Why I Do What I Do......

The Road I'm On............

The military personnel of the United States of America
are forever obedient to the duties assigned by their commanding officers.

Even in the face of fear and adversity, they walk out onto the battlefield to defend the honor and freedom of this country,without hesitation and disobedience.

Those who are in The Army of The Lord, have the same duty

to the will of The Almighty God.

Christians should always look towards the physical army,

for a very clear example of what God expects of using the spirit.

I GOT A NAME..........

Like the pine trees linin' the windin' road
I've got a name, I've got a name
Like the singin' bird and the croakin' toad
I've got a name, I've got a name
And I carry it with me like my daddy did
But I'm livin' the dream that he kept hid
Movin' me down the highway
Rollin' me down the highway
Movin' ahead so life wont pass me by

Like the north wind whistlin' down the sky
I've got a song, I've got a song
Like the whippoorwill and the baby's cry
I've got a song, I've got a song
And I carry it with me and I sing it loud
If it gets me nowhere, I'll go there proud
Movin' me down the highway
Rollin' me down the highway
Movin' ahead so life wont pass me by

And I'm gonna go there free
Like the fool I am and I'll always be
I've got a dream, I've got a dream
They can change their minds but they can't change me
I've got a dream, I've got a dream
Oh, I know I could share it if you want me to
If you're going my way, I'll go with you
Movin' me down the highway
Rollin' me down the highway
Movin' ahead so life wont pass me by........."I've Got a Name" by Jim Croce

I have to be honest to say that I have been struggling with motivation and direction lately. Most of the excitement and energy that I gained from seeing friends, family over the summer and hanging out with Student Development types has been soaked up in the bog of check-ins, emergency room visits, and tons of changes here at McMurry. I have also been struggling spiritually-really feeling exhausted and attacked in my spirit.

Jim Croce is a man that died in the summer of 1972-before I was even born-but his music has always spoken to me and I have always felt a connection to this man that never really experienced any commercial success before he died. The song, "I've Got a Name", has always comforted me and is my own personal anthem as I seem to always be called to walk down this road alone. But I am alone only in the sense that there is no one physically sharing all of my adventures-GOD is with me and always has been and will always be there. And like the fool I am and I'll always be (maybe part of the reason that I alone) I have been given a dream of reaching out to others. I am thankful that God has always provided those friendships and experiences that are "goin my way" so that I can roll along with them. The only thing that gets me through feeling unsettled in my spirit=like being a misfit to my family, and a poster child for what not to do in dating=is the fact that God continues to use me in spite of me. I know that God has not given up on me and that gives me the strength, perspective, and insight to have the energy to not give up on the students put in my charge.

I would ask for prayer that I continue to find new ways to seek and glorify God in all that I do as well as asking His direction for my future-wherever that may be. If I am to stay in Abilene, help me to find the strength to accept that charge and be an agent for change!!!

I'm still Alive!!!

I have been reminded over the past few weeks of the joys and hardships involved in devoting your life to pouring value into other people. I have been running on the ragged edge the last three weeks: working 7 days a week and getting only 4-5 hours of sleep per night.

I have been thinking a lot about my beginnings in Residence Life that date back to the "Glory Days" in Williams Hall, to my time with the boys at White's, to now my second year in Texas at McMurry University-the home of the Indians, no matter what the NCAA may say!

I was finally able to attend my hometeam Bible study tonight and they have been going through a study called Discovering God's Will and the discussion this week centered around pinpointing those people that we turn to for advice in different areas of our lives like Career, Finances, Family, and other major decisions. This discussion was great for me because I was able to think about a bunch of people that have impacted my life (in no particular order)-Dr Voss, Fetz, JMak, James Swanson, Brian Day, Pete Dupont, MOM, Joe, Jeremy, all of my broken hearts/unanswered prayers, Kirk Statler, and many others. Some of the most influential people in my life have been my RA staffs-both the ones that I served on and those that I was priviledged enough to lead-Guys like Matt Hare, Matt McKee, Darren Campbell, Rob Dawson, Jason Benjestorf, Peter Damaska, Jon Allen, Stacy Brown, Eric Nentrup, Todd Bushong, Brian Bradford, Troy Yeager, Seth , Josh Hall, Bobby Fannin, Jake Burns, Josh Kramp, and Dave Wingfield.

