The Good Ol' Days?...

If thirty or forty years from now you hear me bemoaning the state of the world and wishing for a return to the "good ol' days" of the early 2000's...slap me. hard.

I can say this, because I'm trusting that in thirty or forty years you will not remember my request. I don't want you to slap me. But I'm sure I will, at some point in my life, wish for a return to the good ol' 00's. I think that's natural.

But I do get confused when I hear people today, many of whom share my faith as well as my political beliefs, long for a return to the "good ol' days." This nebulous golden age can stretch from the late 1940's to the early 1990's (November 1992, to be exact...). And of course, the 1960's and 1970's are not included.

For some, the "good ol' days" refers to a period where one particular political ideology ruled the day. For others, it refers to a period where people were nicer, kids had better manners, and folks were more God-fearin'. For others, it refers to a period where there was actually good stuff on television.

Sure...I've fallen prey to this myself. It's easy to get caught up in the hype. The 1950's sound great! Everybody was so happy! Kids were respectful to their parents, Elvis Presley's pelvis-gyrations was about as raunchy as the pop-culture got, and everyone was patriotic. The most young people had to worry about was what to order at the soda shop, or maybe what to wear to the sock hop. Life was simpler. None of this technology to complicate everything.

Of course, there was also that whole racism thing. You know...the society that still believed one skin tone was better than another and had laws in place to make sure things stayed separate. There was the birth of ugly suburban sprawl and the repression of suburban women. There was the Communist witch-hunt in which innocent Americans had their reputations destroyed by a rabidly irrational (sometimes cold and calculating) fear of opposing viewpoints.

Basically...people were still sinful.

I'm not saying the 1950's were any worse than our current state. Goodness knows we're plenty screwed-up today! I'm just saying that people have always been the same. If kids in the 1950's had the resources available to kids today, they would be getting into exactly the same kinds of trouble. Is this technology's fault? I don't think so...I think it's called sin. The problem's not "out there," it's "in here" [pointing at myself.] And I'm pretty sure kids in the 1950's got into plenty of trouble...they just weren't able to post pictures of it on facebook.

It's easy to look around today and be overwhelmed. Everywhere you look, there's more evidence that our world is filled with sinners...that's us. Sometimes we might be tempted to throw up our hands and say "forget it!" America's done for. We're going to hell in a handbasket. Surely, this must be the end of the world. It's gotta be coming any day now.

What arrogance! First of all, this assumes we can look around world events and predict Christ's return (that, in and of itself, is a pretty big leap). Second of all, it assumes that we're somehow in a much worse position than the world has ever been in. Have we been that spoiled in America? A little over 200 years of relative liberty and democracy, and the moment things start to go down hill in the slightest...it MUST be the end of the WORLD!!!

Are we so arrogant that we believe America's fate on the geopolitical stage must be tied to God's timing for the end of the world? America could sink into the sea tomorrow, and the Church would still continue. God's work would still continue.

Christians have always thought they were living in the "last days." It's always seemed like the tribulation was right around the corner. But now? Good heavens, we have a President who says he's a Christian (but we all raise an eyebrow at that one). We have a Congress who's running up our debt like crazy, doing things like trying to give everyone healthcare. And don't get us started on the culture. Look at Lady Gaga. If Obama's not the anti-Christ, then surely she is. And did you know they can say the F-word once in PG-13 movies? What about these kids who can send naked pictures of themselves to each other on cell phones??? And then there's all this war and terrorism. Two words...WHAT'S NEW?

I don't mean to trivialize the sin that's running rampant in our world today. Abortion is a terrible crime that our country is allowing. God cannot take the murder of millions of innocent children lightly, and He doesn't take the rest of our sins lightly. He never has.

Nothing in our world or culture today is new. It's materializing in different ways than it has in the past, but it's sin, and it's coming from our hearts. There have been pagan cultures throughout history that make the USA look like one big Sunday school class. There have been brutal wars and holocausts. There has been rampant sexual debauchery. There have been ruthless tyrants. There have been overreaching domineering governments. And there have also been times when the Church has sat back and done nothing about it.

Sin is nothing new. We don't need the internet or raunchy music or bikinis to sin. That's already in our hearts.

Okay, so maybe the deterioration of American culture doesn't necessitate the end of the world. So what?

