Smeagol is Free!
A hermitudinal view of...stuff...


1.22.2004  

Weather Report

The weather report from my soul today? Cloudy, with lots of stormy activity...brainstormy activity, that is. There's a lot that's on my mind, so forgive me if I repeat stuff I've written about recently :) Where to begin? The beginning, I suppose.



School started yesterday. Fortunately and unfortunately for me, I didn't have any classes yesterday. I'm sort of bummed that won't be able to take more than six credit hours this semester (possibly six and a half, but I'll get into that in a bit), due to my job and financial constraints. On the flipside of that, it means I'll be able to relax a little and perhaps focus more on serving others, which I'm looking forward to tremendously :) Over the break, I spoke to Jared quite a bit, and we agreed that there's a need on campus for discipleship. A lot of guys at Boyce are younger, and I feel a distinct desire to share with them what God has brought me through, and serve them in that way. The Who's and How's if it all aren't in place yet, but I'm not worried about that...God has a sneaky-cool way of bringing that all together.



On to the six/six and a half credits. Last night, I had a talk with David Parks, our youth pastor at Rolling Fields, concerning my status as a youth intern at the church. Here's the deal: I've been working security overnight on weekends, and it's been a very compatible job with my schedule and transportation needs, save that I can be pretty drained come Sunday mornings. I teach Sunday School for the middle school kids before the regular service, and for the most part, I'm not in such bad shape, but being that I was sick as a dog being teased by an ugly cat a couple weeks ago, I was VERY drained that Sunday morning. Also, we had a youth event this past Saturday night, and so I was even more tired this past Sunday morning. That being the case, both Sundays were...well...eventful. I won't post what happened just 'cause it's a little bit embarassing (email me if you really want details), but those happenings brought some realizations to David's mind, thus prompting the chat last night. He's been very understanding and gracious, yet expressed concern that the tension in the situation may be causing some fissures within the youth ministry. *Sigh*...we both don't like what we see, and yet know that we can't go on without making some clarifications and adjustments. Be that as it may, I'm praying for direction on what to do. Do I stay a youth major? If I do, I would need to stay on as an intern at the church. If not, I would still stay on as a volunteer, which I'd love, and that would also make room for another youth intern to come on and help out. On the other hand, what comes to mind is the faithfulness to staying in the situation God has put me in, as the internship is a great opportunity, and it has a built-in level of intensity that volunteering wouldn't bring. Still more is the overarching issue of where God is calling me to. I told David that when I first felt God telling me to come to Kentucky, I felt Him telling me very strongly that my life was and is and never would again be my own. *Sigh*...what to do? I'm not sure; God is. The real issue isn't figuring out what to do, but listening to Him.



Oh...the difference between six and six and a half? The half credit is the internship...if I'm not a youth major, I'd switch around the classes I take this Spring.



Boss. Although he often doesn't see it, I see God's fingerprints all over his life. He's often questioned his growth (as we all do), but hasn't had the depth of teaching that Andrew and I have had to help comfort us in our journey. That, more than anything else, has made me sad when it comes to our friendship. It's not the struggles we share with each other that make me frown, it's the lack of light to pierce into his darkest trials. But not so now :) For whatever reason, I felt God putting him on my heart while Andrew was here. Andrew will be back at home for this next season, as will Brian, and it's been my hope that they both lean heavily upon each other. They're two of my brothers, but I can't say that they've both seen and savored each other as I'd want them to...and, I think as God would want them to. I talked to Brian last night, and he shared so much that made me smile. I often ask myself after our conversations, "does he see it?" I think so...I think so :)



Relationships. Marriage. Gary wrote to Andrew and I and said he didn't know "who in the world would be willing to marry either of you guys." I agree...I don't know, either! God, however, does :) Andrew and I figured out that during our three weeks together, our conversations have centered upon relationships 90% of the time...the other 10% was other stuff, like our friends back home, things we've learned, and who in YFC used to be The Player. The relational stuff covered everything from what the Puritans said (go for the girl with whom you could be best friends for life, not the one with whom you're passionately in love with at the time) to what the Sovereign Grace churches say. In between, we tried to figure out where we fit in this great, God-glorifying mix. We also talked about the difference between "Strategic Planning" and "Stalking"...it was a very amusing topic :) After a while, we could only shake our heads...we're getting old...we're growing up...we're talking about...marriage. We've begun to realize just how long we've come together, and could only smile and look forward to, Lord willing, the journey together still to be unveiled.



Whew, this is a bunch of stuff. There's still a lot in my noggin, but that's the brunt of it. Am I confused? Not really. The clouds and the storms of life bring water to the dry land, and they remind me that God's hand is mighty and active in my significantly insignificant life. Excuse me while I go play in the rain :)

posted by Bolo | 11:33 AM
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