I feel like I am in a state of flux because there have been so many changes here in my working life at McMurry that I just don't know what God has in store for me beyond this year. Is there a future for me in student development in Abilene beyond 2007? Does God want me to give up on my dreams for working with students in order to open up an opportunity in another area?

These are the kinds of questions that haunt us all at some point or another and I have come to learn that the reason that I am allowed to struggle with these things is so that I can have the understanding I need in order to minister to college students who are struggling mightily with who they are in God's universe. What I DO know is that God has always been with me and I am so humbled that He has brought into my life friends that have stood the test of time. The picture at the beginning of this blog is a picture that I took this summer of a lamp that stands on the Indiana Wesleyan campus at almost the exact spot where the front of Williams stood. I will always look back on the lessons learned in Williams to light my way for the trials to come. Thank you God for providing a haven like Williams Hall for me to be able to grow and learn the lessons that I needed in order to become the man that I needed to be today.

Back from Louisiana........

Ok let's face it=I have been back from Louisiana for a little over a week now but it has been a hectic week of sharing what God did on the trip, fixing up the Jeep, and resting.

I think that it will take me a while to truly grasp all of the lessons that God taught me during this week. It was an amazing time of hard work, humbling reminders, and basking in God's presence. If you want to take a look at some pics from my trip to Louisiana or the rest of my 'Summer 06' adventure, click on my picture above!

We arrived in Baton Rouge on Saturday night so that we could go to worship on Sunday as well as have the day to recover from the 12 hour van ride from Abilene to Baton Rouge. The church we were partnering with-Fellowship Church in Prarieville, LA-was about 20 min away from our hotel and it was amazing to worship these people and see their heart for ministry and to feel God's presence in the room. It was a very moving service.

Monday brought about our first day on the jobsite and the beginning of what would have been problems for anyone other than GOD. Rain and overall wet weather in Louisiana (it was unbelievably humid and in the high 90's all week!) had led to the concrete slab not even being poured before we showed up. We walked on site to see the concrete crew pouring the slab. We were informed that this was not a problem=we would just build all of the walls on the ground and then lift them into place-keep in mind that this is a 15,000 square foot facility!

I walked around for a little bit not really knowing what to do, only knowing that I wanted to find a way to serve. (It is good to note here that the main theme from this trip is that the most important thing in serving God is to just be AVAILABLE!) I ended up latching on with a guy and his two sons-the Chaffins: Lawrence, and Spencer and Matt. We began to pound together the walls and I ended up helping to carry a lot of the heavy supports for the windows, doorways, and corner. I didn't find out until about 3/4 of way through the day that the reason these guys looked like they knew what they were doing is because they did=Lawrence builds houses and Matt and Spencer had been roofing for him all summer. They killed me on the first day. I ended up having some medical issues (too personal to mention here) and ended up taking Tuesday morning off.

When I returned to the worksite on Tuesday afternoon, I was really frustrated because I really believed that my attitude was one of just wanting to serve and I couldn't understand what God was trying to teach me as I watched others work. In my mind I could see things that I knew I could help with but had to accept the reality that physically I couldn't. In this time of humbling, I got my teaching lesson in the form of four guys who were working in the Wood Shop-Jon, Roy, Dewey, and Derek. None of these guys had ever worked in the Wood Shop before-they walked on to the site and found a way to serve. It didn't matter to them where they were serving or if they were even recognized for doing it. People needed boards cut to attach to the structure and they met that need-keep in mind that 3 of these guys are in their 70's! I was able to work along side and learn from these Godly men. I count myself honored to have served with them. I cannot wait to see them again next year wherever ChurchBuilders goes to serve next year.

I challenge each of you that reads this to pray about ways to serve-whether that be in the communities that you live OR by accompanying me to ChurchBuilders next year. Texas ChurchBuilders goes to serve the third week in July and has done so for every year for the last 30+ years. I hope to see you all there next year!!!

Back to Abilene.....

