Happy 125th, OBU!

I’m always one of the last to find out stuff like this. But not this time. I ended up muting @Ouachita’s Twitter feed yesterday because they were retweeting faster than Walt used to recycle shepherd’s pie. My alma mater is 125 years old this fall, and they asked us to post what our first impression of Ouachita was. They then proceeded to retweet every hashtag of #OBU125.

I wish I had more of a sentimental streak, but my first response on seeing things like “the beautiful campus” and “friendly people, butterflies and puppies” was just to unfollow their Twitter account. I then felt bad about that. I wondered if perhaps some sweet old dorm mom was monitoring their unfollows. I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. So I refollowed them sheepishly but muted their feed in Echofon.

Then Amy’s post showed up in my RSS feeds today about this year’s OBU Blogabout. I thoroughly enjoyed last year’s posts by everyone (you can read mine here) and knew that I had to dash off an attempt on Tuesdays in September along with everyone else.

They want you to write about your “Favorite Ouachita Memory” today. Bleh. It’s like Amy said. You just can’t pick one. When I hear grads and current students from other universities talk about their college experience, I am somewhat smug. Truly. It’s just hard to top Tiger Tales.

Here goes…

So here’s a memory. It’s not my favorite. But it’s also not not my favorite.

I was driving back from Hot Springs – an enjoyable 35-40 minute jaunt from Arkadelphia. I noticed a lot more driving those days since we didn’t have cell phones. … Uh, not that I play with my cell phone while driving… But the stack of boxes in my 1981 Subaru GL were assuring me that there would be mayhem on campus that night. It was before the days of campus shooting tragedies. Life was innocent. And I had 10-12 boxes of Laser Tag guns that had gone on clearance at Kay-B Toys in the mall for $9.95 each.

The plan was simple. Collect my money from the guys who wanted a set. Divide up in teams. Wait until dark. Avoid campus security. Shoot the other team.

That’s exactly what our gang did. There was an addition to the business building going up at the time, and we were able to slip into the building and shoot out through the unpaned windows. We were amazed at how much range the Laser Tag guns had.

We ran all over campus, gyrating and ducking to prevent the light beams from hitting the glowing target on our chests and setting off the “hit” alarm on them. I actually don’t remember if we ever played again. It may have been a one-night, epic, OK Corral type of event.

I do remember all of us telling stories of heroic courage, sacrifice and amazing feats of testosterone-induced recklessness the next day in the cafeteria to our women folk friends. We orated. We exaggerated. We painted verbal Picasos of action and derring-do unmatched since the Trojan War. And the girls just ate their salads, nodded with feigned interest and continued their conversations about Whitney Houston and their latest hairbow purchase.

My first impression?

By the way, I didn’t tweet what “my first impression of Ouachita” was yesterday. I didn’t think they’d appreciate it. It was preview weekend. I stayed in my cousin’s dorm room. He was a Beta. So were his roommate and suitemates. They (not cuz) returned in the wee hours of the morning drunker than skunks.

I don’t think I told my parents – cause I really wanted to go to Ouachita (not for that reason).

I’m so glad I did.

Check out the commercial:

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Preachers liking liquor

It’s been somewhat hip in the past decade for some Christian leaders to advocate alcohol use in moderation. I’m not a fan. I guess I’m a teetotaler. It’s not because I fear it. It’s a wisdom and Christian liberty issue for me. While I try not to smear my conviction about alcohol use too broadly, the use (and misuse of alcohol) in many church circles is is an old issue that surfaces cyclically. Every generation of believers should allow their practices to be submitted to the scrutiny of scriptural truth.

Unfortunately, there is a segment of Christian leadership (mostly youngish) in the American church today that may be uncritically promoting alcohol in a way that undermines their authority to speak to issues of morality.

John MacArthur has written an article of great diplomacy and wisdom entitled Beer, Bohemianism and True Christianity on his site that you should digest. MacArthur speaks from the wisdom of accumulated ministry experience and scriptural study that for this issue is difficult to refute.

When the apostle Paul speaks of eating meat offered to idols in 1 Corinthians 8, he is presenting a situation that has caused great relational schisms among Christians in the early church. As you follow his thought pattern in that chapter, you see that he concludes with this statement in verse 13:

Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

The principle is that genuine love for others joyfully limits liberty.

Read MacArthur’s article and let me know what you think.

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Ode to Steve

I was recently called a “Mac troll” by a friend. It happened after I posted this link to my “Geeks” circle on Google+. I don’t know if he’s aware that he’s in my geek circle. He should be proud.

If it wasn’t enough that we survived an earthquake and a massive hurricane called Irene this weekend, Steve Jobs announced his resignation as CEO of Apple. The world really is coming to an end.

