prayer requests or maybe just a big spill.

"One student a year who hears God's call would be sufficient for God to have called the Bible Training College into existence.  This college has no value as an organization, not even academically.  Its sole value for existence is for God to help Himself to lives.  Will we allow Him to help Himself to us, or are we more concerned with our own ideas of what we are going to be?" - Oswald Chambers

Please pray for me in these ways...

- I wrote that passage from My Utmost for His Highest because I constantly want to evaluate where I am at, how successful I am being, even wanting to defend my job to my students.  When, God keeps having to remind me that this has nothing to do with me... that my being at Wake Forest is God's doing in the first place and my being here is for His glory and His purpose.  Pray that I would believe that and rest in it.

- I'm starting to wear out a little bit of pursuing, pursuing, pursuing with little pursuit back... though that is the very nature of this job.  Just pray that I would not grow weary and that I would see the purpose in my pursuit.

- Pray for the Kappa/Chi O bible study.  Pray that it would grow and would be used in others lives.

- Please pray for these students.  Its getting close to exam time.  Many of my dear friends who are seniors are getting close to their final semester.  Pray that during this time they would not lose focus on Christ, that He is working in their lives.  Pray that they would rest in Him and not forsake Him.  School and career become such an idol, it becomes the end all.  They are harder to communicate with and it becomes harder for them to trust God at His Word.  But, I can relate.  I was just there.  I was putting my security in my resume.  Yet, He tells us that man does not live by bread alone but by the Word.  Meaning, we live according to His Word, not what we produce.  We don't get that, do we?  I don't.  I'm in ministry, trying to proclaim the Gospel, and yet so often I don't believe it.  I trust in my production.  I make it all about me.  I guess I'm asking, too, that as students might start to pull away due to school and such, I would not be discouraged by that or measure God's work based upon that.

Last night Kevin spoke on Mark 4:35-41, the story of Jesus calming the storm.  This was my favorite story as a child.  We had a large kid's Bible story book, and I made my dad read it to me over and over.  I remember the pictures vividly, the colors.  It was a very colorful book, of course, it was a child's book.  And the pictures of Jesus and the disciples were very bold.  I remember the dark blue sea and the looks on the disciples' faces as they looked in awe.  Well, Kevin nailed it home last night.

He talked about how Jesus was able to sleep, able to rest, because He knew all along the storm was coming, He knew all along that He would be able to calm it.  As Jesus rebukes the disciples, He's saying why wouldn't you trust me?  We see the power that resides in Christ as He hushes the storm.  He's on our side.  He may bring a storm into our lives for the purpose of helping us, teaching us.  Again, Kevin talked about how it is not the strength of our faith that saves us, but the object of our faith, Jesus.  So, we ought always to look to Him.

Finally, Kevin gave an illustration.  He talked about his love for his children and how much he has to sacrifice for them.  He talked about how his son wanted him to buy for him a small toy the other day in Walgreens.  Kevin said no.  He knew his son had plenty and could not buy for him this toy that really would not satisfy him the way his son thought it would, and his son really didn't need the toy.  The boy immediately pitches a fit and implies that his father does not love him.  Ok... you know where I'm getting  at.  We do that.  God sees further than us, right.  He knows whats best for us.  He withholds for our good.  Yet, I want to accuse Him of not loving me as much as the next person because it looks like someone else has what I want.  Yet, He knows precisely what I need.  Not only that, He gave EVERYTHING.  He loves us a lot!!!  A lot.  He gave His life.  He gives it to us today, just like a father gives his life to his son.  Yet, Jesus's love goes so much further than even that.

Anyway, I was in tears.  I needed to hear it.  I've been on a high for most of the time since I've been here.  But, lately its started to go away, and I've been realizing that I'm not at home.  I've been feeling lonely and wanting to throw a pity party.  Yet, everything I just wrote has been a reminder to me, that one, God's for me, that all of this is for His Kingdom and not my own, and that I can't measure what He is doing by my circumstances.

Wowowow.... this has gotten long.  I apologize!  I just felt a need to update and to write.  Here are just a couple of pictures, cause we always need a visual right?  I only get pictures off facebook, so you may have already seen them.  Sorry.

Hiking on Pilot Mt. with roommate and friend.

At Chi O Halloween date party... with my "date".  We were Woody and Jesse from Toy Story.

Kathleen and I.