Travel Journal #8 - Hidy Ho Henderson :]

Monday 22nd October

   Got up. Lunch. Shopping with Marie. Dinner with Kid President's family and another couple. Watched the 3rd Presidential debate - interesting stuff.

   If you would like to see what Kid President does, look here: Kid President - YouTube

Tuesday 23rd October

   Went to an early lunch in a Japanese restaurant near Jackson. Pretty good. Rice tea. I had a non-adventurous-but-delicious sweet and sour chicken dish and Dad had the Mongolian beef. Others had sushi and such but I'll wait 'til I get to Japan to try the cuisine... Went back to campus later on in the day and spoke with Marco for a bit then went to Chickasaw Park with Matt Wallace. 'Fall' over here is SO beautiful, I whacked out my camera and was snapping away at the beautiful colours on the trees as they're changing, and the lake was so still it was amazing. Like a mirror giving us twice the splendor of the forest. Fun stuff :] Went to the Robertson's for dinner and stayed talking 'til 1130pm. Good conversations.

Wednesday 24th October

   Met Cassidy Williams at 10am in the Old House then went to chapel and lunch. Went to Chickasaw State Park with Matt again for a bit and he took me to the house we were eating at for dinner. Went to Pincin in the evening to give a talk, was pretty good. Went back to campus to evening singing and stayed in Cassidy's dorm!

Thursday 25th October

   Went to chapel, had lunch in Gano, went to Cassidy's class on Hebrews, went to Chickasaw with Matt and Cody and played guitar and watched Cody muck about. Had dinner at Pizza Hut with Matt, Cassidy, Cody, Dad, Marie, Bill and his wife (Dean of Bible), good stuff!! Back to Campus, watched a bit of 'Cool Runnings' in Old Main on the projector, went to get coffee before the MM and ended up staying in the cafe paying Mau (the card game) and came home.

Friday 26th October

   I got about 5 hours sleep last night as I got in late, packed and was up speaking to a friend back home <3 So I'm knackered. Talking to people and making good friendships has also worm me out, emotionally. I'm so sad to be leaving Steve and Marie, I consider them as Grandparents, they're so precious in my heart. Sad also to be leaving new friends, though I'm sure we'll see each other again.

   We're leaving for Ohio today - a 12 hour drive. Please pray for a safe journey as there's meant to be storms nearby and I would love to get there in one piece. :]

We have to go pack the car, so have a good day and I'll see you in Ohio!

Love and peace.

Travel Journal #6

Tuesday 16th October

Lie in and blogging! Lunch at the house.. Dinner at Zlatovich's house with Frank Bell and Jason Shappley, lots of fun and memories from Campaigns who stayed at our house in early 1990s :] They let us have a chocolate fudge pie - amazing!

Wednesday 17th October

We parked in my personal parking spot then I had a tour round campus from Marco Di Luca and Matt Wallace [thanks!], Chapel, lunch at Gano, and some jolly good conversation. We had dinner and evening worship service out in Lindin then I went to the evening song session at Clayton Chapel on Freed Hardeman campus. There was a storm that night and the lightning was intense! So bright and the thunder was so loud. Pretty cool experience, not so bad as to have damage nearby and no tornadoes.

Thursday 18th October

Went to an early lunch with Bill J Naylor and his wife at a cool hotel restaurant overlooking the Tennessee river, beautiful. Then had people over for dinner at Steve and Marie's, went to Freed's Theatre group rehearsal then the evening a capella group practice and stayed in Privileged student accommodation with Jessica J and her flatmates! Lots of fun :]

Friday 19th October

Woke up in a strange place and remembered I'd slept in the dorms, so wasn't too big a freak out. :] Milk and a cookie for breakfast then a Bible class with Jim Gardener and lunch with the England's at Bell's Burgers. Barbara England took be round the Art department and I saw some of the ongoing print work, senior gallery and dark room there. Pretty interesting stuff. After hanging round the art rooms for a bit we head over to the music department where Barbara's husband Richard works, and after playing me some Debussy and Les Mis we had a mini impromptu performance of 'Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again' from Phantom of the Opera - that was pretty cool. Definitely makes me want to get back into singing! Came back to the house and after dinner we watched some footage taken of the Campaign Steve and Marie brought over to Peterborough in 1996! I shall tell you more of that soon... :] The best memories. 

