Dogs vs. Humans: A Study

Hello, friends! Today, Kensi and I spent several hours practicing a new concept. It's called "walking on a loose leash so no one chokes or has their arm yanked out of its socket." We were somewhat successful, but we still have a long way to go!

I had a lot of time to think while I was walking... and stopping... and walking... and stopping. Hence, what you see before you now. I present to you "Dogs vs. Humans: A Study."

Observation #1: Every moment is a teachable moment.
Subtitled: Consistency is key.

I did some reading on dog training earlier today. One of the suggestions that stuck with me is this: "Until your dog has mastered this concept, consider every walk a training time." It's so true! If I am strict with Kensi and only let her walk on a loose leash for one walk, and then I turn around and let her pull like no other on the next walk, that won't teach her anything. It will only confuse her. I have to train her consistently, or nothing will happen.

The same can be said of humans. For example, right now I'm trying to teach my confirmation students about respect for each other. One way I'm doing this is to only respond to them when they're being respectful (i.e. not talking out of turn, not talking over each other, being kind, etc.). If I kept this up for one class and then let them do whatever they wanted the next class, they would never learn about respect. I have to be consistent if I want them to learn.

Observation #2: Don't underestimate or overestimate.
Subtitled: Listen!

Kensi is a smart dog. She's a shepherd/retriever mix, and both of those breeds are very intelligent. However, just because she's smart doesn't mean she's going to automatically understand what I want her to do. I shouldn't overestimate her, and I shouldn't underestimate her. Instead, I should do my best to listen to her. If I'm observant, I can tell how she's reacting, what that means, and how I should proceed.

This is also true for humans. My main confirmation class is on Wednesday evenings, but one of my sixth graders can't make it that night. (She is in 14 school activities. I'm not exaggerating.) So I'm teaching her one-on-one every other Monday. I walked into our first session on Monday not sure what to expect. Given the amount of activities she's in, I assumed that she was probably very smart. However, I had no idea what her faith life was like. The best course of action for me was to not overestimate or underestimate her. Instead, it was my task to listen and find out where she is that way. Through my observations, I was able to get a sense of how we should conduct class in the future.

Observation #3: Everything takes time.
Subtitled: Duh. But really!

I've had Kensi for a week and a day now. We've come a long way in that period of time. I know what her favorite thing is (tennis balls). She knows that I'm probably coming back if I leave. I know that she's full of energy. She knows that I give her tasty treats. However, there are many, many more things for us to learn about each other - and there's no way to find them out except to continue learning. It will take time, and that's okay!

Again, this is the case for humans as well. Last Sunday, I gave my first children's message. It was delightful! The kids responded just like I hoped they would. (Except for the part where they got me to admit that I'm not dating anyone in front of the entire congregation.) However, I know that I won't get that kind of response every children's message. I have to take the time to get to know them - all of them - in order to be an effective Director of Christian Education for them. That's the way it is and the way it should be.

There you have it, folks: teaching humans is just like training dogs, except with less drooling. Usually. ;) I'll leave you with a picture of Kensi training me to throw the tennis ball. See that intense stare?

Epic Things About Oklahoma

Hello, friends! I promise this blog will be slightly longer than the last one. Not because I'm less tired, because I'm probably more tired, but because so much has happened and I want to share it with you! For your reading pleasure, I present to you: Epic Things About Oklahoma.

1. The people!! I am enjoying getting to know the people at Redeemer so very much. I've met people between the ages of 3 months and 92 years and have enjoyed all of them. A specific story for you: a wonderful couple from church invited me to dinner and gave me quite the extensive tour of Enid. They're both photographers, and I loved seeing their studio!

2. The church! Let me tell you, the sanctuary alone would make me love Redeemer. It's recently redone with beautiful stained glass and incredible architecture. But apart from the sanctuary, I'm a fan of pretty much everything! A specific story for you: we have such an abundance of classrooms that I have a room for my confirmation class that is only ever used for my confirmation class. Hooray for not having to clean up every Wednesday!

