My name is Gary Cornn and I live in Colorado Springs. I’m seeking my Ed.D. in Educational
Leadership, because a series of circumstances throughout my career brought me
to an understanding that God is leading me to serve in Higher Education
Administration when retire from the military)
For my elective track in my Ed.D., I’ve decided to go down an
Educational Technology and Distance Learning track, which is why I’m taking
this course. I am near the end of my
course work. Just one more “Intensive”
after this, then I will move toward the research phase and do my dissertation.
I’ve served in the United States Air Force for almost 25
years, and have a job that it is a privilege to have, and am honored every day,
even after all this time, to put on the uniform every day. One verse that has been a mainstay for me
throughout my career is Eph 3:20: “To Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly
more than we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within
us.: Only God had the imagination that
would see me enjoy advancing through a military career for more than 25 years.
As a little additional information about me, my bride and I have been married for more than
32 years. We have daughters who are 31 and 27.
The oldest and her husband of 13 years live in Oklahoma City and have
blessed us with four grandchildren ranging in ages from 3 to 9 years old. Our 27 year old completed a Bachelor of Arts
in literature four years ago and is currently working part time jobs as she
continues to apply for positions in careers that interest her. It is our prayer that she soon discovers her
vocation.
We are part of a little church in Colorado Springs is
ministering to a local neighborhood and is providing community and discipleship
for 40-50 each Sunday, and is seeing slow but steady growth. It’s a great little ministry to be a part of,
and much different than the 1,100-person church we served in during our last
assignment in Maryland. Here in
Colorado, I enjoy running, hiking, and biking…as much as my 52 year old body
will let me!
Then there is that final question--what actor would play me
in the story of my life. I guess the
only one I can come up with is Mr. Ed!
You see Mr Ed, in his role on his 50s TV show, spent a lot of time in a
cubicle offering advice to his boss.
Also, though they didn’t show it on the program, I’m sure Mr Ed produced
a lot of horse manure as well. Mr Ed is
one actor who could easily be type-cast in the role of a military officer! (If I have to pick someone who is still living,
I guess it would be Gary Sinise, since he’s the only actor I have ever met!)
Hi Gary. Thank you so much for serving our country in the United States Air Force. I love the verse in Ephesians that says He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ask or imagine. What an amazing God we serve. He has proven time and time again His faithfulness, unending love and mercy. Knowing that God is leading you on a path towards higher education administration is a wonderful gift to have. So many people aren't sure what He is calling them to do, but you sound like you are confident in what He has called you to do. I do feel the Lord leading me as well in the area of higher education and I want to simply trust Him and continue on in the process. I often times would love to have a better understanding or try to figure everything out, but resting in Him and having such a deep trust is all that He is really asking. I also attend a smaller church in Pennsylvania which is quite different than the larger church I came from when I moved. I have experienced such a strong sense of community with a smaller church family which has been truly enlightening for me. I never really experienced being part of a community at church because all the churches I had attended were pretty large and it was difficult for me to get involved. Now that I am part of this amazing community, I can't believe I did life without it before! Even Jesus had a sense of community with his disciples. I, too, enjoy biking. I haven't biked too much outside, but I enjoy taking cycling classes at my local gym. I will have to try to get outside a little more now that it's summer and the weather is so nice!
ReplyDeleteHi Gary. Thank you so much for serving our country in the United States Air Force. I love the verse in Ephesians that says He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ask or imagine. What an amazing God we serve. He has proven time and time again His faithfulness, unending love and mercy. Knowing that God is leading you on a path towards higher education administration is a wonderful gift to have. So many people aren't sure what He is calling them to do, but you sound like you are confident in what He has called you to do. I do feel the Lord leading me as well in the area of higher education and I want to simply trust Him and continue on in the process. I often times would love to have a better understanding or try to figure everything out, but resting in Him and having such a deep trust is all that He is really asking. I also attend a smaller church in Pennsylvania which is quite different than the larger church I came from when I moved. I have experienced such a strong sense of community with a smaller church family which has been truly enlightening for me. I never really experienced being part of a community at church because all the churches I had attended were pretty large and it was difficult for me to get involved. Now that I am part of this amazing community, I can't believe I did life without it before! Even Jesus had a sense of community with his disciples. I, too, enjoy biking. I haven't biked too much outside, but I enjoy taking cycling classes at my local gym. I will have to try to get outside a little more now that it's summer and the weather is so nice!
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you, Gary! I was so excited when I began reading your post because I am heading in the direction where you are right now! At present I am completing my second master’s degree and when I’m finished I will also continue with my Ed.D! I’ve been in education for the past 28 years with 15 of them being as principal. The Lord is leading me away from the ministry that I’ve been a part of for 28 years and to training prospective teachers on the college/university level. I have a passion for training teachers so although I’m extremely nervous about this move, I’m also jumping with excitement inside. It is so nice to meet someone who is on a similar path.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your service to our country! I appreciate your dedication to God’s call in your life. Our church has a ministry called “Soldiers of Faith” in which we are able to learn about military life in general, but also get to know individual soldiers and their families. I’m so thankful for this ministry because it has created in me a new appreciation for the sacrifices that you and your family make for our country – including me! I live about 20 minutes from Fort Dix/McGuire Airforce Base in NJ. I’ve had the privilege of getting to know a number of military families which is really neat. However, I have to admit that it’s hard to get close knowing that before long they’ll be gone.
I had to smile when you introduced your wife as “my bride.” It is so obvious that you cherish and treasure the woman that God sent to you. I also appreciate the pride that you had in talking about your children and grandchildren. Sometimes military men are “judged” as being hard, strict, and serious. Sounds like you’re anything but! Thank you for sharing a piece of yourself and God’s calling for your life!
Hello Gary,
ReplyDeleteI’m glad as well that we can interact again in another class. I always enjoy what you have to say. Even though we are on opposite corners of the United States, I have been out your way in the past. I have never been to Colorado Springs, I have been to Fort Collins as well as Denver. While I was in Fort Collins, I visited a church pastored by Jeff Redlin. Are you familiar with him at all? Your church sounds wonderful; my wife and I moved from a church of around five thousand to a church of around one hundred fifty on a good day. It has been a huge transition but we are excited to get the chance to serve in a multitude of ways not possible when we were in the larger church; we feel much more connected to our church family.
Congratulations on being almost complete with this stage of your Ed. D.! That is no easy task, and something I am looking into in the future once I complete my M.Ed. I wish you the best of luck on your dissertation. Thank you for your service in the Air Force; you have made it possible for my family and I to enjoy the freedoms we do every day. You deserve much more honor and respect than this nation can give you.
You asked me earlier what I use for my videos. I do use Movie Maker for some video editing, but I also use a variety of different mobile applications as well. I use an app called Chromic to adjust lighting, contrast, brightness, and vibrance. In the last class we were in together, I used an app called Gravie to put text on my videos; I will probably use that again for this class. As far as lighting goes, because I am on vacation I just used a room with a soft overhead light. At home, I use a bright lamp light that is high in front of me, then I adjust the lighting within Chromic. Because I use all these apps, I use my phone to record myself rather than my webcam; my iPhone has a better resolution than my old Toshiba laptop. I usually don’t write a script, just a list of bullet points, and record one long video to trim and crop in Movie Maker. It all just depends on the initial recording which apps I use. I hope all that information helps you, and I look forward to talking with you over the next few weeks!