We were rather surprised to see this classic London bus on Freed Hardeman campus!

 

 It's a project which helps raise awareness about the needs of orphans and raises money for orphan care. The bus had been converted into a shop with t-shirts to buy, amongst other things. If you're interested in knowing more or giving to the cause here's the website: http://www.redbusproject.org/

Lose your life. Go crazy.

   I mentioned in my second Travel Journal entry that we heard Nathan Guy speak at the Harding Lectureship on the topic of a 'Faith That Is Constantly Renewed.'  It was a very good lesson, I know this because I felt inspired to write most of it down, which doesn't always happen. I want to share with you his words, as well as some of those which Chet Duke gave this morning at Freed Hardeman's chapel.

   The Harding lectureship focused on lessons from the book of Joshua, and in his conclusive lesson of the lectureship he made a few bold statements. He told us to "stop reading Joshua as a book of renewal of your own faith" like 'we will go, we will fight, we will succeed...' The book of Joshua tells us of his mission to do God's will in bringing the people to the promised land, a mission which was given to his forefathers which they failed to complete. The book can often be seen as a note of inspiration to those who have fallen away and wish to come back to Him, or who have sinned and wish to repent, or who have been quiet and wish to speak out. But Mr Guy reminds us that 'all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.' (Romans 3:23) He also reminds us that "God doesn't need your help. He commands your death." Speaking of Jesus saying "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it." Matthew 10:39

   In chapel at Freed this morning Chet Duke spoke about our baptism through Christ and our continuing commitment to Him daily - that's what LOVE is, as I said before in 'How do you know when you're in LOVE', to LOVE someone is to CHOOSE to LOVE them. Every day. Loving when you want to, loving when you need to and loving when you don't even feel like liking. It is a choice. Nathan Guy says "Marriage is just the confession and commitment of love, you'll have to work the hardest after that to keep it together." Chet spoke about those who have already chosen God and have already made that choice to follow Him and he asked - why do we still sin?
   In understanding our human inadequacies often we fail to recognise that Jesus was fully human himself - and He was perfect. So why can't we be? The bar standard can sometimes seem so high that we lower it to make it achievable - but we were called to go through the 'narrow path', (Matthew 7:13), to go a different way. Maybe we don't think we personally deserve the best standards, and we don't. But God does. 
   Nathan Guy quoted Jim McGuiggan when he made the point that some have the attitude of 'I know I've failed you, Father, but don't I repent you magnificently?' Speaking on how sin can be justified through the repentance afterwards. Chet spoke of this also, saying that we have been saved through God's grace, a grace that we don't deserve. "You don't abuse grace," he said, and we shouldn't. He deserves the best and above that, He deserves your sincere best.

   My Dad always told me that it didn't matter what grades I got so long as I did my utmost best. Often this wasn't the case, but if my mark was a B then it was OK because, at least it was good. How often do we feel this way about our lives, and living for God? The answer I think is maybe too often. I feel OK writing this because I know I am a major culprit of this way of thinking - not just in terms of schooling. But I wonder what happened to us to make us think it is OK to give anything less than our best for Him who created us, loves us, and gives us Life. I wonder, indeed.

   Nathan Guy addressed three questions:
Do we speak as though we have something to fall back on apart from Him and Him alone? If we do, we need to check ourselves and realise that He is our only true refuge.
Do we think the plan begins with me and ends with me? It started with God. It'll end with God. We are just a part of the inbetween.
Do we think we need to find a solution to our problem? We are the problem. He is the solution.

Jesus said "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it." Matthew 10:39
   I know that in everything I have been through, this past year especially, I could not have come this far without Him. In speaking to others I know my Mother passing away really isn't all that bad. Understand what I'm saying - there are people so much worse off than me, and I have needed Him through my trials. I am blessed everyday, every hour I am alive, in Him, I am surrounded by a family who loves, endures, hopes and believes in this life on into the next.

   Lose your life for God. Go on, go crazy.