KellyGubser.com

Energy

// April 2nd, 2009 // 0 Comments // Uncategorized

I should follow up that even though I am tired, I have had energy and motivation to do far more this week than I ever thought.  While Harrison was awake, we were able to do some things around the house off the honey-do list along with just playing and having fun.  Then, while he slept, I caught up on a lot of work that I can’t do at work due to all the interruptions and distractions there.

All this is certainly due to some good weight loss and change in health habits.  it is also due to just a change in the schedule, I think.  I am thankful!  (But ready to get back to “normal.”)

Tired

// April 2nd, 2009 // 0 Comments // Uncategorized

It has been a good 8 days with Amy away, but I am ready for us to get back into or normal roles and routine.  I think she is, too.  I have missed her tons.

I have renewed appreciation for Amy and all she does at home.  I am glad we are at a place where she can be home full-time.  Seems to be the best scenario for us all.

Welcome home, sweetie!

Father and Son

// March 31st, 2009 // 0 Comments // Uncategorized

So, since last Thursday, Amy has been in the Dominican Republic with a girlfriend as her guest on a company trip. They are at a beach resort soaking up rays and just generally relaxing. She deserves it, and it isn’t costing us much at all for her to go.

In the meantime, I have been allowed to work from home while caring for our boy, Harrison, who is just past 2 1/2 years old. I love him so much. I have so enjoyed my time with him. We have been playing “trucks” and going on “truck rides” since he loves riding in my pickup. We’ve done some work around the house where he has “helped” me. And, we have even moved him out of the nursery and sleeping in the crib to his new “big boy room” sleeping in a twin bed.

Together, we have experienced a lot this week.  Even if just simple play time.  It has made me think about the relationship and community between God the Father and God the Son, Jesus.  Comparing this time Harrison and I have had to the closeness between Father and Son.  And then thinking of what it would be like to say to Harrison that I needed to send him away…and that he would be tortured and killed.  That I loved him, but that I needed him to die for the sake of countless others.

I could not make that sacrifice.  Harrison and I are not near has close as Jesus and the Father are…I cannot imagine the anguish and difficulty associated with those actions.  But I am thankful they were made…and with a new sense of what it might have felt like.

My Big Boy

// March 30th, 2009 // 0 Comments // Uncategorized

For my usual day off today, Harrison and I finished the big boy room.  Harrison is so proud!  We moved all his toys in and he wanted to be in there all day.  No longer will he sleep in the smaller room or in the crib.  He was a little scared when I first turned out the lights, but he calmed down fast and has been sleeping since.  I kind of expected him to try getting out of the bed and coming to see me.  We had a good talk about how he needed to go to sleep and that I did not want him getting out of bed.  I guess it worked.  We’ll see how the night goes!  I love my big boy!

Marriage & Men

// March 29th, 2009 // 0 Comments // Uncategorized

Not sure why this impressed me so much.  For starters, I don’t think any guy can listen to this and not be challenged to step it up in your marriage.

But, I think even more so what hit me is the righteous anger that Mark Driscoll (Preaching Pastor of Mars Hill Church) displays contrasts with how many of us do church.  I believe he was speaking the truth in love, but often times we will water down the truth or soften it a bit so as not to offend or make the first time visitor uncomfortable.  That whole aspect is making me think, too.

My Wife’s Having A Blast!

// March 28th, 2009 // 0 Comments // Uncategorized

Amy (lower left) left Thursday morning for the Dominican Republic to vacation as Brenda’s (lower right) guest on her company trip. (Also pictured are Shana and Amber)

They are at a resort and she is getting much needed rest and relaxation…I hope.  But it looks like it from the pictures making their way online.

I have been enjoying my time at home with Harrison, too.  I love being his daddy.  We’ll have to figure out some special things for us to do here while mommy’s at “the ocean.”

Any ideas for us?

Why Do I Do What I Do?

// March 27th, 2009 // 0 Comments // Uncategorized

Full-time, part-time, or volunteer, why are you involved with the technical arts?

You might be tempted to answer:

• I’m good at it
• I have technical skills
• Somebody asked, so I signed up
• It’s fun
• There’s work to be done and I can do it
• I’m a techie/nerd and like this kind of stuff

While all of these things can be good answers, they do center around you and the work of technical arts.

I hope there is also an element of passion in your answer and the mentality of serving in ministry to others.  You see, if we are just doing work we are good at or enjoy, there will come a time when we will grow tired of the task and want to move on to something new and exciting.  However, if you are passionate about the result of your work (impacting lives for Jesus) and doing what you can to serve people for that purpose, you will be committed to developing and refining that ministry to be more and more effective.

At that point, it no longer is about the task, the kind of work, or even your abilities.  Instead, it is about ministering to the lives of others and serving them to do so.

This is one I have to remind myself of.  Hopefully, it is a reminder for you as well.

So…why do you do what you do?

30-Day Blog Challenge

// March 27th, 2009 // 0 Comments // Uncategorized

I follow Butch Whitmire’s blog.  He is the Pastor of Creative Arts at Granger Community Church.  He has given himself a 30-day Blog Challenge to post at least once a day for 30 days.  I thought this was a good idea, too, so I’m giving it a shot myself.  Day one down!  (Albeit a short one)

I Really Want To

// March 25th, 2009 // 0 Comments // Uncategorized

Post more, that is.  I am just always so busy.  I need a break from the norm.  Hopefully, I can put stuff up here more than once every six months.

I definitely don’t have the time to keep developing training posts, so I will probably stick to more random topics that come up.

As for the break, Amy left tonight for a week in the Dominican Republic for a vacation with a girlfriend.  She will have a blast.  In the meantime, my boss has graciously allowed me to work from home while hanging with Harrison.  This will be a change of pace and scenery.  Should be fun.  I hope to work through some thoughts here during this time.

As of today, the whole staff is moved to using Google Apps for their email, calendar, contacts, and more.  It was a bit of a bumpy ride, but I think people are getting used to it.  We have our own Exchange server setup, but the server also provides our file storage.  Combined, we are down to 15GB left on the hard drive.  That is not a comfortable place to be. We are also in a spending freeze, so we cannot afford another server right now.  Removing the mailboxes and the Exchange server files will free up a good 80GB easy.

Also, I am trying to get as much out of the IT Support business as possible as my primary job is worship support.  I have not been able to spend as much time on that as we would like.  So, the switch to Google will ultimately get me a little bit more out of the IT Support tasks that ineveitably come up…patches, upgrades, backups, etc.

For the staff, once they acclimate to the switch, they will have many benefits like having the same interface no matter where in the world they are.  They can have access to documents everywhere they go.  They can effectively collaborate on documents in real time.  We also expect to see more full-time volunteers via retirements and such working from home and places away from our office.  it will be nice for them to have the same features available to them wherever they are.

Once folks settle in, I will take Exchange offline completely and blow it away for good.  That will be interesting.

UNLEASH at Calvary

// January 27th, 2009 // 0 Comments // Uncategorized

We are getting the new UNLEASH website ramped up at unleash.calvaryonline.org so go check it out.  I am writing this post here to test the trackback feature of the blog.  The trackback url for the first post is http://unleash.calvaryonline.org/blog/wp-trackback.php?p=1 so go check it out.