Homeschool Tips- Public School at Home

Originally published in print in Parent News magazine…

               My wife and I recently checked out a new curriculum offered in conjunction with the South Carolina Department of Education known as the South Carolina Virtual Charter School. It’s operated by a company called K12. 

                We checked it out because it looks like a really good program. You get a state diploma if the kids graduate through it. All the materials from curriculum to science lab equipment is provided for free. The program itself is completely free and already paid for with your tax dollars.

                Parents homeschool for a variety of reasons. It could be freedom, flexibility, course materials, religious issues, or anything. For my wife and me, it’s actually a combination of all of those. The K12 program doesn’t offer much of that for us. The program still follows the standard school year. If your kids miss a day of school because you’re traveling, you still have to make that day up in the evening or on the weekend. You’re not allowed to school year-round like we choose to do. You have to use the public school curriculum lesson by lesson with no leeway. So no supplementing with your own information be it religious instruction or a different point-of-view on a history lesson unless you do it after school. Your kids also still have to spend about the same amount of time in class as if they were actually in a school classroom.

                Like I said, it didn’t work for us. However, if you have no qualms about public school but would rather have your kids at home, possibly to avoid bad social situations, or to do school on the road, it just might work for you. The program seems really well done and would impart a lesson just as good or possibly better than at a regular school. All the lessons plans and actual lessons are done for you, so if you’re afraid of that part of homeschool, you’re in luck.

                It’s not really public school. It’s not really homeschool. It’s public school at home. It might work for you.

Good Eats at Leopard Forest Coffee Company in Travelers Rest SC

While on my 2 week speaking tour last month I spent some time with my wife’s family near Greenville SC. We drove into town one day (partly so I could hit the local comic book store Borderlands) and stopped in at Leopard Forest Cafe for lunch. They have a really nice cafe right on the main drag in Travelers Rest (TR). TR used to be a pretty trashy area that you just drove through to go from city to hiking. Now they’ve revitalized the entire town with a sweet bike trail, lots of new shops, and, most of all, energy!

We had a great time at the cafe. It has a nice coffee shop atmosphere with small town vibe. The Leopard Forest brand coffee is roasted down the street so if you walk by at the right time, the smell is intoxicating. Aside from their home-roasted coffee, the food is also excellent. If you’re ever in the TR area or making the trek northward on 276 toward Table Rock, Caesar’s Head, or Lake Jocassee, I’d recommend you stop in for a bite and a cup of brew.

Go Ahead and Wash Your Car

I washed my car this morning. I hate washing my car. It’s one of those mindless tasks that needs to be done, but I’d rather be working on a project or reading a book. For a long time I’ve weighed tasks like that by money. I could pay the detail shop $25 to clean it for me in an hour. In that same hour I could make $250 for a counseling session or even more on a bigger endeavor.

I didn’t do that today, and though I obviously lost money I gained something even better…time to think. It took me an hour and a half to wash the car. It would’ve been shorter, but I stopped to talk to a friend in a neighboring office for a few minutes. Washing the car is such a ‘hands on-mind off’ task that I don’t need to think about what I’m actually doing. I can let my mind roam and plot and plan, and I did. I have a huge life-changing project coming up, and I’ve had a very little time to just sit and breathe on it. Today I did. An hour of completely open thinking time was better than a full day of  bits and pieces and here and there time.

It was so worth it, and I urge you to try it. Do something this week that is completely ‘mind off’ and take some time.

Wash a car.

Mow the yard.

Clean out the garage.

Clean a bathroom.

Just go and do it.

National Geographic Traveler’s 1st Annual Food Issue

I wanted to drop a few kudos to National Geographic Traveler on their first annual Food Issue for the awesome coffee representation. The issue is on the stands now, so run out and grab it. If you miss it, be sure to drop them a line and ask for more coffee-centricity in next year’s issue as well.

 

 

 

 

Book Review- Ghost Story by Jim Butcher

Originally published in print in Transitions magazine…

Moving from summer reading into the fall, although you’d never know it from the Myrtle Beach weather, I’ve run into some really great reads lately. I thought instead of reviewing one main book, that I’d do a recap of what I’ve been reading, in the hopes that maybe it’ll interest you in trying something new.

