Without Warning

Hello to anyone taking the time to read my rambles. Just so you know, I appreciate it.

Today started out normally enough, but it turned tragic quickly. I found out from my sister, who came running into our kitchen in tears nearly hysterical, that the father of a high school friend of mine had just died. He had been diagnosed with brain cancer nearly a year to this date, and he'd been told even then that there was a good chance the cancer would eventually kill him. Still, by all indications, it happened without warning. As far as I know, his dad hadn't been in the hospital for tests recently, and the whole family had gone out to dinner just the previous evening. Just imagine that. One night, you're with your family and everything seems perfectly normal. And then the next day, your father is suddenly gone. I can't imagine the pain my friend and his mom are feeling.

I wasn't sure how to react or what to say to my sister. She's been really good friends with him for several years and they're both going to be seniors this school year. What do you say at a time like this? Words just feel so unbelievably empty and hollow; all I could do was pray silently that God would give strength and peace to him and his family, and that He would comfort them in ways that we couldn't. The family said they would issue a statement to our high school about when they would hold visitation and the date and time of the funeral service. That's about all I know on that subject as of right now.

Anyway, please, please be in prayer for my friend and his family. There is no feeling worse than losing someone you love with all of your heart, losing a Dad you've grown up with, depending on for so many things, and then to lose him at such a critical period in life. I know God always has a plan even in times of tragedy, and that He was not caught by surprise, but sometimes His will is difficult to understand. So please lift them up in your prayers.

Song of the Day: Big Daddy Weave & Barlow Girl - "You're Worthy of My Praise"

Verse of the Day: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” - 1 Peter 1: 6-7

Rejoice in Suffering

Bible Study went very well this evening, great actually. I finished my lesson plan late yesterday afternoon and I spent a lot of time in prayer for it. I feel like God really came down and spoke through me tonight, which was all I wanted. Several people were away at our church's Beach Camp, including Mr. Blackburn, so we had to make do with a small group of six or seven. But that wasn't a problem. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to lead in this.

Song of the Day: Chris Tomlin - "Holy is the Lord"

Verse of the Day: “Blessed is the man who endures trials, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life that He has promised to those who love Him.” - James 1:12

Ultimate Road Trip

Well, another week of VBS has come to an end. We had our commencement service yesterday evening in which all the kids shared what they'd learned for their parents. It was great to do the songs one last time but at the same time bittersweet. I get just as much of a thrill out of doing them as the kids. Oh well. Faithanne and I stood in the balcony while the kids stood down front facing their parents. That way, we'd still be able to prompt them - just in case they needed help. Once again, I thank God for blessing this Vacation Bible School with His love and grace. It's so incredible to see Him come down and work in the hearts of these children and leaders. None of it would have been possible without Him. I hope to do it all again next year!

Anyway, today has been fairly quiet. I've been working mostly on a Bible Study lesson for tomorrow evening. See, Doug Blackburn, our Sunday School teacher who normally leads our college Bible Study group Tuesday nights, is out of town for the week. He's gone to serve as a chaperone for high school students down at Myrtle Beach. So he asked me if I wouldn't mind stepping in to lead the discussion on Tuesday night. I immediately accepted; I was so excited! He said I could pick any story or any theme that suited me to talk about. I decided to stay close to the material we'd been covering in James. I'll be talking about how Christians rejoice in the midst of suffering. I really like what Paul and James have to say about this topic. So anyway, I would appreciate some prayers on that end. I've been praying as well for this message, that God will take it and use it for His glory.

And that's pretty much all the updates I have at the moment. I can hear the distant rumblings of an approaching thunderstorm just outside, so I don't want to stay on too long for fear of losing power and my computer crashing.

Song of the Day: Overflow - "Cry on My Shoulder"

Verse of the Day: "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." - 1 Peter 4: 12-13

Yay for VBS!

Whew...this week has been really busy.