Me and Steve/Apple

I grew up when personal computers were not yet called PCs. Chris and Tony Franzetti in my neighborhood had a TRS-80, and I was amazed at how they could type endless lines of  code into it and produce a digitized drawing of a seal. Such was the usefulness of computers in the early 80s for the average teenager. We never had a computer in my house.

I was active on the yearbook and newspaper staffs at Pulaski Academy, and we had a monstrous typesetter that Mark Dalrymple alone knew how to coax wet, chemical-smelling strips of beautiful headlines and type out of. We’d hang the productions from a clothesline to dry before cutting them and pasting them into place. Then we’d take them to a printer.

When I went to college in 1986, I didn’t own a typewriter. When papers were due, I’d go to the computer lab or, more likely (because so many of us were unfamiliar with computers), I borrowed a typewriter from someone on the hall in my dorm. It was a glorious day when Mark Christie became my roommate in 3rd floor Daniel South. He owned a typewriter with automatic correction!

In 1986ish, Ouachita Baptist University’s journalism department purchased a slew of Mac Pluses, and Dr. Downs, the department head, challenged us to produce a “camera-ready” yearbook. What does that mean, we wondered? So began my love affair with Apple and the Macintosh.

My junior year, Mitch Bettis and I started a company called AdVantage Advertising in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. We got a small business loan from Elk Horn Bank and bought a Laserprinter and some Mac Pluses. We were early surfers of the desktop publishing wave. We had a blast before selling the company, and each of us moved on to grad schools.

My first personal Mac was a Mac LC. It looked like a grey pizza box. Little did I know that we were living in the era of Apple’s Dark Ages. Steve Jobs had left after a power struggle with CEO John Sculley in 1985. Sculley unimaginatively led Apple to produce dozens of bland, generic beige boxes. The only saving grace was the System 7 operating system within each. Steve returned to the company in 1997, and so began the meteoric rise of Apple with the release in 1998 of the first iMacs – a colorful line of bubbly computers.

Steve’s leadership transformed Apple. It went toe to toe with Microsoft, and Mac users weathered the taunts, abuse, ridicule about Macs not “being a real computer.” I remember the days when I began in campus ministry. A few years after I began, the Arkansas Baptist State Convention allowed me to get a Powerbook G3 (333, Lombard series). It was glorious, and it continued to run circles around all the homemade computers that PC students (PC now referred to anything with Windows installed on it and was known as a “Piece of Crap.”) would slave over. They’d spend hours piecing together the innards and then more hours troubleshooting their creations. All the while, the Mac just worked.

Since then, I’ve been through iBooks, Macbooks, a PowerMac G5, a 17″ Powerbook G4, 12″ Powerbook G4, iMacs G4, G5, and Core 2 Duos (Carolyn’s computer now is a iMac 2.0ghz) and the baby I’m now using – a 15″ MacBook Pro Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66ghz. On top of that, I’ve bought and sold, literally dozens of iPods (off of Ebay to raise money for Christmases).

When I resigned from campus ministry in 2003 to start a church on faith and obedience, I turned to graphic design to help put cereal in the cupboard. My first purchase was that PowerMac G5 I referred to earlier (and you can watch the video below.)

Then in June 2007, Apple entered a new era. The iPhone was announced. I wrote a blog entry in December 2006 called “Apple positioning to revolutionize the cellular industry” and received an enormous amount of ribbing and condescension from PC users (surprise!) and even a friend in Monticello who owned a cell phone store. He predicted that the iPhone would be a bust.

I’ve loved riding this fanboy wave. But the iPhone was beyond my reach. It retailed at $599 for the 8gb version. I prepared myself to not be an early adopter… Imagine my sheer delight when Carolyn presented me with an iPhone in the parking lot of Mazzio’s in Monticello, Arkansas! Mom and Dad had lovingly ponied up the money to purchase one for me. Then Carolyn and Sam had stood in line at the local AT&T store to get one. (Read the exuberant post  and watch the video here.) Since then, I’ve bought and sold a few iPhones on Ebay to make enough money to not have to pay out of pocket for the subsequent iPhone 3, 3GS and iPhone 4. I’ve also owned the first iPad and now use the iPad 2 (and bought and sold a couple of others during the popularity wave).

If you’re still reading, you’re either fascinated with how I came to be an Apple fanboy, or you’re a fanboy or girl yourself. I’d love to hear your stories.

When Steve resigned this week (For all true Apple lovers, he’s not Mr. Jobs. He’s Steve. We’re on a first name basis with him.), my heart dropped just a little. At the same moment, it soared. For those of us who’ve walked this technological path of discovery with Apple, we’re proud of that. We’ve been through it all. I can remember smug looks from Dell users when I pulled my trusty Powerbook out of a case in a coffee shop. I’ve heard, “Can you actually get any work done on that?” I’ve been there. In the last 5-6 years, however, the tide has completely turned, and it’s a sense of camaraderie that one feels when you notice several Macbooks, iPads or the like scattered in a conference or classroom.

