Tuesday, March 25, 2008
I've made my decision. I'm finally leaving Normal, IL, this parasitic little town (unless I am hit over the head with a sledge hammer or all my friends move down here). Question: Where the heck do I go?Answer:__________________________________________california? new york? grad school? look for another job? bum? write? - (leave comment)


Friday, February 22, 2008
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Thursday, August 18, 2005
we're baaaaaack.  it's nice to be home.  saw favorite person yesterday .. he's grown.  chatted w/ some pals online or on the phone & it's been really really good.so much to share .. things seen .. experienced .. learned.    i miss the people already ... a whole lot.  God bless 'em.  team: if ya get a call at 4am .. it's the jetlag.  feel free to do the same!  =)  kinda miss ya guys ..   lauren, ya get back okay?  tried callin ya but some recording came on ..customer i tried to reach is not avail ..  ? - (leave comment)


Thursday, August 14, 2008
I LOVE summer.  People are on vaycay, tan time, swimming, beach, watermelon, fruits galore, lazy summer nights...I am really sad that I won't have that anymore...Starting, Sept. 2nd, I will be joining the working world and no longer have my months of summer break...I will be working in Garden Grove at a pediatric sensory integration clinic called, The Children's Therapy Center.  In the meantime i will try to enjoy the rest of my free time!!I went camping in Sequoia National Park and had a fantastic time! Gotta love God's handiwork in nature! I love this kiddos!!  and i guess i love the other two adults...hehe General SHERMAN! HUGEEEE!! LOOK at that BLUE sky!! oh there's SANG!  Jumping pictures with 5 people or children do not work.  Look at Julie's air! Oh look! a meadow! cave tour: do you see all the stalagmites and stalagtites? no flash=no good. But Julie's and Silvia's faces are priceless! My partner in crime! hehehe.... - (leave comment)


Saturday, April 05, 2008
for all you weekly kevinkay subscribers who were disappointed by his absent entry yesterday, i've decided to pick up his slack.  apparently it was super busy so he couldn't devote his regular 2 hours to a quality post.  although, i guarantee this won't take two hours.how are all you fine people?  it's been a while, no?  anything newsworthy about my life won't be news to anyone, so let me take you on a journey through the world of what has been amusing me as of late:as always, the onion.  they have some funny articles, but really they excel at funny headlines and those guys can photoshop like a dream.  here are more of my favorite sports headlines:-Dwight Howard Teaches Children At Library To Shoot Books Into Garbage Can-Report: Cheap Chinese NBA Players Falling Apart After A Couple Seasons (the onion excels at offensive)girls, please don't hate me for this one: -Houston Rockets Catch Tracy McGrady Masturbating To Tape Of His 41-Point PerformancePat Riley's Sexual Bribes Tempt David Stern To Allow Heat Into Playoffs: they're13-63. yikers!-Mavericks To Incorporate Machetes Into Hack-A-Shaq Defense   sorry, a little graphic.-C.C. Sabathia's Paunch Undulates Hypnotically In Cool Spring Breeze   kinda graphic toothey're also selling these bumper stickers. this one's for andrew hwang:   except it should say "jesus is my seatbelt"  BUCKLE UP, homey!!!in real sports news, the final four is today, and there's this awesome picture of univ. of north carolina's tyler hansbrough in the paper, but i couldn't track it down on google images.  he's one of those guys that can't manage to close his mouth all the way. it looked like that but way funnier.  hey, dude, blink once in a while!  someone seems to think he looks like beaker from the muppets:  same bug eyes, same gaping piehole...i see itlittle scared about ucla today, as i am every game, so we'll just end ncaa basketball talk right here.on my off-days, one of my loyal companions is judge judy. i love this woman; and officer byrd, her trusty bailiff.  pick up her book, if you'd like:my favorite item of the week came from sister.  usually forwards suck, but her's are almost always dud-less. how'd this person manage to figure out it was a male?  that's one kind-hearted, stupid person.  kevin apologizes and says next week he'll be back and better than ever.  i like that guy. - (leave comment)