                Ghost Story by Jim Butcher. My wife and I are always super uber excited each and every time a new Dresden Files book comes out. It’s one of the few authors that we’re willing to shell out the necessary cash for to buy the hardcover as soon as it hits the shelf. In Butcher’s newest, the wizard Harry Dresden is back, not so much back from the dead, but back. I won’t say any more. If this at all interests you, don’t go out and buy this book. Instead, go buy the first one in the series in paperback. You’ll kick yourself if you jump into the series without starting at the beginning. It’s a must read series for anyone that enjoys modern stories involving wizards, vampires, and private detectives.

                Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and Me by Ian Morgan Cron. I met Ian at a Don Miller conference in Portland this year and heard firsthand some of the stories from the book, including the last one mentioned in the book. I’ll be straight up with you. I cried when he told the story live, and I cried when I read it again in the book. I’m a manly man, but I’m okay to admit that. This is a powerful, emotional, spiritually uplifting ‘memoir of sorts’ (in Ian’s words). It’s the story of a man who had it rough as a boy and didn’t fare much better as an adult. Through God’s redemptive power and the love of a wonderful wife Ian made it back to the fold despite how far he strayed and pushed away from that love. It’s not a short book, but I could’ve read it in a single sitting. It’s not that often that a memoir captures my attention and emotions in that way.

                The Outlaws by W.E.B. Griffin. I have so many books that I want to read, that it’s seldom I’ll read through a book twice. Every one of Griffin’s books is one that I’ll read multiple times. The Outlaws is the latest offering in the Presidential Agent series, which holds a tug for me because of my own Federal service. I’m salivating until the next book in the series comes out. I find myself wishing that Griffin would write even more books about other facets of the military and public service, maybe the Marshals or EMS. If you’re a fan of historical fiction involving military or public safety or ever worked in any capacity in either of those occupations, then you need to give his books a try.

References…

Ghost Story (Dresden Files, No. 13).

Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and Me: A Memoir. . . of Sorts.

The Outlaws: A Presidential Agent Novel.

 

Diseased Cantaloupe (Food Critics Can’t Take the Heat)

I just read this on an e-mail post from a local food critic in the area where I live. I thought I’d throw it out to the netverse and see what everyone else thought about it…

For some time readers have been asking for comments sections after…articles, and this week we delivered. Comment away! If you’re not already signed up for the Disqus comment program, you’ll need to register. It’s free.  Note: A couple of commenters have already established themselves as mean-spirited, and I won’t tolerate that. Critical comments are fine – we all have opinions – but
blatantly cruel posts are out of line. To those who say I’m inhibiting free speech, I say go get your own Web site and make all the snarky comments you want.

With the capability and ease for customers to instantly complain these days via Twitter, Yelp, and the innumerable sites that are available to us, how should you deal with comments that you don’t particularly like?

Should you ignore them like an ostrich with his head in the sand?

Should you answer them and try to help or explain?

Should you go on the offensive and attack? 

Should you exercise the god-like power of the webmaster or mistress and simply delete anything you don’t like?

I’m reminded of a story that my friend and tech guru Justin Lukasavige told in his class yesterday on social media about a recent complaint he made via Twitter to Thrifty Car Rental. They didn’t respond well and, from what he said, it seemed like they pulled the ostrich head in the sand method while trying to sound like they were responding in a proper manner. The end result…he said he’d find another car rental company.

I guess it depends on the situation and the particular comment, but, for some reason, this food critic’s words just didn’t seem like responsible customer service to me. It almost sounded like an uppity way of doing her best to alientate readers. It kind of makes me want to see a restaurant owner use her own tactic and let her know…”if you don’t like my food, go get your own restaurant.” Most food critics are like the worst teachers. If you can’t do, just critique.

UPDATE…11/3/11… Just read a cool article in Inc. and thought I’d post a section relevant to this blog…

My Personal Harajuku…I’m Stealing from Nathan Agin

I’ve known Nathan Agin for a while, but only digitally speaking. I followed his blog and commented often or spoke to him via e-mail. I finally had the chance to meet Nathan in Portland OR this year while we were both attending the first ever World Domination Summit. After meeting him and getting the chance to talk more, I’ve been following him much closer. I feel like we’re now friends following a similar path of intentional living, even if our particular pathways are different.

I just got through reading Nathan’s latest blog and it inspired me. Actually, his entire journey this summer has inspired me, but the latest blog made me finally get off my arse and take action.

As the title says, I’m going to steal Nathan’s idea and do it myself. I’m going to start charting more about what I do during the day so that I can be more intentional about my life. After all, how can I know what my body is doing and how I react to…whatever, if I never pay any actual attention to it. For example, do I function best on 8, 9, or 10 hours of sleep? What if I tried 4 hours?