Here are some observations about Apple and some thanks to Steve:

• Apple is both a hardware, firmware and software experience. That is a huge differentiation from what any other company has been able to do. Apple pays as much attention to design and curves as it does to system functionality as it does to its software. It’s a seamless experience that allows every Apple product to “just work.”
• I have never had a problem with computer viruses in the 25 years I’ve used Mac products.
• All the other tech companies and OS offerings today (Google, Android, WebOS, etc.) have failed to produce the cohesive package that Apple can offer. For the most part (and there are declining exceptions) they are licensing operating systems and putting them in hardware wrappers made by other companies. It’s hard to control quality and the user experience that way.
• Mac products retain an incredible resale value. That’s how I’ve been able to stay on top of the new release curve and become an early adopter of new products. Many times, I’ve actually made money on a Mac that I bought from Ebay and then resold for just a little more.
• I am not saying that Macs are flawless. I have had issues. However, Apple customer service is simply amazing. However, with all the Macs I’ve owned and resold, I can tell you that the times I’ve had to call (and a few times cajole) 1-800-SOS-APPLE, that they’ve come through on every occasion that they should. Even a few occasions where I admitted they had absolutely no responsibility to help me, they’ve come through and helped me out. That creates a loyal customer. Period. I sometimes wonder whether Android fans or Googlers will remain fans when they discover that Google/Android can’t help them with their hardware?
• Apple products, including their computers, are just fun to use. The video was created in 2003, on the PowerMac G5 whose arrival I was celebrating…

I could go on, but I suspect there are some readers whose stomachs are turning. I’m sorry. If this makes you uncomfortable, go defrag your hard drive or maybe replace your motherboard.

And to Steve… thanks. Truly. I have an immense amount of respect for you. You’ve been able to lead the world in technology, besting the big boys time and time again. Your company has singlehandedly revolutionized our personal technology experience. You took on the music industry and put tunes in our pockets. You changed the cellular industry. I imagine in the next year that your vision will also transform and reshape the video industry – dethroning cable and satellite companies and putting our TV and movies into the common users hands when we want it,affordably, and in a package that has the “wow” factor.

From a bruised Apple fanboy to one the visionaries who started it all, it’s been an amazing ride. I’m already plotting how to get a newer Macbook Pro and the iPhone 5 (although I haven’t yet upgraded to Lion). I still love the line you used to get John Sculley aboard at Apple from Pepsi: “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life or come with me and change the world?” Although John didn’t work out vision-wise, Apple did grow under his leadership. And you have changed the world with your products, vision and leadership.

This week, in spite of an earthquake and a hurricane, all i’s have been on you, Steve. As you make this transition, my sincere prayers are with you – for your strength, health and healing. Also, because none of us truly knows our remaining days, I am praying for you to become a joyful follower of Jesus Christ. If I had an opportunity to sit down with you tonight, I’d challenge you like you challenged John so many years ago, “Do you want to sell glass and circuits for the rest of your life, or join me in following the One who has changed the world?”

In the end, when it comes down to it, we all have earthly loves. One of mine is all things Apple. But that love pales in comparison the love and gratitude I’ve found in following the Creator of the first apple. Mankind’s misuse of that apple didn’t turn out so well. I hope that my use of Apples in these days always points to and glorifies the grace and love of Jesus Christ.

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Chasing the wind

Our last guest blogger for the week is Shawn Barnard, pastor of Crossgate Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Shawn and I have been friends since college, and then we both went to the same seminary. He and I have brainstormed about countless projects together and done, well, none. We’re dreamers, and when we get together, the church’s problems are solved in three minutes or less. We can laugh at anything, and at times, we cringe at our own irreverence.

Our lives intersected in a wonderful way when he became our pastor at Second Baptist Church in Monticello, Arkansas. I was the BCM Director at UAM then, and after having served as the interim pastor at Second for several months, we were elated when the church voted to call Shawn as pastor. Those were great days of being so near one another. He was a huge blessing and support when Carolyn and I related that we sensed God calling us to start a new church in Monticello.

Shawn blogs once a year at shawnbarnard.com. ;) Here’s Shawn’s take on “5 Things I Didn’t Learn in College:”

It’s hard to believe that 24 years have passed since my freshman year in college.  Even as I type this my daughter is sitting in a college class, and I wonder if she is thinking that perhaps years from now someone will ask her to blog about five things she didn’t learn in college.  And, if so, I wonder if such a thought will give her pause in how she might live differently tomorrow than today.