We need to get our heads out of the sand. We need to stop worrying about when and how Christ is coming back and simply trust in the fact that He IS coming back! We shouldn't just throw up our hands on our nation or, on the other hand, worry and fret about it's political direction.

It doesn't matter who's in charge, the call of the Church still stands. We, as Christians, are still called to minister to those around us, preach the gospel, and give glory to God. This happened for centuries, without the luxury of a "Christian" government.

We need to stop reacting against our culture and start redeeming it. We don't do that by lobbing cultural projectiles from afar. We don't do that by preaching anti-Harry Potter sermons and wearing Christian T-shirts that parody popular clothing brands. We do that by getting involved and getting our hands dirty. We do that by building relationships with our neighbors, and we do that by showing love and charity.

We do that by not relegating issues of social justice to the "liberal" realm. Why have we let the secular world take ownership of matters of social justice and civil rights? These things must not be placed ahead of the gospel, but any true understanding of the gospel will naturally lead to them.

Lastly, we must realize that our answer does not lie in politics. While I agree with much of what the Tea Parties stand for, I do get a little worried by the religious aspects that some attach to the movement. Christians should be involved with politics, true. It's just as holy of a calling as any other career, and we should have an interest in improving society. But our hope is not in Sarah Palin. Our hope is in Christ. In some ways, I fear a government that claims to be "Christian" more than I fear a government that is openly secular. We humans have a tendency to take that which is sacred and pervert it for our own goals and purposes.

So while it's easy to look back to some idea of the "good ol' days," let's remember that there has always been sin. There have always been atrocities. Our problems are not because of technology or too much government or raunchy entertainment...our problems are because of us! Let's not despair, because God is in control and our call is still the same.

When it comes right down to it, I need to be a little more focused on building a relationship with my neighbor and demonstrating the love of Christ than I am on denouncing Lady Gaga. (Besides...she's quite entertaining.)

Walking on Curbs

Has it really been more than a year since I last posted to this blog? Wow. Well, it's a new year and a new decade. It's time for a fresh start.

I was walking out of our church fellowship hall this morning, crossing the pavement towards my parked car. Our church's parking lot has these black-and-yellow striped speed bumps bolted into the asphalt, and I soon found myself doing a balancing act along one of them, putting one foot in front of the other. It wasn't until I reached the end of the speed bump that I stopped to think, "now why did I just do that?"

I tend to do things like that a lot. While going down a sidewalk, if there is a raised curb or landscaping bricks that I can walk along instead, I'm so there. While climbing a flight of stairs, I still see how many I can skip with each step. I don't do this consciously...it just happens.

But then I start reflecting on the fact that you don't really see many adults doing things like this in public. Here I am, a 21-year-old senior in college, preferring the adventure of walking on the curbs to the dull pragmatism of just walking down the sidewalk.

Does this mean I'm still in my childhood? Will there be a morning that I wake up and all of a sudden prefer the boring route instead of the exciting one? Maybe it's not so much a matter of preference as much as the self-control to adapt my behavior to society's standards of pedestrianism.

But when will this switchover happen? Will it happen? If that's what it means to be an adult, do I even want it to happen?

So what if I decide I want to walk on the curb, keeping my balance as if stepping off would mean certain-death, instead of trudging along the weathered thoroughfare like mindless cattle? Does this make me childish? Does it make me less of an adult?

Maybe someday I will outgrow this urge. Maybe someday I really will prefer to just take the interstate instead of the more interesting backroads. Maybe someday I really will prefer to just take one step at a time instead of challenging myself to take more, even if others are watching.

If I wake up tomorrow and prefer the dull way of getting to where I'm going, so be it. I guess I will have "grown up." But maybe I won't. Maybe I'll always prefer the more exciting way, even if it means other adults don't understand my reasoning or give me strange looks.

I think I can live with that. I think I might want to.

So the next time you see me walking along the rim of a big fountain, stare all you want. You know you want to do exactly the same thing.

Not so holly-jolly...

So Christmas time has rolled around again, well, for me at least. For the rest of America it seems like it rolled around back in October. But as Americans now decide they can freely and unashamedly start blasting their Christmas carols, bedecking their spaces with electric color, and wearing green and red, I just have a funny feeling that seems to have been growing more and more with each passing Christmas the last few years.


I know it's a used cliche to say Christmas has been commercialized. Duh. Welcome to the 20th century, oh wait, 21st century. But one of the things I've been noticing is just how much Christians have become all caught up in the culture's holly-jolly-ness surrounding Dec. 25, and less caught up in the wonder and joy that surrounds Christmas.


