787 Dreamliner Takes Flight

After many years of designing, planning and building, the Boeing 787 finally took flight yesterday in Everett, WA. Here is a video highlighting a few minutes of the flight that lasted 3 hours and 4 minutes. If you want to see the flight path click here.

Here is a great article about the flight.

Book Review of The Heart of Mentoring by David A. Stoddard

I must say that this book was kind of a let-down for me. I started this book with high expectations but I quickly realized that this book did not run too deep in its thoughts and it seemed to make many obvious points. I was also disappointed that a book from NavPress would lack spiritual content. It also seemed as if the author used this book as a commercial for his company which focuses on mentoring, which I guess is his prerogative as the author.

On the positive side, I will say that if you have never been involved in mentoring, either as a mentor or as someone being mentored, this book would be a great place to start as it gives the basics of the process.

I do like the way that Stoddard ends the book with his advice on how to get started with a mentoring relationship. His advice is, “Just do it.” Yes, it is simple, but some people need this kind of simple push to get started.

This book would be great to use with a group of co-workers as a way to break the ice with them if you’re interested in building relationships at the office. But, if you’re looking for some deep and meaningful discussions with a small group at church, this is not the book for you.

Fall Firearms Festival

Back on November 17th I had the opportunity to attend the annual Fall Firearms Festival which is hosted by Todd Burke of Tactical Specialties. My brother Mike and nephew Jonathan came up from Tulsa and accompanied me to the event. We had a full day of training and shooting and we had a whole lot of fun.

One of the highlights of the day was shooting Todd's H&K MP5 fully automatic 9mm assault weapon. This photo shows me and Jonathan with our loaded magazines waiting for our turn to shoot it.

We went through 5 different training events and many of them we got to do more than once. Here is a breakdown of what we did:

EVENT 1 will be a static shooting line emphasizing marksmanship skills and familiarity with your pistol. This is not a scenario and everyone will begin at this event.

EVENTS 2, 3, and 4 are scenarios that simulate real-world self defense applications in your home or in a public place.

EVENT 5 will be a scenario that simulates personal defense with a shotgun.

Jonathan wants to go into law enforcement so he really enjoyed the day and he is also pretty good with his gun.

Todd had a whole group of instructors there to teach us in all the events and each one of them gave us some new insight on how to be a better shooter. I was glad to be able to attend and I'm looking forward to joining Todd for more training in the future.

Imagine (No, not the John Lennon Song)

Imagine having to flee from your country because a corrupt government was going to arrest you due to your religious beliefs

Imagine fleeing to another country where you knew no one and living in a refugee camp where you were served one small meal each day.

Imagine living in this camp for up to 15 years with thousands of other refugees while you were waiting for another country to accept you as a refugee.

Imagine standing in a line each day with thousands of other refugees and only 300 per day are chosen to be moved to other countries.

Imagine being chosen one day and the next thing you know you’re on an airplane and being sent someplace you have never heard of, where you knew no one, and you didn’t speak the language.

Imagine arriving in this new city and all you have are the clothes on your back and the family members with you.

Imagine that you’re moved into a small apartment and told you have been given 5 months of rent, and after that you are on your own.

What would you do? Can you imagine this happening to you?

For a sizeable group of people here in Columbia, they don’t have to imagine this scenario because they have lived it. Most of us probably don’t know that we have a population of Burmese Refugees here in Columbia. What I have described above is the story that I was able to piece together from a conversation some of us had the other night while we had dinner with four of these families who have recently arrived in our city. Fortunately one of the guys spoke pretty good English so we were able to communicate with him. The other folks spoke no English and this gentleman was able to translate for us.

My heart was broken for these people and I really feel despair for them as I think about what the future holds for them. From what I understand the State of Missouri works with the federal government and allows some of these refugees to move into our state. But, they are only given help with rent for 5 months. They also receive food stamps and Medicaid. During this 5 month period, they are expected to get a job so they can fend for themselves. But, how do you get a job in a place where you don’t speak the language? Not to mention the fact that the job market right now is in bad shape.

So all of this begs the question, what can we do?

I think there are all kinds of ways to help out these folks, but I think we should focus on some really easy practical things. I will offer 2 suggestions:

1. Hang out with them and work on teaching them conversational English. This is a practical thing we can do and it will help them work toward self-sufficiency. If they know English they will have a much better chance of getting a job.

2. Spend time showing them around Columbia and introducing them to the culture. For instance, get them a bus pass and show them how the city bus system works. Or, take them to Wal-Mart and show them how to shop in America. Any “life-skill” you can show them would be helpful and practical.