I have LOVED working in Vacation Bible School this week. This is my third straight year helping to lead in the music station, but every year just feels fresh and new, and this year is no different. We have four groups of first and second grade children that come to our room in a rotation after the morning worship rally. It's so much fun greeting them each day, asking how they're doing and how they're having a great time at VBS. Then we'll teach the hand motions for the song of the day, and then sing that song twice. Then we'll go backwards and return to songs we've learned earlier in the week. Naturally, they like the fast-paced, jumping songs ("Raise Some Praise") a lot, but they really enjoyed today's slow song ("We Believe") as well. It gave us a chance to catch our breath and teach them some really cool sign language. I'll bet their parents will love seeing them do that Sunday night.

Yesterday and today were important days in the week (of course, every day is important, but especially so for these days) as we introduced the ABCs (Admit, Believe, Confess) of becoming a Christian and accepting Jesus Christ into their hearts as their Savior and Lord. Our church pastor spoke briefly during the worship rally about what it means to accept Jesus and enter into a relationship with him. He always provides great, funny visual aids to help the kids understand that process. After that, he asked anyone who was thinking about it or was ready to come forward and invite Christ into their hearts to pray with him, and then we sang a funny song called "Little White Box." Anyone who's been to VBS before has probably heard it, and the kids really get a kick out of it.

Anyway, I was informed by one of our VBS leaders that more than 32 children made the decision to pray that prayer this morning and begin a relationship with Jesus Christ. So that's amazing news; praise God for working in their lives and in their hearts. I feel the theme for this VBS, the "Ramblin' Road Trip," serves as a good analogy for our walk with Christ. As our pastor said, it is the ultimate road trip, the most important journey that we will ever travel. It's also a lifelong journey that continues on even after we've accepted Christ. Sometimes we're prone to "rambling" from that road when we sin and disobey God, but we should never forget that God will never abandon us or leave us to stew in our sins. All we have to do is come to Him, confess our sins and repent. And He will forgive us, renew us, giving us clean hands and pure hearts. What a wonderful God we serve.

My only regret is that the week can't last longer; it seems like we just began yesterday. So now we're starting to wind down with only one day left (plus VBS Commencement on Sunday evening). Please be in prayer for the kids, especially the ones who have decided to become Christians. God is active and working in their lives, but they need to know the love of Christ shown through His people. Seeing that love around them does so much to lift their spirits and show them God's love is real and it changes lives! Pray also for the kids who might still have questions about becoming a Christian, because I know several of them still have doubts that are holding them back from making that choice just yet. Pray for the workers, especially myself, that God will give us the patience and strength to finish the week on a powerful note tomorrow. That's about all for now. Thanks so very much!

Song of the Day: Jeff Slaughter - "We Believe"

Verse of the Day: "Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." - John 3:5-6

Short and Sweet

I'll keep things brief this evening.

Father's Day went really well. We had a pleasant lunch at J&S Cafeteria after church. After that, I finished the decorations for our music station along with my partner Faithanne. Then I went home for a quick afternoon nap, after which I went out with my family to see "Batman Begins." I'm happy to say I absolutely enjoyed this movie. Then we returned home and had a very nice family devotion. I'm glad we're working to get these back on track.

Don't have time to go into details, so I'll maybe talk some more about the above stuff later. Tomorrow is the kickoff for VBS, so please, please give us some prayer. We need it. Thank you so much!

Song of the Day: Monk & Neagle - "Dancing with the Angels"

Verse of the Day: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." - Ephesians 2:10

Playing Catch-Up Again

My apologies for not having posted in the past couple of days. So let's get right down to business.

