase in revenue in about five to eight years".

"Ummm... On second thought... You're fired!"


It's definitely a different world working in a church :)

I'm so enjoying this new work. I just love working with different people and helping them in their areas of ministry. I'm amazed at all the work that God is doing here and so excited to be a part of where that may all go in the years to come. I really love the area here. And the people are very nice. I'm still a tad homesick though. The evenings are when it usually hits me the most. After the kids are in bed and my wife has dozed off on the couch I sit there alone, bored and wonder if I'll ever meet friends here that I can relate to as much as my friends in Montreal. It was hitting me hard again last night. Luckily God knew just want I needed. My good buddy Steve Watts gave me a call first thing this morning. It sure was great to here from him!

This Sunday I'm preaching my first sermon here. I'll be sure to put a link to it once it's online on Monday.

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