Tales From The Yellow Brick Road

• Twitter and Wordpress are fighting… #

• Exiled to Starbex #
• This morning it paid to get pissed… #

• Had some great food and some great laughs at the Comm Dept party tonight… #

• women’s chamber choir was awesome! #
• Announcing for the final home baseball game of the season at TMC #
• Saw John MacArthur throw out the first pitch for the final home baseball game at TMC… #

I heard the Women’s Chamber Choir here at TMC sing this awesome song tonight. It was a great reminder of some things that I need to be focused on right now.

Here is a link to a recording* that was done for the TV Show “Life” on NBC. It only has the first and last verse but it’s a great version and a very pretty voice.

“Sweet Hour Of Prayer”
Words: William Walford

Music: William B. Bradbury

-

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
that calls me from a world of care,
and bids me at my Father’s throne
make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
my soul has often found relief,
and oft escaped the tempter’s snare
by thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

-

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
the joys I feel, the bliss I share
of those whose anxious spirits burn
with strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
where God my Savior shows his face,
and gladly take my station there,
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

-

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
thy wings shall my petition bear
to him whose truth and faithfulness
engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since he bids me seek his face,
believe his word, and trust his grace,
I’ll cast on him my every care,
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

*LINK FIXED

• Rejoicing that the toughest and saddest day in my life so far is over… #
• Outlining NT Outlines… #
• Free Starbucks 2 days in a row!! #

Today was probably the hardest day of my life so far. Unfortunatly I now know that there will be a few more to come in the near future.

Today I fought in a battle. It was not just a physical battle but it was an emotional and spiritual battle as well. There were casualties on both sides and no real winner can be determined. I have simply lived to fight another day.

Much like the end of The Two Towers, the story hasn’t gotten any better… In fact, things are as bad as they have ever been and there are more sinister things in store.

And so with the battle of Helm’s Deep behind me, I turn now and focus my energy on the battle for all of Middle Earth.

Watch this clip…

Now watch this follow up…

I personally know a lot of churches that would not have this type of response if their stuff got stolen. A church with millions of dollars in assets, a large congregation, a large staff and nice piece of property probably wouldn’t take the approach that Kinetic Church is taking. They’d probably call the police, get a posse together and, when they found the culprits, would prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. No mercy, no grace, no unconditional love. There would be meetings, and meetings about meetings and the church would make sure that the culprits paid for their sin. Because isn’t that their job? Shouldn’t the church be the judge and jury for the sinners in this world?

I bet the leaders in one of those big churches would watch a video about a church like this and laugh long and loud, “How could they invite those sinners into their church after something like that?” Those leaders are probably angry saying, “We’ve got to teach people a lesson that they can’t just steal from the church and get away with it!” Those leaders are probably fighting the urge to call up Dave Milam and let him know just how foolish he is for turning the other cheek.

Then again there are probably some smaller churches, with a shoestring budget, one or two staff members and a group of overworked, under-appreciated volunteers. They get it… they know what it’s like to hope and pray that you get to stay in the same building each week. They know what it’s like wondering how the rent will get paid. They know what it’s like to scrimp and save just so they can afford to have the equipment necessary to get their church up and running each week. They know what it’s like to rely on God to run the church. The leaders of those churches are probably grateful it didn’t happen to them, but they are also grateful for what they have. The leaders of those churches aren’t shocked that a Pastor would offer those that wronged them an invitation to church. The leaders of those churches know that if the church can’t show the love of Christ, no one else will.

Wow this year has gone by quick! There are about 20 days left until this semester is officially over. Of course, this time of year the weather is nicer and folks are anxious to be free from the burden of reading, papers and projects. For me personally this semester has had its ups and downs, highs and lows, triumphs and trials. But overall, my classes have been great, and once again I have proved to myself that this school thing isn’t just about getting good grades. That it’s about growing and learning how to keep growing for the rest of your life.

Registration for next year has already been going on for a few weeks and I’m still putting the finishing touches on what classes I’ll be conquering next semester. A few of the faculty here are trying to rope me into their classes and although it would be fun to take them, I can only be in so many places at once. Among the potential classes I will be taking next year are Poetry, US Church History and Christianity And Film. If my schedule allows, and I don’t have to take more than 18 units, then I’ll give them a whirl.