Obviously, Christmas is a time of joy. Christ, the Son of God, came to earth and became man to save us from our sins. We should be ecstatic! But is that really what we, as Christians, are getting so hyped up about this time of year? When we get that warm-fuzzy or that holly-jolly feeling, is it because we are remembering Christ's birth or because we are basking in the glow of the human virtues of love and generosity and hot cocoa by the fireplace?


While Christmas is about love and is joyous occasion, I think we often forget that the Christmas story is not a warm-fuzzy or holly-jolly story. Many of us Christians have this picture of the Christmas story stuck in our heads from our little illustrated Bibles of our childhood. The highly romanticized and softened image of a sweet little baby wrapped in a clean, white blanket laid in fresh hay. A rosy-cheeked mother Mary, probably in her late-20's, gazes lovingly at the child as she herself is wrapped in flowing blue and pink robes. Her steadfast husband Joseph stands guard over the scene, a stable that looks a whole lot tidier that many of our modern bedrooms illuminated by a warm glow of unknown origin. The nicely groomed animals, surely from one of the finest petting zoos in Palestine, just hang out quitely and nonchalantly in the background. And then come the shepherds. Fine, upstanding men. Nice and clean. I mean, who wouldn't want these guys coming to see your newborn baby? And they're bringing the absolute cutest little lambs with them. Awwww...I won't even talk about the we-three-kings-of-orient-are making the light-speed journey across the desert to reach the Bethlehem stable that night. And where did this pa-rum-pum-pum-pum drummer boy come from?


Okay, so maybe I exaggerate a little. But do we ever really think about what the Christmas story really is? When we read the words in gospels of Matthew and Luke each Christmas, do we really understand what they're saying, or do we just revert back in our minds to the images of the nativity scene on our mantle?


The Christmas story is one of hardship, of a light in the darkness. Scene: Nazareth. Basically, a slum. No tidy, picturesque Bible-times village here. It's a dirty, old, run-down slum. Mary, a very young girl, probably early teens, is a girl that's pretty ordinary. One day, she's visited by an angel. (we gloss over this so much...an angel! she was visited by an angel!) This angel tells her she has found favor with God (wow!), and oh yeah, she's also now pregnant with the Son of God. How would you take this? How do you have that conservation with your parents, let alone your betrothed, Joseph? What do you do when the pregnancy starts to show? When everyone in Nazareth now knows that this good-girl Mary, she's never really gotten in much trouble, is now PREGNANT, and she's not even married yet. Scandal. Big time. And Joseph...what's he supposed to do? His betrothed wife is pregnant already, and he knows it certainly wasn't him!


So we already have a story of heartache and scandal in a tiny, backwoods slum. After being visited by an angel himself, Joseph takes Marry as his wife, a step that surely cost him his reputation around town as well. And then, when Mary's is quite pregnant, Caeser Augustus decides it's time for a census and that everybody needs to go back to their hometown to register. This means, Joseph and Mary load up the mini-van and hop on the interstate to Bethlehem. Nope, Mary, very very pregnant Mary, must ride on the back of a donkey while her new husband Joseph is tasked with guiding them down the long and difficult road to Bethlehem. To make matters worse, as they finally start nearing town, Mary starts going into labor. Imagine her panic, not to mention Joseph's panic, at that moment. They arrive in town and find the inn, glad to finally be at their stop and relieved they made it in time. But no, the innkeeper says there is no room for them. Can you imagine Joseph pleading and begging with the innkeeper as his wife is still sitting on the back of a donkey about to have a baby? Finally, the innkeeper relents and tells them about a stable out back. Instead of the cute little wooden structure we often imagine, this stable was probably in a cave, which means dark, damp, and cold. Now, I grew up in the city, but even I know that farm animals are not nice and quiet beasts. Donkeys, cows, pigs, etc...and they're certainly not very clean. We have taken the term "manger" and turned it into some idealized notion of basically a cradle. It was a trough. Do we know where farm animals eat from in a barn? That was where the Savior of the world was to spend his first night on earth, with old hay as his mattress. Swaddling clothes were not the normal thing to put on a baby...they were used to bury the dead. So it was here, in this dark, damp, cold, dirty, loud stable where a young, tired, confused, and scared newlywed couple give birth to the Son of God. The shepherds that came to see this newborn King were men that basically slept in fields with sheep. That's not an easy, or clean, job. They were the low-end blue-collar workers, the surly, hardened men that dealt all day and night with the stubbornest animals created by God. These were the men the heavenly host sent to Bethlehem to worship the newborn King. Not the mayor, not the upstanding merchants, not Bethlehem's finest, not even the innkeeper...the shepherds, straight from the fields.


