Quick Update

Second day on the new job... I am getting settled into my office and trying to get used to the idea of having an office. It is almost as big as my bedroom, probably about 2-3 feet shy on width, but about the same in length. Outside my window I can see basically a big water storage tank, which is not terribly exciting, but the important point is that I can actually see outside. My responsibilities are still not all laid out, but I am enjoying the freedom so far to spend time researching some of the chemistry issues we have right now. Other than those technical challenges, I will be spearheading a new program for our department called "Coach the Coach" to increase our effectiveness in coaching employees to improved performance, and I will be involved with behavioral safety observations.

This past weekend was very busy but also very good. The first half of the weekend I spent with a group at a state park, where we were evaluating and planning for a movement called Intersect that's been going on for about a year at our church. The basic vision is to present the gospel in a way that is relevant to our culture and reach as many of the 40,000 singles in the Augusta area as possible. Yes, that was not a typo, there are approximately 40,000 single people living right under our noses. We have a worship service on the first Sunday of each month for Intersect. It was a nice refresher for me as I have not been as involved as I would have liked while on shift for the last year.

Saturday night after returning from that mini-retreat, I went to an oyster roast at a co-workers house in Screven County (aka - the country). He steamed 500 pounds of oysters and not one went left uneaten at the end of the night. Quite an accomplishment for a group of 40-50 people.

Sunday I went to Waffle House in the morning, then sunday school and church, then studied in the afternoon at PJs Coffee. That night I went with some friends to see the Morehouse College Glee club sing at Tabernacle Baptist Church in downtown Augusta. This is an annual concert which I have been to once before, and it was just as good this time around. The group is all men (all black men to be exact) and they sang a lot of spirituals and also some other varieties of music.

Ok, that's the basic update on life for now. I will have some more coming soon on the latest topic in our sunday school, "The Will of God". Good stuff, and highly relevant for me as I am hoping to discern (or confirm) the will of God for my career in the next month or so.