Tomorrow I make my way back down to Abilene. I was talking with my brother Joe on the way back from seeing Pirates of the Caribbean and I was thinking about how much is uncertain during this next year and how much potential for change is on the wind. It's also amazing to me how my time off so far has seemed both short and long all at the same time. When I think of going back to Abilene, it seems like its been forever since I have been there but it also feels like my time here in the Midwest has flown by. It has been an amazing summer-one that I will treasure always for the experiences as well as for some of the things that I learned about myself.

To recap: during my time at home, I got to watch my brother Joe finally marry the girl of his dreams; I have spent time with friends at White's; friends who used to work at White's; been to an amazing Student Development conference where I not only got fired up for ministry but also put to rest some old demons from my past; I got to party with Jeremy, the Indians, and Toad the Wet Sprocket in Indy; I was able to spend time with brothers Ben and Andy and take a day trip with my dad that many wish for in traveling to the Field of Dreams and then on to the Mississippi River Museum. I came home from time up north with my dad to find out that I will soon get to begin the new adventure of being an uncle sometime around Thanksgiving=Thanksgiving indeed!!!

During my time away from Texas, both my staff and my reality for this next year have changed but I know that somehow this is going to be a year to remember in terms of opportunities for growth and new experiences. I look ahead to it all with anticipation but cannot help but feel the butterflies of uncertainty as I say goodbye to my family in Iowa.

Goodbye Iowa...........................Hello Abilene!!!

Are the Pacers the new Knicks?!?

Today the Indiana Pacers completed the Ron Artest saga by getting nothing in return for his services. Peja Stoakovic agreed verbally to a tender offer from the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets.

WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THE TEAMS IN INDIANA?!?

Indiana and Indianapolis have a rich history of putting together respectable, contending teams who fight for post season berths every year and give their fans hope that they will put all of the pieces together and bring a title to a proud, but title-starved state. This off-season, Indy has lost Edgerrin James AND Peja AND Ron Artest. It's funny and a little sad that the only way that the Pacers can hope to salvage any of this mess is to go after a player that they sent packing a couple of years ago: Al Harrington. Right now Indy has some attitude issues-they do not seem to understand the reality of today's sports market: the DOLLAR still reigns supreme.

IN CLOSING:

We need to take a moment of silence for the city of Detroit who were just shocked in their arrogance as Ben Wallace signed with the Chicago Bulls!!!

And now that that moment of stupidity is over-You HAVE TO take your hats off to the Bulls and the Hornets! Chicago is getting Ben Wallace-Shipping out malcontent Tyson Chandler and getting PJ Brown and JR Smith-and they are probably not done yet.
The Hornets just signed Peja, are getting Chandler AND signed Bobby Jackson (ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLAYERS!!!) away from Memphis to a 3 year deal=all in the span of 3 days!!!! The Hornets have Byron Scott as coach and the best up and coming guard in the league in Chris Paul! WATCH OUT!!

Take heart Indiana......................At least...................You have the Pacemates!!!

DAY TRIP!!!

Today was a fun day for me. I have been spending most of the last week hanging out with my dad and family here in Cedar Falls, Iowa. One of the things that we made sure to plan this year was some kind of day trip. We had talked about different things like Canoeing, Movies, and other things but we really wanted to try to do something that was uniquely Iowa as well as a special experience for the both of us. We found it.




Today, my dad and I made the two hour treck to the Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville, Iowa. I had watched the movie in preparation for our quest and it did not disappoint. Now I know that some of you may think="What's the big deal? It's just a baseball field, right?!?" To think this way is an indictment on the state of America today. To take from the movie, "Baseball has stood the test of time. Baseball is what has spanned the generations." Plus, I LOVE the movie. There was something spiritual about sitting on top of the bleachers along the first base line with my dad; Walking out to left field where Shoeless Joe Jackson had patrolled during the film; it was great for me and my dad to pose at home plate, bat in hand, as if we were ready to take a shot and wink at the picture just before our triumphant moment in the sun. It was an experience that I will take with me and treasure for the rest of my life. I hope that I will be able to go again someday and will definitely take the time to take my kids if I am blessed.

We also went on up the road to Dubuque, Iowa to the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. We spent almost 4 hours exploring the grounds and what an amazing time we had here as well! It was fun to go through and learn about the great river, its history and its animal life. We also got to learn about some of the riverboat history and got to walk through and interact with a dredging boat that helps to maintain the speed and efficiency of the Mississippi. I, of course, picked up souvenirs from all of these places and look forward to sharing pictures.