Constant analysis is a similar process that Tim Ferriss used for his research for 4-Hour Body. I’m thinking, after looking at Nathan and Tim’s success in various areas of their lives, that if it worked for them, how could it be wrong for me?

Oh, about the stealing part in the title. I was really just trying to get your attention. I’m pretty sure Nathan wouldn’t mind me replicating his idea. He’s the kind of guy that puts things out there so everyone can change their lives for the better, his way of giving back to the world. If you do read his blog and like the idea and try it, just be sure to give him credit. Drop him a line as well and let him know of any success. I’m sure he’d love to hear it.

References…

The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman.

The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World.

Travel Tips…Hotel Eating

I’ll be the first to tell you that my eating habits on the road change drastically depending on who is with me. If the family is with me, we tend to eat out more and not as healthy. This is primarily due to the fact that my wife isn’t willing to tough it out as much as I am, even if it means saving money or eating better. Eating out costs more and makes it much harder to make healthy decisions for the family.

If at all possible, on family trips we try to choose hotels that have kitchen areas. This way we can hit a grocery store and stock up on food that we can prepare at the hotel.

If I’m by myself I typically fall back to my bachelor days when I travelled a lot for both business and pleasure. I don’t mind eating cold food, nor do I mind eating food straight from the can or plastic container that it comes in.

On this trip I found a Big Lots near my hotel. I like Big Lots for several reasons. They typically have food that isn’t normally stocked at the grocery store, and the food is cheap. I stocked up on about 10 meals worth of food for just a little over $12. This even included several splurge items, such as a bottle of sparkling grape juice.

As a last tip, here’s how I heat my food when there’s no microwave in the room. Just let it sit in a steaming hot water bath for a few minutes. Not as hot as the microwave, but still mildly effective.

Catalyst Conference 2011 in Atlanta…a Recap

I write a lot of notes at conferences, church services, and meetings. Almost always, without fail, I write them into my journal instead of an attendee workbook or some other conveyance. After all, that’s where my daily reflections are recorded, and notes are nothing more than a daily reflection from a particular event. It also serves to keep everything in one place. If I need to place my notes into another file or folder or convert them to digital text, then that’s easy to do.

Many of my notes end up being converted to digi-text, as I am doing right now. Why waste the time, you ask? Why not type into a pad or laptop instead of writing them down? Two reasons. Number one, I don’t want to. I’ll despise the day when the actual handwritten word is completely lost to us, so I do my part, however miniscule, to keep it alive. Number two, it’s a recall and memorization technique. My memory is eidetic (not photographic), primarily working best when tied to an emotional event, and rewriting or retyping the notes assists me in recall.

With all of that said, I am about to give you my notes from the Catalyst 2011 conference that I just attended in Atlanta GA. If you don’t know what Catalyst is, check it out. It’s well worth the effort and the trip. Imagine 2 full days of high energy worship experience with over 13,000 people. My hope is that you will be able to take something with you from my notes. This conference touched me in a way that I was not prepared for. Perhaps it can reach out to you as well through these keyboard scribblings.

Disclaimer- unless surrounded by quotations, consider each note to be either a paraphrase from the speaker or my own reflection based on the speaker’s words.

To check out my photos from the event, click on my Facebook page. If you’re not one of my friends, why not?

The focus and theme of the conference was…Be Present.

Andy Stanley, author and megachurch Pastor.

Andy Stanley always has something edifying and good to say. He’s very business-like and straightforward like me. I always look forward to his topics.

• The more successful you are, the less accessible you become
• If you refuse to face this reality, you will burn out by trying to be accessible to everyone
• Be careful also of using success as an excuse to become more inaccessible than necessary
• Unawareness truly is bliss. Awareness of needs makes you want to become more accessible
• You can’t shut it all out, but you can’t take it all on either
• You have a limited time, a limited responsibility, but a responsibility does exist
• Don’t worry about being fair, just do for one what you wish you could do for everyone
• Go deep rather than wide
• Go long term rather than short term
• Go for time, not just money
• When you do for one, you often end up doing for more than just the one

Name Your Link.

Jim Collins, business guru and author

It goes without saying that Jim Collins is the megabomb of business speakers. Many people have read his books and know of him but few know anything beyond that. I appreciate Collins even more because of his work outside of the business world. He is an accomplished climber and outdoorsman and knows and appreciates the struggle of both mind and body.