The story goes on. We all know it. We all know it didn't get much easier. We all know that King Herod ordered a massacre of all baby boys under 2 years old and Joseph and Mary had to flee with their baby to Egypt.




So yes, the Christmas story is one of joy and, as the angel said, peace on earth and good will toward men. But this joy comes from the fact that our Savior was not only born a man, but he was born into some of the worst of circumstances. This baby boy that Mary gazed so lovingly at would 33 years later have the sins of the world laid on his shoulders and be violently crucified to pay that penalty. Of course, that story ends with the glory of His Resurrection.

Christmas is not a time to be sad. It's a time to rejoice!

JOY TO THE WORLD, not because the ground is covered in snow, the lights are on the tree, and "It's a Wonderful Life" is on television, but because THE LORD HAS COME. As we receive our presents, we are reminded of when we RECEIVED OUR KING. LET EVERY HEART not be filled with all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season and vague, imperfect concepts of generalized love and generosity, but let every heart PREPARE HIM ROOM.

And Heaven and Nature Sing.

I think this is why I've been growing more and more uncomfortable with all of these culturalized celebrations of Christmas. Now I'm not going to go all Ebenezer Scrooge and swear off all merriment and celebration during the Christmas season, but I do want to take a different look at it. We Christians throw around the term, "Jesus in the Reason for the Season," but then we promptly restrict Jesus to His place in our nativity set and the Christmas Eve church service. A true celebration of Christmas is one where we are more caught up in and enamoured with the glory of our Savior than with a jolly old man in a red suit.

This Christmas, I want to find that joy in the Christmas story, that joy in my Savior. It just seems like all of this hustle-bustle, warm-fuzzy, holly-jolly spirit gets in the way. It's all fluff. What does it mean? Some incomplete, imperfect, vague notion of good will where everyone has a friend and gets what he wants? Our true joy is found in the ultimate and perfect notion of love...For Unto Us a Child is Born.

Church kids...

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. -- Romans 12:3-8

For the past few years, I have felt the Lord leading me in a certain direction, and it seems to be a direction that is looked down upon by other Christians. I feel like I am being led into youth ministry, specifically...church kids, like myself.

I can already hear some groans. Why on earth would I be called to minister to church kids? I mean, aren’t there millions of poor, starving people out there who have never heard about Christ? I must just be lazy, or even scared. I must just be trying to stay in my comfort zone.

Why spend time ministering to kids who have been raised in church by believing parents? Who are in good schools receiving a good education? Who have all their needs and many of their wants met? Why not pour all resources available into reaching the poor, needy, and lost?
Why? Because church kids need Jesus too.

Before I go any further, let me define what I mean by “church kids.” When I say this, I am referring to those who have one or more believing parents and have grown up in a church. Church kids participate in many church activities, most commonly their church’s youth group. They often have a lot of head knowledge about Christ and the Scriptures, but it does not necessarily mean they have a relationship with Christ. So by church kids, I do not mean Christian kids, although a large portion of church kids certainly are Christians. I myself am a church kid.

In just my few brief experiences working with youth groups, I have talked with many of these church kids. They seem to have it all together, at least outwardly. Man, I know that feeling. But like myself, just under the surface, there oftentimes lies a complete mess.

The Church today generally places most of its focus into reaching the unreached and at-risk kids in our communities. I specify “focus,” because the Church often pours plenty of resources into its own youth programs, sometimes too many. These programs often turn into glorified baby-sitting services.

Cool, cutting-edge, and entertaining, these youth worship experiences often center on the individual and his or her own personal experience. They go a long way toward helping our youth appear godly, making the Church feel much better about itself. But what kind of serious, authentic heart change is taking place? Are these youth being prepared to go out in the world after high school, become leaders in their churches, and advance the Kingdom themselves?

But while the Church’s youth manage to go through 6 years of youth group, graduate, and then leave the Church in droves, the Church remains blind. “They’re in church. They must be okay,” is still the mindset. “Let’s focus on those not in church.”