Work continues to go very well. The only major items to report are from yesterday's afternoon shift. Basically, it was nearly scrubbed due to some kind of electrical failure in our vent system. I literally walked in and was told that we were closing up. So I begin wiping down counter tops, taking back dishes after we'd just brought them out, and doing standard clean-up stuff. Then at about 11:45, I get word that we're going to go ahead and stay open. So that meant we had to turn right around and get everything we'd just cleaned and put away back out! Apparantly, we found an alternative fix to our venting problem although I was never told what. Of course, the customers had no idea what was going on, so they showed up in waves. And we were ill-prepared to handle the lunch rush without any food ready (we had shut the fryers off for a good 20 minutes, and it takes roughly half that amount of time for them to warm up) and missing half our cooking utensils. So we had to scramble to get things organized, but after a hectic period, things finally settled down and we were up and running like nothing was ever wrong. I have to say this is one well-oiled machine of workers. We might have been swamped had they not been able to change course on the fly like they did. It feels good to be a part of that machine. I'm so glad to be there.

Vacation Bible School is coming! The Ramblin' Road Trip is zooming our way, and I couldn't be more excited for it. I spent the middle part of today at church, putting things up in the adult choir room, which is where we'll be setting up shop for the "Music Tune-Up Station." I also brought my laptop there so I could go over the motions and lyrics for the songs again, this time in the actual room I'll be doing them. I love how Jeff Slaughter, the man who wrote the songs, really gets into the moves and works to relate them to our walk with the Lord. Tomorrow, my partner Faithanne and I will meet up and start taking care of the heavy work in the choir room. Can't wait!

Bible Study on Tuesday night was just excellent, even better than last week. We had an even greater turnout this week, which I'm sure was a huge encouragement for Mr. Blackburn. He shared an awesome story again based on the book of Joseph, dealing with how our faith should be reflected in our works, and the way in which we live our lives, especially when others aren't around. He gave us each a copy of a poem that was so powerful I just had to share it with my friends at Furman. I'm really excited for our college student ministry right now.

Song of the Day: Phillips, Craig, and Dean - "You Are God Alone"

Verse of the Day: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You annoint my head with oil. My cup runs over." - Psalm 23:5

Late-Night Ramble

Don't you just love it when it's almost 1:30 in the morning, and you're wide awake? No? You'd much rather be sound asleep? Ah, but that's the fun of it, you see? For it's only in the wee hours of the dawn when your mind wanders off into endless nonsensical directions.

My little bichon Isabelle is crouched on a corner of my bed, staring at me. Oh, she looks for all the world like she's asleep, but I'm her owner. I know better. Beneath those ragged, fluffy white bangs are the eyes of a dog who is watching every movement of my fingers as they pound on this keyboard. The thing of it is, I know she's staring, and she knows I know (and I know she knows I know...etc, etc.). I turn in my chair, and there she is, looking directly at me, barely trying to hide it. What do you want, I wonder, sometimes out loud, in a pathetic cutesy voice meant to ellicit her favor. Are you hungry? Do you want to take care of some business outside? None of the above, it seems. She's content to stare at me until she at last falls asleep. Or does she? Hmm....

Okay, here's the deal. I'm up late, playing my VBS music CD, trying to learn the movements to the songs that we'll be teaching the children in less than a week. I'm having a fun time really getting into it with the motions and even managing to sing along without becoming too breathless. Anyway, the song is about to end, and I attempt to pause it and go back to a certain point I want to double-check. For ten seconds, my DVD player doesn't so much as slow down, let alone stop. Then it abruptly stops altogether and cuts off. At that moment, my computer screen goes black and is replaced by ... *gasp* my old nemesis, the dreaded blue screen!! ARGH!!! Sinister fiend, what will it take for me to be rid of you for good?! I count my lucky stars the laptop re-started on its own and I've had no problems since. But for crying out loud, who else does this kind of thing happen to? Regularly?

I'm drinking Sunkist. It's after midnight, I've got day shift at work tomorrow, and here I am drinking a caffienated beverage. And people think I'm smart. Ha-ha, if they could see me now.

Izzy, I mean it, stop staring at me. I know you're still doing it.