Next on the list: Superman Returns, Friday at the IMAX theater in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and then on to Fourth of July happenings with my mom's side of the family.

SUMMER TRIP-DAY 17!!!

I am finding that one of the hardest things to do is get in front of a computer each day to write about some of the amazing things that I am doing. For example, in the last week since I have written, I have gone through another 3 days of an amazing Student Development Conference at IWU that has hopefully inspired me to greatness=God give me the strength to follow through on even HALF of the ideas that I have floating around in my head and it could be a great year. As I was leaving the conference, I ran into my old desk manager in Williams=Nate Lamb!!! He is such an amazing man of God that has really devoted his life to his family. I am humbled that I was allowed to have any kind of role in his development. It was great to reminisce about some good times in Bill Hall!!! If you think of it, please send up a quick prayer for him as they just added a member to their family=Lauren (she's such a cutey!) as well as for Nate as he is beginning Grad School!
Last Monday night, I got to go to an Indianapolis Indians baseball game-which was a ton of fun=my first Triple A game! Tuesday night had a barbeque with some great friends in Indy-Wed I got to have lunch with my great friend Brian Day in Kokomo and tour a couple's AMAZING home that has been a continuing project over the last 10 years, and then THURSDAY=I got to see Toad the Wet Sprocket in concert at a great club in Broad Ripple called the Vogue!!!


This was a great moment for me to have some time to hang out with Jeremy and listen to some great music. Toad hasn't really toured together in about 2 years and it was at least 4 years before that-choosing to each focus on solo careers and other things. Toad has always been a band that I have identified with and actually play their Greatest Hits CD, P.S., to relax to and even as background music to clean my apartment. There has always been something inspirational and soothing about their music. It was a great time and I am so thankful that Jeremy and I got to share it.

As many of you know, I am inclined to reflect on things, and this post is no different. As I was spending some QT in Indiana, I realized that I have no idea when I will be back in Indiana again. I spent so much time hating the state and resisting the "Hoosier" label that it kind of grew on me. I mean, I spent over 9 years of my life there. I still have a large group of friends there who some could be called family (I hope that you know who you are!). Also, Indiana provided a good starting point to visit friends in Michigan and Ohio and it was a pretty sobering thought to not have any idea when I might be seeing some of those people again. Next year marks the ten year anniversary of my college graduation, which is traditionally celebrated at Homecoming. The problem is that I don't get a lot of vacation and I am pretty busy with my own college schedule responsibilities and so I doubt that I will make a trip to IWU next Fall. We shall see. At this point, no one is really talking about it. So, here's to Indiana=God has used this state to shape me and teach me things that make me the man that I am today and I am thankful for all of it! To everyone still behind, know that I take with me the memories and lessons in my heart and thank each and everyone of you for the part that you played in my life!

To quote one of my favorite Toad songs: "I will not take these things for granted!"

ACSD National-DAY ONE

Monday marked the first official day of my journey inside the Association for Christians in Student Development's 2006 National Conference at my alma mater, Indiana Wesleyan University. As you might expect, I have been flooded with all sorts of different emotions regarding my return to this campus, as I have both worked here & been shown the door here with a pink slip in hand, as well as having been a student here for 4 and a half years. I also have added to the mix that I spent 2 and a half years working just 20 min's up the road-So I have spent a considerable time of my late 20's and early 30's involving this little patch of corn in rural Indiana and it has actually been fun to relive some of those memories and share bear hugs with some of the great friends that I still have here. I am sure that there will be future blogs regarding some of my memories and reflections on my time here in Indiana but for today, I want to reflect on the first day of the conference and some of the things that I took away from the opening night keynote speach by Dr. John Maxwell.
I ended up taking two legal-sized pages of notes so I will not overwhelm anyone with all of those thoughts but I will try to break it down. Now, it needs to be said that I generally do not care for some of Maxwell's stuff. He has some great ideas but I just feel that he really could have stopped at one book instead of how ever many he has put out because they all feel like regurgitated ideas from the first book. That is just my opinion-This is my blog and I am entitled to it!

