Schultz Update

Christmas tradition...

2008-12-29T12:27:00.002-06:00

We spent this Christmas in Colorado with the Fuller side of the family and I thought I'd throw up a few pictures of a Christmas tradition we've done for as long as I can remember...making Christmas sugar cookies. Since I (Ryan) took the pictures, I'm not in any of them. :P
And here's a pic of Shelby and Joe's gingerbread house. It won the "Most Beautifully Detailed" award. Hope everyone had a great Christmas filled with joy, peace, family, friends, and much thanks to our Lord for choosing to come be a part of our world...

Wishing all a great New Year!

October

2008-10-22T10:46:00.002-05:00

It's October - quite possibly the prettiest month at NLR. I realized I haven't posted in a while, so here you go:
Fall is great. Seasonal change. The cool weather. Leaves falling. I love the fall at NLR!
I am truly grateful for my family. My wife, my kids, my parents, my in-laws, even my brother-in-law doesn't seem so bad today (That's you, Josh, love you bro!)
I am grateful for life as God has given it. Things aren't perfect (He promised they wouldn't be!) but He is gracious and merciful and has blessed me, so I choose to be thankful.
I worry about things (my kids, my staff (and open positions), the economy, getting older) but again, I choose to trust (it's hard for me).
The Lord is good and I know He is in charge. I choose this today.

2008-08-26T01:07:00.002-05:00

We're in Telluride on vacation! To see a few pictures, click here. I'll be posting more stuff on my blog as the week continues.

--Ryan

What a Day

2008-08-03T11:55:00.002-05:00

Yesterday. What a day. I don't know if I can really communicate the emotions of yesterday... We ended summer camp. We celebrated 50 years of New Life Ranch. Ruth Heck was welcomed home to be with Jesus. Paul and Julie Baker called to share their excitement of a new son to be born in November!
I recieved this email from Dr. Jim Walters... a man I really enjoy and respect. Let me share it:

What a privilege to stand on the perimeter of your lives as you treat Ruth with the love and dignity she deserves in these final days before she joins her beloved Lord and husband. In time past, the bedroom was the place of birth and death, a holy place where heaven touched earth at two of the most significant moments in human existence.. The loss of the second in most families is a sad loss. Our prayers for you is that during these days, when tears rightly flow, you will experience a fullness of joy rooted in the privileged years of beng loved by Ruth and in anticipation of her glorious tomorrows "as death is swallowed up in victory."
Jim and Lynda

Cool, huh?

From the minutia

2008-07-17T16:39:00.002-05:00

Summer Camp is almost over. Well, actually we are in week 6 which means we still have two weeks to go. But for me, I can start looking at what's next. My staff are all doing great and even our summer folks have learned their jobs and are doing a great job. This makes my world much easier! and I have time to start looking ahead. Out from the 1,000 details (or more) that is summer camp and into the bigger picture of planning and "what can we do to make next year better?" but first, the 50th. Aug 2nd is the 50th anniversary celebration of the ministry of New Life Ranch. There will be lots of activity and lots of people. Check out the website if you want to come join us.

And then, after that... it's back to planning. Yeah. I like that stuff!

Busy

2008-05-01T22:10:00.001-05:00

Busy, busy, busy… that seems to be the word of the times! Well, I have to say I thought I would be somewhat exempt from this “lifestyle” coming to ministry at a camp. I guess my expectation was that in five years, I should have figured it out by now… come on, ministry… at a camp… I should be able to figure out how to slow down and live a simple life! I give up. Lord, I surrender my effort to “figure this out.”

You are now my witness. I confess to you as I confess to the Lord. I cannot do it. I know it’s cultural and it’s ingrained in my bones. I cannot do it.

Now what? I guess I will continue to get up each day and do what I can…

Balance

2008-03-10T14:47:00.005-05:00

Someone requested that I post these principles on "using the little word", NO and maintaining a healthy balance, so here you go...

Realize you have a unique contribution to the world.

"Don’t do what others can do and will do when there are so many things that others cannot do and will not do". – Dawson Trotman
Keep time for God, your first and vital necessity.

Realize that serving God and His people will cost you something.

So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less? 2 Cor. 12:15 (NIV)
Learn to say NO and accept criticism for doing so.

There will NEVER be a time when you will get it ALL done - when you will have enough time to pray as much as you think you should, witness as much, study as much...

Do not confuse opportunity with responsibility. You will nearly always receive more invitations and suggestions than you can possibly accomplish.

Mission, part deux

2008-01-24T16:13:00.001-06:00

A quote from John Fischer's FischTank devo today... I thought it was relevant to my post, so here it is:

Timothy Dudley-Smith wrote in his biography of John Stott: "To those who know and meet him, respect and affection go hand in hand. The world-figure is lost in personal friendship, disarming interest, unfeigned humility—and a dash of mischievous humor and charm. By contrast, he thinks of himself, as all Christians should but few of us achieve, as simply a beloved child of a heavenly Father; an unworthy servant of his friend and master, Jesus Christ; a sinner saved by grace to the glory and praise of God."

