Category: Manager’s Memo

Manager’s Memo 7-30-21

In the words of Michael W. Smith “everyday we pass them by, empty people filled with care, headed who knows where”. I was just going about my normal day, taking a nice evening walk, when I heard a cry for help. Honestly, had the evening planned out and didn’t want to be interrupted. Maybe you know the feeling. But the cries were following me and I couldn’t ignore them. Was tempted to say “why me” ... Read More

Manager’s Memo 7-16-21

When life knocks the wind out of you, and nothing is helping, where do we turn? It was about 9 years ago this month that my eyes started involuntarily darting back and forth right when I was trying to finish my last Master’s class. Friends came and read my textbooks to me as I lay helpless on the couch, not able to walk or see very well. I remember wondering if my life was over. I knew I had some ... Read More

Manager’s Memo 7-27-21

It’s amazing what a few days of rest and relaxation with friends and family will do for you, especially for me as former General Manager Mike and Wanda Agee make a transition to a radio station in Washington D.C. My world will never be the same after Mike sat down in my office at 2:30pm that Wednesday afternoon in May. Since then, I’ve gone through the stages of shock, anger and grief. And it’s co ... Read More

Manager’s Memo 6-4-21

“I’m sorry, Mr. Agee, that’s not a leaky water pipe in your ceiling. It’s condensation from the AC line. I’m a plumber. You’ll have to call an HVAC company to fix that. That will be $75.” “I’m sorry, Mr. Agee, you really should replace those tires before you leave on your trip. That will be $914.” “I’m sorry, Mike, but I need those assessment reports and faculty rosters before you leave.” “I’m sor ... Read More

Manager’s Memo 5-18-21

Because the chicks dig it. My phone threw this one at me the other day, a country song that I downloaded years ago apparently. Though I can’t agree with his reasoning, I have to admit I’ve been guilty once or twice. I also kind of like the chorus lyrics, though I like to think my calling is a little stronger than what the girls might notice. Scars heal, glory fades and all we’re left with ar ... Read More

Manager’s Memo 4-29-21

Another school year is in the books for me. As I was going through my notes, I stumbled on notations from a trip I took pre-Covid with a few of my students to Maryland for a film festival. Of the six of them, one had never crossed the Texas border. Another had never boarded an airplane. Most had never been to the Washington DC area. Some had never been on a subway. Professors live for these moment ... Read More

Manager’s Memo 4-9-21

This one is pretty simple. Let’s start with THANK YOU! What an amazing week! Thank you for your outpouring of support during Sharathon. Almost 350 donors checking in and more than $96,000 at this point, well over our goal of $91,000.  Thank you to all who called in leadership gifts to keep us challenged and hopping. Thank you to everyone who gave sacrificially and to the young ones in the audience ... Read More

Manager’s Memo 3-24-21

The book Ecclesiastes always strikes me as a book full of contradictions. It is full of “this is folly” and “chasing after the wind” while providing great advice on life, relationships, and leadership. Tradition holds it was written by an elderly Solomon as a reflection on his life and times. Not that I resonate with a grumpy, old man’s writings, but Chapter 4 is an e ... Read More

Manager’s Memo 3-5-21

I’m the head janitor here at the Journey. I’ve been a head janitor for much of my professional life at one organization or another. Being head janitor means you get to think about tomorrow and the next day and the next month and the next year, instead of just being focused on the details of what happens today. I wrestle with that thinking about tomorrow escalating to worrying about tomorrow, and t ... Read More

Manager’s Memo 2-16-21

Anniversaries are markers in a person’s life, mileposts for followers of the Carpenter, that highlight His hand on a life. I’ve celebrated a couple of milepost anniversaries in the past few days. Forty-three years ago, just short of my nineteenth birthday, I climbed into a friend’s borrowed car and drove home from Dallas after taking a test to receive my third-class radio telephone operator’s perm ... Read More