Thursday, July 31, 2008
For the past week, I haven't been able to sit still.  I NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!  I am seriously turning into a hateful person.  According to all my American friends here, anytime you live here, you start to hate everyone and everything between the 1st and 2nd years.  Robyn and I decided that if we don't get out of here soon, we'll become two of the angriest, bitterest, rudest, most hateful and sullen people on earth.  Thank GOD for vacations!To Do list:1. sleep in my own bed past 6 am2. eat sour cream3. chug down a root beer float4. avoid all things korean5. never watch an inane tv show where korean celebrities compete in stupid games like running across a stream with a bucket of water on their heads.-speaking of korean celebrities, can i say just how incredibly sick of them i am?  OVEREXPOSED TO THE 1 GABILLIONTH DEGREE!6. eat a white peach that costs less than 3 dollars.7. gorge myself on mexican food8. hit the beach many many times 9. go to a couple angels gamesi am seriously crying here! i need to be out of korea RIGHT NOW!  five months here is just too too too too long!Thank you mia and kevin for getting married in october so that i dont have to stay in korea for 4 straight months! THANK YOU!!!!!! The figure at the bottom is mia.Now that it is over, I will confess that I had a crush on a korean guy : )  No longer, but it was there for a couple of weeks.aahhhhh... i feel purged of a dirty sin.i haven't had a crush in a long long time, and i blame the serious dearth of good guys in korea who are not related to me for my indiscretion ie. my crush.it's been so hot lately that i haven't had much of an appetite, which is quite an astounding occurrence.  i've been drinking cold milk for dinner instead.  which means that when i eat anything else, my body automatically stores it all as fat.  yay.  So many people keep urging me to stay in korea. my boss told my aunt that I should live in Seoul and make a career as a professor at Seoul National University.  in response, i smile politely, but my gut is shouting "HELL NO!!!!"  As I learned during my one day as an accountant financial comfort, job security, societal respect... they all mean nothing if i'm miserable.  of course, i might change my tune when i can't find a job in california and i'm an unemployed bum.  but honestly, i don't want to live each day thinking only about the future and the happiness it may or may not bring.  i want a fulfilling, rewarding life now.  as much as i love teaching my awesome students, i don't know if i want to do it for another year.perhaps i could make the "best of things", just take a deep breath and suck it up and be happy, but maybe a part of growing up is understanding what and where is best for you holistically.  as many of you who have spoken with me in the past few months can attest, i don't think korea is the place for me.  not when i've become such an intense ball of anger.speaking of students, i had my last book club meeting with my three boys yesterday.  i was SO SAD!  they are just three wonderful, intelligent, kind, polite, and honest, and just greatest guys i've met here!  i teared up when we were saying bye they're all going to college in the states soon (NYU, Duke, and Northwestern) and i know they'll do great, but i was still a little sad.so, the books we read together... i liked all of them so much! and if you have some time, i highly recommend all of them!1. freakonomics2. moon palace by paul auster3. the bluest eye by toni morrison4. the things they carried by tim o'brien5. the glass menagerie by tennessee williams (i REALLY LOVE THIS PLAY!)6. Mother Night by Vonnegut7. beneath the wheel by herman hesse8. the crucible9. anthem by ayn rand10. fahrenheit 45111. flowers for algernon (ONE OF THE BEST!)12. the picture of dorian gray  by oscar wilde13. Night by elie wieselPLEASE! someone make time go by really fast so that it'll be monday right now and i'll be boarding a plane to come home! hurry up monday!!!! i'm melting here!!! - (leave comment)


a quiet moment
i love this pic. - (leave comment)



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Sunday, July 31, 2005
July 27th All the flying and high stressed situations have given me a headache these past two days of traveling. My head is cloudy and my mind foggy. I am not sharp. I need sleep?I think everyone on the team need it too. The biggest blessing so far has been an orchestrated meeting with a Hindu Zimbabwean on the plane from London to Harare. Though feeling quite nauseous and sorely wanted to put my heavy head down. I talked with Nisha (Zimbabwean woman) and asked her about Zimbabwe. The conversation initially started off like an interview, however, we quickly moved beyond the impersonal to the personal. Despite my headache, I had fun talking with Nisha and I found myself enjoying her company immensely! I like her very much and wish we had time to know one another. I am intrigued by who she is, her thought processes, her desires and goals, her choices and life decisions. I miss interactions likethis. Lately, I'vebeen so busy that I haven't had the time to talk or to catch up with people. I am hoping to slow downthe pace of my life once I return to the states. Looking forward to that process of slowing down. For now, I will enjoy every opportunity for growing, learning, giving, and serving while in Africa. - (leave comment)


