Z2 Aroma

Z2 Convergence was an incredible experience this year!

The weekend had an aroma of Christian community lived out. We came ready to welcome other students we'd just met! The fragrance of grace filled the weekend even as collisions occurred. We connected with each other and offered ourselves for the others' sake. The scent of reverence lingered over our worship. We offered our sacrifices of praise in a variety of forms throughout the weekend. Praise the Lord!

Here is the video that I put together late Sunday night (and well into Monday morning!) to show Monday morning at breakfast as we left.

I will certainly be processing the weekend more and putting up other completely awesome videos as they become available. You can see all the Z2 Convergence posts here.

Talking to Trees

Have you ever talked to trees? I did that again yesterday. Here is what I heard them say:

I heard God's creation reaching out as high as possible toward the sky. They were grounded, though, accomplishing the purposes for which they were created. Their shout was clearly a communal one saying, "We move together, intertwined! Each one of us affected by the other, we know it is best to draw on that blessing." I am humbled at their voice; they proclaim their creator every time.

Willing to risk sounding insane, I think everyone needs to talk to trees every now and then! Their message is captivating!

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." Psalm 19:1-4a

DMin

This year's Family Retreat at Pineywoods was good. David Malone came to speak to us about Re-Envisioning Christian Community. I will probably have the retreat audio available online by Wednesday on our church website. We will see how things go.

In my several conversations with David Malone I found myself contemplating what pursuing a DMin would involve. As he discussed the process he went through in deciding to get his DMin at ACU after 20 years of ministry experience, I felt more and more compelled than ever before to start thinking about it. It will probably happen down the road some time.

My initial thoughts are definitely geared toward helping campus ministry. Not much is written about campus ministry and college students in the church. I will be listening to God's moving in this regard. May he lead my heart to pursue his in all my endeavors.

Traveling to Dallas

Normally a three-hour trip to north Dallas took four hours last night. Honestly, I thought it would have taken longer especially when it took almost an hour to get to the next city north of Huntsville, Madisonville! I just rolled the windows down and let the wind blow through my long, flowing hair (I wish). In spite of the traffic, I was amazingly peaceful. Mainly because my expectations were so low!

What is funny is how we developed a little community for most of my trip home. People stayed in the same lanes. There was no weaving in and out of traffic to get ahead. I stayed behind one car most of the trip. The person behind was there too. Those in the right lane would go ahead for a while, then we would return the favor. On and on it went. I grew to appreciate the consideration for all of us fleeing from a natural disaster. It helped me think about the "community" more. Peace.

Then I saw two ambulances in my rear-view mirror making their way through traffic. I was in the left lane. People were just pulling over to the left so it could get through; I followed suit. The people on the right pulled to the right so the ambulance was basically given one big lane in the middle of the highway. No big deal, right?

Well, I saw the pride before the ambulances passed. There were two cars riding the tail of the second ambulance just cruising along as if the highway was their's to own. The first car was a huge Hummer (a nice sign of pride). The second was a sedan of some kind. There was no room for anyone to cut these cars off they were so close. Someone would have if they could've!

That is just wrong! To think that the highway is yours for the taking betrays an intense pride that God surely opposes. Just looking out for yourself and how to promote your own well-being betrays any sense of community. And we were a community out there! It hurt to see them doing it. It bothered me. It took a while for me to get over it.

But it confirms for me how destructive pride is to any community! We might not understand the full effects of pride because we have not completely experienced a fully selfless community. However, we do recognize the breakdown of community when intense pride enters the picture. Because of this, I am encouraged to seek humility. God's grace will soon follow.