Not that it’s a bad thing to bring in the unchurched. That’s awesome! But when you bring them in to the already faulty system without addressing the root problem, you’re just feeding that problem.

If the Church wants to have a true impact on the next generation, on the young people who will be the leaders of tomorrow, it has to begin with its own.

The Kingdom of God is not designed to advance by blitzkrieg. Too often there is a “save-and-move-on” strategy. So many are reached with the gospel and caught up in some powerful moment, but as soon as the actual presence of the “invading force” has moved on to the next spiritual conquest, they quickly slip back to the old regime. It’s not enough to just have kids in a church. That much has been proven in America today as the Church’s next generation can’t seem to run away fast enough.

These youth need ministry, real ministry. They need people who don’t just expect them to come to church and behave, but they need people who care about them, love them, and are willing to invest in their lives, even self-sacrificially. They don’t need to be sequestered in some brightly-colored room with couches to just do their own “youth thing.” They need to be integrated into the church and have opportunities to minister themselves. Not just coordinated group mission trips or service days, but opportunities where their own individual, unique gifts and talents can be applied in the Church to the glory of God and for the advancement of His Kingdom.

Youth do not need to be coddled or to be entertained. They don’t just need people who will laugh with them; they need people who will cry with them and listen to them. People who will take time to get to know them and minister to their needs, not just a one-size-fits-all ministry strategy. Most of all, they need to be challenged. Youth today are bogged down by low expectations. (For more on this, check out http://www.therebelution.com/) They don’t just need ministry; they need to be able to minister!

The Church is not ignoring the problems facing its youth, but it’s trying to fix the problem with a brightly-colored band-aid when reconstructive surgery is needed.

This is why I feel called to youth ministry. I believe God has gifted me and given me life experiences that allow me to relate to this huge population of church kids. After all, I am one of them myself. As the World Magazine editor Marvin Olasky said,

“With much attention paid to converts, teens who grow up in the church sometimes
feel like second-class citizens in their own home towns.”

This is a problem. Converts are so important, but until the Church starts focusing on the youth within its own four walls, we will continue to see its next generation flooding out.
Obviously, we are all called, as Christians, to outreach of some form or fashion. And it is very true that we often grow so much more when we step out of our comfort zones and go new, sometimes dangerous, places. All Christians need to look for opportunities of service and outreach, not just in their own circles, but also out in the world.

All that I am saying is that within what many would call my “comfort zone,” I see a great need for ministry. Besides, I doubt you’ll find anyone who has done much work with youth in the church who will tell you it is all fun and games. Even in just my limited experience, I have been angry, frustrated, confused, etc., but I still love it. Many times, it’s not very rewarding, but it needs to be done.

I write this blog post partially to talk about the needs of church kids, but also to say that within the Body of Christ we are all called to different types of ministry. You don’t need to go live in deepest darkest Africa to be a true servant of Christ, unless that’s where He has called you. In fact, if He’s called us to serve Him right where we are, we would be disobedient to insist on serving Him overseas!

As Christians, we need to be supportive of each other. We need to thank God everyday for our brothers and sisters who are called to the areas of ministry where we are just not gifted or where we are not called ourselves. We should also not feel confined to our one niche either. Mission trips and volunteer service in the community are very important for the Church, no matter who you are.

I encourage you to look at how God has specifically gifted you. Take into account the life experiences and skills He has given you. Even take into account your own desires for ministry! Many times He uses our own desires to point us where He wants us to go! Of course, He sometimes calls us to go against those desires. We must be open to His calling, no matter what whether it’s to deepest darkest Africa or to the youth classroom in our local church.


-- btw...a good book to read on this topic is Growing Up Christian by Karl Graustein. Check out the website at http://www.growingupchristian.com/

A New Meaning for the word Homestay...

Wow, this thing is harder to keep up than I thought it would be. I'm so determined not to let this blog drift into the trivial frivolity that my old Xanga so often featured that I tend to just leave it blank rather than register my thoughts. "I should write something in my blog..." I think to myself. "But I don't have the answer to world hunger yet..." I reply, choosing instead to browse the endless world of Facebook.

Well, nothing profound today, either. I did have some thoughts on the election, but I posted those on facebook. I'm still trying to decide whether or not I want to double-post things on this blog and facebook. Besides, by now it's kind of late to be posting post-election reactions. To sum it up: stop complaining and pray for our new President. God is in control. But I digress...