Email Overload
I'd like to offer a few tips in managing email.1. Find a real-life role model who keeps a clean inbox.I met someone three years ago. His name is Andy P. I was shocked to hear from him how he not only keeps a clean email inbox but also replies to all email in a prompt manner. I had been struggling with managing email for years and barely was keeping up with all the email coming into my email inbox. The lessons I learned from him were important (and I'll share some of them and more later), but the greater lesson was seeing someone in real-life who is managing and "overcoming" their email inbox. That was inspiration much needed, and it gave me the courage to see that it's possible. After that meeting three years ago, I've managed to keep a clean inbox with relative ease.2. A clean inbox is a much-needed goal.It's like having a clean desk or a clean mailbox. It's good to have a clean inbox and it's a worthwhile goal to have as well. What do I mean by a clean inbox? Basically I mean what it means, having email inbox at zero. For many people they don't even see that as a possibility or they have excuses, like "I'm not that organized. I could never have an email inbox at zero." But I think it has less to do our organizing skills and more to do with having a vision to go for it. For me I wanted a clean inbox for several years and I struggled and struggled to try to find a way to do it. Then, it happened. Breakthrough. Three years ago it all came together and I found that I could keep a clean email inbox without struggling and trying so hard. "How?" you ask. Well, let me explain more.3. Lay down email boundaries.Sometimes we're tempted to check email 100 times a day. That nonsense has got to stop. Email can be used against you. Much of email is people asking you to do things, like "tell me this" or "do this for me." If you don't have boundaries you will be answering everybody else's requests all day without getting the things you need to get done. You want to be in control of your email and not have your email control you. That's why you need to put in some healthy boundaries. I'm not going to tell you how many times to check your email everyday, but please don't check it 100 times. I usually check email 2nd hour I'm in the office. (The first two hours in the office I'm usually alone and it's before any meetings start.) The first hour I am praying, meditating, organizing my thoughts, writing my thoughts (The Artist Way book is a great tool for this), and getting direction for my day. It's my personal re-calibrating. The second hour I'm usually getting everything on my plate organized. I'm taking care of misc tasks and things laying around. I want a clean desk, clean computer desktop, and a clean email box. So, this 2nd hours is also when I check email. My goal is to get my email inbox to zero. So, I read through my email and get through each message one by one. By the end of my 2nd hour my email inbox is usually at zero. But it's not as easy as it sounds. It takes some extra lessons. Read on.4. Create a sacred decision space.There are certain emails that stump us. We don't feel like we can answer them right away. So, we usually keep them in our email inbox and decide to dwell on the content in our minds over the course of the next few days. But the few days pass and sometimes we're still not sure how to answer the email. Does this sound familiar? Then, sometimes these emails sit for weeks at a time, and add up guilt in our lives. Not good. So, what do we do? My solution to this problem has been to create a personal sacred space for decisions. I use the program, DevonThink, on my mac (you can use a different program or just a notepad of sorts). What I do is I move over difficult-to-answer emails from my email inbox over to DevonThink (the program has a quick import feature from my Apple Mail program). Then, I erase the email from my email inbox, and proceed to deal with this difficult email in this "sacred space." I call is a sacred space because in DevonThink I take the email and I start writing my personal thoughts about this email. Why is it difficult to answer? What are my feelings regarding this? And I also pray and ask God for His thoughts regarding it. I jot down everything on the same page of this email in DevonThink. Then, I make a decision. I sense a peace about the decision I just made, then I reply to the email (DevonThink allows me to reply to an email within the program). I don't think I could keep a clean email inbox without a personal sacred space for decisions. It's too stressful to look at a difficult email and be expected to reply on the spot without being given some space to think, vent, express, listen and decide. And often that process is too difficult to do in your head. You need to write it out, and you need some space to do it. I get through most of my difficult-to-answer email this way. And it works wonders. I no longer have email that piles up in my email inbox that I'm mulling over. I face those difficult emails quickly in my sacred space and don't let them become needless needles of guilt in my life. Another hint: if the difficult decision isn't time-urgent, then I usually let them sit in DevonThink for a couple days. And every Monday I am usually clearing out any decisions that I've been keeping in my DevonThink program.5. Cut down on the amount of emails you send and receive.I used to think that email was the greatest way to communicate. Now, I don't. Email is good for certain types of communications but has inherent flaws. First, email isn't real-time conversation. Compare email with instant messaging or even a phone call. With email you're saying something or asking a question and you don't get a response typically until a day or two later. That lag time can be frustrating and inefficient. Often, it's quicker, more efficient and clearer to have a real-time dialogue. Nowadays, I've been using sms text messaging a lot. My phone has a great sms text messaging client. In fact, it's amazingly simple and efficient. So, if I need to email someone, I'll ask myself if it'll be better to text message him or her. Often times it is, and I get an immediate answer. I try to use sms text messaging for those things I need an immediate answer with or time is an issue. Second flaw with email is that email is not a good FYI or archiving tool. I used to send lots of FYI emails to my staff team but realized that there's a better way. We now use a team wiki to post FYI messages. Then every week we have a time where we go through all of the FYI messages at once. It's quick and efficient. Further, we then archive the FYI on our wiki in an archive section so people can refer to them later if needed. The result is a huge cut-down on FYI emails internally and a much more efficient approach to sharing information. Third, email isn't the best decision-making tool either. I used to also ask for decisions via email to our staff team, but now I do this mostly through our team wiki. We all post decisions that need to be made on our wiki and we have a designated time each week to go over these decisions. The person posting the decision that needs to be made is responsible to post all the pertinent information needed for the team to make a decision together. This saves lots of time and also pulls together the major decisions our team needs to make into a set time. The result again is less email, and more efficient decision-making.6. Use FAQs and email templates.The 80/20 rule... 20 percent of you email takes up 80 percent of your time. This means that you probably receive tons of the same types of requests and your spending lots of your time answering the same kinds of email. The solution is to be creative. Find out what kinds of emails you're answering the most and how you're answering them. Then, try to automate it. Create a FAQ with all the information you give out in email and post it online. Refer people to that, and include the link in your email signature as well to anticipate email replies before they even happen. Also, archive some our your most typical email replies and make them into email templates. I am posting my most used email replies onto our team wiki and we're creating a library of email templates. The result is you're relying less on the medium of email to answer everybody's questions and referring them to a library of info on an online FAQ, or you're reducing the time you spend replying to emails by re-using old email replies as templates.7. Know your limits. You're not digital superman.Be careful how you reply to emails. Don't be a people pleaser and say yes to everything. This will negate all my previous advice on keeping a clean email inbox. You need to be realistic with how much you can do, and you need to learn to say no. For example, someone emails you and wants to meet you for lunch. But you don't think you have time to meet him. What do you say? Lots of people will say, "Ok, let's meet. When?" Rather than that, develop some polite ways to say no to people in email. For example, "I'd love to have lunch with you, but I'm extremely bogged down by things at work at the moment. Perhaps you can email me what you'd would like to talk about?" Or you can ask them to email you again in a few weeks to see if you can do lunch then. There are multitudes of ways to reply and say no politely. Try it. I'm a big believer that we need "space" our lives. Once we let ourselves become bogged down by everything and the demands of people, we're no longer living in freedom and joy. We need to preserve our time, energy and space and operate out of overflow (vs out-of-gas).I hope some of these tips are helpful. I probably have lots of other things stored up in my brain on this topic, so if you have any questions or comments please reply.On a closing note, the goal of having a clean email inbox is so that you won't be replying to email all day and let that run your life. Rather, you can use that energy for creative purposes. Create something. Write a poem or song. Paint a picture. Call a friend and hang out. Pursue love and the eternal things of life.Davewww.heydave.org - (leave comment)





