Matt’s Blog

So sometimes at work I have these short casual conversations with co-workers who stop by my office. After a few jokes or stories are exchanged the conversation begins to wind down, and enters what I call the “awkward landing” phase. Also known as the: “I want to get back to work but I don’t want you to think that I didn’t appreciate your story” stage of the conversation. It’s important that this phase of the conversation be handled with care, because otherwise I’ll be known as the awkward weirdo with whom you should not share your funny stories. And let’s face it, working at The Empire® predestines you to a life where it’s rare to be told a story that does not relate in some way to: SharePoint, programming, code, computers, chess, WoW, Halo, acne…

There doesn’t really seem to be a good way to get out of this situation. Not that the other person is bugging me, it’s just time for us to go our separate ways. What I need is a phrase that’s halfway between “get the hell out” and “that was cool, now let me tell you a story that is slightly related to yours as repayment for the humor you have shared with me so you don’t think that I’m a total tool who only cares about work and didn’t appreciate your non-work story about (college football/drinking/cars…).”

Add to all of this the fact that this is The Empire® and so there is already a healthy dose of awkwardness drizzled all over the interaction like hot fudge on a Sundae. So yeah, if you have any ideas, let me know.

So a few months ago this article would have been entitled “Laptop Stickers: Completely Retarded or Just Stupid” but ever since starting work at the Empire I’ve had a slight change of heart. Not that I’ve fully embraced the concept of covering the back of one’s laptop lid with stickers quite yet, but I guess you could consider me curious. See, most people here at work have a variety of MS-related decals on their portable computers. At first I thought the idea was pretty dumb, but then I wondered: “hey, what’s wrong with repping a company that is paying for your house/car/food/whatever.” So now I’m reconsidering; what about putting MS-related stickers on my work laptop?

First the positives:

1. Everyone immediately identifies you as a MS employee. Who else would have an “I’m a PC” sticker on their computer?
2. Promoting Microsoft properties.
3. You can immediately identify which laptop in the conference room is yours. Not inconsequential considering that pretty much all 20-some PM’s on my team have the same model.
4. Annoying mac fanboys at Starbucks.

And now for the cons:

1. Everyone immediately identifies you as a MS employee and therefore assumes you are an arrogant tool.
2. Smartass questions/comments from people who actually are tools.
3. Promoting our less-successful properties. Windows Mobile I’m looking at you.
4. Annoying cute girls with macbooks at Starbucks.

So, seeing no clear winner I’m going to try an experiment. Up until now I’ve had no pro-Microsoft stickers on my computer. In fact, I’ve had no stickers of any kind at all. Starting today I’m going to add the most outrageous sticker I can find to the laptop lid, in this case this happens to be the “i bing u bing” sticker that has been sitting on my desk for a few weeks. I would have opted for an “I’m a PC” sticker, but alas there are none to be had around the office.

From now on, whenever I can I will work in a public space just to see what kind of reaction I get. If nothing happens then I might have to up the level of dorkiness in the sticker selection. Or I could just put a pro-Republican sticker on there and that would piss everyone here in Seattle off guaranteed.

Theta Xi Front Porch Swing

Why I Like It:

One of the great benefits of living in the south is that nearly every house has a front porch. And, even better, many of those porches have swings. The relatively moderate weather in the southeast makes a porch swing something that can be enjoyed nearly year round. A blanket will keep you warm in the winter, and the swinging motion will create a refreshing breeze on even the hottest summer day. The swing on the porch in front of Theta Xi is a great place to sit and sip on a cold drink while watching the world go by.

What Happened There:

I’ve spent countless hours studying, thinking, or just talking with friends on the front porch swing. It also makes for a phenomenal place to end a date. I’m hesitant to mention it, but the swing is one of the main reasons I joined Theta Xi in the first place. My favorite times on the swing by far happened in the early morning when I would take Swat (our house dog) out front to frolic in the yard while I had some quiet Bible study.

Stone Mountain

Why I Like It:

While it’s not much to look at, and certainly nothing compared with the mountains in Colorado, Stone Mountain will always have a special place in my heart. It’s only a short hike to the top, but since it’s the highest point for many miles you can see forever (the picture above does not do it justice). There’s a cool breeze at the top as a reward for the sweaty hike up.

What Happened There:

I’ve had lunch, played frisbee, and enjoyed the sunset all atop Stone Mountain. The park surrounding the rock is itself something to behold as well, a beautiful oasis of nature in the middle of the Atlanta metro area. When I was younger I used to spend mornings at the park on the weekends making a few extra dollars cleaning up the lawn where they put on the laser show. The only thing I regret missing is the Easter morning sunrise service at the summit.