Maybe such a thought will give you pause as well, and in doing so will encourage you to live with much purpose and clarity of vision.

1.  I didn’t learn that you couldn’t catch the wind.

Contrary to what you hear at high school commencements and from best selling self-help books, you can’t grasp the stars they tell you to reach for in life.  And if, by chance, you could they’d burn out . . . that’s what stars do.  They fade out.  In the same way, all the things that this world has to offer will fade as well.  To pursue what never satisfies or brings ultimate joy is like chasing the wind.  But don’t take my word for it.  Listen to a guy whose wisdom is Scripture worthy:  “And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.”  Ecclesiastes 2:10,11

(On a side note:  I’ve often wondered what it might look like if I were to run in a field trying to catch the wind.  I’m sure it would become a YouTube sensation and start a movement as meaningful as planking.)

Be careful to consider what you are chasing after and seeking to embrace.  Which leads to the second thing I didn’t learn in college . . .

2.  I didn’t learn how to discern the significant from the insignificant.

Learn to pursue what really matters.  In college everything seems significant, at least in the moment.  But the truth of the matter is that what has the illusion of being significant often times is a distorted caricature of what is really significant.  I’ve come to understand that there are two things that are truly significant in this life:  loving God, and loving people.  Sounds simplistic, I know.  But when asked “what’s the greatest commandment?. . .what’s the main thing? . . . what’s most significant?” (I’m paraphrasing, of course) Jesus claimed that it was for us to love God with everything we have, and to love people.  That is significant living because it goes beyond this life and touches eternity.

3.  I didn’t learn that there is a difference between existing and living.

Perhaps a snapshot of your life looks like this: You wake up, get ready for the day ahead, eat breakfast, go to class, come home, get on Facebook, Tweet your friends, watch T.V., go to bed, and then it begins all over again in the morning. And that’s your life. It’s what you do, and you go through the motions . . . and exist.

But isn’t there more to life than just existing? Absolutely. The longing inside to really live, and not just exist, is in every person. The question is how do you get there? I believe that you and I were created for the purpose of living, not existing.  And because I believe that God is the Creator, living can’t happen apart from knowing God through His Son, Jesus. The Bible affirms that truth: “Whoever has the Son (Jesus), has life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life.” (1 John 5:12) Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life and have it to the fullest.”  (John 10:10)  

So my encouragement to you is this:  Refuse to exist and choose to live.

4.  I didn’t learn the power of a moment savored. 

Learn to savor the moments God puts before you.  There is no savoring without slowing.  We are far too busy, and much too hurried in our culture.   Listen to God’s voice when He says, “Be still and know that I’m God.”  And take David’s advice when he says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!”  Hurriedness is the enemy of delighting in God.  And when there is no delighting in God, there is no flavor in the moments of life.

5.  I didn’t learn that I need people in my life who aren’t impressed with me, and love me enough to hold me accountable. 

Let other godly people whom you trust sharpen your life by holding you accountable.  In other words, press your life against those who love you enough to speak into the places of your life that you can’t see or just don’t want to see.  God’s word says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”  (Proverbs 27:17)

Some food for thought:  A masterpiece sculpture isn’t created without a sharp chisel and skilled hands.

As a free treat for you all, I thought I’d include a fun little project I made for a birthday party for Shawn back in 2004 that we shared with the folks at Second Baptist. I know Shawn will be grateful that I still have the image.

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Never Say Never

Say welcome to Carolyn Noble, my BFF and FFB (forever favorite bride) of 21ish years. Carolyn and I met in college. I was smitten with her from early on, but I had no idea she’d not only be my bride but also my hero. We’ve been through a lot together. I feel sometimes like we’ve lived three lifetimes together with all the challenges and experiences we’ve had. (You can read Our Story here.)

Caro blogs occasionally with Kristy Hales over at itsneitherherenorthere.com. She tweets as journeygal. I was delighted when she agreed to write an entry for this Back 2 School series. Enjoy!

After reading Amy’s entry about Dear Freshman Amy, I couldn’t really focus on what I wanted to say. Her words were powerful and sincere. I want to print off her letter to herself and save it for my kids. It was priceless.

I thought long and hard to find things that college did not teach me and I really could not find one thing. What I did find was that there were many things I learned in college that were not found in a textbook. I would like to share those.

