On Sabbatical

I don't think I've mentioned yet in this space that I'm going on sabbatical from IV ministry for 6 months from starting on June 8. This means that the countdown is now at 13 days! And as our departure time gets ever closer, I've realized that I am experiencing a wide range of emotions. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. "Holy crap, there's a lot to do before I go." I was thinking on my way over to the office this morning that I will essentially need to zero out both the to-do list and the inbox before June 8. And don't get me started on the piles littering the office floor! The problem with this is that I have a raging case of "sabbaticalitis," a disease out of the "senioritis" family of ailments where with the end in sight you start to experience a progressive apathy in the face of much to do!

2. "How great is it that I get to do a sabbatical?!?" I am grateful that I work in an organization that has a sabbatical policy, something most don't get to experience. My Dad, for instance, worked for years in a company with no category for such a thing. I'm also blessed to have supervisors that have pushed me toward sabbatical, even when I didn't want to take one.

3 "Is the world going to fall apart without me?" I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the answer is "no," but that doesn't mean I don't feel it. There's a faith/trust step that I'm taking as I exit the ministry for 6 months.

4. "What am I gonna find on sabbatical?!?" I have some level of anxiety as I head into sabbatical. Part of that comes from #3 above, but part of it is because I can tend to define myself by what I do in ministry. Take that away and I'm not sure what's going to be left. It's like a hole. Sabbatical creates a ministry hole; what's going to fill it?!? What will I find about myself, my identity and my relationship with Jesus? I am eager to figure all of this out, but I'm anticipating some pain along the way.

5. "Rest. Yes." I can't wait to relax and be free from my microsoft outlook calendar and to-do list. Time to take naps, hit the gym, watch movies, play wii, chase kids, not check email? Priceless.

6. "What a gift from IV to our family!" We're loading the ninos up in the van (repairs permitting) and headed to Colorado for a month in June/July. Then we will just get space to be together. How awesome is it also that after Baby #4 joins us in September, we'll get two and a half months to enjoy her and get to experience being a group of 6?!? Awesome.

So I'll keep you posted. I'm thinking about some sort of "sabbatical Friday" type of post during the 6 months. We'll see.

Man U v Chelsea Penalty Shootout 2008 Final

So shoot-outs are a rough way to finish a great soccer match, but you can't beat them for drama. And I'm a ManU guy, but poor John Terry, I'm just saying...

Yeah, so the good news is that...

...I'm mostly OK (just some soreness in the back), Amy and the kids were at home and we have great insurance. The bad news is this:

The very definition of TMI

Ever wondered how baseball players get themselves out of slumps at the plate? Read this at your own peril...

Hmm, I wonder what the equivalent would be for campus ministers? Say you're in a large group talk slump...

The best one yet!

Nervous time...

Watching game 5 of the Lakers/Jazz Western Conference semi-finals, and with a few seconds to go in the half, it's nervous time. Kobe's back is ailing, Deron Williams is out of his mind and what's with all the turnovers?!?

Memo to Phil Jackson...feed Pau Gasol in the second half. A lot. Like every time down the court. Seriously. Now.

Overheard on the teeball diamond

Opposing team's coach yelling at his players after one of our kids hit a grounder through the hole at short, causing his team to descend en masse on the ball:

"Hey! Guys. When he picks it up, DO NOT TACKLE HIM."

Didn't work.

An Open Letter to Joshua Ford Dixon

Dear Josh,

OK so now the news is in and Dixon Baby #4 is going to be Dixon Baby Girl #3. And since your mom and are done after this one, that means that it's you and me, kid. Two islands of testosterone in a Dixon-filled ocean of estrogen, for the rest of our lives! So allow your old man to offer some words of advice and encouragement in light of this piece of news.

1. We've got to stick together. Otherwise, they'll gang up on us. Heck, they already outnumber us! So lots of "man lunches" for us so we can stay on the same page. I have your back, you have mine!

2. Look on the bright side, you'll likely grow up with your own room. Everyone's sharing, but you'll get your own space. Wait a second...maybe I'll move in with you! It could be our man room!

3. Growing up, you'll learn more than you want to know about all things female. Consider the next dozen or so years an education! I am.

4. God help whoever you end up marrying. Your bride-to-be will have to go up against your 3 sisters. I feel confident in saying that the good news is that you will marry someone tough!

5. I hope you like the "big brother" role. Because you're going to get lots of practice!

Ready for the adventure?!? I love you buddy.
Dad.

The Federal Aviation Administration requires us to inform you that the Federal Aviation Administration makes no sense!"