Mellow Mushroom Patio

Sadly I don’t have a picture from here.

Why I Like It:

Mellow Mushroom is home to some of the best pizza in Atlanta, just shy of Everybody’s. But the patio is what puts Mellow Mushroom over the top. The Mellow Mushroom on Peachtree Street just north of I-85 has a great outdoor eating area shaded by leafy trees and lit by strings of outdoor lights. It’s close enough to Peachtree that you can watch the world go by, but not so close that you are overly distracted by it.

What Happened There:

During the summer of 2007 my fraternity little brother Devin and I were both working in Atlanta and started a tradition of eating at Mellow Mushroom every Monday evening. We called the event Mellow Mushroom Monday or MMM for short. As in, mmm… that’s good pizza! We would head there in the late afternoon after work and hang out watching the sun set and the world go by while we enjoyed a large House Special pizza. During that summer we got to chat about life, work, cars and sometimes girls. It was a great time. Sadly after that summer I only made it back to Mellow Mushroom a few times but, when I did, I was reminded of all those MMM’s Devin and I shared.

Buckhead Church

Why I Like It:

Where to begin… I started attending Buckhead when I was a freshman at Tech and have made so many good memories and friends there since. As I have grown and changed in the intervening years, so has the church. We’ve moved from a small retrofit grocery store on Roswell road to a brand new facility at Tower Place. Pictured above is my favorite place in the new church building, the KidStuf Volunteer lounge. Although the rest of the building is often bustling and busy all Sunday, this room is usually quiet and a good place to get away for a moment of quiet reflection. Plus it has a fantastic view of Buckhead.

What Happened There:

Mission trips, worship, learning, service, friendship… there are too many memories here for me to put them all down. I’ve served in the family ministry (KidStuf) and in the main service on the production team, and in doing so I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with some great people. I’ve attended the College Ministry where I got to know some of my best friends and certainly ate my fair share of free food. I’ve been challenged by the weekly messages and teaching in the main service. But perhaps the most personally meaningful happening for me was the weekly meeting of my small group, a group of guys with whom I grew quite close to after two years of challenge and accountability as we “did life” together.

Midtown Jason’s Deli Patio

Why I Like It:

Jason’s Deli has to be one of my favorite restaurants of all time. Seriously where else can you get so much good, healthy food for so cheap? Between the sandwiches, pasta, and my favorites the chili and baked potato I never ran out of tasty options there. Not to mention the salad bar. Now that alone would put all Jason’s Delis on the list, but what sets the Jason’s in midtown Atlanta apart is it’s unbelievably awesome second floor patio. With views of the skyline that are fantastic day or night and a busy, interesting street below eating there was always an enjoyable experience. Add the free soft-serve ice cream afterward and there is literally no way you cannot like this place.

What Happened There:

While I ate hunger into submission there too many times for me to count, there are several Jason’s experiences that are particularly memorable. I loved going there after church on Sunday with friends as a prelude to an afternoon of hanging out at Piedmont Park only a couple blocks away. In 2009 I spent my entire spring break in my room hammering out the bulk of my thesis. Jason’s was a great place for me to get away from it all for an hour or so and enjoy some good food and fresh air. Other times I would take a good book and read for a few hours while enjoying unlimited iced tea. I was a big fan of reading C.S. Lewis there (I even called the meals “C.S. Lewis dates”), so much so that now whenever I read Lewis I get a strange craving for baked potato and salad. But perhaps my favorite times at Jason’s were actually had at the Tower Place location where the guys from my small group were repeatedly forced by me to go gladly and enthusastically went after our Monday night meetings. I think there’s something special about bonding with great friends over good food, and those times certainly qualified. They will certainly be missed.

The Thinking Spot

Why I Like It:

I discovered what became known as “the thinking spot” when a fraternity brother took a few of us there one afternoon. With the possible exception of the roof of the Civil Engineering building, this spot has the best view of Atlanta I’ve ever seen. And unlike the CE building no keys are required to get in. Any time of the year you could go here at night for a spectacular view of downtown and midtown Atlanta. The spot was relatively secluded, which made it great for just sitting and thinking or praying. Many of my friends upon introduction to the place promptly christened it the “make-out spot” and although I agree that it would be fantastic for that purpose, I wouldn’t know So the place will, for now, remain for me: the thinking spot.