Also, next year holds many changes for the campus as a whole, as well as for me personally. In campus-wide news the two off-campus dorms for guys are closing down, which means those guys will be living on campus next year. I know it is a big change for them, and most of them are a little disappointed that they are loosing some of their freedoms. For those of us on campus, things are going to be quite cozy around here since we’ll need to make way for 60+ guys.

For me personally I have accepted a position on Servant Leadership Staff as the Media Production Assistant for Chapel Media. For those of you who don’t know, Chapel Media is not only responsible for all the media shown in Chapel, but they are a team of Master Story Tellers. From weeks before the first new students arrives right up through finals week these guys keep busy taking videos and pictures to record God’s work in and through this campus. They are at almost every event doing their best to leave their digital mark on future generations. And now they have added one more weapon to the team!

The website is officially off and running. We have a few posts on their from all of us in the family and we’ll be posting a medical update as soon as we can.

Please be patient as we continue to expand and add new features.

http://deborahames.org

There was nothing that was going to bring me out from underneath that desk. The teacher had made it clear that she would not listen nor would she be reasonable. My request was not that outrageous, I simply wanted to help the other kids in the class with the assignment. You see my regular teacher was gone that day for a teacher’s conference of some kind and our class had been placed in the hands of a substitute teacher. Substitute teachers have a bad reputation and this particular substitute was one of the reasons why.

In third grade I was a problem child. My behavior was out of control from all of the energy coursing through my small body. I had no control over it, nor did I know what to do with it. As a result, my regular teacher, Mrs. Scudder, recognized that I had a problem and was bound and determined to help me rather than punish me for something that I couldn’t control. We had a deal that if I finished an assignment quicker than the other students that once it was checked by her or the teacher’s aide, I was to help other students in the class that were having trouble instead of sitting back at my desk and kicking the chair in front of me non-stop for five minutes.

Today there was a problem. The Substitute was unaware of the peace treaty that was in effect and when I turned in my page she told me to sit ay my seat quietly and wait for the other kids to finish.

“But I’m suppose to help the others,” I said nicely.

“No. You are suppose to sit in your seat quietly,” she said rudely.

“But Mrs. Scudder lets me help the others. I think I should help the others.”

“Mrs. Scudder is not here. I think you should do what I tell you, otherwise you will have to turn over a card.”

Let me pause briefly and tell you that turning over a card meant the first strike in a three-strike process. There were three cards to turn over. If you were a perfect “A” student you stayed green all day. If you messed up once but were behaved the rest of the day you had to turn over a card and you were yellow. If you continued to disobey you had to turn over the final card to red and you received detention and had to go the principal’s office.

After my recent agreement with Mrs. Scudder I hadn’t had to turn over a card in almost a month and the thought of turning one over now was horrifying. My Mom had promised that if I could go a month without turning over a card that she would take me to Chucky Cheese. Of course this was in the day when Chucky Cheese was cool and not ghetto. Back in my day it was a reward not a punishment like it is today.

And so I was faced with a dilemma: Do I obey the teacher and attempt to sit still or do I give up my chance to go to Chucky Cheese? I quietly turned around and headed for my desk, resigned to keeping my legs from going crazy. As soon as my butt hit the seat I knew I was in trouble. Jason Fry, the mean bully that sat in front of me turned around in his seat and flicked a piece of paper at me. Normally, I was successful in ignoring the little twerp but my routine had been damaged, my foundation for the classroom environment had been shaken. I was in no mood to put up with his shenanigans. In a moment of anger I grabbed the piece of paper and threw it back at his face.

Immediately his hand shot up, “Teacher!” The Substitute looked up from the desk, stood up, and headed my direction. I reached for a book in my desk to pretend to be reading but it was no use.

“Cliff threw this at me,” said The Twerp.

“Did you throw this at him?” asked The Substitute.

“He threw it at me first.” I said.

“Turn over a card,” said The Creature (The Substitute).

It was at that point that I lost it. This Creature had come into my classroom, had done the lessons out of order, had sided with my arch nemesis and had ruined my chances of gaining the recognition and positive attention that I deserved for improving my behavior. Now it was my turn to pay her back.

* * * To Be Contnued * * *