The Michael Jackson trial. So the verdict is acquittal on all ten counts. For those of you expecting a relentless tirade from me against the federal justice system, I'll have to disappoint you. The same goes for those of you thinking I'm a Jackson supporter who would've voted "Not Guilty" solely because I loved his "Thriller" album. That came out a couple years before I was even born. But anyway, I wasn't present at the trial, and I didn't observe any of the evidence myself. Nor do I have enough information on the prosecution to call its credibility into question as was the defense attorney's angle, apparantly. So I'm not going to speak from any platform on this topic. I'll only say this. I hope and pray that the verdict was the right one. And that Michael Jackson knows in his heart of hearts that it was the absolute truth. Because if it wasn't, God knows the truth. 'Nuff said.

I need to dig out my WOW 2005 CD. It's full of some incredible songs, and I feel badly that I've neglected it. Now if my CD/DVD Player will behave itself and not give me any more weirdness, I can feel safe doing so...

*inserts the CD, and listens to the music* Yay!

*turns around* Oops. Sorry, Izzy. Guess you really were asleep that time.

Sigh. Well, that's my ramble. What's yours?

Song of the Day: Rachel Lampa - "When I Fall"

Verse of the Day: "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which God has called you." - Ephesians 1:18-19

What, you thought that was the end, huh? Nope, this is. Mwa-hahahahaha! The mind becomes devious when it's up late. And on that note, I'm going to bed. Scoot over, Izzy. Good night, all. Or good morning. Whichever.

.....

.....

*eyes pop open* Okay. That didn't work. Thank you, Sunkist...

Waiting for Arlene

To anyone who prayed for my requests yesterday, thank you so much. Prayer is such an incredible thing. I don't have any more updates on them as of now, but I'll definitely post them as they come.

Today was fairly standard. I went to work around 10:30 this morning and stayed until shortly after 5:00. They asked me to stay an extra hour because apparantly someone on night crew was going to be late coming in. So hooray for extra hours. :) I actually needed to speak to my operator about working night shift for the week of July 11-15. My church has Creative Arts Camp that week, and they need some volunteers to help with activities like music, drama, arts, and crafts. But since I've been working during the day ever since I started with Haywood Mall, I wanted to make sure I cleared it with the operator before I committed to it. Thankfully, he had no qualms with it and gave me his complete support. You're the greatest, Keith. Managers like you are hard to come by.

Wow. Three major events back-to-back-to-back. Creative Arts Camp, our family trip to North Myrtle Beach, and then the mission trip to Johns Island. At least I'll be staying busy.

I forgot to mention that last week marked the beginning of the 2005 hurricane season. And as if on cue, the first tropical system of the year has formed: Arlene. As I speak, I'm monitoring this strong tropical storm, fast closing on hurricane strength with winds of 70 mph, as it bears down on the Gulf Coast. In fact, with the rate that the barometric pressure of the storm is dropping, it'll probably be a hurricane by the time I publish this entry. And its heading straight for the Florida/Louisiana coast, which is certainly the last thing those poor residents need to hear. After dealing with the likes of Charley, Frances and Ivan last year in a record-breaking season of hurricanes that struck land, to have the first storm of the season coming your way right off the bat is enough to make you groan. My prayers are with them all. Arlene's not Ivan the Terrible, but it's certainly another headache to deal with.

Song of the Day: Steven Curtis Chapman - "Much of You, Jesus"

Verse of the Day: "Make Your ways known to me, Lord; teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation." - Psalm 25:4-5

Prayer Request

I'll likely update this later, but I want to put this up while I'm thinking about it.

Lord, I want to pray especially for a good friend of mine. She says she is a spiritual person, but she also says she hasn't gotten the full scope of You, Lord. She hasn't yet figured out how Your Son Jesus fits into the big picture of things. Lord, please strengthen my witness to her. Give me the words to say, and most of all, give me the heart and mindset to say them lovingly and with conviction. I want to lead this friend to know You, Lord, because You tell us a close relationship with Christ is the most important thing we can ever have. Please help me to share with her my concerns in a way that will reach out and touch her. And please, Father, work in her life. Help her to find Your Son and the answers that she seeks.

