I wish all of my friends, family, church family and former co-workers a sincere Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Season's Greetings from the Chappell family!

I know it's cold outside (hmmm, someone should write a song about that), that there isn't enough snow yet and everyone is busy, but I still love all of you and look forward to getting together with some of you over the break and getting together with as many as I can in the New Year.

According to the Interwebs, the full quote that I take this post's title from goes something like this:

The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.

Robert Burns

The quote is a great reminder that we can (and should) plan, but that we can have no assurances that everything will proceed according to our plan. The universe contains too much entropy to offer any such guarantees to us. Besides, things change really quickly once you start following your carefully constructed plan. This not a new phenomenon and has been pointed out before:

There's just something about big changes that make them nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time. Some days I think that I've had enough big changes in my life that they're unlikely to affect me much anymore and then along comes a bigger change and it's back to the emotional roller-coaster again.

Two weeks ago was my final week with Benevolent Employer and thus I am now an independent contractor. There were a multitude of reasons and circumstances that all came together at the same time and made the decision somewhat inescapable. Much as I wanted out of Corporate America, this wasn't my preferred timing or way, but you work with the circumstances that life gives you and make the best of it. Or as the cool kids say these days, because "reasons".

First order of business was to decide on a strategic direction. That was actually really easy: pastor and do whatever it takes to make a living not within Corporate America. Step number two was to figure out how to do that. Much more thought required to figure that out! While things could change as circumstances play out, the initial plan is to do some part-time technology work for a good friend of mine. In addition to that, I'll be pastoring and when not working part-time, doing the groundwork to start my own business providing church management software for congregations. I'll be initially seeking sales within the ministerial organization that I belong to, but once everything is up and running I'm sure that my inner capitalist will take over and I'll sell to anyone.

Tauren Wells, the skinny-jeans wearing lead singer formerly of Royal Taylor has a solo album out and it includes this excellent cover song of September, a classic from Earth, Wind and Fire.

It doesn't quite have the depth of sounds that the original brings, but I think it captures the energy level of the song very well. Recommended!

A nice a cappella version of In the Hall of the Mountain King to welcome in the summer.