I bet a few people got a glimpse of our Savior being around this guy :) I wonder what his mission statement or long range plan was?

Planning (again)

2008-01-24T15:54:00.000-06:00

Okay, I know I am a planner. But January is "supposed to be" a planning month. It's a new beginning, a fresh start, a time to recommit and resolve anew... to do what? That has been my struggle of late. I understand planning for our family. Deedra and I went away for another great weekend planning adventure. We loved it! We discussed and assessed our family, marriage, personal, community, kids, homeschooling, etc. and set some specific goals to work toward this year. I understand business (or ministry operations, as is my case) planning. We have to work from a budget and have a plan for what we are doing this year.

But, long range... what am I to be about? I love that I am a part of New Life Ranch. I think/feel/hope that I am part of something bigger than me -- something of eternal value. It just makes a bunch more sense to pour my time and energy into this ministry than into setting up a data system so a few people are more efficient (or whatever). But I still feel like I need a more definite long-term plan... an understanding of why I do what I am doing... that what I am doing really matters... a purpose!

I am not a big "Purpose Driven Life" guy, although I agree with the concept (I never finished the book - confession time!) but I guess I don't like the fanfare and "bandwagon" following... I am a bit of a contrarian like that, just ask my mom or my wife. They might call me a cynic, but since I am writing this, I'll pick my own words. :)

But I do think that's what I am talking about: purpose or intentionality. In Sunday school, we are watching a video presentation of John Piper's "Don't Waste Your Life." It has been very thought-provoking and stimulating lots of brain cycles for me. (That's geek speak for "I have been thinking about it") In it, Piper talks about not wasting your time pursuing things that are not of Christ. That our goal is to glorify God and reflect Christ to our world - whatever that may be. He simply said that we should live our lives in such a way that others might see Christ. Sounds like a pretty good "mission statement" to me: I want to intentionally live my life so that others may get a glimpse of Christ. What do you think?

Christmas Cheer

2007-12-20T21:01:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!
Its been a great day. Several things have happened, but the biggie: I finished our Christmas letter! Now the pressure of the season is off. I was done with my shopping long ago, but the real stress of the season is getting that letter done. whew! I don't know why it is so stressful for me, but it is.... and its done! So, if you are on our mailing list, you'll get one soon. If not, check it out here and send me a note to get on our list! Have a great Christmas and enjoy the break -- once you get your Christmas letter done!

Friday

2007-11-09T16:24:00.000-06:00

It's Friday. Tomorrow I get to play in the woods! What a great day! The weather here is perfect. 75 degrees, sunshine, and a slight breeze.

Deedra asked me to post some pictures from our Egyptian Feast - a coop the kids did last week. So here it is...

Living with Elvis

2007-10-18T17:29:00.000-05:00

My last few posts have been a little serious, or at least somewhat deep. So, here is a little relief. Joe was taking a long time getting done with his shower so I checked on him... His answer, "I am fixin' my hair like Elvis."

Facebook and Postmodernism

2007-10-17T12:41:00.000-05:00

Before I start another rant, I want to update on planning. We spent some time evaluating our existing Strategic Plans and that went ok. I spent some great time looking at why we plan and came away more convinced than ever that the process of strategic planning is extremely valuable. Sometimes the plan documents themselves aren't so valuable, but the process of thinking and discussing "where are we now?" and "where do we want to go?" and "what ideas do we have about getting there?" is critical. Given our upcoming 50th anniversary celebration next year, I am excited about leading our community through the dreaming and discussing of what the next 50 years will look like!

Now on to the rant... I signed up for facebook last week. I did it for several reasons:

My kids are there and I wanted to see what they were doing (I trust them, but I am curious)
I am a technology guy, People are talking about it, and I wanted to check it out. see how it works.
I want to be open to using new tools. Hey, if its better, I want to be part of the solution.

So, I signed up. At first I didn't get it. It seemed like a big waste of time. I really didn't care what music my "friends" were listening to and who wrote on John's wall, etc. I kept thinking to myself, "Self, how can I use this?" "How is this useful for communication or education or...." In talking to Ryan about it, a light bulb came on and then it hit me... I am not my son's generation. Now this may not be a surprise to most of you, but it often hits me with great surprise. Usually, its when I am trying to do something competitive with a 20-something guy at camp! or discussing "history" and find the subject is just part of my memory, not "history." The postmodern generation, or whatever modernists label we try to put on them... isn't at all concerned with the "usefulness" of facebook. They enjoy the connectedness and low cost of entry. Its not a "big deal" formal thing and they can keep up with their friends. Its pretty simple. In my 1,2,3 (reference above list) way of thinking, I made all the wrong assumptions going in. Good thing God's thoughts are higher than my thoughts, eh?