1. Laundry stinks! I hate laundry. It is a weekly struggle for me. I always tease that I want a laundry maid but we are in the wrong profession for that. I got to thinking that is something I surely did not learn in college. No one taught me that I would have to deal with laundry the rest of my life and deal with the severity of how much I hate it. Then it was like deja vu. I think the same white laundry basket I have now was the one I had in college. The clothes are still piled high and unfolded. They are clean though. Just like in college. Some things never change.
2. Nothing beats a home-cooked meal. I remember my days at Ouachita Baptist University where hours were spent at “Walt’s” cafeteria. It really wasn’t named that but that is what we called it. There was a big, jovial man that ran the cafeteria for years. The food was not the best but it was where much socializing happened. It was the hang out. I can not remember what we actually ate there but I do remember the homemade meals I had at professors’ homes with their families. There was nothing like it. There really wasn’t anything better than a home-cooked meal. That is still true to me today. I love to go out to eat, don’t get me wrong. What I really love is fellowshipping around a table with food that only comes from a loved-one’s kitchen.
3. Church is important for all ages. I hear statistics of how young people drop out of church at college age. I didn’t and I am so grateful. I plugged right in to a church there in Arkadelphia. It was actually where I met Jeff and helped him with his youth group. It wasn’t exactly like my home church that was many miles away, but it was still the body of Christ that I longed to be a part of. No one sat down with me and told me to go to church. It was a longing. I am so thankful that I went while I was in college. I learned so much.
4. Cancer is a text book. That is one text book I got at college I sure did not want to read. I can say now that the lessons I learned from it then have totally impacted my view of life now. It still amazes me how God worked while I was sick at college. My friends, family, doctors and professors rallied around me like a hurricane. I learned the importance of community and how God can work out the smallest of details. I am telling you it was by the grace of God alone I was able to deal with the treatments of cancer, stay at college many miles from home, graduate from college and get married all in one year. Mostly, it drove me to be totally dependent on Him. For that I am grateful.
5. Never say never. No, not Justin Bieber, he wasn’t around then. College taught me to never say those words again. Period. I said I would never marry a preacher man like my high school friends predicted for me. I said I would never date Jeff Noble during my freshman year when he was galavanting around campus with a different date each night. Now look where I am now. What happened? Never say never. OK? It’s not worth the torment. Seriously though, I am so thankful for Jeff Noble. I promise he was NOT in the ministry when we were dating. I can still remember the night he told me he felt called to full time ministry. I think it was at night so he didn’t see my face. All I could think about after he said those words were all the words I was about to eat. Now, 20 years later, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I am beyond blessed. I am glad God is in control and that we don’t always get our own ways and plans.

God does know the plans for us. He is in control. I would do it all over again, the same way, even though there were some rough spots. What I learned in college was not only found in the many text books. It was the people and experiences God set out for me. I wouldn’t trade that education for anything.

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I’m an earthquake survivor

So I was sitting in the Lancaster House on Tuesday knocking out tasks left and right on the computer when the Great Quake of 2011 struck. I’m not proud of what happened next. But I’ve never thought through my earthquake preparedness or response. While I am a volcano survivor, I was simply not prepared for the 5.8 earthquake that hit 3 1/2 hours east of us. I was pretty shaken up…

As I sat at my desk, I was suddenly aware of the the floor shaking. My first thought was Brandon Sexton was in the room. Brandon is a former youth minister for our church, and he has a massive nervous leg. It’s always shaking, and there were several staff meetings when he was present that one of us would say, “Brandon! Be still!”

It wasn’t Brandon. As I looked around confusedly, I saw my bookshelves swaying just a little. It was one church movement I didn’t want. About the time I said out loud, “Uhhhhhh..,”  Cody, whose office is next to mine, said, “Hey! Is your…?” That was almost simultaneous with Intern Jacob saying something like “Hey! The house is shaking!” These are not exact quotes because the whole quake was 20-30 seconds, and it all happened in a blur.

I do remember saying, “I think it’s an earthquake,” almost a second before something fell in the house. At that point, it was time to evacuate, in my mind. It’s an almost 90 year old house, and I didn’t want my 43 year old body taking a short cut to the basement from the second floor.

Jacob and I hit the stairs at a run and were outside in a flash. Cody stayed in the house, huddled in his doorway – I think in the fetal position. Poor little tyke. He said later that he stayed because he remembered an episode of Saved by the Bell which instructed Zach and the Gang to get in a doorway in case of earthquake. My new earthquake philosophy is “Doorway? No way. Get outta the way.”

Jacob and I were caught off guard by what we found outside the house. Joggers blissfully trotting by. Students on bikes heading to class. Traffic. Normality. No one cared that we had barely escaped with our lives. No news crews to interview us and comment on our remarkable escape. Nor were search and rescue prepared to extract Cody’s body from within the church office.

What we learned later was that many folks in our area missed the earthquake. Oh sure, the earth quaked underneath them, but it depended upon where you were, what type of building, etc. as to whether you knew it or not.

As we returned sheepishly to our now non-shaking house, Cody helpfully reported that Facebook had blown up with the fact that it was, indeed, an earthquake.