CHOIR TOUR! Samford Ministries Choir took our fall mini-tour to Panama City this past weekend. This being my first tour to plan as the SMC Tour Officer, I now have a whole new appreciation for what Mrs. Hinkle and the Zimmermans did year after year for us in Covenant's youth choir. And this was just a weekend trip!

Indeed, we did go to my hometown of PC. It was quite a nice trip. We stayed at First Baptist PC's Family Life Center on Friday night and had a service project at the Rescue Mission's warehouse on Saturday morning.

Saturday afternoon we hung out around First Baptist and wandered around downtown Panama City for a while. The weather was gorgeous, and it was so nice to see the ocean again. If there's one thing I hate about Birmingham: it's landlocked.

Saturday evening we had a full concert at my church, Covenant Presbyterian, and then had an ice cream social afterwards. Choir tour after choir tour with my church's youth chior, filled with crazy homestays, and now it was I arranging them for the Samford choir. How strange! And my homestay brought a whole new meaning to the word for me, because...well...I actually got to stay at my home! It was so nice to sleep in my own bed.

We sang in the Sunday morning services at First Baptist and then headed back up to Birmingham where I now anxiously await the arrival of Thanksgiving.

Altogether it was a great trip. I was pleased with how it turned out. It was good to have the first tour I plan go to my hometown. It gave me a little practice first before I start jumping into unknown territory.

And now the planning begins for mega-tour in the spring! We already have a location picked out, but it's definitely a state secret.

But for now it's back to the hum-drum of class for a couple more weeks. Nothing too thrilling going on in the classroom. On the bright side, there are some other exciting things going on that keep me from being too sad that there is still one more month left of school. ;-) But that's neither here nor there...

Until the next profound thought or major event occurs, this is Stephen...signing out...

A Break for Fall...

I think Fall Break is a wonderful idea. How did I go all the way until my senior year of high school without knowing about this concept? It is certainly a welcome rest in the midst of quite a crazy semester.


And what better place to spend a Fall Break than in the Great Smoky Mountains? My family along with Josh Crute and his family have rented a cabin in Wears Valley, TN (which is just outside of Townsend, TN, which is just outside of Pigeon Forge, TN), and boy, does it have a view! The valley just opens up beneath our cabin, which has an entire wall of windows looking that direction. The sunsets are spectacular.


Josh and I drove up here on Friday to meet my parents (who have been here since Monday). My grandparents were here too, briefly. They left Saturday morning, and Josh's parents drove up Saturday afternoon along with his brother Jeremy, who is a freshman at Covenant College.

Saturday we did a couple short hikes and ate dinner at the Bear Camp Grille here in Wears Valley. Ole' Smoky Burger = delicious.

This morning my dad made his famous scrambled eggs with ham, and then he and I along with Mr. Crute and Josh and Jeremy headed out to tackled the 8 mile round-trip hike to Charlie's Bunion. (An odd name for a outcropping of rocks with a fantastic view).


Tomorrow, we'll be getting up early to do the drive around Cades Cove and see all the wildlife...deer, turkies, maybe even bear! Then we'll head into Pigeon Forge, do the whole "tourist thing" and ride go-karts, and then have dinner at the Apple Barn. This place is amazing! I've only eaten there twice, (high school senior trip and freshman fall break), but oh my goodness...I can already taste the apple fritters with fresh apple butter. MMM. That will be the highlight of the trip, but really, since when is the food not the highlight of my trips? :-)

We'll be headed back to Samford on Tuesday, which will be nice. Not getting back to classes, of course, but getting back to friends, etc. Also, I'll be co-leading the Sr. High guys Bible study at Faith PCA with the Faith college minister, Martin Wagner, and that will start on Wednesday night. I'm really excited about that. It'll be a great oppotunity. I'm loving Faith more and more each time I go. I have plenty of reasons why, but that's for another day's blog post about the Church... :-)

Well, time to go. The sun is setting behind Wears Valley, and dinner is being served. As you know, this blog will always play second-fiddle to supper.

Bird o' Prey...

Just had to share this photo I took today while walking back from the Caf. This is Samford's resident bird o' prey...a hawk perhaps? Any bird experts out there? But he's been seen more and more regularly around campus. Looks like this evening he just decided to chill by the fountain, although I was a little nervous getting this close to take his picture. He doesn't look very friendly...