Spiritual Sanctity.

With time brings much change. Such a simplistic and honest thought, I know. However, with change, we tend to lose important things that we should not lose. Growing up in a community that promotes Christ and being surrounded by Christians on a regular basis, it has been hard to keep all the spiritual disciplines. The one that we have lost sight of that is extremely important is the discipline of confession. Not just confession, but community confession.

As a society, we are taught to think that everything to do with vulnerability is a no go. Vulnerability is weakness and that is something that is not okay in our world. We always have to be on top of things and everything has to look shiny on the outside, even if it is not on the inside. This may be great for the world, but this is not how we are created to be. We are put into community and we were created to have people in our lives. We long for interaction, even if it may not seem like it. This longing for people and for social lives is not by accident, in fact, it all makes sense.

In the Bible, we are told to carry one another's burdens and to encourage one another. We are told that two people are strong together, but even stronger with three. Sure, when we are in trouble, we sometimes call on people, but that is not all this is about. We struggle, we have things that are tearing us up on the inside, things that we would never share with anyone. Things that we are not telling others because we know that it might change the way that they look at us. However, back to community, to carrying one another's burdens...sharing these things is necessary. Getting things off of our chests and being real with people around us is extremely important, not only for accountability, but for sanity. It helps us to really build each other up and to encourage each other in times of trouble. Think about it, confession is such a freeing thing.

Oreos, Cocoa Krispies, Chips, and Salsa

I have started to discover more and more of how relaxed I am about the future. The question is...is this necessarily a bad thing? I would not say that it is, but more of a blessing I suppose. My brother and I headed out to Savage's the other night. As we were driving, we talked of how this is not really home to us anymore. Our heart isn't here, but on the west coast...sounds like some sappy emo song, but it's true. We look at the Midwest and see the same old thing every freaking day. The same old people in the same old places. No one leaves here, they stick around and hang out with the same people. Their drinking buddies from high school are still their drinking buddies today. Still working the same old burnt out jobs and really doing nothing with their lives. Everyone knows everyone's name...not a bad thing, but we need an adventure. We need a change of scenery. Let's be real, we are itching to get out of here and to have a real good time. It's time for a change.

I mean, I think it is awesome to be able to know everyone in my small town. It's great to be known when I walk into a store, but it is much greater for me to be unknown. I like people now knowing who I am and having to actually take the time to get to know me. What's the fun of living when everyone already knows everything about me? Everyone knows that I am planning on getting the heck out of here when I am done. Most have guilted me about it, letting me know that I have something good here. They don't know why I would ever leave and go anywhere else. To go somewhere that is new to me and unknown is so crazy to them. It's dangerous out there, they tell me...so what, bring it on. I could stick around here in Upland's safety net or I could live a little. Why not do it while I can?

I love this town. I love the people in it. I love my high school kids, but I have lived it. I have been used and I am still being used. However, God has different things for me, I know it. It's time to go seek those things.

Here I come.

$36,000

Day after day, we are reminded about how great our school is. Everytime Haebecker gets up in front of us, he reminds us..."How GREAT Taylor University is." Great, we are so great.

However, let me question this, Taylor University...if we are so great, so intelligent, then why do we waste so much money on so little of nothing. I would normlly be speaking of dumb buildings and stupid light poles, but this time, I am speaking about the courses that we pay so much money for and really learn nothing. As I have sat here in my lab, I have listened to the professor waste time because he was not prepared. This is not our problem that he was not prepared nor should it be at our expense. If we are paying for a class, we should get the money's worth of the class. Not only should we get the money's worth, but the academic's worth. We go to this school to be "well rounded" and we do not get that as much as we should. I know that my class is a general education course, but the truth is, it is still a class. The bar should be set higher than we set it.