By the way, on Wednesday morning, I discovered a little damage in my office from the quake. It was what fell. Here’s a pic:

What’s your story about the Great East Coast Quake of 2011?

(By the way, I didn’t take the picture of the lawn furniture above. It’s gone viral since Tuesday. If you know who took it, or where it originated – with the text added – I’d love to hear about it.)

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5 more things…

Welcome Jeremy Woodall to Back 2 School Week! Jeremy and I have quite a bit of history together, beginning with Carolyn and me being youth camp sponsors for his church’s youth group when Jeremy was in the 7th grade. He was like a gerbil on steroids then. Now he’s a hamster on HGH…

Jeremy has so much life experience, having served as an Army Ranger in Afganistan before returning to Arkansas to serve with us at Journey Church in Monticello on our leadership team and as worship leader. He then served as an Assistant Director for Baptist Collegiate Ministry at UAM under Tracy Reed. He’s now serving at First Baptist Church of Star City, Arkansas as youth minister.

Our family is grateful for his and Becca’s friendship. He’s just one of those guys who is a constant encouragement. Oh, and he blogs at jeremywoodall.com.

And now… heeeeere’s Jeremy:

Journeyguy, thanks for the opportunity to guest blog for you this week! What an honor. College was a great time for me. I learned how to be a disciple of Jesus as well as being a disciple maker. I could go on all day about the things I learned in college but what about the things I didn’t learn? Well here is five things that I did not learn in college, for your reading pleasure ;)

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Gold and Mr. Alexander

Neal Nelson is the Baptist Collegiate Minister at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. He has served there since 1997. Neal is a great communicator, but his passion is to see lives truly transformed. Whether it’s hunting, sports, or simply spending time at a coffee shop, I love how Neal invests his life into college students, seeking to lead them to an authentic love relationship with Jesus Christ.

We’ve been friends since about 1996, and Neal was one of the first to take me hunting in Arkansas. It consisted of sticking me up in a deer stand and leaving me alone in the dark. There were no other real instructions.

I never saw a deer that day, and when we were leaving, he asked if I enjoyed it. I said it was nice except that I finally had to get down from the stand to relieve my coffee-laden bladder. I still remember the sudden, quizzical look on his face when he asked, “Where did you pee?”

“At the bottom of the tree. Why?”

He shook his hand in exasperation, and I don’t think he took me deer hunting again…

Here’s Neal’s entry:

#5 – I didn’t learn why Mr. Alexander expressed such anger about being asked if gold was going to be on the test in college.

Walking to science class in the eighth grade somebody told me to ask Mr. Alexander if gold was going to be on the test. I confess my birth happened at night but it wasn’t the previous night. So instead of asking myself, I got the guy sitting beside me in the class to ask for me. Mr. “A” as we called him – our normally mild-mannered and well liked teacher – screamed at the unsuspecting student to go to the office and wait on him. Of course, the student immediately identified me as the real mastermind behind the diabolical plot. Mr. Alexander screamed louder at me. I received several hard hits with a paddle, which today would constitute abuse. I still don’t know why asking if gold was going to be on the test made Mr. Alexander so angry. The mysterious reason still creates a void in my soul. I had hope “higher” education would reveal the answer but I was disappointed.

#4 – I didn’t learn how to spell in college.  

I am hooked on phonics but words must sound different in Arkansas because I still can’t spell. Without spell check my writing would probably be on a sixth grade level. The same is true about math. How is that possible?

#3 – I didn’t learn how to handle conflict in college, at least not in class.

Relational conflict is no respecter of person. The rich along with the rest of us experience conflict daily. I have decided after forty-two winters have passed that the ability to handle conflict well is one of the best indicators of happiness. One of my regrets in college was moving into a small apartment by myself my sophomore year. I shared a house with two friends from high-school my freshmen year and while it was fun there was constant conflict over the usual stuff.(bills, cleanliness, noise) I decided living on my own would help me be a better student and it probably did help my GPA. However, in the grand scheme of life learning to resolve conflict in a healthy manner then rather than later in marriage would have been a better choice. A college degree may help in attaining a job or more likely acceptance into a program for another degree but it will not prepare people to get along with one another. I wonder if we all had to choose between making a three digit salary with constant conflict or living below the poverty line in peace what would we would choose? (Prov. 17:1)

#2 – I didn’t learn the meaning of life in college.

One would think that after spending a small fortune on tuition and books one would learn the point of life. Honestly I am still not about the point of college.

#1 – I didn’t learn the secret of being content in college.