*UPDATE*: I meant to elaborate more on the above prayer request, but I just received an e-mail from Vaughn CroweTipton, the chaplain at Furman. One of our students, Megan Gallagher, died this morning at her home in Dallas, Texas. I don't know how or why it happened; that's all he said. Lord ... You know how much we grieve when we lose someone. It's one of the most difficult things to bear, and I can't imagine how hard it must be for Megan's family, relatives, and the friends who loved her so much. God, please comfort their hearts right now and in the days ahead. Even as they grieve, give them a sense of hope and peace that only You can provide. Please, Lord, lift them up and strengthen them with Your Holy Spirit. I pray that somehow, in some way, You will take this tragedy and use it to draw people closer to You, Father. Don't let us take lightly the suddenness of death. None of us knows how much time we have on this Earth before we will come before You to give an account of our lives. Help us to make the most of the time we do have, using it only in works that bring honor and glory to Your Son's precious name. Amen.

Shop and Sing

I had today off from work, so this was the first day of the week that I really did random, scattershot stuff. I just watched Anne of Green Gables late this morning (a charming movie, I might add), and then I went to run some errands with my mother. Among them was looking for potential Father's Day presents.

First stop was Crossway, where I browsed through some devotional books and CDs my Dad might enjoy. I ran into a friend of mine there who was doing the same thing. I also tracked down two books by Jim Cymbala that I had been searching for. Before summer break, our BCM Leadership Team was given a book by Cymbala called Fresh Power. I just finished it a couple days ago, and I truly enjoyed it. So I'm now looking for the other books that he's written, and sure enough, I found them both at Crossway. Though I'll have to resist the urge to buy them until I get my paycheck in the next day or two. Getting my car serviced at Lube King really took a lot out of it, so I want to make sure I don't strain my bank account too much. Oh yeah, I ended up getting my Dad a night-time devotional book of stories by Josh McDowell. I'm sure he'll like using it for our family devotions in the evening.

Next up was Cole's. Well, actually, my mother dropped me off at Wal-Mart while she looked for some sandals, shoes, and other related footwear for Dad and Granddad. I get the hint, though; I'm no expert when it comes to shoe-shopping :) After that, we picked up my brother from soccer camp at Shannon Forest and we got an early supper from Chick-Fil-A, which is always fine with me.

Apparantly, my sister picked up whatever virus my mom had last week. She felt really achy and feverish all day yesterday, but she seemed better today. Of course, improved health came at a price for her because that meant she couldn't call in sick to work. Haha, oh well. It's never fun to work when you're sick, of course. I remember my first year with the Greenville Mall, close to Christmas, in fact. I had some kind of ailment that I was dealing with in the middle of lunch rush, which feels ten times busier over the Christmas holiday. I don't even remember what I had; just that I looked really pale and faint, and my joints ached so bad. Maybe it was a touch of the flu. My co-workers kept telling me to sit down and rest, but I didn't want to leave my post, sick or not. Good thing I was working backbar, well out of contact with customers. Otherwise, I may not have had a choice in the matter.

And how in the world did I go off on this tangent? Ahem, getting back to the present...

Tonight I sat in on Primetime for a little while and sang along with the praise band. Always a delight to hear them. Then I went to choir practice until 9:00, where we introduced our church's new organist (hopefully) to the group. He had some fun stories to tell, and he did a good job working with the choir and the orchestra. I really enjoyed his rousing rendition of "Victory in Jesus" he played for us at the end. We all stood up and applauded loudly :)

Prayer time. Lord, there aren't enough words I can say to describe Your ways. You are active and working in every facet of our lives, most often when we don't even realize it. Thank You for loving us despite our many sins. Thank You for sending Jesus to bear the pain of our sins when we couldn't do it alone. Lord, please continue to teach me Your ways and show me where You want me to work. I want to pray especially for my friend Lauren working at Connie Maxwell Home. Thank you for using her to reach out to kids and for her witness in You. I pray for Terese, Samantha and Casey especially. Please reach out to them, Lord, and touch their hearts as only You can. Thank You also for working through Tom Possell and our college ministry. Please give us the strength and patience to turn this ministry into a work that honors and glorifies you to the best of its ability. In Your Son's name, amen.