And in unrelated news, I found my old document that I have kept for decades (literally, for 20+ years! - it started out in MultiMate)... Here is a sample:

"The world is full of people who have never, since childhood, met an open doorway with an open mind." ‑ E. B. White

Planning

2007-09-26T09:27:00.000-05:00

Planning - it is something I do very naturally. I almost always have a plan. I usually require others to have a plan. I have sold my wife on planning. My son is now planning. I am not comfortable without a plan. I can be flexible (I think?!) but I still work better with a plan. In my melancholy state (Yes, I think I am still there, but that's okay - I am learning to "feel" and communicate my emotions... all good stuff - maybe a later post)... Back to my melancholy state: In my melancholy state, I have been trying to figure out how to best help others with planning. I feel I haven't done a great job with communicating the benefits of planning. To me, it's obvious! But I know not all folks are like me (Is that an 'Amen' I hear from the crowd?) and that's ok. I am so convinced that people, and especially organizations, work better within the context of a plan. People should know where they are going. Leaders must know. Teammates take comfort and security from knowing the leader has a plan. Its just more fun. Today I am working on building a case for a plan. That's my plan :)

Fall

2007-09-15T13:10:00.000-05:00

Fall is upon us. We survived the Graduation Celextravagala! It was a great time and it was good to see everyone. We also went to a wedding in Annapolis this month. It was Deedra's cousin who got married - to a great gal, I might add. It was a great time with family... check out Ryan's blog -- he has some great pictures (I don't have a digital camera, but all my kids do! :)

Camped out with the boys last night and cut wood this morning...what a great day! But now my back hurts :( oh well, I'll take the aching back - another sign of maturity :)

I am using a lot of :) and :( -- I guess I am kind of melancholy today.

Time to get strategic. Told someone this week that I feel like I'm in a bit of rut. We have several strategic planning sessions coming up this month and next. Pray that I get out of the rut, so I can help lead our teams to be focused and strategic. God doesn't need it or require it, but I want to do well, don't you? Have a blessed day.

Graduation

2007-08-13T17:02:00.001-05:00

This weekend is the big Graduation "Celextravagala" -- loosely translated "big party." Ally is being recognized this weekend for her high school graduation (if you want to come, come on! I bet you have never been to a celextravagala!) Ryan has also graduated from JBU and is back from Slovakia. He is moving to Fayetteville tomorrow but will be back this weekend to show some pictures and tell some tales. He is waiting to hear more about his long term position in Slovakia -- maybe September? And Ally leaves for Tulsa next week. She has taken a Nanny position and will be living in Tulsa this year. Maddy is preparing to move into Ally's room and Shelby is preparing to have her own room! Whew?!? Makes me tired just typing it. And mom.... Well, mom is holding up, but not really enjoying the kids going their own ways. Pray for her. If you have been there, send us some words of encouragement. If you haven't been there, tell us about difficult toddlers and diapers, etc. so we will be glad we are where we are! See you soon.

Week 8

2007-07-29T12:23:00.000-05:00

It's here. Week 8. The last week of summer camp. We have made the final changes, re-arranged the cabins (hopefully for the last time) and posted last minute payments. We are ready. It's good to be ready. I am looking forward to a great last week, anticipating the coming retreat season and fall. I love the fall.

I had a dream this morning about impact. What impact are you having? All of us leave a legacy of influence (leadership) on others. What's yours? In my dream, I was teaching on IMPACT and using the acrostic (and I really don't like using acrostics... so what does that mean?)
I was for intimacy - first things first - are you intimate with the Lord Jesus? M was maturing. Are you growing in your relationship with the Lord and others? P is Passion. Discover yours! What really gets you excited? What could you work on all day long regardless of compensation? A is for Action (can you hear the cheezy jiggle? Its why I don't like acrostics) Decide today to do something to make an impact. Take a small step to follow your passion, or take a large step!

This is where I woke up... so I guess I have to guess at what CT could be... if you have an idea, let me know. In thinking about it, here is one idea: C is Charity... be generous with your time and money, especially if you find something that is impacting along the lines of your passion! and T. I guess that's Thankful... be thankful that the Lord, the intimate Savior whom you are learning to love and serve, has given you a passion and a vision and a generous spirit to make an impact for Him. He has made this for you. Contentment with His plan begins with Thankfulness. I'd love to hear from you.

Summer Camp

2007-06-28T11:07:00.000-05:00

We are in the middle of Week 4 - so it's the middle of the week and the middle of summer camp. Great time for a blog post!

Things are going well from my vantage point. Registrations are up, the staff is doing a great job and we have had only minor injuries. Most injuries have been with Staff, so pray hard for them!