3. The town! Oklahoma and Iowa feel like they're cut from the same mold. I'm loving it here. The weather has been great, and today I found a cool walking trail. A specific story for you: Wednesday night, Audrey House and I went on a trip to Camp Lutherhaven. Not only was the camp incredibly amazing, we passed by some mesas not far from Enid that look like perfect hiking material.

4. The district! I got to meet a bunch of Oklahoma district folks at the bi-annual convention at the beginning of this week. They are pretty cool, let me tell you. A specific story for you: I spent a few hours with a group of DCEs planning a high school youth gathering. Insert high-pitched squeal at the realization of a church work nerd's dream.

5. This girl!

Today I adopted a beautiful shepherd/lab mix named Kensi. We spent the day learning about each other. I learned that she knows how to sit on command, catch tennis balls in midair, and play tug-of-war. Meanwhile, she learned that me being out of sight for more than ten seconds is not cause for alarm. (We're still working on that last part. But there has been progress!)

6. The people! I know, I said that already. But some exciting people are showing up tomorrow to celebrate my installation and commissioning on Sunday. I'm very much looking forward to it!!

Was that enough exclamation points for you? I hope so, because I need to go take a certain dog for a walk. Good night!

The One Week Report

Today was my fourth day of work at Redeemer. Here's what you need to know about my first week:

The people are nice.
The children are fun.
The commute is great.
I am very sleepy.

That is all. Good night!

Iowa Girl Meets... Oklahoma!!

Hello, friends! Greetings from the Sooner State!!

My parents and I arrived in Enid on Sunday night, where we met up with Pastor Thomas House and Larry, one of the elders of Redeemer Lutheran. They gave us a tour of the church (beautiful!!) and my new house (more on that later!). Larry then treated the four of us, plus Pastor's wife Audrey, to dinner. My parents and I then spent the rest of the evening cleaning my new place, courtesy of the bucket of cleaning supplies Jessie gave me as a going-away present.

Monday was move-in day. Pastor House and Ron, one of the trustees, helped us unload the Budget truck. Between the five of us, unloading took no time at all. (Speaking of unloading, we also had some excellent people help us LOAD the truck on Saturday. Thanks, Mike and Julie!!) After we got all of the boxes (and furniture) (and vacuums donated by cool people) into the house, we put together my futon. And by we, I mean Ron and Pastor House while the rest of us watched and tried not to break anything.

The rest of the day was packed with unpacking, various visitors from Redeemer stopping by, and trips to Wal-Mart, Lowes, and Marquis Furniture. We finished it off with a trip to Braum's for the best ice cream in Oklahoma before heading to the hotel and watching an episode of Castle.

On Tuesday morning, my parents left to return to Iowa and I was on officially on my own! Predictably, I spent the day... unpacking. I also had my weekly mentoring phone call with Pastor Jay and met some people over at Redeemer. Wednesday I was at church most of the day, organizing my new office, meeting people, and observing the Midweek school. Thursday was similar; I spent a good part of my day planning for my first week of work. (I officially start on Monday.)

Fridays will be my day off, so I'm treating today as such, even though I haven't started my job yet. I slept in, did some more unpacking, did a load of laundry and hung it out to dry on the clothesline in my backyard, and organized my kitchen and bathroom. The rest of my house is not quite organized yet, so you'll get more pictures of it in the next couple of weeks. For now, here are some pictures of my kitchen and the sign over at Redeemer!

I was welcomed on a sign! (Yes, I did notice that they spelled my name wrong...)

Also this is not a complete sentence. But it's still cool!

Here we have my kitchen table, complete with homemade napkin holder and table runner, embroidered cat from my grandma, and a book (because I need it, that's why).

And here are my favorite mugs. They're decorative AND useful!

And finally, I bought some plants for my kitchen!