Anyway, he did have some good things to say that inspired me to reflect on my ministry at McMurry and it was fun to be sitting with the folks from Abilene Christian University during the speech. Here are some snipits of what I came away with:

"Leaders make the position-A leadership position doesn't make a person a leader."

Leadership equals Servanthood=How can I lead through service in my current
position?


[ ] How can I better serve my RA's? Have I changed enough to be ready/credible to make a difference & be an Agent for Change at McMurry?

[ ] Can my vision/Passion allow me to stay in Abilene long term?

[ ] Can I stay in Abilene and still be involved in the ministry of Student Development?

[ ] What new opportunities can I explore this Fall? This Spring?!?

"We teach what we know, but reproduce what we ARE....."

[ ] Do what have managers or leaders at McMurry?

Managers=Manage the Status Quo
Leaders=Prepare Way For Change
Pursue Excellence

Climbing Ladders OR Building Bridges

Self/Competition --- Relationships
Steal from Others --- Add Value

POSITION=If you're not enough without it-You'll never be enough with it.

These are just some of the things from DAY ONE which was only a HALF day-just think about how much more I am going to be learning now that we are into the seminar portion!!!

JOE & ANGIE'S WEDDING DAY!!!

Today was a very long but amazing day for me. I got to see my brother Joe get married. I would have to say that Joe and I are the closest of all of my brother's and it was a great thing to see him so happy. I have been blessed to be a part of many weddings and I feel honored that I seem to be the guy to have the "gut check" conversation with the groom right before he walks down the aisle. I was able to do this with Joe today. I enjoyed being able to talk with him through his nervousness, excitement, and joy. As times like these always do with me, I just found myself thinking a lot about times with Joe in the past, ways that I've seen him grow into a man that I love and am proud of, as well as being thankful for the many blessings that God has allowed me to be a part of in my life. This wedding was a blessing and I am so proud of the commitment that Joe and Angie have made to each other today. I have to admit that I teared up a little when the pastor shared some of the reasons that Joe and Angie said they loved each other. All in all, today made me so thankful for my family, my friends, and the possibilities of deeper friendships and opportunities to come!

For Fun

9 things
Current mood: A little sad to be leaving Abilene for 6 weeks

9 lasts
last place you were: movies
last soda: Coke
last beverage: Nestea
last kiss: never
last movie seen: X-Men 3
last CD played: INXS-Switch
last bubble bath: Christmas at home
last time you cried: today watching The Patriot-the scene where Mel Gibson's little girl tells him not to go

-----------8 have you evers.
have you ever dated someone twice: nope
have you ever been cheated on: not really
have you ever kissed somebody and regretted it: see above
have you ever fallen in love: not yet
have you ever been depressed: yes
have you ever hit another person: yes

------------7 states you've been to:
1. Iowa
2. Indiana
3. Michigan
4. Minnesota
5. Wisconsin
6. Florida
7. TEXAS!

-------------6 things you've done today.
1. Took a shower
2. Laundry
3. Did some homework
4. Talked to my best friend
5. Watched a thunderstorm
6. Spent time with friends

--------------5 favorite things: no special order
1. Possibility
2. Friends
3. Joe
4. Mom
5. Watching a storm roll in and smelling the rain

---------------4 people you can tell anything to.
1. Jeremy
2. Fetz
3. Ma
4. Joe

----------------3 things you wish you had.
1. Financial discipline
2. 15 min face to face with God
3. Courage

-----------------2 things you want to do before you die
1. Visit Wrigley Field
2. Find a place to call home

------------------1 thing you regret
1. Williams Hall.............and the Cove.

Motivation

I have to confess that I have been struggling with motivation when it comes to finishing my Masters degree. I am enrolled in two classes right now (which may not seem like a lot but it is double the workload that I normally have) and I am dreadfully behind in one of the classes=Finance. I have no idea if I will even pass the class which would mean more expense and could delay my graduation until December instead of August. Why can't I seem to find the motivation to finish? Why do my grades and learning not matter as much anymore? Where and when did I lose my desire to excel in my academics? Coming into my last 2 classes, I was carrying a 3.95 GPA and now that has taken a hit as I have had to retake a class and may now have to retake Finance (anything lower than a C equals a failing grade at the Masters level). Why can't I find the courage and dedication to finish the race?!?