Dealing with Parents has been my hardest challenge (again). Pray for my attitude as I deal with folks who bring issues with them. I need to be a beacon of Christ's love and God's grace and patience.... I certainly can't do that out of my own strength!

Working on another newsletter, day-to-day of camp, missing Ryan, short on margin ... random thoughts going through my head.

We are having a Graduation Celebration Weekend August 17-19 for Ally and Ryan here at the Ranch! Starting to plan that, too. We would love to see you!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

2007-06-06T18:14:00.000-05:00

We hit the ground running! The trip was great and we certainly built some family memories that will be shared for years to come. We came back to camp in full swing! I am just now getting back into the swing of things around here. Summer staff, team x, leadership kids, staff issues, all the great stuff that is summer camp for us! I have confidence that God has us here and now. It's a good feeling to be where God wants you when he wants you there.

Thought of the day: Margin. In today's world, you have to actively manage your life to maintain margin - an "excess" of time, money, energy, and emotional capacity! Ministry happens in the "margin" of life. Protect your schedule, say no to the "good" things, get more sleep, share something with your spouse, and don't buy something - you'll enjoy the margin.

I enjoy reading your comments, so keep them coming.

Vermont, Boston, and Home Again

2007-05-31T09:58:00.000-05:00

Here is Joseph with Michael and Drew in the creek on Michael and Amy's property. We had lots of fun riding four-wheelers and seeing their land.

Here is Russ and his high school buddy Conor up in the McCarthy's treehouse. Boys never grow up. We had a great time staying with them in Boston. We visited Lexington and Cocord as well as downtown Boston.

We are home now. Thank you for your prayers, it was a rough trip home...almost 30 hours of drive time. We are all glad to be in our own beds. Thanks for joining us on our trip.

2007-05-28T21:31:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a long, fun trip. But, as we all know, all good things must come to an end.

Tomorrow we are starting our long journey back home. Us kids are pretty excited to be going back home and sleeping, hanging out with our friends, and getting to see all the summer staff that are now at the ranch.

We had an amazing trip and learned so much. I'm so glad that all of you got to share this with our family. It was a special time for us. For one thing, it was our last two and a half weeks with Ryan. We dropped him off at the airport this afternoon. It was sad. But I think it's getting easier for all of us. His heart is in Slovakia and the ministry there. I think we've all accepted that, and we couldn't be happier for him. But we are going to miss him a lot.

It was also our last few weeks with Ally before she starts up summer camp. As some of you know, she's going to be a full-time summer staff. So she'll be busy pretty much all summer. And next fall she's going to be a nanny in Tulsa. I'm so excited for her!

I'm just glad we got to spend a lot of time together before they both left. It's been kind of hard for me, thinking about how I'm going to be the oldest. It's actually kind of scary. :) No, I just don't really feel ready to be a leader for the little kids. I don't know, maybe things will change by the fall. Who knows?

So, anyway, I just wanted to say thanks to those of you who have followed along with us on our American History Trip. It's been really fun reading all the comments you left!!

Oh! And be praying for us on our way home. Mom hasn't been feeling well today, so please pray for her, and for dad as well. He's been driving a lot on this trip, as you can imagine, so he's pretty tired. Also for safety, we've made it this far without any trips to the hospital!

Night!

Maddy

Vermont

2007-05-26T22:54:00.001-05:00

The past couple days we've been hanging out with cousins Michael, Amy and Drew here in Vermont. Yesterday was record-breaking hot weather, but today it's been nice and cool. Aside from going to the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream factory, we haven't really done much. These couple of days have mainly been full of rest and play. I think everyone's favorite thing so far has been the 4-wheelers. We've gone on more than a couple treks on them.

Michael and Amy live on the top of a big hill. Too bad they don't have a good view....not. It's absolutely beautiful here!
And little Drew is about the cutest little baby there is. We've all been enjoying playing with him.

Tomorrow, we're getting up and heading to Boston to spend time with Conor (one of Dad's high school friends) and his wife Laura and family. Only a couple days left on our American History Trip!

Day 10 & 11

2007-05-23T23:30:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we spent all morning walking around the Southern tip of Manhattan and visiting the Statue of Liberty. From Liberty Island, we had a great view of Manhattan.

We also walked through the financial district and saw Wall Street. Here are Jon and Joe standing next to the Bull. After that, we visited Ground Zero and St. Paul's Church.
Here's Ryan with the Brooklyn Bridge. Right after this picture was taken, the harbor was flooded with NY Police (fire engines, boats, and helicopters) looking for a body in the water. Supposedly someone had jumped in upriver. It was pretty exciting to see all the action.
That night, we went to Times Square to see it when it's all lit up. It was pretty cool. We had dinner in China Town...a Vietnamese Restaurant...and then had dessert in Little Italy.
This morning, we got up early to make it to the Today Show. We saw Meredith Viera, Matt Lauer, Al Roker, Ann Curry and special guest Martha Stewart! Not only did we see famous people, but we saw a convict too! We all shook Meredith's hand when she came over and we were on TV multiple times. We did our best and looked like waving fools every time the camera panned our way!
And tonight, our last night in the city, we went to see Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. It was really good and we all loved it! The best part was that we were in the very front row, right in the middle! Good job Mom on getting those tickets early!