What Happened There:

Since discovering the spot almost every major decision I’ve made has spent some time there. The thinking spot has seen the beginning of a lot of relationships, and even the end of some. I’ve been there alone for quiet reflection and prayer, or personal celebration. It was here I decided that I didn’t want to pursue a career in Civil Engineering, and here also that I went many subsequent times to ask God for new direction and revelation. After many frustrating days, I’ve found my sanity here. And after many great joys I’ve thanked God for his blessings here. But my favorite times were when I got to share this wonderful place with friends. Often times a group of us would grab dinner or a couple of beers (or both) and sit and talk for hours enjoying the sights and some good music.

I stop short of saying this is my most favorite place in Atlanta, only because there are so many good things about all the places I’ve been, and even more about the places that I’ve forgotten. But the thinking spot is definitely the place with the strongest emotional ties, and so it seems fitting that it’s the final place on my list. Atlanta was a great home for 6 years and although I miss it, hopefully before long I‘ll be writing all about my favorite places in Seattle.

A while ago my grad school advisor was telling me as story about a meeting he had with some government agency. As a student in a civil engineering program nearly all the projects that we were involved with dealt with the government in some form either directly as a client, or as a stakeholder. This meant that not only did we have to meet with various government agencies frequently, but often times the forward progress or even continued existence of our projects relied heavily on the outcome of those meetings.

Now back to the story, my advisor explained that in this case he was meeting with a representative of some state department of transportation for several hours discussing some aspect of a project they were working on. Remarkably, for the entire duration of the several-hour meeting one of the representative’s co-workers sat nearby at his immaculately organized desk doing nothing save reading the paper. The representative my advisor was meeting with remarked, from behind his rather cluttered desk, that most of his fellow civil servants spent their days in pursuits similar to that of his paper-reading colleague.

Based on this my advisor made a rather valuable observation: If you want to get anything done in a large organization (governmental or otherwise) you need to find the person with the messiest desk. In my, admittedly limited, experience I’ve found this observation to be quite true. I call this phenomenon the concept of the “messiest desk.”

Although I would add at this point that having the “messiest desk” does not always mean that your desk is particularly disorganized. For example, I am the kind of person who is pretty obsessive about cleanliness so my desk isn’t always messy, but it’s rarely clear. As the important priorities pile up there’s a lot of ongoing work, some of which has to be shelved temporarily while I focus on more critical tasks.

Not to say that organization isn’t important. I think every successful person with a “messy desk” would say that they could easily find any particular item on demand if needed. Clearly if your desk is so messy that you can’t find anything effectively then you aren’t being productive. In addition, this doesn’t apply to people who have a lot of useless kitsch in their workspace. The “mess” does not consist of stupid crap, but the elements of ongoing work.

The theory also applies if you don’t even have a desk to begin with. It could cover online or electronic workspaces, or physical workspaces like workbenches, garages or shop floors. Having a “messy desk” indicates that you have a lot of irons in the fire, and that fulfilling important priorities is more important than having your workspace perfectly organized. Rarely do you have time to do both.

So here’s what I look for in a messy desk (you could call them the “traits of the messy desk”) which indicate that a person within a given organization is a good contact to have:

• It isn’t just a mess, there’s at least some sense of organization.
• The mess does not impact productivity.
• The mess is predominately composed of work items (tools, files, reports).
• The elements of the mess are not only work items but current work items, not archived dead project files from 20 years ago.
• The mess is the result of ongoing work using the latest technology feasible, not the result of a refusal to join the 21st century.
• The mess does not smell, that’s just gross.

So what are your thoughts? Do you have a messy desk? If so, what do you look for in a mess that indicates that it’s more than just a mess? If not, then what do you look for as a sign of value in a workspace?

The past few weeks at Mars Hill they’ve been in this series called “It’s All About Jesus” which, as I’m confident you can clearly see, is all about Jesus. The overall theme is that God is authoring a story (or script) for all of His creation. Most recently Pastor Bill Clem, filling in for Mark, was talking about the idea that we are all part of that story and that the scope of our view the story depends on our understanding of our role in relation to God. Sadly for many, both Christian and non-Christian, the story is only about one’s personal journey. Because of our fallen nature we often reject supporting roles in the grand production that is God’s story opting instead for leading roles in small side-shows of our own. One analogy presented was that of a few acting students scraping together their meager resources for a production of their own script in what is basically a warehouse versus a young actress auditioning for, and landing, a minor supporting role in a major Broadway production. On this point Bill stated that those of us who take a narrow, personally focused, view of our stories will interpret the theme of our ”movie script” in light of our present circumstances. When we are blessed with success we see our life as a heroic action/adventure, when we find a special relationship a romance, and when we are plagued by pain or struggle we see life as a drama or perhaps even a horror film.