***I posted this picture because two of McMurry's track athletes are performing really well and this guy, Han Ollison-who lived in my hall this year, has a chance to be a national champion in 4 different events!!! I am really proud of him! Check out his results here.

NBA DRAFT!!!

Last night, the Toronto Raptors secured the 1st pick in the 2006 NBA draft. Now, while I wholeheartedly believe that college hoops are SOOOOOO much more fun to watch, I like to have fun with trying to predict where some of these players that I have watched over the last couple of years will go. It is also interesting to see if you favorite team can fill some needs and get back to the playoffs or even to the Championship (A quick thank you to the Mavericks for ridding us of the boredom of watching Tim Duncan whine his way to another title!)

Anyway, who will it be? Who will go #1?!?


LaMarcus Aldridge?





Tyrus Thomas?





Adam Morrison?





Or Andrea Bargnani from Italy?!?






The concensus (today) is that the Raptors will go with Bargnani because their GM, Brian Colangelo, knows him well and would feel comfortable with taking the risk-seeing that Bargnani could be the next Dirk Nowitski.

I want to know what you think! THINK YOU KNOW COLLEGE BASKETBALL?!? Go to ESPN.com and try their DRAFT MACHINE to see how you stack up against the experts.

You can also see how I did by going here.

GOOD LUCK AND LET THE TRASH TALKING DEBATE BEGIN!!!

Air Show

I had an amazing day today. The weather down here in Abilene was amazing (Clear Blue Skies and around 95 degrees) but today was special because it was Abilene Appreciation Day at Dyess Air Force Base and I got to see the Fabulous Thunderbirds airshow (www.airshow.com, http://www.nellis.af.mil/thunderbirds/index.htm)!

I had enjoyed church in the morning, as I usually do, and we have been studying Philippians for the last few months now and the main theme for today was Phil. 3:12-14:

Pressing on Toward the Goal

"12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

I was struck with the reality during the sermon that I too often let those things-sins-of my past chain me to that life instead of embracing the grace, forgiveness, and NEW life that Christ has offered to me. I never seem to want to accept that God can forgive me when I can't seem to forgive myself. I have to learn to forget what is behind and press on....otherwise I will be of no use to myself, God, or anyone else.

I say that this was the theme because I was confronted with this singular focus that Paul must have had as I watched the Thunderbirds perform. If you haven't ever seen them I would highly recommend it.
They do some amazing things and maneuver within feet of each other because they are focused on the task at had, and the goal of precision is what drives them. I encourage us all to think about what is important in our own lives as we remember our service men and women who hold the line and tell those who would steal our freedoms and security, "Not on my watch" and they pay for those freedoms with their lives. I have a friend who is getting deployed to Kuwait on June 1st=for me the sacrifice on the military just became real.

I am proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free and I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me...

I also need to remember the goal of living for Christ and learning to forgive myself.

Reflection

The past couple of weeks have definitely been a roller coaster as we prepare for the end of the school year. Tuesday is officially "Dead Day" at McMurry where there is nothing scheduled on campus the day before Finals start so that students can finish up projects, papers, or in some cases, community service. I find myself reflecting on this year as I will be saying goodbye to some of my students.

At this time last year, I was struggling with direction and focus at White's in Wabash, Indiana because the management had taken a different direction and I felt in my heart that it was time for me to move on. It was a hard decision because even though my heart has never left collegiate ministry, there were a few students that I would be leaving behind that I still cared about. If there is one thing that has been reinforced by God this year, it's that He is always with me, every step of the way. All of the concerns that I had about my students, and my own direction for that matter, were answered. The one student that I was really worried about ended up getting placed in foster care will one of my best friends and his wife, who are some of the greatest, most loving people to set foot on God's earth. I am excited because they will love and care for this kid in a way that he has never had but deserves.
I also had most of my prayer needs answered once I got to Texas as well. I interviewed all over the country, having campus visits in Florida and Minnesota, as well as phone interviews in Mississippi, Massachusetts, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, California, Oregon, and Washington state! Once I got down here, I realized that I had never really committed to any of my 'stops' along the way because I seemed to always be looking to the next move or the next opportunity. Some of the things that I prayed for when I got down here was to find a quality church home that I could worship in that challenged me and motivated me to live out my faith. I wanted to be able to make friendships that would nurture me and provide that fellowship that I needed. I really wanted to try to find a home. I didn't want to keep looking back to Iowa and not living in Texas. I have found all of that. I have not felt this connected and excited about church since I was in youth group back in Iowa when I first became a Christian. I feel welcomed and challenged to get out of my chair and live for God all at the same time. I am involved in a Home Team Bible study on Tuesday nights that I really enjoy being a part of, with a group of people that I enjoy getting together with and enjoying their friendships. I truly feel blessed and encouraged to be included in their lives.