After it was over, we stood outside and were able to get the autographs of most of the main actors. The girl who played Belle is from a Disney tv show that the kids love to watch (That's So Raven) and so the kids loved getting to see her and getting her autograph.
And that ends our stay in NYC! Tomorrow, we're getting up and driving to Vermont. Look out Michael, Amy, and Drew...here we come!!!

New York City!!!

2007-05-21T20:01:00.000-05:00

We're in NYC! We were all excited to finally get here. The first thing we did was go to Central Park and let Jon and Joe run around for a while. They're somewhere on that big rock in the background.
Then we went to FAO Schwarz--a huge toy store! Joe was in heaven in the LEGO room and we all had fun playing on the giant piano.

We then just walked around for a while and seeing a lot of the typical tourist places. Here are most of us in Times Square!

Day 8 - Philadelphia

2007-05-20T17:54:00.000-05:00

Today we were in the city of Brotherly Love. We stayed just outside of the old city, so this morning we took the train into town to begin our touring. We saw the Liberty Bell, then walked around Old town, saw Carpenters Hall where the First Continental Congress convened in 1774, Elfreth's Alley, the oldest street that still houses people, in the USA. Then we had some Philly Cheese Steaks and made our way to Independence Hall. To see where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed was incredible. Then we took a trolley to the Museum of Art, where Rocky climbed the steps. Of course, we had to run the steps just like Rocky. Maddy is not in any of our pics today. She is recovering from a stomach bug. We will be making our way to New York tomorrow.

Liberty Bell: Independence Hall:

Rocky:
The Thinker:

Gettysburg

2007-05-19T22:52:00.001-05:00

Today we toured Gettysburg. We rode on the top of a double decker bus and drove all over the battlefield, which spanned miles in and around the town of Gettysburg. This was the sight of the 3-day long battle that turned the tide of the Civil War. From this point on, the Union Army dominated the rest of the war.

From Gettysburg, we drove to Philadelphia, were we are now and are planning on another fun-filled day tomorrow! (And Dad and Ryan are excited about eating an authentic Philly cheese steak sandwich!)

Saturday Morning

2007-05-19T08:14:00.000-05:00

It's Saturday morning and everyone is still sleeping - except me and Joe and Andy's two cats! We are resting this morning, then off to Gettysburg. It was another great day in the Smithsonian buildings yesterday. Everyone got really tired and we were in bed by 10:30. Maddy is not feeling well, so pray for her. I am sure Ryan and Ally will post more pictures soon. Thanks for keeping up with us and we'll see you soon.

Mt. Vernon and D.C.

2007-05-18T18:08:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we toured Mt. Vernon, the home of President George Washington. The house was very nice, but the 16-sided barn was really one of the highlights!
We also took a nice stroll through the forest.
We then drove to Washington D.C. where we stayed with cousin Andy and Courtney. Our first stop in the capital were the Washington and Lincoln monuments and the Vietnam and WWII memorials.
At the WWII memorial, Shelby found home and gave it a hug.
Jon decided to do the typical tourist picture with the Washington monument.
Today, we toured some of the Smithsonian museums. Jon and Joe loved seeing C3PO and R2D2 in the Air and Space Museum (unfortunately the American History museum was closed for renovations but we were able to see some of the exhibits that had been to moved to the Air and Space museum).Our last sight of the day was the capital building. We waved goodbye to D.C. and got back on the Metro to go back to Cousin Andy and Courtney's house.Some funny quotes from the past few days:

"I love New York City!" --Joe, as we were walking through Washington D.C. (We think he was a little confused)

"Yes!" --everyone, when we found out that the soft drinks were cheaper than the water at lunch in Williamsburg (we had decided to drink water at meals to save a little money)

"Now what was Williamsburg all about?" --Maddy, right after we spent a whole day there learning all about it

"Joe's over there begging for money." --Jon, after Dad had explained to Joe what the homeless people were doing

Jamestown & Yorktown

2007-05-16T20:46:00.000-05:00

Today was a day of dressing up. The kids enjoyed trying on various costumes of the day:
Here, Ryan is looking good as an American infantry soldier.
Ally's testing her strength with buckets of water:Maddy's rocking the soldier look:Shelby was taught by a Powhatan indian how to scrape an animal hide:
Jon conquered the York battlefield:Joe participated in shooting off a canon:
And Mom and Dad found some cool signs:
We also got to see some cool ships--the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery:
On one of the ships, Shelby was called a "rose" by this jolly fellow:
The boys put on some armor:
And the whole family in a dugout canoe that the Indians used:

[more pics] in williamsburg.