Song of the Day: Bethany Dillon - "All I Need"

Verse of the Day: "We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice." - Psalm 33:20-21

Another Golden Day

Today was just wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a nicer one.

I finally managed to wake up early again, thanks in no small part to Miss Isabelle nuzzling me in bed, and eat my breakfast. I don't remember the last time I actually sat down to a breakfast meal; sad, isn't it? Anyway, after that, I went out for a 45-minute run with my mother. She's been sick for the past week, so I know she's working to catch up on the exercise that she's missed. She kept saying I didn't have to come with her; I think she was afraid she'd slow me down because I have a longer stride than she does. Honestly, that made no difference to me. Just getting to spend time with my mom was all that counted. So we had a nice run out in the muggy morning sun.

I had work from 11 am to 4 pm, and again, the lunch shift went relatively smooth. I have to say, I never thought I would see the day that I'd miss lunch shift. I'd have to go back to my first couple of weeks at the Greenville Mall Chick-Fil-A to remember when I worked the lunch shift on a regular basis. Since then I've pretty much entrained myself to the night shift, and so I'm always thinking in the back of my mind, "Okay, we're slow. What do I need to get cleaned or take back to the sink before we get busy again?" But it's fun to be doing something different in my work. It's the same line of work, of course, but it feels fresh and new again. Always a good thing.

But the main highlight of my day was this evening, when our Sunday School class held its first Bible Study of the summer. Once again, I bore witness to the beginning of a whole new college students ministry within my church. And it has me excited beyond words. Tonight's study was on James chapter 2, verses 14 through 18, the famous "faith without deeds" section. I love this passage, and Mr. Possell had some awesome testimonies to share that related back to the lesson taught in the Scripture. I had several chances to comment and share my experiences, one of which I'll need to devote a future entry to discussing in detail. It felt great seeing us come together, have a few laughs here and there, but most of all jump into God's Word with willing hearts and ready for the Holy Spirit to work within our hearts. Unbelievable feeling. I'm looking forward to next Tuesday night already.

Ah. I love golden days. They make the dark days easier to take in stride, somehow. :)

Song of the Day: By The Tree - "Blessed be the Name of the Lord"

Verse of the Day: "But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds.' Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder." - James 2:18-19

Sunday School Retooled

I meant to say something about this yesterday (I need to do a better job commenting on stuff the day it happens instead of doing it the next day when so much else has happened. But I digress...), but I went to Sunday School yesterday morning for the first time in months. Prior to this, I had a few misgivings about the state of my church's college ministry. After more than two years, I just felt that college classes weren't really doing anything for my spiritual growth. It felt too much like the teachers were going through the motions, reciting things from the weekly workbook. Not that any of that is wrong, but I just feel that yearning for more, something deeper. I'm a young adult, being challenged by a secular world much more than as a child or a teenager, and I feel like the church's college ministry can go a long way toward providing helpful guidance and insights into the kinds of things that we struggle with as college students. But for so long now, I wasn't getting that; I didn't feel like I was being engaged at all. So I stopped going as often and attended the worship services instead.

Yesterday, I had woken up from only a few hours sleep. I'd stayed out the other night with my friend Ashley and her extended family after graduation at Furman. So offhand, I decided to attend Sunday School class at 10:15. I knew a lot of students would be there, having been off school for weeks now (whereas Furman just finished up). I listened as Tom Possell, one of the teachers, gave the lesson. To my surprise, the focus of the lesson centered on the state of the college ministry. I was floored to see that Mr. Possell felt exactly the same way I did. He felt that for years now, the ministry had slumped, to put it lightly. It wasn't challenging students, engaging them in the material like it needed to, and put simply, the state of it was lacking. Of course, part of that is on our shoulders as well. We can certainly do more to provoke interest, engage friends or people interested in looking into the class.

