My last post included a shot of the lovely and gracious “Mrs. Just Charlie’s” new school. Look at this modified version of that picture. Ya gotta love the random guy who’s sitting on the curb in the school parking lot, just to get in the picture! Smile!

He always is! But today has been a B-I-G reminder of His provision and care.

The lovely and gracious “Mrs. Just Charlie” got a teaching job today! In our county! It has been a nail-biter at times, wondering if it was ever going to happen.

Oh, instead of a 20-mile-plus drive each way, like the last seven years, she’ll be going a little over 6!

Just read an interesting retrospective about the fiasco that was Disneyland’s opening day fifty years ago. Check this out…

When Walt Disney built Disneyland, he supervised every aspect of planning and construction � right down to the paint color inside the railroad station. But there were a couple of things he couldn’t control at the opening 50 years ago: the temperature and the turnout.

The sun rose bright and glowing in a cloudless sky on that Sunday, and the mercury climbed higher and higher. By early morning, all roads leading to the park were clogged. Thousands poured through the turnstiles, more than twice as many as had been invited.

The heat and the crowds, along with a Magic Kingdom full of other problems, contributed to what will forever after be called Black Sunday in the Disney organization.

Long lines formed at the rides, forcing visitors to stand in the sweltering sun. Later it was discovered that counterfeit tickets had been used by the uninvited. Adding to the congestion, crashers scrambled over fences and berms in remote areas of the park.

Several of the rides shut down because of overuse, and by the end of the day all the “Autopia” cars had been sidelined. The deck of the river boat Mark Twain was awash; too many passengers had climbed aboard. And a gas leak was discovered in Tomorrowland, forcing evacuation of the entire area.

Refreshment stands quickly ran out of food and drink, and there were few drinking fountains. Women’s spiked heels sank into the newly laid asphalt on Main Street. Families waited in long lines to use toilets. A saboteur snipped electrical lines in Fantasyland, bringing all rides to a halt.

How did Walt handle the debacle? He made some quick decisions…

Disney’s damage control was immediate.

“Walt was personally around the park every day that first week, looking into every situation and then getting something done about it,” Kurr says.

He also was mending fences with the press, hosting small groups of reporters and editors for dinner and a tour of Disneyland.

One reporter had suggested that Disneyland had skimped on drinking fountains in order to sell soft drinks. Disney called her and explained, off the record, that a local plumbers strike had been settled shortly before opening day. He had to decide between toilets and drinking fountains.

We all do pretty well when things go just like we’d planned. What do we as leaders do when “The Big Day” turns into a “Big Bust?”

‘Cause it makes us cool, that’s why!

(Thanks to everyone’s favorite Canadian for the link!)

My immediate predecessor at my church – and really, the pastor who led the church to its greatest days thus far – is blogging. He’s a great and gracious guy. And real smart, too. I’m linking to his blog so some of you intellectual giants can have some conversations. I’ll read along in awe and wonder. Go check out The Y-Blog, “A Humble Internet Experiment In Theology, Biblio-Mania, Cultural Observance, And Tomfoolery.”

Oh, and while you’re there, tell him two words…”Nice hat!”

OK, so I needed a new Moleskine, and since I can get ’em for 15% off at Barnes & Noble, I headed there after supper this afternoon.

As I turned into the parking lot, I noticed there was a huge tent set up beside the store. The tent was packed to overflowing with kids and parents of all sizes, shapes, colors, and flavors. They were standing in and around a tent in the pouring rain at a stinkin’ bookstore, and they appeared to be loving it! I saw people laughing. I saw people engaged in conversation. I saw people having a big time. Why?

Because the new Harry Potter book drops at midnight tonight. (And who said the Internet would eventually cause the book business to dry up and blow away?)

What is it about Harry that elicits such raving fans?

Why are people willing to stand in the rain for hours – in costume! – for a book?

Of course, it’s the experience, stupid.

What are we missing here?

BTW, I ended up getting the Moleskine at another place down the street. And I got a bonus…196 pages instead of the usual 192! Cool!

I mentioned earlier that I’m starting to dig hard into Reggie McNeal’s A Work of Heart: Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders. Right off the bat, Reggie tells a couple of stories to illustrate the point and purpose of his book…

I could hear it in his voice. He wanted out. After only a year in his new pastorate, Frank was ready to throw in the towel. In fact, he was not sure he even wanted to remain in the ministry. This was his third church. At first, it had seemed to be a fresh opportunity. Now it felt all too familiar. He had been here before – but in another location. The names, faces and scenery had changed but not the plot. The people were good people. They treated him well, but they differed in ministry values and agenda. Frank wanted to reach out to the community; the church seemed content to look after its own. The knowledge that it would take three to five years to shift thier thinking, accompanied by resistance and pain, further discouraged him. He could not stay at it that long, he said. His emotional reserves were depleted. Now, in his mid-forties, Frank questioned whether he wanted to do this the rest of his life. In short, he had lost heart. The lesson: when a leader loses heart, he loses. (p. ix)

I wonder if Frank’s story resonates with anyone else? I wonder if you could insert other names in place of Frank’s…Bob, Tom, Dave, Randy, Joe…Charlie?

One’s serious, one’s just a lot of fun!

A lot of what we try to do as leaders is external. It’s all about style and not substance. It’s about apppearance and not authenticity. Reggie McNeal has a pretty unique way of helping us see that being a leader starts with the heart – who we really are. It’s all about our character. Reggie’s book talks about God’s shaping and molding of spiritual leaders. I’m digging in pretty hard on this one.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle was one of the very first books I remember reading – and it’s still one of my favorites! The picture is a scan of my Weekly Reader Children’s Book Club hardcover edition, dated 1965, and passed down years ago to “The Boy,” and now has made its way back to dear old Dad! If only life was as easy as making that “Pb-pb-b-b-b” sound! Someone once told me that you need some of these books when life is getting way too difficult. They were right!

No matter where you go, you can heed the call of the siren.

Check this link via Starbucks Gossip.

From the stack o’ stuff…

• Getting started with Getting Things Done
• Maintaining your church’s website is hard work. That’s why it sucks.
• “For God’s sake, please stop the aid!” It may be hurting more than helping in Africa.
• Instead of bashing the culture around us, maybe we should write better stories.