As Christians we’re all raised with the message that we must constantly give praise to God in the midst of our blessings. Whether we apply it or not, there’s definitely a sense (or at least an intellectual assent) that the blessings of health, friends, job, marriage, children, and so on are a part of God’s greater plan. We know well the risk of forgetting God in our success. But for me, and I would suspect for others as well, it’s not the times that I see success that I feel disconnected from the story of God, but rather the times of struggle. Although in times of difficulty the emotional connection to God may seem stronger, I think that the temptation is to look at the circumstances of life and introspectively label my story as one of woe and misery (a film of dramatic struggle against all odds) regardless of my emotional “spiritual high” or outward expressions of dependence on God. This gives rise to the questions like “how can a loving God allow so much pain” or “why do bad things happen to good people?” I replace God ‘s script with a much smaller one of my own design in my mind and heart. The film analogy can be extended in this sense by considering the difference in tone if an action/adventure script featured the victims as the protagonist instead of the rescuing hero.

Luckily I am not the protagonist of the story. I’ve been reading in Job (one of my favorite books) and I’m always struck by the way that God responds to Job starting in verse 38:1 and continuing throughout the rest of the book:

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Job 38:1-7

I love this passage for multiple reasons. First because God uses sarcasm to righteously mock that unreasonable belief in Job (and in us) that there is any other story but God’s. Not only do we see that sarcasm has a justifiable place in the Kingdom, but it’s used to highlight the ridiculousness of our belief in anything other than the grand story of God. Second, God basically tells Job to put on a cup because he is about to be kicked up the middle in a theological sense. The tone of speech in consideration of the audience is as often important as the content of the message itself, and here God demonstrates that when speaking to men a direct, harsh application of the truth will have the greatest benefit. And finally, (back on topic) we see God not so gently remind Job that He is the author of the story, and that Job is merely a supporting character. He asks Job if he thinks that he has the power or the desire to author a story as grand as the one unfolding in the hands of the Creator to which Job gives the only logical reply:

Then Job answered the Lord and said: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

Job 42:1-6

The difference to me is significant. When I remind myself that I am only a small supporting role in a much, much larger script I can keep both suffering and success in proper perspective. Like catching the game-winning home run at a baseball game, no one cares that you caught the ball. They are rightly caught up in celebrating the much greater victory. And you should be to, whether you caught the game winning ball or not.

So after all that what then is the theme of the story of God? I’m going to have to go with Mark’s assertion that the story presented in the Bible is a comedy (albeit a dark comedy) but that’s a post for another time.

Normally I frown upon people who post blog entries that talk about the frequency (or lack thereof) of their blog posts… generally a post of that type assumes that people actually read your blog and care if you post or not. An assumption that I find rather comical in general given the average readership of most blogs (mine included), and quite outrageous in this particular case given that my last post was over two months ago and by now the few followers I had have undoubtedly moved on to richer reading pastures. So, on that count there’s no reason to apologize for the lack of posts recently. Furthermore, far be it from me that my site would become just another tombstone in the vast graveyard of dead blogs filled with posts lamenting the lack of time for proper writing.

Anyways, that said, it’s been a wild couple of months. I left Atlanta on the 29th of June, Seattle bound. After a long cross-country trip with a brief stop in Colorado I arrived in Seattle on the 6th of July. There hasn’t been one aspect of my life that has not changed at least a little, and most areas have changed so significantly that I have yet to fully grasp the magnitude of the difference.

Since I left Atlanta:

• I’ve gone from living in a double-occupancy room in a fraternity house to living in an apartment alone to living in a three-story townhouse with a friend from GA.
• I have not eaten at Jason’s Deli, not even once.
• I’ve left my church home at Buckhead Church where the music was like a rock concert and Andy reiterated everything three times for 30 minutes tops and started attending Mars Hill Church where the music is indie-ish and Mark Driscoll yells at us for at least an hour every Sunday.
• I’ve gone from being a poor grad student to working for the largest software company on the planet although, in contrast, my wardrobe has remained relatively constant.
• I’ve gone from working out at the GT Rec Center with a bunch of college aged guys and one girl to working out at what amounts to the Microsoft Rec Center with a bunch of 40 year-old guys and no girls
• I’ve gone from walking 5-10 minutes to and from class/work to a 30 minute minimum drive from home to work. I now take the bus almost every day.
• I can pretty much afford to eat out whenever I want, but I no longer have nearly as many friends to take with me.
• I’ve gone from living in the middle of constant activity to living in a quiet neighborhood and working alone at a desk for most of the day.
• I’ve gone from near constant involvement at Theta Xi to nearly none outside of observing the e-mail lists.
• I’ve gone from anticipating the GT football season with great excitement to mere indifference.
• I used to sweat just looking outside, now I wear a polar fleece jacket nearly every morning, and often throughout the entire day.
• I’ve gone from having to pay for each load of laundry in washers and dryers with two clothing settings: Maul and Destroy to having a washer and dryer with more settings than a mid-sized aircraft.
• I’ve gone from having basically everything I own in one room to having to go to Ikea to get stuff to fill up all the extra rooms in the house.
• There hasn’t been a day, or really even an hour, that I haven’t missed all of my great friends back in Georgia in one way or another.
• I’ve been blessed with the seeds of new friendships here in Seattle.
• I’ve struggled as God has moved me across the country and away from all my connections, comforts and familiarity to the place He wants me to be. And I’ve been amazed as He has given me grace to persevere in the face of what can often be overwhelming sadness and frustration.

And that’s just a few of the things going on now. When people ask how the move has gone I usually tell them that it’s like a roller coaster; there are up days and there are down days but in the end the entire thing is an exhilarating ride. It’s been a very exciting period in my life, but as I get settled in the swings become less frequent, and less severe. As I move forward I always try to recall the feeling of awesome opportunity that I had in anticipation of the move when I was still in Georgia.

And, if all else fails, I just book a ticket “home” for the weekend

Last Saturday I went to see Pixar’s new movie: Up.

IMPORTANT: To conduct a decent review I need to talk about the movie so if you haven’t seen it yet, and don’t want to find out what happens before you do, come back and finish the rest of this post afterwards.

First, I’ve got to give kudos to any movie that can have the audience on the verge of tears in the first 20-minutes without any dialog. Right away you form an instant bond with Carl Fredricksen as we watch him meet, marry, love, and bury his wife Elle. In this story we find the explanation for the elderly Carl who just wants to complete the vision of adventure that he and Elle had dreamed of, but which always seemed to come in second to the demands of everyday life. Instead of dismissing Carl as just another cantankerous old man, we’re drawn into his experience and emotionally invested in his mission to fulfill the memory of his late wife. Add Russell, an ambitious young “boy scout,” who plays the young idealist to Carl’s mature reservation and the stage is set for a redemption story of a depth that I did not expect to see in an animated movie.

It had always been Carl and Elle’s dream to move their house to “Paradise Falls” in South Africa, but as life wore on those dreams had to be put on hold until Elle finally passes away. Carl, now alone and facing off against developers who want to tear down the house in which he and Elle made their life, finally decides to lift off (literally) and complete the vision that his late wife had proposed in her childhood. Carl faces many challenges, but moves onward with single-minded focus on fulfilling their vision until he finally lands his house at the location he and Elle had decided upon all those years ago. It’s only then, while reviewing their old photo album, that he realizes the dream of adventure they had envisioned had already been manifest in their marriage, and that now he needed to do as Elle implored on the last page and “…go and make your own adventure.”

The symbolics of moving on are thick as we watch Carl empty his floating house of all his possessions in order to make it light enough so he can fly to the rescue of Russell who has already set off after the film’s villain.

While there’s a lot more to the story than that, I think that the storyline I described is the part that I found the most interesting. Perhaps it’s because I’m nearing the point where I need to move on, but I definitely felt for Carl as he remained committed to what he thought would put the memory of his late wife at rest. And I understood the feeling of freedom that came when he realized that the only way he could do that would be to let go of all the old and pursue after his calling.

On a lighter note, Doug the “talking” Labrador retriever, is one of the funniest characters I’ve seen in an animated film. If dogs could talk, they would sound exactly like him.