• Good is the enemy of great
• Greatness is not a product of circumstances. It is a product of discipline and effort
• The answer is not what happens to you, but what you do in response to those events
• Try to change every ‘what’ question into a ‘who’ question. Think about the who on the team. It’s not just your strategy for climbing a mountain that matters as much as it is who is on your team that can keep you alive.
• Bad decisions with good intentions are still bad decisions
• Jim used the story of the race to the South Pole between Amundsen and Scott as a prime example during his lecture. I found this highly enlightening because my wife and I attended a special exhibit at the National Geographic Museum in Washington DC earlier this year on that event.
• You must exercise fanatic discipline to ensure success. Amundsen vowed to march 15-20 miles every day without fail, no matter what. Scott’s schedule was erratic. He would go hard one day, do nothing the next, go light, go hard, rest, complain, etc.
• You must use empirical observation and practice. Scott went to Antarctica with a lot of untried methods, such as motorized vehicles and ponies. In the end, his men ended up pulling most of the sleds themselves. Amundsen learned from the Eskimos and used the tried and true method of dogs.
• You can make creative leaps based on empirical insight. It’s like artillery fire- fire, adjust, fire, adjust, fire, fire for effect. My father, a second generation artilleryman has described this process to me often.
• Use productive paranoia, always asking what if and channeling it into action
• The only mistakes you learn from are the ones you survive
• A signature of mediocrity is chronic inconsistency in values. You must continue to change your practices but not your values
• You must always preserve your core and stimulate progress
• Innovation without discipline only gets you so far
• You must marry creativity with discipline so that it amplifies it without destroying it
• Be rigorous but not ruthless with your personal decisions
• A Ten Point To-Do List (to actually do some of these, you need to read his books, starting with Good to Great):

1. Run your good to great diagnostic tool with your team. (Available online for free from Jim Collins right HERE.)
2. Answer the question of how many key seats you have and work to fill each one within a year
3. Build a personal Board of Directors
4. Get your personal hedgehog right. Find your genetic coding
5. Set a twenty mile march and stick to it
6. Fire bullets (remember the artillery example) and test things. Don’t get frozen. Fire at least 6 significant bullets a year
7. Turn off the electronic-ness of your life for one day each week and practice a time of quietude
8. Create a ‘Stop Doing’ list (Jim mentioned the existential dilemma of having this item on a ‘To-Do’ list)
9. Double your reach to people half your age
10. Set a BHAG that just makes you really useful, not just effective but useful

Jim Collins’ Greatest Hits.

Dave Ramsey, financial guru

I have followed Dave for a very long time and his teachings have saved me from a lot of heartache. Dave taught on Core Philosophies that Matter.

• People matter. You need to know your relational IQ
• Understand that not everyone that breathes is a qualified volunteer
• Are you an ass (Dave used the term donkey, but I think the KJV wording works better here) in a stable full of thoroughbreds or a thoroughbred in a stable full of asses?
• An incredible team and a team culture matter
• Slow and steady matters. Don’t ever outgrow your financial resources
• Financial principles in all apsects of life matter
• Don’t ever try to operate without a plan. Plan for excellence and execute the plan
• Generosity matters. Love giving of yourself and your money
• A higher calling matters

Dave Ramsey Goodies.

Francis Chan, author and Pastor

I was excited to hear Chan again. When he spoke at Catalyst last year he was embarking on a great spiritual journey, and I was excited to hear where he was at in that journey.

I didn’t actually take any notes during Chan’s lecture. He’s so captivating and from the heart as he speaks that you just want to sit and listen as he talks. Taking notes would get in the way of absorbing the words.

Francis Chan Fights Back With Words.

Blake Mycoskie, Chief Shoe Giver at TOMS Shoes

I’m actually an anti-TOMS Shoes kind of guy for several reasons. I’ve talked about it before, but since then other things have happened to add to that displeasure with the company. I’m planning on writing Blake a personal letter to see if he can clear any of that up for me.

Mark Driscoll, Pastor and author

I’m a big Mark Driscoll fan and have been looking forward to this talk.

• When you fear, do you go into fight, flight, or fright mode?
• Fear is not always a sin, but it is always an opportunity
• Who are you most afraid of?
• When you fear someone you cannot love them
• Who’s opinion matters way too much to you?
• Is your appetite for praise way too healthy?
• Are you overly devastated by criticism?
• Are you committed to people and things that God did not call you to? Very busy but not very holy?
• Fear is vision without hope
• Fear is not always rational but is always powerful
• Fear is about not getting what we want
• Fear preaches a false gospel and replaces Christ with a false functional savior
• Fear turns us all into false prophets, imagining something that doesn’t come to pass.