Preparing to take off from Colorado Springs on Friday, I was (as usual) barely paying attention as the flight attendant went through their standard pitch.

Blah, blah, blah...welcome aboard U.S. Airways express...blah, blah...oxygen mask...blah, blah...exit row...blah, blah...

And then something caught my ear that went something like this:

"The Federal Aviation Administration requires us to inform you that the cockpit door is located at the front of the plane."

Huh? Really? Do we really need to announce that? Aren't their better things to require announcing? I mean, have you ever seen a cockpit door that is not at the front of an airplane? When was the last time you had your pilots behind you? Is that even possible? What is this, the monorail at Disneyland?

So I later asked the flight attendant and this was his reply:

"About every day someone tries to use that door to go to the bathroom." Nice.

Top 5 things I'll miss this week....

I'm off in a matter of hours for a week in Colorado at Bear Trap Ranch. Back Friday night. Here are the top 5 things I'll miss this week:

5 . wii golf.
4. wii bowling.
3. wii tennis.
2. wii Mario Kart.
1. wii...ah, my family.

And, yes, for the record, I woke up this morning with a sore right shoulder...

We did it. Or is it "wii did it?" The Dixons own a wii. And wii love it. A lot. As in "wii can't sleep because wii're so excited a lot." Wiierd. Action shots:

Happy Birthday to me!

I'm not sure what makes me feel older...the fact that I'm turning 36 today, or the fact that Joshua turns 6 on Saturday!

It's not every day...

...where you get to hear your new baby's heartbeat for the first time.

Almost halfway done!!!

Let's talk about links...

Not the golf kind. Or the sausage variety. Rather, let me walk you through my blogroll and introduce you to some great people!

Thought Bucket is our friend Adam. Aside from being a great person, Adam is known in our house as Lucy's first crush. He's a thinker and he's witty and if you want an example of both, read this post...

Satellites Collide is our friend Jeremy. Jeremy is a great writer and he's very insightful. Plus the dude reads up a storm and offers great book reviews, though that's about to change once Baby Robert(a) comes along shortly...

Serving Bread is my friend Eddy, on staff down in Northridge. Man, if you want to be challenged on a consistent basis in your thinking and faith practices, read Eddy. Always great stuff and he blogs often.

Spanglish Gringo is my friend Scott. Scott lives in LA and works for IV, but, more importantly, he's a Crescenta Valley Falcon, class of 1993? Is that right Scott? I love Scott's blog because I enjoy reading about his life downtown, and because he models for me a beautiful sense of daddy-love.

Stinky Like Beautiful is my friend Mike. Mike is a load of untapped blogging potential. I think he could be brilliant...IF HE ONLY BLOGGED EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE!!! In fact, Nalley, you have until the end of April to post, or no more blogroll for you!

Green Spots is our friend Tina, married to Adam. Tina knows how to incorporate pictures into her posts. Brilliant. And I appreciate her honesty on her blog. Need an example? Try this.

Trips on the River is our kids' pictures blog. We love it, but we're going to have to come up with a new name when #4 shows up in September!

I'll pick up the other half tomorrow.

A Daddy Adventure!

Leslie's baby shower over here this morning provided a great opportunity for a "Daddy Adventure." Convinced by Jeremy that I should take time to visit interesting places near my house, I packed up Josh and Grace and we set out to see the sights. Four stops and a crazy picture at each one. Here's what happened:

A quick stop at the Isch's to say hey to Jeremy and Josh.

Chandler airport in downtown Fresno.

Palm trees lining the road on the way to Kearney Park.

Grace in front of the mansion.

Finishing the day with lunch in beautiful Kerman, CA.

Up to the minute...

All is well in the world:

The Dodgers are up on San Diego in the 5th,
The Lakers are down to Dallas in the 2nd quarter, but no worries,
The house is clean 'cause of Leslie's shower in the morning,
The kids are quiet and watching Aladdin,

and, best of all, the inbox is down to 34...

Let's see Super Nanny top this...

To use my new favored vernacular, when it comes to sleeping, our precious Lucy is a hot, sloppy mess. Particularly in the area of staying in bed. And we've tried everything. Well, I guess not strictly everything. There's still duct tape, though that somehow feels like the ol' nuclear option...

Our latest idea, however, seems to be working. Start the night with a clear (plastic) goblet full of candy that represents the next day's dessert for both Josh and Lucy. Then, every time either one of them gets up, away goes a piece! Turns out the genius of the plan is that since Josh is penalized for Lucy's transgressions, he's become an ally in the fight to sleep sanity. We'll keep you posted, but here's a shot of our little brainchild...