I also have this little thing called the RD job that I do here at McMurry which I will talk about tomorrow..............

God is with us

My home team Bible study group has been doing a study called "Giving-Unlocking the heart of good stewardship" by John Ortberg. Essentially the study is about studying the importance of giving of oneself to others and to God. The first couple of weeks were about stewardship, God's provision, and how to set the groudwork to pursue spiritual transformation in an area of your life. I was a little worried about entering this study because titheing is something I have never really gotten into and I have really dreaded. I have always struggled with discipline in my money spending choices and so titheing always seemed like something I could never afford to do. Titheing was always too much of a "chore" or "inconvenience" for me to be bothered with. Titheing actually fell in line as one more area of guilt that I couldn't find it in me to forgive myself.

Taking all of the above into consideration, it's really amazing that someone signed me up to lead our discussion of this week's session entitled, "Titheing:
A Training Exercise for the Heart". As I led the discussion and asked everyone what was the first thing that came to their minds when I say 'Titheing', they responded as I did initially: obligation, discipline, etc.=everything that leads us to view titheing as a chore that we don't want to do. The thing that encouraged me is that this "CHORE" mentality is not at all how God sees titheing. He views this discipline as an extension of the relationship that He wants to have with us. God loves us all so much that He has provided for our every need and by giving back to Him, we are paying tribute to His provision in our lives.

The 3 scriptures that we read were: Psalm 106, Matthew 6:19-24, and Malachi 3:8-12. The coolest thing in all of these is the fact that in verse 10 in the Malachi passage is that God actually issues a challenge! God says, "Test me on this." God wants us to test His promise and see if He will "throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have enough room for it."

Please join me in reflection this week on these issues:

Everytime I tithe, I remind myself that God is on the throne.
Everytime I tithe, I reinforce that all I have is from Him. He is the Owner, I am
the steward.
Everytime I tithe, I make a declaration, "I will trust you, God"--even when
trusting doesn't feel easy or natural.

I need to tithe to show my devotion and test God's promises in order to strengthen my trust in Him. Have a Great Week!!!

I WILL NEVER FORGET

Tricia Lynn Reitler

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance

Missing Since: March 29, 1993 from Marion, Indiana
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: February 9, 1974
Age: 19 years old
Height and Weight: 5'3, 105 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Brown hair, blue eyes.

Details of Disappearance

Reitler was a freshman at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana in 1993. She was last seen at approximately 8:00 p.m. on March 29, 1993. Reitler walked to Marsh Supermarket, which was approximately one-half mile from the university's campus. Reitler purchased a soda and left the store, intent on returning to her dormitory in Bowman Hall. She never made it there and has never been seen or heard from again.
Reitler's bloodstained jeans, shirt and shoes were discovered in a field near Seybold Pool and Center Elementary School, which is located between Marsh's Supermarket and the campus. Investigators said that 6 to 7 unidentified people were playing basketball in the Center School playground adjacent to the pool at the time Reitler disappeared, but none of the possible witnesses have come forward with information regarding her case. Authorities believe that Reitler was taken against her will while walking back to campus. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance.

March 29th, 1993 is a day that will be forever etched into my memory. I remember it like it was yesterday and I just get this empty, hollow feeling about losing Tricia Reitler. I remember all of the fear that surrounded our campus and how everyone had this overwhelming need to do something, anything to try to help bring back Tricia, and along with her, our sense that we lived in a safe, secure world free of the evil that had done this.