2007-05-15T21:06:00.000-05:00

We spent all of today in Williamsburg. It's a wonderfully preserved little town. And the people there play their parts extremely well.

We found a good use for the jail cells...Jon and Joe loved them.
We finally let them out and they discovered the greatest tree EVER.
Throughout the day, it was easy to stay together. I wonder why. Could it be that we were all wearing the same shirt? Perhaps.
Other fun pics:

Day 2

2007-05-14T21:52:00.000-05:00

I cannot tell you how excited I am to be here. We have been thinking about this trip for about 4 years and planning it for one year...and it is finally here. So far, there has been lots of time in the car. The time has passed quickly with 3 drivers, Adventures in Odyssey and C.S. Lewis' "The Magicians Nephew," and "The Horse and His Boy." I feel so blessed to be doing this with Russ and the kids. They are such a joy to me. Can't wait to share more of our trip with you.

Monticello

2007-05-14T21:38:00.000-05:00

Today, we went to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. We enjoyed exploring this beautiful and very unique mansion!
Jefferson is also buried on the grounds.
We saw a couple familiar statues along the path:
And got a few pictures for Uncle E as well. :) We only got a few strange looks.

The Hermitage

2007-05-13T18:23:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from the Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's home outside of Nashville. We ran into Andrew Jackson while we were there...who knew he was still alive?!?
This was the main house that Jackson had built:
And here's the whole family. We had a great first day!

--Ryan

On the Road - Day 1

2007-05-13T02:00:00.000-05:00

Well, It's Here! We are on the road! The entire Schultz Family is in a van and touring the East Coast and visiting American History Sights. Our trip will take us through Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont and Massachussetts! Keep checking back and follow our adventure through the great American History Tour.

The Big Switch

2007-04-03T20:46:00.000-05:00

"The Big Switch" is the name we have given to our current web project. We are moving our registration page to a new set of pages that fixes a few things and imports into our new camp management software, Camp Brain. Nice name , huh? We figured it wouldn't hurt to have a good brain around here! We switched over today. Ben and Ray did a great job and it seems to be working well. We also dug 600 feet of telephone cable trench today. We should get most of the rest of it done tomorrow. But they have to leave at noon, so I'll still have a bit of a telephone project left! Lots of digging by hand. My back is letting me know I should not be doing this sort of thing. Also went to Tulsa this morning. Sat through a workshop on Non-profit Integrity Series given by the folks at Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (EFCA). Long day.

Father is showing me that busy is okay for a season, but don't focus on the tasks or the busyness. Don't miss life and life is in the relationships. And this takes time. Work hard. Do good. But above all else, love the Lord and love one another.

Monday

2007-03-19T08:52:00.000-05:00

It's Monday. A new week, a fresh start. I miss my kids. Ryan is skiing in Colorado with some friends, Ally and Shelby are in San Antonio visiting Mama and Papa, and Maddy is on a mission trip with her Church youth group. Jon and Joe are here, but its not the same. I miss them. It makes me wonder about "empty nest" and how I will be in a few years. Father, keep me focused on you and not me.
In other news, we are back at full speed. Our probation is over and our satellite ISP has reinstated our bandwidth. It reminds me that it wasn't that great to begin with :) but I am glad for it. PeoplePC has left our area, so many of our residences are without Internet now also. We pray for a simple life - is life without Internet simple? I think not. Sometimes simple is not very convenient.
Stay bathed in his grace.

Daylight Saving Time

2007-03-12T11:49:00.000-05:00

Did you survive DST coming early? I had to run an update for my Outlook and Palm; then changed the time on our phone system.... but other than that, I think we survived. 6:15 came aweful early this morning, though :)

Here is an update on things here:
Spring is springing - allergies are letting me know this fact!

We are working hard on getting our new registration database and online registration system up and going. If you think about us, say a quick prayer. I am a little stressed about getting these systems in place and getting everything ready for summer.

Deedra is planning an American History Tour for our family in May. A two-week tour of some of the historical sites on the east coast taking us all the way to Vermont! She is calling this our “last great family vacation.” We have studied American History this year and want to end with a great field trip. Pray for the planning and preparation – and that we don’t have a “calendar clash” with everything that is happening (or should happen) in May.

This past week we led a marriage class at Kirk of the Hills in Tulsa – it went well. The real test will be if anyone returns this Wednesday! Continue to pray that the class will go well, people will be challenged and blessed, and that our marriage will be strengthened.