Learning about "meeting spirituality"

For the past 4 years I've been serving on the Board of Directors for Students International (site here and the Board page is here). SI and I go all the way back to Urbana 96, when my buddy and housemate was investigating a short term, summer trip to Guatemala with this missions agency I'd at that point never heard of. Ever since, I've sent students and staff on short term missions teams, I've sent full time field staff and Amy and I led summer teams in both 2001 and 2003. I remain captured by SI's vision to facilitate the partnering of North American college students and the global poor for, Lord willing, mutual transformation. It's good stuff.

But one of the things I've consistently experienced over the years on the Board is the reality that for me each Board meeting is fundamentally a cross-cultural experience. "They" do things differently than I'm used to! In fact, so immersed am I in InterVarsity culture that it always takes me time to settle into a meeting, and I have to work hard to choose to participate. For those of us who are familiar with the "entry posture diagram," for me a Board meeting is an exercise in "blue-lining!"

Unlike some past meetings, this time I left the meeting with a profound sense of appreciation for what I had experienced. And, primarily, I was so thankful for the strong dose of what I'm calling "meeting spirituality" that marks our Board. What does a "spiritual" meeting look like in practice? Here are some of my takeaways from this latest experience:

1. People are free to pray at will. In an SI Board meeting, the prayer really flows. In some of the meetings I've led over the years, I've said something like "if we need to stop what we're doing with our agenda to pray, let's do it," but rarely have I/we actually done that. On the SI Board, we do. All the time. So much so that the agenda-driven, efficiency-valuing among us (OK, mainly me), get driven nuts at some points. In this last meeting, there was one guy who probably got prayed for 10 times during the two days. People just get up and start praying. It's awesome.

2. There is someone designated to pay attention to the Holy Spirit. Now ideally, we all should listening for and then responding to the Spirit. But on our Board, there is one person who has been commissioned by us to be our spiritual guide, director and all around Holy Spirit yoda. And he takes that role seriously. It's not uncommon for someone to share and then have this guy say, "now turn that into a prayer and pray it. That's the voice of the Holy Spirit." It's a wise and powerful choice to have someone set apart to seek the Spirit, and it makes me think that I/we need more of that in IV. Sort of a "designated chaplain" for each time we meet.

3. We seek to have a "real time" sense of what God is doing. My practice is the meetings I lead and am in is to process them afterward, much like I'm doing in this post. What did God do in that meeting? What are the spiritual takeaways for me and us? Stuff like that. But on the SI Board, we try to do it real time. And it's reflected in our language, such that a finalized decision is not "let's decide to set up a new ministry in Fiji," it's more "God is working in our hearts right now such that we perceive him leading us into a new ministry in Fiji." Don't get me wrong, I think God's leading is implied in the first one, but I like the explicitness of the second.

So often I think of meetings in a corporate, business sense, I suppose the bottom line is that my experience on the Board challenges me to see the meetings I lead as spiritual gatherings where we as a team seek the will of God.

On Lent

For the first time ever, I gave up something for Lent this year. What, you ask? French fries. That's right, fries. In the end, not a single tasty, salty, deep-fried morsel of goodness passed through my lips between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Here's what I gleaned from that experience:

1. I actually missed french fries. That sounds somehow sad, but it's true. I like fries. Especially those from Firestone/Doghouse Grill. With ranch. And an hour at the gym afterward...

2. Abstaining from french fries does not automatically bring you closer to Jesus. I mean, that's the point of giving up something for Lent, right? To deny yourself in order to remind yourself that Jesus chose the path of the cross. In my ideal world, every missed fry would be the ticket to a deeper level of spiritual intimacy, but that wasn't my experience. Turns out you have to simultaneously choose to deny yourself and connect with Jesus. Those two don't just naturally happen in tandem.

3. I had enough willpower in the tank. Sitting there on Ash Wednesday, I wasn't so sure I could make it. The first time I was tempted was during a rousing Dixon family dinner...at MacDonald's. At the end of the meal, I had to sit there while we tossed 23 fries away. What a waste! Grieve for each one! But because I don't think of myself as the most self-disciplined individual, I was pleased that I was able to make a commitment and actually stick to it.

By the way, my favorite moment during the "fry fast" came courtesy a Red Robin waiter. My buddy Terron and I were there and I ordered a burger and asked him what he could do in terms of substituting those ubiquitous Red Robin fries. He gave me a weird look, at which point Terron said, "he gave up fries for Lent." The waiter paused a beat, shook his head and said, "You gave up fries for Lent...and you came to Red Robin for dinner?!?"

Good times. Lastly, let it be said that since Easter I have partaken 3 times. Freedom!

Happy Easter from the Dixons!