'Tis The Season

Since all of my students are gone, and I spent LAST week catching up on paperwork, I am going to take this dead time to reflect on my year as well as my upcoming trip home to Iowa.

As I think about 2005, I remember it starting out back at White's and toasting the New Year in the cottage supervising 12 troubled teenage boys. We were all depressed because we were stuck in a place that we didn't want to be and we all toasted to the goal of "Not sitting here in the same place again on NewYear's Eve 2005/New Year's Day 2006". The depressing thing for me at that point was that I had been sitting in that EXACT same chair the year before supervising the cottage.

So, after that rousing start, 2005 has been "The Journey Back to Life" for me. I had set out personal goals of sticking with my Masters program, Following the Candidate process of Student Development through to the end (wherever God would lead me), sticking with a workout program, and making sure to tell my family that I loved them every chance I got=

Well, 3 out of 4 ain't bad! I spent the first 8 month of 2005 pursuing every Hall Director position at every little rinky-dink Christian College around the United States and Canada. I am thankful and proud to say that I feel that I was truly diligent to going wherever God wanted me to go. I look at this search process and am humbled by God's mercy in so many ways: I had phone interviews at school's in Mississippi and Florida-I even got a campus visit down at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida=Both of these areas were hit hard by the hurricanes! I had a campus visit to a school outside the Twin Cities in Minnesota-This visit taught me that since God made me and my desires, strengths, and abilities, that it is totally ok to look for the things you want in a job while trusting in God to lead you there. I finally got an offer from McMurry University in Abilene, Texas, and while this hasn't been my 'ideal' job, the opportunities to come in and help build a great Student Development program are here: the people want it and there are some good people here. It will just be hard to change a culture that has been content with mediocrity for so long. We should all be able to grow together!!!

I am excited to say that I am on track to finish my Masters Degree in May!!! Just in time to go to the National ACSD at IWU and gloat!!! Just kidding-I am so amazed that somehow I have been able to stick it out and had the ability to do really well in this program (I didn't do so hot with my undergrad grades!)

Now, to the most important goal that I met this year (You can all forget about having me say that I stuck to an exercise program! Like any of you did either=Put down that Fudge!):

LOVE. I think that one of the biggest reasons that I struggle in my daily walk is that I feel unworthy of God's love sometimes. This has nothing to do with self-worth or self-esteem, I am thankful for who I am, I just really feel the weight of my failures driving the nails into Christ. I am so thankful for His mercy that at times I cannot believe that He only requires me to accept the Gift of Salvation and Walk On.

It doesn't take much for my heart to break
And you have done it For what seems like the millionth time
Whenever I hear Of your saving grace
And how you gave your life In exchange for mine

Sometimes I wonder why you even love me
And why you ever chose to call me child
Then I remember It's by Your sacrifice
I can say that I am yours and You are mine...."You are Mine" by Third Day

Lord, I never want to miss an opportunity to say I love you to my family, my friends, Or most importantly to You God. I want to put my life into the perspective that I have hope to share with others. I am definitely a Ragamuffin=Someone who has fallen/tripped up so many times and all that I can do is get up and testify to Your saving grace. Help me to remember that I am indeed blessed and that the only reason that I have the blessings of family, friends, and life is because you first loved the world so much that you came into this world and were willing to give Your life for me.

Thank you all again so much for the love and joy that you have brought into my life and may you all have a Blessed Christmas Holiday and a very Happy New Year!!!