Being content (not complacent) has been one of the great struggles of my life. Content people are as rare as “normal” professors. Culture sends an extremely confusing message about contentment. On one hand there is the message that everyone is ok as they are. On the other hand we see thousands of images that suggest if we only bought a particular shampoo, gum, or cleaning product, we could be happy and beautiful. American culture seems to owe its existence (or at least its economy) to discontent people. And yet contentment is a major theme in the New Testament. Paul told young Timothy that “contentment with godliness is great gain.” (I Tim. 6:6) He told the believers at Philippi that living life in Christ was the secret to being content. (Phil. 4:10-13) I hope that you will seek contentment in Christ and through his strength in you this semester.

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Dear Freshman Amy…

Today’s guest blogger for Back 2 School week is Amy Lawson. She’s a good friend of both Carolyn and me from our Ouachita Baptist University days. She was Amy Ables then. Amy’s blog is Snoodlings, and she is one of my favorite bloggers. She’s an amazing writer, able to combine being both profound and whimsical. (I wonder if that’s why her Twitter ID is whimzie? Never thought to ask.)

It’s been fun keeping in touch with her digitally. I’ve also included – free for your enjoyment – a picture of our Sadie Hawkins date from OBU days. It was from TWIRP week (The Woman Is Responsible for Paying – and asking), which was every OBU guy’s opportunity to leave his wallet at home.

For guests from Snoodlings, thanks for stopping by! Enjoy!

I graduated from college twenty years ago. Two decades. One score. Many bad hairstyles ago.

Thanks, Jeff, for the assignment. Writing it made me wonder how I might have done things differently if Iʼd known then what I know now. I decided to write a letter to freshman me.

Dear Amy,

Look at you packing up your monogrammed towels that someone gave you as a graduation gift! Youʼll be using those to wash the dog in twenty years, by the way.

Youʼre all packed and ready to embark on one of the greatest adventures of your life. I know youʼre expecting to change and learn a lot over the next four years, and you will, but I think youʼd be surprised at just how much you arenʼt going to learn in college.

Besides how to fold a fitted sheet. Which you still havenʼt mastered.

So what else wonʼt you learn in college?

First, and youʼre probably not going to want to hear this, but youʼre not going to learn that itʼs perfectly okay to graduate before you meet Mr. Right.

I hate to break it to you, but youʼre not going to leave college with the man of your dreams. You will have several false alarms. You are going to be sure I was wrong about this, but trust me, itʼs not going to happen just yet.

Every time one of your college friends comes back to the dorm with a sparkly ring finger youʼre going to panic just a little. And youʼre going to graduate feeling like maybe youʼve missed your chance. But itʼs going to be okay. I promise. Heʼs out there, and although you think you are, youʼre just not ready for him yet. I wish I could tell you to quit worrying about which corner heʼs going to be around and start enjoying this opportunity to make friendships with some really great guys who may not be Mr. Right, but are perfectly fine Mr. Right Nows.

Speaking of relationships, you wonʼt know until after itʼs done that making and maintaining friendships during the next four years will be easier than it ever has or ever will be again.

All night “study sessions” fueled by Dominoʼs and Coke will turn into marathon discussions with your girlfriends about life, love, and the pursuit of the perfect hairstyle (which youʼre still pursuing, by the way). This will be the last time youʼll have as many guy friends as you have girl friends and you will benefit greatly from their different slant on how the world works. Your friends will challenge you to grow deeper in your relationship with God and you will learn what it means to really intercede for others in prayer.You donʼt know it now, but itʼs hard to make and maintain friends after you graduate from college. Life gets busier with work, marriage and kids. Iʼm not trying to depress you, I just want you to take advantage of this chance to make deep and lasting relationships.

Along those same lines, the third thing you wonʼt learn in college is that underneath their labels, the cool kids, jocks, nerds, and Cru crew are pretty much the same.

Some may seem to have life figured out and some may actually believe that they have it all together, but inside, we all have similar questions, struggles, and desires.

I didnʼt learn that in college. I learned it on MySpace. (Donʼt ask. Itʼs a future time waster and itʼs pretty much dead now anyway.) One day I accepted a friend request from this guy who graduated from college with me. We didnʼt run in the same circles. He was a “wild boy” who was a part of “that” fraternity, the one that was always getting in trouble. In the process of catching up on our lives after college, we both recognized that neither of us is the label we wore in college. Life has a way of leveling those kind of things out. Now we both love our spouses and our kids and we are busy trying to be the people God made us to be. I canʼt help but wonder if weʼd have been friends earlier if I hadnʼt assumed I knew who he was because of the group he was in.

Keeping people in boxes weʼve created for them reminds me of the fourth thing youʼre not going to learn in college. You are not going to learn all there is to know about God.

Even though youʼre at a Christian school and you think you have a pretty good idea of who God is, let me just warn you, He is going to continually blow your mind. He refuses to stay in the boxes you keep building for Him. The longer I know Him, the more I realize how little I know.