Mark Driscoll Books in the House.

Scott Todd

• We are in a battle with our own low expectations
• We must really get hold of a Gospel that is both lived and preached in our lives
• The church must awaken to the issues surrounding us
• Serving other is not an either/or job. It’s a yes/and job. We must serve them both locally and globally

Dr. Cornel West, Professor and the inspiration for the Matrix

I’ll be perfectly honest. I’d never heard of Dr. West before this interview session. After hearing his story and his words, I feel pushed to read his works and learn more about him.

• Love means going on the offense
• “I’m still a Christian with gangster proclivities.”
• Gather the data, find resources, engage in self-purification, ACT
• We are in the church, but is our church really in the community, really in the world?
• We’re not tired because we’re doing too much or moving too fast. We’re tired because we’re doing the wrong things.

Fight Power with Dr. West.

Jeff Foxworthy, comedian

I was pleasantly surprised, but Foxworthy preached more than he joked. It was great to hear.

You don’t covet what you’ve never seen or heard of. Imagine an African tribesman coveting a BMW. So how can we expect people to covet and desire the love and grace of Christ if they’ve never seen it?

Funny Stuff Here.

Priscilla Shirer, author

• “I think people who keep journals are especially holy.” (She wouldn’t have to say anything else after this. I was hooked.)
• Behold in the Bible means to stop and pay attention
• Are you on the precipice of a Behold moment?
• To Behold means to see things with spiritual eyes
• There is a secret to properly Beholding
• Something is wrong if you’re with God and you’re always the one doing all the talking
• Give power with your words

Life Interrupted: Navigating the Unexpected.

I purposely left the most introspective words for the end. I know that with such a long blog entry that many of my readers simply won’t make it this far. Maybe I did this out of fear. Maybe out of not wanting to expose and open myself up too much.

This conference affected me deeply. I wasn’t ready for that, but I don’t want to lose it. I want these feelings to stay with me until I follow God’s call on my life and feel His grace shining down upon me. This entire conference I felt like God was tearing my heart into tiny pieces. Every time I turned around something would bring me almost to tears. The lyric of a song, the title of a book, the words of the speakers. I barely held myself together.

My problem is that I’m just not sure what to do or even believe that I’m brave enough to attempt it. I’m scared. I won’t even tell you what God laid on my heart at the conference. Revelation would bring accountability, and I’m simply not strong enough for that yet.

The Travel Tips Debut…Greensboro NC

I travel so much that I often get a lot of requests for tips and advice on how I do it. The vast majority of my travel is for business trips, i.e. speaking at conferences or meeting out of town clients. A small segment is for personal adventure trips. An even smaller segment is for pure enjoyment or family outings. Most of the time, all three are combined in one. In other words, I’ll have a conference pay for my travel to come and speak. While I’m there I’ll line a few local adventures to make the best use of the ‘new location acclimation’. If it works out, the family goes along with me.

My disclaimer is this…I’m only going to tell you how I do things and possibly point you to other people who are more experienced than I. I can’t promise that the way I travel is best for everyone, so be willing to experiment.

I’m currently in Greensboro NC, about 220 miles from home. I have another week and a half on this trip and drives through numerous states in the southeast on my grand multistate speaking tour. My itinerary looks like this… SC>NC>SC>GA>SC>NC>TN>VA>TN>NC>SC>GA>SC…all in the course of 2 weeks. Don’t worry though. There are a couple of rest days planned in there as well.

So how do I plan? I’m a big organizer. I’ll start at least a month out if it’s a planned trip. I use Kayak for all my hotel, flight, and rental car plans unless I have a sweet deal offered to me elsewhere or I’m trying to use travel points. I hate it when the conference folks try to control every aspect of the travel for the speakers. They don’t know my preferences, and it keeps me from getting my travel points. I’d rather get paid a flat rate for speaking with travel included. I come out better that way.

Once I see what Kayak pops up, I’ll choose a hotel based on location, amenities, price, and reward points. I like hotels with fitness rooms, pools, refrigerators, microwaves, free internet, and onsite free parking. When the family travels with me, we usually look for places with kitchenettes. All of these things help me save money and make my stay cheaper in the long run. Right now, I’m staying at the Sheraton Four Seasons right beside a big mall. I like mall hotels. It makes it easy to navigate, find food, offers lots of parking, and gives me a great place to walk if I get bored.

That’s me. What do you look for when you book a hotel? 

References…

How to Travel Practically Anywhere.

Travels with Baby: The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children.