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IHOP
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,I am praying that the Lord is revealing to you more and more of Himself to you at this moment. Blessings to you in the name of Christ. I am siting right now at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri to pray and find breakthrough for myself and for the nations. (Praise God for Frequent Flyer miles :)) For those of you that do not know anything about this place, they have had 24/7 worship and intercession nonstop since Sept. 19, 1999. Yes you have heard me right, every second of the past 9 years there have been 2 hour rotations of multiple 20 membered praise teams singing prayers unto the Lord. It's a great atmosphere for prayer (understatement of the year)!Check them out at http://www.ihop.org/I am also writing at this point of my trip to journey with me to Florida as well. As many of you know there is a revival that has sprung up in Lakeland. hhttp://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/05/29/1075189.aspx I really wanted to see what the Lord was doing there in Florida but had noone to go with. Then the Lord provided Mary, a fellow worker that I met in Sweden. Yes she's the one that I journeyed to the arctic circle with on a intercessory trip in Norway. I sense the Lord wants to equip me with something important for the future. Please pray that the Lord will do whatever He wants. My life is not my own. It's like what my pastor spoke over me in this season of waiting. He wants to sharpen me like an arrow, that I might be sharp and effective for the Harvest. This trip is in preparation for my trip to China and the surrounding areas. I will be leaving June 11 and will stay possibly until my brother's wedding in November. Please pray together with me as I sense that the Lord is going to extend my stay beyond this year, possibly relocating me there for this next major season in my life. I am asking for your partnership once again. To journey together with me in prayer, heart and mind as the Lord opens Asia and the world to us. Lord let your will be done. If you all have any prayer requests email me :) - (leave comment)