fort lauderdale

Stop, collaborate, and listen: a conference on the future of education

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The Florida Council of Theological Schools is a group of schools in South Florida. They recently had their first kick-off meeting, and I was invited with a couple of colleagues from school!

I had to get up early on a Saturday and drive down to Knox Theological Seminary in beautiful (not) Fort Lauderdale, but it was worthwhile to connect with folks who share a similar mission to ours. By bringing us together, the conference underscored John Donne’s line (1572–1631) that no man is an island. I also used the opportunity to proselytize folks to play soccer with (against) us.

 The Lilly Endowment Grant, funded as part of its Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, is designed to help theological schools across the United States and Canada as they prioritize and respond to the pressing challenges they face in preparing pastoral leaders for Christian congregations now and into the future. Palm Beach Atlantic University.

Being able to meet folks and discuss common issues was very enriching, and the fact that we have established the framework to continue this conversation was the cherry on top, and if I get some soccer games out of it, even better.

So yes, you might be swamped with work, and our Saturdays are cherished, but if you get the opportunity to collaborate with people in your field, I recommend you go for it! You are welcome.

An evening watching Inter Miami

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Hanging out at Inter Miami stadium

When Lukas arrived at Seacrest from Lithuania, he was a skinny 16-year-old with a lightning-quick dribble, a phenomenal shot on goal, and a way above-average soccer IQ for his age, which means he had an outstanding situational awareness and was able to “read” the game at a collegiate level. But he was skinny, so it only took a glance from an opposing defender for him to fall over. So I convinced him to work out with me after school. Within weeks, he was bulking up and able to stand up to defenders’ charges and body checks. Oh, he was also my Spanish student.

That was last decade. Nowadays, we talk about life, work, girls, Naples, old colleagues, and teachers, but we still share a passion for football. So we organized a trip to an Inter Miami game in Fort Lauderdale.

Interestingly, it was against Montreal, which was the only other Inter Miami game I had been to.

Chase Stadium is a bit of a misnomer, as the “Stadium” is a scaffolding structure, a Meccano set, surrounded by a bunch of way overpriced food trucks and bars. But we were there for the friendship, the soccer, and admittedly, to see Leo Messi play.

The game was as expected, not particularly good. Luis Suarez and Messi each scored a couple of goals, but Montreal managed to score a “dignity” goal. Although Lukas and I are both hardcore Cristiano Ronaldo fans, I must admit it was amazing to see Messi play; his skill level, how deceptively easy he made those goals look, was very impressive.

At the end of the day, driving down to Fort Lauderdale and spending a small fortune on tickets, food, and parking was well worth it to hang out with a dear friend.

Go out, socialize, get involved, participate. A Bentley University event.

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Ah, the nice feeling of getting home after work, settling into your routine, going to the gym, writing your blog, getting on with your hobbies, whatever it might be. But occasionally it is nice to break out to your routine and do something different, push yourself outside of your comfort zone to meet new people, or reconnect with old classmates.

Last week, Bentley University, my alma mater, held an event in Fort Lauderdale. It is a traffic filled hour´s drive from Boynton Beach, but I pushed myself to go, not knowing who I was going to meet.

First off, I was surprised to see how much of a city Ft. Lauderdale is: big, tall buildings everywhere, not the cozy, cute, and quaint resort town, but an asphalt jungle! At any rate, apparently an older couple, Bentley alumni own the building where the event was held, and it was brand new and beautiful, if a little minimalist as is the horrible trend nowadays.

At any rate, I met parents of future students, alumni older and younger than me, and I reconnected with Annmarie, an old acquaintance, I chatted with a couple of alumni and recruiting folks as well as with President Brent Chrite, a sharp-as-a-tack fellow who spoke for a few, very intense and brilliant minutes!

The hors d’oeuvres were fantastic, the only glass of wine I had was nice, and the setting beautiful.

So, get out, push yourself outside of your comfort zone, even if it means suffering in traffic for an hour, who knows what you might learn and who you might meet! You are welcome.