Blog crossover wtih the Pro-Blog about the physical arrangement of my new server system:

http://pro-blog.mattroe.net/?p=117

It’s hard for me to imagine now why I didn’t want to rush as a freshman. I even remember stopping by the house my first week at Tech and somehow thinking that I would never, ever “Go Greek”. Now I don’t know what I would have done without it. Even though I officially graduated from Theta Xi two years ago when I completed my undergraduate work, I still feel a part of the house. Probably because I was too cheap to move out . Almost every significant relationship I’ve developed at Tech has come from the fraternity, and there are so many good memories that I’m sure I’ve forgotten more than I can remember. Here I will present a semi-exhaustive list of everything associated with Theta Xi that brings a smile to my face that I can think of:

• Formals
• Semi-formals
• Greek Week
• Greek Sing
• Homecoming
• Mock Rock
• “The Hovercraft”
• Diet Coke Sandwiches
• Kitchen Chores
• Unicorn Power
• Intramurals (Even though I have yet to go to a game)
• Catapult (For more reasons than are immediately apparent)
• Football Block Seating
• Halo in Fox and Jones’ room
• DOW With Fox and Jones
• Croakies
• 24 (I learned of Jack Bauer here)
• Scrubs
• Tug
• Front Porch Swing
• Broomball
• The Malibu Mixer
• Steak and Shake (Preferably very late at night and with girls… erm that doesn’t sound right)
• Taco Mac
• Good Beer
• Not-so-Good Beer (“Diet Coors”)
• Rainbows
• Matt Wertz, Jon McLaughlin, Dave Barnes, Anberlin, Cartel, Augustana, Country Music, Diana Krall…
• Front Lawn (Particularly the use of a skid-steer)
• TX Golf
• Monster Golf
• Date Nights
• “Announcements”
• Chapter Meeting Secrets (Some funny, some lame, but all secret)
• The “Make-Out Spot”
• Initiations (Locations and Experiences)
• Moustache Week
• The GTG’s
• Getting the Pig for Rush
• Rush Bingo
• Breaking Femurs
• Rage in the Cage
• Cooking Mealplan
• Re-Tiling The Kitchen
• Road Trips

Honestly, I could keep going for a while, but I have to stop somewhere.

God was so good, giving me a whole house full of brothers to entertain me, help me, grow me, and hold me accountable. When I was a little kid I used to come across my dad’s old fraternity memorabilia in boxes and drawers in the house. I never understood what it was all about.

I understand now.

Sunday I met with the small group leaders at Buckhead Church for the last time. Typically we have these lunch meetings once a month throughout the course of the semester. The objective is to get together to discuss everything that is going on in our groups, and share methods and ideas with each other. Last Sunday was the last meeting of this semester and, for me, the last one I will attend.

As this is the last week of class, and next week is finals week, it’s inevitable that there are going to be a lot of these “lasts”.

It’s difficult for me to write about this because I really don’t know how to feel. There’s definitely excitement, but there’s also a great deal of fear and uncertainty. Imagine looking around at everything you can see or experience and being afraid to like it because it will be a 7-hour airplane ride away in a couple months. Not that Seattle is a bad place, quite the opposite in fact. The quick glimpses that I’ve gotten through my visits there and by listening to Mark’s podcasts are promising. It’s just that I’ve done this whole move-across-the-county thing before when I came to Georgia from Colorado, so now I’m burdened with the knowledge of what that move will do.

I’ve had a really good time here. That’s what is clearly apparent in the “lasts”. If I hadn’t had a good time, then there wouldn’t be any “lasts” worth experiencing. As I reflect back on the time I’ve spent here I’m amazed at all the great things I have to remember. But as I began writing about them I realized that if I put them all in one post it would be close to a mile long. So instead, I’m going to parcel them out over the course of a few days/weeks starting with this one:

Small Group

I started my small group experience at Theta Xi before I was even a brother. Charlie Wright, who would eventually become my big brother, invited me to join a group my sophomore year at Tech. As I was really struggling for Christian guy community at the time; I joined. Eventually my involvement in the group led to my pledging at Theta Xi, but that’s another story. The next couple years I led groups of various size and effectiveness through the house. When I entered graduate school, however, things really took off. I decided that I wanted to join a group (not lead) through Buckhead Church to branch out beyond the fraternity. I didn’t want to lead, because I didn’t feel that I had the proper experience or knowledge to adequately lead. Apparently God thought differently. He brought a group of young guys to me, and for the next two years they asked me to lead them as we all “did life” together.

The last two years have been some of the most exciting years of my life in small group. I’m so amazed at the growth and maturity that each of the members of our group has experienced, myself included. It’s hard to remember all the things that we have done together outside of the regular meetings; going to Kenya, mini-golfing, feeding the homeless, and generally just hanging out. When we first all met I think there was a significant doubt that we would even work together, but now I can safely say that if I get married I know a couple guys who will be standing with me at the altar.