The revenge of the meter man...

In the midst of a super busy end to the week, a funny story must be shared. Im thankful to have gotten some exercise out of the whole thing too. So, Im sitting in Cambridge Coffee on South College and my phone alarm goes off to tell me my meter is up. I nonchalantly rise from my little table and speak to a friend or two, only to see the meter man walk by the door... dum dum dum. (might i add, he was wearing a white headband and he had the cutest little mid life crisis belly hanging over his blank pants).
I end my conversation and jet out the door (quarter in hand), as the meter man gets closer and closer to my expired meter. I race past him (and hear JP from his car on College street yell "run boy, run!"). I beat captain headband just in time, and drop my quarter in. He doesn't even crack a smile or say anything as i smirk at him out of breath (lame-o).

There it is, saved myself $5, today is neat.

Update?

So Im sitting here at band practice waiting to record my part and im bored so i decided to write a post. I know, im overdue.

My summer has been uneventful to say the least. I just feel like im going through the motions in this whole school thing and Im looking forward to being done in December.

I made an A in my Intro to PR course so that's just neat, and my news writing class is a just a few columns here and there.

The Plainsman practicum has turned out to be stressful. Only having two business days to contact appropriate sources and then making the Monday deadline can be rough during a crazy week. So that's my school life in a nutshell.

I've had some great design opportunities come up recently that Im excited about. Ill be working Stacy Wood in the Ag Communications and Marketing department in AU COA. She is basically tutoring me in design theory, layout and whatever else is involved with the field. It's fantastic, its neat. Under Stacy, Ill be designing the new Ag Comm info brochure and the cleaning up the monthly Ag Combine student newsletter. I can't wait to see the final product.

Boring i know, im looking forward to the fall. War Eagle.

Passion Regional Conference ATL

The Lord is so faithful. I wasn't even planning on going to this conference, but last Tuesday a ticket became available. I am really glad i got to go. I'll say this until the day I die - there is something to be said about our generation- when we come together in a corporate setting like this conference- watch out! The Lord moves in hearts and His kingdom is advancing in a overwhelming capacity. We are not settling for complacent faith, a complacent God or a quiet heart. Love wins and this generation is taking the love story of the cross to the ends of the earth. The gospel is living and and active, wow, was this apparent! In a world that has so many distractions, the gospel still shines brighter and the message will never get old.

I've been challenged to dig into my faith and begin to address the questions I've wrestled with for far too long. You can talk the talk very easily and most of the time, fake the walking, but truly passionate Christ followers have this authenticity that is unbelievable. It's a Holy Spirit thing undeniably.

Freedom is the song of my heart at the moment. Do i really understand it? I strive to, Holy Spirit willing. i know i want it.... need it daily. In boldness i walk towards the cross and its message.

D-Now Crestview, Fla

Man, i love this church. I've had the blessing to share life with these youth for the past three years now. Wow. They have grown so much...it's beautiful. The weekend was about our identity in Christ. We looked at Saul's conversion to Paul. Saul led a life full of persecution and hatred yet, still considered himself a devote religious Jew. Jesus intervened and well, you know the rest of the story- he became a world changer, a history maker. He advanced the Kingdom. At all costs Paul knew the message of the gospel had to be preached. Even in prison chains and under house arrest awaiting trial, he still persevered for the Kingdom. His life was not his own. "To die is gain and to live is Christ!" Oh man, the conviction this brings! How many times do we read this verse and simply continue reading? Do you hear and understand what Pauls is saying!? TO DIE IS GAIN AND TO LIVE IS CHRIST! Oh, how i long to live that out in my daily life! How different my days would look, how transformed my mindset would be! Paul simply chose to see and believe his identity in Christ on the Damascus road that day. He didn't understand it fully but he was obedient.

My 8th grade guys were blown away by this story. They have heard it countless times in Sunday school im sure but im confident that it really took root in their hearts and minds this weekend. The beautiful truth remains. The transforming God of Saul to Paul is the same God today, he IS UNCHANGING! He removed the scales from those 8th graders' eyes. With the scales removed, they can see who they are in Christ! They can find eternal identity and begin to wrap their minds around what die to Christ to gain everything really looks like. Praise the Lord for refreshing me with this truth. Praise the Lord for freedom in himself.

Love dat Peter...(the second)

Not wanting to start studying for finals i decided i needed some perspective...and boy did i get it. Just want to write a quick note proving his faithfulness to me. Once again as crazy as my life is right now he remains bigger and better. :: 2nd Peter 1.3-4 (soak this in) ::

As we know Christ better, his divine power gives us EVERYTHING we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness! And by that same mighty power, he has given us all his rich and wonderful promises... make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence which leads to knowing God better. Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone.

Pretty much sums up our purpose and how to get there... study time now.

Light of Gracious Love

Sittin in cambridge coffee, my home away from home and the Lord is faithful... i sit back and think how crazy this is... (his faithfulness in and to His word) the creator of the universe chose to speak life right into my life in a way only he can do in Auburn Alabama while drinking coffee on a regular old Tuesday morning. And, he is the same faithful father to all creation everyday, at all times, always, never changing ... for all eternity. He chooses to love us faithfully and he is so much more commited to my heart then i ever could be to him. So, i am loved by the Father and therefore because of Christ's compassion for me i am charged to shed the light of love and walk as a child of light. |Eph. 4.29 - 5.21| i read over those verses and was convicted and floored by the perspective my heart gained.

We are to be imitators of God... and live a life of love. We are challenged to hold our tongues, remove ourselves from bitterness and cast hatred far from our hearts. So many times because i think im a "nice person" and rarely have beef with anyone that my heart doesn't harbor these things towards people. Man was i wrong, i sat back and really dug into my heart and discovered some things that Christ has already set me free from yet i was still holding onto. "Walk as children of light because everything exposed in the light becomes visible... so therefore, wake up sleeper rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you."

Walking in grace and love (children of light) assumes something. That anger, bitteress, greed, jealousy, pride or sexual immorality are not the dominant feeling of our hearts.

We are beloved children of the King, walk in it.

Honduras SB2K7

So much is going thru my head and heart since i've returned, man. It's even hard to put into words when folks ask... pictures hardly do a justice. Its just hard to articulate how the spirit of God moved in my heart while in Honduras. The bottom line (and this is gonna be a short post cause im sleepy but i didn't want to forget what needs to be expressed right now) and the song of our team's heart while in Hondo was this truth which holds so much hope for all creation, "Life flows from God" don't miss it, its not super deep, but it is the basis for each breath we take as Christians. As much as we were going to "save" and be Christ to a poor people, i was saved. I saw how beautiful His life flowed out of every dirty face, every little smile, every grubby outstretched hand and every conversation i attempted to have in my broken spanish. For now, ill just say Hondo was a celebration of life and how he is the perfector of it. He holds it all together. And whether we live in a a huge air conditioned home or a shack on a side of a mountain, Christ promises to be ENOUGH in every circumstance. He is good and life is made complete thru his suffering. He poured himself out for all... LIFE FLOWS FROM GOD