I had lunch with my pastor and friend Kevin Larson yesterday. One of the things we discussed was “Lifestyle Shalom.” What does that mean?

At our church, Karis Community Church, we have what are known as Community Groups. Community Groups meet throughout the week all over town and share a meal, study the Bible, and pray for each other. Also, once a month, each group participates in a Shalom Project. These projects vary from group to group, but our group’s Shalom Project is meeting with these refugee families each month. But, the point of Shalom is not to do a project once a month to check off the list, but to be actively involved with a project all the time. This could mean different things for different people, but the idea is to be involved in your community in a meaningful way throughout the month. It means making Shalom part of your life.

My whole point is that we live in a city where we have several opportunities to serve and make a difference. Working with these refugees is just one way to be involved. I would urge you to find something you’re passionate about and get involved. It is easy to have fun while you’re making a difference.

Volunteer Spotlight

Janice and I have been featured on the U.S. Cellular volunteer page on the company's intranet for our time working at Camp CUMCITO. Unfortunately you can't view this page since it's on our intranet, but here is what it looks like.

Volunteer Spotlight

Tom Seagraves, Business Account Executive in Missouri

This summer Tom volunteered more than 180 hours with Camp CUMCITO (City Union Mission's Camp In The Ozarks), an organization that provides weeklong summer vacations to hundreds of low-income children each year. Tom and his wife Janice have been volunteering at the camp for more than four years. "Tom truly embodies the spirit of volunteerism," said Nathan Waddell, Missouri Director of Sales. "Through his time and energy, he has given some very deserving young people the opportunity to take part in the fun of summer camp. More importantly, Tom has played a big role in helping these young people to create some very positive memories that will last a lifetime and will help them to believe in something better."

A Few Reasons We Love Serving at Camp CUMCITO

Battery Swap: Is It Really That Big of a Deal?

Most of you know I work for U.S. Cellular as a Business Account Executive. They are a great company to work for and I enjoy my job. Recently the company rolled out the Battery Swap Program. I really didn't think it was that big of a deal, but since the roll out all my customers have been really excited about it. Today I activated a new customer in Southern Missouri. When I was explaining Battery Swap to him he said, "You need to tell everyone about this. This is a great program!"

So, why haven't I thought it is a big deal? Because U.S. Cellular is so customer focused that I guess something this big is just another thing we do to serve our customers. It is kind of "par for the course" with all the other stuff we do.

But, after the comment I got today from my new customer, I thought maybe I need to brag a little bit about this program. So here it goes:

Check out our website explaining Battery Swap here:

Here is a copy of the press release that was issued:

Company News

U.S. CELLULAR LAUNCHES FREE BATTERY SWAP PROGRAM

Customers can switch out their phone battery in any U.S. Cellular store

CHICAGO, May 19, 2009 – Today U.S. Cellular launched its Battery Swap program, where customers can come into any store and change out a dead or dying battery for a fully-charged one, for free. U.S. Cellular is the first wireless company to offer this service.

"Our Battery Swap program is a convenience for people who depend on their wireless devices as their lifelines, such as business people, parents, not to mention heavy users who drain their battery daily," said Jay Ellison, executive vice president and COO of U.S. Cellular. "We’re offering this service to help our customers stay connected whenever they need it."

Customers no longer have to worry if they are at work, running errands or travelling and forgot their charger. If their battery starts to run low or dies, they can go to a U.S. Cellular store and swap it for a fully-charged one.

There are some things that you can do to extend your battery life that you might not be aware of. Turning your cell phone off while charging not only will help extend the life of the battery, it also acts as a reset similar to your computer. Power cycling, or turning the cell phone off and then on again, will allow your cell phone to use the optimum tower for its location and clears the cache of the phone. If you get stuck on a screen or have problems texting, power cycling often helps. If these options don’t work for you, then it might be time to swap it for another battery. A brand new battery normally costs about $40.

"This simple idea is just another way for us to give our customers that added peace of mind that their phone will always be there for them in case of an emergency, "Ellison added.

About U.S. Cellular
The 9,000 associates of U.S. Cellular believe a wireless phone enhances people’s lives and a wireless company should be in the business of bringing people together. U.S. Cellular has a wide range of monthly plans, including those with unlimited nationwide calling, unlimited free incoming calls and options to prepay. The company has a growing catalog of phones like the BlackBerry^® Curve, HTC Touch Pro and the touch-screen Samsung Delve, which offer e-mail and Web access. Based in Chicago, U.S. Cellular is the nation’s fifth-largest full-service wireless carrier, serving 6.2 million customers across the country. To learn more about the company visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com.