To make a long story short, he doesn't like where the class is right now, and he's determined to restructure it to the level it needs to be. I felt like applauding as I listened to his ideas. We're starting a new Bible Study meeting at a house across from our chapel Tuesday nights at 7:00. And each of us has chosen three people on our fifty person Sunday School roster to contact this week and encourage them to come on Sundays. Mr. Possel feels that if we have fifty people on a roster, then to have barely a quarter of that attend each Sunday is ridiculous. I absolutely agree. I hope we get to a point where we have as many as 40 people attending (of course, then we'll have to change rooms. No way could we fit that many people in our small little corner on the second floor). He also wants to arrange a Saturday or two for our group to get together and do something fun, like go to Six Flags or something. I felt inspired by his attitude and commitment to this, and I was even more encouraged to look at the other students nodding in approval. I'm so glad that something is finally being done with the college ministry.

Anyway, now that I've said my piece about that, on to today's events. It was a quiet Monday with a relatively short work shift. The good thing is I'm getting more comfortable with Haywood's CFA each day; moving faster and doing more things at once. I'm at the point where I can look after the backbar by myself during quiet periods (provided we have a good stock of food, that is). My co-workers are very nice; quite a few of them are bilingual and so that's been a fun new challenge for me. I'm not sure if I'm working enough hours, though, but this is only my second week. I'll wait and see what happens before I say anything about it. So that's all`good. :)

Song of the Day: Mark Schultz - "He Will Carry Me"

Verse of the Day: "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." - Psalm 4:8

Commencement

I had a wonderful time last night. I had the honor of attending Furman's commencement service for the graduating class of 2005. Several friends I've made this past year received their degrees and were honored at the podium, and I was so proud of them. Furman's class of 1955 was also on hand as yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of their own graduation. That was nice of the university to invite them back and share a little bit of their history.

A common theme that kept coming up in the speeches delivered last night was September 11, 2001. Of course, on that date the graduates were only incoming freshmen attending classes at Furman University for the first time. It's hard to believe how quickly time passes. To start a whole new phase of your young life on a day in which the foundation of the country you live in gets shaken to the core. I felt that over the first several days of junior year at Shannon Forest, and I can imagine how difficult it was for those students.

I was glad, though, that President Shi and the rest chose not to devote their reflections to the horrors and terrible carnage of that day. We saw it all over TVs, listened to the news reports, read it in newspapers. Some of us had families and loved ones who worked in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. We didn't need to relive that part of the tragedy; we already know it. Instead, we listened as they spoke about how the senior class chose to respond in the face of the disaster. I felt so thrilled and couldn't stop myself from smiling with joy as I heard what they did. Instead of caving in, students rallied around each other. They became unified as a body, sharing in their sorrow, grief, but above all, hope. They gathered for numerous prayer vigils and candlelight services all around campuse to lift up to God the dead, the suffering and the shaken. They lined up at clinics and at local hopitals to donate blood to the Red Cross. And in the span of nearly four years, with all that's happened to them up to this point, they remembered that day, 9/11/01, their first day as Furman students. And they made their senior class gift to Furman a check to initiate the construction of a 9/11 Memorial Plaza to be built in front of Furman Hall.

I don't know all of these students; not even close to half, to be honest. But I felt so moved listening to what they did in their careers as Furman students, beginning with September 11 and continuing up to last night, as well as their plans to make a difference in the world. My prayers are with them. It's a challenging world ahead of them. Few things will come easy, and some will require a deep search of the soul. But if their legacy at this university is any indication, I have no doubt that they are prepared to face the world. It's not that I don't expect them to be challenged or even taken off guard at several points in their lives. But I know the God of the universe who saw them through childhood and adolescence, from grade school through college, will continue to work in their lives. How comforting to know that God's daily presence in our lives never, ever changes. That by itself should inspire us to go out, “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

To Ashley, Chris, EA, Kat, Justin, AmyJo, Walt, Alan, Megan, Jen, and the rest of you graduates ... thanks for the memories, and congratulations! Come back and visit sometime! I'll see you again!