You think your parents and your pastor and your professors have God figured out. Youʼre going to get caught up in the idea that what youʼve always been told is always right. You are going to feel very uncomfortable with the idea that people you love, respect, and trust arenʼt always right about everything, but then youʼre going to learn that although people are fallible and will let you down, you can always trust in God. Even when trusting is the very hardest thing to do.

Remember the not-so-pleasant places in Dr. Seussʼs Oh, the Places Youʼll Go? In a Lurch, in a Slump, the Waiting Place, Alone? Oh, wait. You canʼt remember because that book wonʼt be published until your junior year. Anyway, just trust me, you have yet to go to some places you wonʼt want to be. Iʼm not going to go into details because itʼs some scary stuff, but you need to know life isnʼt always easy. And as hard as it is for you to believe right now, there will come a day where you will question everything you have ever believed. You will learn then that “unshakeable faith is faith that has been shaken,”

because your faith will be shaken to its very core. Trust me when I tell you what you believe about God is going to fail you but God will never fail you. Iʼm still trying to figure that one out myself, but just know that God is so much bigger than you know right now.

God wonʼt the be the only one you donʼt have figured out by the time you graduate. The fifth thing you wonʼt learn is that God made you special and He loves you very much. For one thing, the Veggie Tales havenʼt been invented yet so you have no idea who Bob the Tomato is, much less the motto he uses in every video. Sure, youʼve sung “Jesus Loves Me” and your relationship with Jesus is based on your knowledge that He loved you enough to die for you, but you are going to continue to struggle with the idea that He loves you just as you are.

I know you struggle with the idea that anyone loves you just like you are. Thatʼs why youʼre always trying to make everyone happy. Youʼre going to choose your major and your church home and your friends and almost everything else based on what you think would please the majority of the people. And itʼs going to make you miserable because youʼre going to always feel like youʼre either “too much” or “not enough.” Youʼre sure youʼre too wordy, too needy, too indecisive. You think youʼre not organized enough, not Godly enough, not pretty or sweet enough.

Itʼs going to take you many years and tears to figure out that God loves you unconditionally. You will have to learn, like the psalmist says in Psalm 45, that God your King is “enthralled with your beauty.” Oh, how He loves you! You just have no idea.

Itʼs going to sound strange coming from your older self who is now a parent and should be stressing the importance of hitting the books and excelling scholastically, but donʼt get so caught up in the academia that you miss this chance to learn about life and who you are. Sure, I want you to make good grades, and you will, but I also want you to learn how to make a life.

Youʼve got a great one ahead of you. Love, Amy

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Guest clogger?

Our second entry in the Back 2 School Guest Bloggers’ Week is from Darrell Cook. Darrell is the director of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry at Virginia Tech and has been in campus ministry for like, 32 years. I can’t remember how old he is even though I wrote a birthday tribute to him this year. He’s a great friend, a co-mastermind behind churchplanting123.com and interacts redemptively with collegians on a daily basis.

After several misunderstandings (“Guest clogger? That’s not exactly my style of dance.”, “Guest logger? I don’t have a lumberjack shirt.”), I agreed to be a guest blogger on Jeff Noble’s often-acclaimed and sometimes read “Notes from the Trail.” Seriously, I’m happy to do it because I love my pastor, look up to him, and learn from him regularly. So here they are, “Five Things I Didn’t Learn in College.” Jeff’s keyboard, enjoy the time off.

1. Women and men communicate differently – Okay, I did know this a little bit back then, but most of my knowledge in this area has come post-college. The four females who live in my house continue to teach me daily how to communicate.
2. The Redskins are a bad football team – Didn’t learn that in college, because they were good back then. Since they have never seen it, my kids don’t believe that the Redskins were ever good. They really were good a long time ago. Honest.
3. The Church is more resilient than I can imagine – Two churches that I have gone to don’t exist anymore. My father (a former pastor) warned me before I left for seminary that I might be heading in the wrong direction because, “the church is full of hypocrites.” I have seen good people treated badly by church leaders on several occasions. But despite all of that, I have time and again seen the radiant Church rise out of the ashes of a bad situation. The Church is at her best when people understand the ministry of reconciliation, when her people embrace the gospel, savor the freedom Christ brings, and spread the word to others of the goodness and faithfulness of the Father.
4. Knowing what to pay attention to and what to ignore is pretty important – I used to think that absorbing as much info and experience as possible would help me along the way, but many things that seem useful are just distractions. Finding the still small voice can make every other sound, no matter how seemingly helpful, take its place as just background noise.
5. Don’t take it personally – There are countless opportunities in life to be offended by the words, actions, or lack of action of others. Too often I have taken offense when it would be much wiser to assume the best and extend grace. Colossians 3:12-13 speaks loudly to me here, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

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