Our internet connection is still slow. It was funny at first, but now its geeting annoying! :) I guess I'll really appreciate it when it gets back to only being "sorta slow."

s l o o o o w

2007-03-01T10:39:00.000-06:00

Our Internet Access is really SLOW! One of our interns decided that they needed the lasted copy of the TV show 24 on their computer, so using my favorite software, iTunes, downloaded an entire season of 24 - using up all of our available download capacity for the month - which caused our ISP to restrict our bandwidth to a crawl! Check out the report from Wildblue, our ISP.

After our "probation" is over, I'll hopefully post a bit more.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2007-02-14T08:31:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentines Day - especially to my Valentine, Deedra! I am so blessed to be married to you. I love you tons!

My marriage and my wife, specifically, are very much responsible for me discovering and engaging in the emotional world. Before Deedra, I don't think I knew what emotions were and I certainly didn't know how to properly interpret them or deal with them. Thanks, D, for bringing to me the spice of life!

This leads my thoughts to the past week... The Man Trip. I hosted a trip to Durango, Colorado for the men of the Ranch. There were 12 of us - from eight year old Joe to sixty-something Gary. It was several days of super bowl watching, skiing, hiking, snow shoeing, fly fishing, and hanging out. Sounds pretty good, huh? Well, it was - mostly. I really enjoyed being there - I love the mountains and DMR is a special place for me with some really special memories. I love to ski - especially with my boys. Joe, Jon and I spend four great days tearing up the slopes. We did all the familiar runs, had a picnic on the mountain, caught some air (even the little jumps we count!) and challenged our comfort zone on a couple of black trails. I enjoyed several great one-on-one visits with other guys. It was good times.

But, I could not shake the uneasy feelings. Something wasn't right. I was having a good time, but I was anxious. I was anxious about being "host" and concerned about a few details, but mostly I felt, in my gut, that something was just not as it was supposed to be. It wasn't enough to send me into a tailspin, but it was there.

This week, back home. I am at peace. I believe God made me for relationships and I am really trying hard to work on being more relational. My primary relationship is with Him! After that: Deedra, then my family, then everyone else God puts in my path. I think I missed my bride. DMR is a special family place and they weren't all there. I think it's that simple. It "colored" my mood enough for me to notice. Thank you , Lord, for my family.

Pray for the men of NLR. We are starting a bible study with Alex Hedgepeth. It will be good to work on my relationship with other men. We can build on the good times!

Ups and Downs

2007-01-27T22:25:00.000-06:00

As with most of life, this weekend was up and down... Ryan brought his computer to me to see if we could recover it. No dice. It's dead. I tried all I could think of, but could get nothing to read the hard disk. I was down.
Deedra, Ally and I went to Tulsa. We met Dean and Nawanda there and spend the day looking for a car for Ally. We traded our old 15-passenger van (the blue goose is gone!) and now Ally is driving around a 2-door Honda Civic coup. She is really excited! I was up.

I'm Back

2007-01-19T17:56:00.000-06:00

Well, 2007 sure has been an interesting year so far! Google moved from "Beta" to live and I could no longer log in to rant about my exciting new year. Thanks Ben for helping me get back on this horse!

Where to start? We rang in the new year in Colorado Springs with my family at my brother's house. We were snowed in! 20 of us in a single house - for days. It was remarkably fun and only lost a few to insanity! We really had a great visit and enjoyed our time in Colorado Springs.

We made it home between storms with no major incidents.

Last week, a huge ice storm ripped through (you may have seen it on the news?) and we were without electricity for 5 days. Our great community here at the Ranch really came through. What a blessing and what a testimony to the heart and strength of everyone here. We pulled together and took care of each other and enjoyed the ride.
It was really cool to see God's people working (not perfectly, but gracefully) together. We had another short outage today, but other than some anxious "oh no, here we go again's" we did just fine.

We have had an unexpected opportunity. We have agreed to host about 50 men who are working in the area trying to restore electricity to the many who still don't have it. They are from a variety of areas some as far away as Ohio. We feed them breakfast at 6:00 AM, make sack lunches for them and then feed them dinner between 6:30 and 7:30 PM. It makes for a long day for our food service team, but it is a great opportunity for us to give to the community and serve these men as they brave the elements to get the lights back on in the area. Of course, many of these men are not Christians. Pray that they see the light of the Lord in us.

A very Merry Christmas

2006-12-28T15:49:00.000-06:00

Well, its snowing like crazy! Not at NLR - We are with our family in Colorado Springs! After enjoying a great few days in Durango with Dean and Nawanda, we decided to leave early to travel over the mountains to Colorado Springs to visit the Schultz side of the family. So now we are here and the storm is raging. As much as a foot of snow is forecasted, so we are all safe and secure at my brother Gary's house...

We have received a lot of great Christmas letters and as is often our tradition, we will be doing a New Year's Update sometime in January. So stay tuned for our family's update in January - or keep coming back here for more play-by-play updates :)

Happy Birthday Joe!