We were all wrong. I still think about Tricia from time to time. I worked with her in the cafeteria but I am ashamed to say that I didn't really know her. I had only been at Indiana Wesleyan for a couple of months and so I was still trying to get adjusted to everything. I remember seeing her working and saying Hi to her a couple of times but that was it. I remember Tricia as a reminder and motivation for everything that I do in my life now as a Residence Hall Director. I use Tricia's memory to remind me of how self-centered and naive we can be when we are young. I use Tricia's memory to help motivate myself and others in the world of Student Development to never forget her so that this kind of thing will never happen again-that the sacred trust that we take on as the surrogate caretakers for parents will not be forgotten.

I take this time to honor the memory of Tricia Reitler by making a pledge to her parents and all those that were affected by her disappearance to say that I have not forgotten about Tricia and I will make sure that no one else will either because the lessons learned from Tricia will continued to live on through the lives of the students that I, and others, minister to on a daily basis.

Please take a moment to say a prayer for Tricia Reitler and the Reitler family: her parents, Gary and Donna Reitler, and her sisters Melissa and Sarah, as well as her brother Garry Jr.

SPRING BREAK!!!

I just wanted to post a quick note since I realize that I have not written a whole lot on this Blog recently. I am currently down in "The Valley" of South Texas enjoying Spring Break with my dad, my stepmom, and my dad's parents. We flew down here on Monday and have been having fun not doing a whole lot of anything. We have just been playing things be ear so that we make sure to maximize our 'being lazy' time-as it should be during any kind of Break! Anyway, it was 75 and breezy here today so it was wonderful. We went and saw the original Iwo Jima memorial that they took a cast of for the one that resides in Washington, DC. I did not know that until recently. It was amazing to reflect on all those that have given their lives for the protection of our freedoms. It will be something that I will never forget. Tomorrow we are going down into Mexico to do some shopping and on Thursday we may try to find some beach front area that isn't overrun with drunk college students down near Padre Island.

Thanks for visiting and I promise to write again soon!!!

MARCH MADNESS-LADY INDIAN STYLE!!!

I am so excited for our Lady Indian Basketball team! We won the Conference Championship over the weekend and now we are headed to the D3 Dance! We get to host the first two rounds in our own gym and when we get to the Sweet 16, we may be awarded the next two rounds as well! The Final Four is in Springfield, Mass in a couple of weeks! I am so proud of these young ladies-I have 10 of the 14 members of the team in my women's hall-

GO L.I.B!!!

TOP TRIBE NEWS

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
McMurry set to host first two regional rounds of NCAA tourney

(Feb. 26) It's dancing time for the Lady Indian basketball team and McMurry will start things off Friday in a familiar place against a familiar foe.

Just one day after winning the American Southwest Conference Tournament Championship, the Lady Indians received word from the NCAA that they would play host to the first two rounds of the NCAA Division III national tournament. Their first opponent: Hardin Simmons.

Another Cowgirls vs. Lady Indians battle will take place at Kimbrell Arena Friday at 8 p.m. following Trinity and Howard Payne's matchup at 5 p.m. Howard Payne and the two Abilene universities are the only three teams from the ASC to reach the national tournament.

Though the Cowgirls lost three of their last four contests, they received an at-large bid and will come to Kimbrell where they lost to McMurry Dec. 12 73-65. The season series is split, however, as Hardin Simmons made sure to pay revenge to McMurry Jan. 30 on its home floor beating the Lady Indians 63-54.

McMurry is coming off of their first outright ASC West Division title and its first ASC Tournament championship after beating Mary Hardin-Baylor Sunday in Clinton, Miss.

If the Lady Indians advance past Hardin Simmons for a second time this season, they'll play the winner of Howard Payne and Trinity at 6 p.m. on Saturday. If the Lady Indians were to win both games they would gain their second Sweet 16 appearance under the helm of head coach Sam Nichols.

The NCAA requires that tickets be sold on a day-to-day basis during the tournament. There will be no all-tournament passes. Fans can attend both of Friday's contests on one ticket, but if they want to return for Saturday's game, they'll have to purchase another pass. Tickets will be $6 for general admission and $3 for students, children and senior citizens.

All of McMurry's games will be broadcast on KZQQ 1560 AM. The pre-game show brought to you by Kit Kimbrell and Leon Rawlings, Jr. will begin Friday at 7:40 p.m.