Song of the Day: Michael W. Smith - "Lead You Home"

Verse of the Day: "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." - Colossians 3:15-17

Dodging the Bullet

Well, thankfully I dodged the register again today. I had another busy but productive shift at Haywood Mall. It's never easy to break into a new system, even when you've seen the basic fundamentals at two other restaurants. But so far, there've been no serious problems, so I'm thankful for that much.

I'm reading a book this summer called Fresh Power. It's written by Jim Cymbala, who I remember as the pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle from my high school senior trip to New York. It's a powerful book that talks about living each day of our walk with Christ under the power of the Holy Spirit. It's only by this divine power that we can effectively present the truth of the Gospel to others. Cymbala pulls no punches; he confronts the problems in our churches and society head-on, and a common thread he finds in all of them is an absence of the Holy Spirit. I'm cut to the heart reading his words because I can see the truth in them all too clearly. I'm so glad the L-Team will be studying this book. It will prove to be a strong aid in helping us to serve and lead the students effectively.

Other than that, nothing much else to report. Except that tomorrow night is Furman's Commencement ceremony. I'm glad I'll again have the day shift at Chick-Fil-A so I can attend (provided the forecast holds up and it doesn't rain, in which case I'm out of luck). I have a lot of friends in the class of 2005 and I can't wait to watch them get their diplomas. I'll miss them so much, but I know they're going to do so many awesome things in the world. I'll look forward to hearing about what God will do through them.

Song of the Day: Delirious - "Rain Down"

Verse of the Day: "You did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." - Romans 8:15

From the Ground Up

I orginally had a lot more things to say about today and yesterday. But by some random sequence of buttons that I pushed, Blogger backtracked and my whole post was deleted. *sigh* Modern technology. Can't live with it....

So anyway, I'll just try to summarize in one brief paragraph. My new job at the Chick-Fil-A in Haywood Mall is going great. No problem thus far although that could change when I move up to register duty tomorrow morning. Oh well. Whatever happens, I'll give it my best shot. I'll probably be getting my car serviced at Lube King pretty soon. The windshield wiper blades are hanging loose, which is a BAD thing considering the rainy weather of late. It's also due for an oil change and a tire rotation anyway. Choir practice was excellent last night; it's always great to have that group to come back to. We won't be singing this Sunday morning, but we still managed to rehearse several pierces for future services. I'll never get tired of the relentless banter that carries on between our sections when Mr. Kirby isn't listening (or when he really is, which is the point). Lots and lots of laughs all around.

Before I wrap things up (and proceed to strangle Blogger -_-), I want to close out with a word of prayer. Dear Lord, You are so amazing and indescribable in the works that You do and the little miracles that you perform in our lives each and every day. Thank you for blessing me with caring friends, a loving family, a good home, and my work. Lord, I can't take any of the credit for these things. None of it happened for my glory. It's all Yours, Father. Please help me to keep a servant's attitude and heart in everything I do. So many times, I fall short of the standard that Your Son Jesus set for us. Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to convict me and to forgive me when I fall short. Lord, I want to lift up my friends working in the mission field this summer; Lauren at the Connie Maxwell Home, Taylor, Chris, EA, TJ and Kat at Seesalt, Liz in Salkehatchie, and Jon at Camp McCall. There are also so many that are going far out into the world; Hilary in Arizona, Jen in Ecuador, and Rodney's group in Cuba. Thank you for blessing me with their friendships, Lord. Please watch over them and keep them safe in their travels. I pray also for my friend Amanda as she seeks work this summer. Please guide her in her search, and give her the strength and patience to keep seeking Your will for her life. I love You, Lord. Thank you again for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die for our sins so that we can have the promise of eternal life in Heaven with You, Father. Thank for for molding and shaping us from the ground up to create a work that is pleasing to You. It's in Your holy name that I pray, amen.

Song of the Day: Chris Tomlin - "The Wonderful Cross"

Verse of the Day: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." - Romans 15:13