2006-12-14T08:43:00.000-06:00

Today is our youngest's 8th birthday! With many kids, its quite an event each time we pass through a milestone with our youngest. Its a good thing that Joe likes an audience. :)

This weekend is the summer staff retreat. We are excited about seeing all the past staffers again! Our relationship with the summer staff is certainly one of the highlights of ministering at NLR.

Pray for us: For Joe - what a great caboose (he's our last child...); For this weekend with summer staff; for Ryan - he returns home Sunday!! We really miss him. For Deedra - we have all four Graney kids with us for a few days - we love them like our own grandchildren, and you that have grandchildren know the joy of returning the kids to their parents! For Ally - she is graduating this spring and is working on "what's next?"

A Recent Photo

2006-12-08T15:08:00.000-06:00

A recent photo of the family

A Cold Day in OK

2006-12-08T14:38:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Deedra!
It was cold today. Real cold. Like single digits cold! I was trying to fix a problem that we are having with our antivirus software and ended up destroying my computer! I think I will have to rebuild it next week - a good thing to do on a cold day.

We are going to celebrate Deedra's birthday with dinner and movie. I love my wife and I love spending time with her. Thank you, Lord, for Deedra - she is a great wife, a great mom to my kids, and a great friend.

Update

2006-11-20T09:15:00.000-06:00

All is well from the home front at New Life Ranch. We are enjoying the fall colors and cooler weather. A cold front came through and temps dropped to 40ish – testing just how ready for cooler weather we really are!

Russ is staying very busy with all the “business” planning that goes on in the fall. He is excited about leading the staff in purposeful planning but is also looking forward to some down time this winter. Of course, you know his down time is spent in the workshop or out cutting wood.

Deedra is enjoying another good school year. It is tons of work, but very rewarding – especially as the kids get older. The Lord has blessed us again with help from others: Kendra Jackson, a wife of an NLR staffer, is a JBU student majoring in biochemistry and is teaching our girls chemistry!

All of the kids read independently now. Another big milestone in our “getting older” process – none of our kids want us to read to them anymore…after 20 years of not-always-wanting-to bedtime stories…I miss it already.

The boys are playing soccer and both are enjoying a good season. We enjoy watching them and seeing their personalities come out on the field. Jon is a technician with excellent skills and loves to make that great pass while Joe is ever the entertainer and is all over the field then quickly looking for accolades!

All three girls are teenagers – Ally 17, Maddy 15, and Shelby 13. When Shelby was born, Ryan figured out that one day, when he was 21, all three of his little sisters would be teenagers together! He knew he would probably not be living at home anymore and told his dad that he could come live with him. Well, Ryan, how about it?

Actually, life with three teenage girls is great. I am very proud of our girls and each is blessed with God-given gifts that I see developing within each. Ally is a great leader. She is very involved in her youth group and has many good friends. She continues to positively influence her friends and has a great time in the process. She is good to her sisters and often includes them, which I recognize as wise, selfless leadership!

Maddy and I work together on math. She is doing very well in school and is as close to a natural scholar as we have so far. She enjoys learning and rarely sees it as a chore. She is also active in the youth group and developing a network of friends. It’s really fun to see them “spread their wings.”

Shelby is still mostly a little girl. Although she has physically outgrown her mom, her heart still wants to play in her room. She enjoys playing outside with her brothers. She is also involved in the youth group and is beginning to develop relationships with friends outside of our family and close friends.

Ryan is now in Costa Rica. After a full summer in Slovakia leading a team conducting English camps in Czech, Slovakia, Poland, and Serbia; Ryan is finishing up a semester abroad in Latin America. He is having a great semester and quickly adding to his “world traveler” experiences. I’ll let him update you on his adventures. We miss him very much and find our “frequent email” relationship lacking. He will be finishing up at JBU this spring, so we are excited about being close to him, even if only for a few months. He is still praying and seeking the Lord on what’s next, but is pretty sure he will continue his adventures in serving Him. Join us in praying with him.

After almost 4 years at NLR, we still find much joy and peace about our place here. The “business” side of our ministry is going well. Russ has a lot of responsibility but seems to manage it well and mostly has a good balance between work and home. The other dimension of his job is the balance between ministry and work. Most of his big struggles are with people (no surprise here, right?) and he gets to exercise ministry on a daily basis.

Other ministry opportunities continue to unfold in front of us – we have worked with two more couples in premarital counseling and have had some great opportunities to help a few couples with specific crisis-type issues. Grace continues to flow freely from the River of Life – Christ Jesus.

We love the fact that we get to do what we do – but we couldn’t do it without you! Thank you for your support – financially, emotionally, and prayerfully – through the years. We are grateful that the Lord has called us, together, to this work. As always, if you are in the area, or want to be in the area, give us a call. We would love to show you around, hang out for a weekend, share a meal together, or whatever … just to spend time with you.