AO Winter Officers

Through the break I have taken on a new place of solitude and restoration. It is called the Beanery. Now any of you, which is probably all, that hail from Thee Eugene please erase the thought of the Beanery as you know it. In the capital, the Beanery is a masterpiece that exudes tranquility. The oak floors glimmer from the christmas lights that line the 15 store front windows overlook the magical city of Salem. Local paintings and photographs line the northern walls and they are light by the individual lamps placed at each booth and table. Towards the middle of the room a large Christmas tree is lit and decorated giving way to the joyful attitude that permeates from customers and employees alike. This place is wondrous! Truth be told, my dad has been coming here from years and I finally started to tag along. Well, the reason I tell you this is to communicate that I am writing from this coffee shop of serenity. 

At the AO House we constantly strive to find better and more innovative ways to accomplish our goal of modeling Christ. This has lead to a significant change in our officer selection process for the term. We had a formal application process and Michael and I were blown away by the quality applications we received. Some might question the need for an application and our rationale was that house officers have significant authority and responsibility and we need to fully understand their intentions and heart for the position prior to granting them with such responsibility. For Winter Term of 2009, we have selected the following officers for the AO House: TJ Banick (Jobs Officer), Garrett Wood (KP Officer), Brad Egbert (Chaplain), Sam Allen (Socials Officer). 

I am excited for this group of guys and they have communicated their strong desire to serve as well as identifying new ways of improving their respective positions. This is also a relatively new group to formal leadership and I am excited to watch their progression through the term. During the term, feel free to look towards these shining stars for any questions you have regarding the house as they are an extension of house management. Enjoy the New Year. Another change I have made over the break is my decision to formally withdrawal from New Year's Resolutions for the rest of my life. My reason for this is that rather that looking at one calendar day as the day for fresh starts I want to live a life that recognizes that Gods grace is new each day. Therefore each day is a fresh start that I want to use to improve myself to better Glorify the creator.

RSD