Perseverance

Anyone else see the men's all-around gymnastic final last night? What a show! Sara and I were glued to the television as we watched Paul Hamm persevere after falling on his backside to come back and win gold in amazing athletic fashion. It seems there is a life lesson somewhere in there: Even in the moments when you fall on your butt the race is not over. Get up, persevere, and strive toward the prize. I'm sure that moment will go down in Olympic history and we got to witness it.

On a side note, we have continued our cross country trip as we have left the damp and soggy terrain of Florida and made our way to the flatlands of Oklahoma. Only one problem: It's still raining!

In the Aftermath

WOW! I'm not sure what other words to use. I haven't ever experienced anything like that before and I hope I don't have to again. I can't imagine what it must have been like for the people in the Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda area when Hurricane Charley came ashore at full force because it was more than I wanted to experience when it hit Orlando rated at a 2. You could fill the tremendous force of the storm as it swirled around our house. It's hard to produce words to describe it. The lights kept flickering in and out but thankfully we never lost power for more than a few minutes. As we tried to catch glimpses of the storm outside it was obvious that the rain was coming in horizontally and changing direction at every whim. There was also an eerie glow illuminating the night sky and the windows rattled with every gust.

The next morning we got up and got our first look at the seriousness of the aftermath. Trees were pulled out of the ground, billboards destroyed, houses damaged, roads blocked, power lines down, traffic lights out. It was a feeling of mass chaos and utter disbelief. My heart goes out to those that experienced much worse. WOW! What an unbelievable exhibition of power and force. I'm thankful that God is ultimately in control of something so unpredictable as nature.

If you would like to check out some pictures from my parents neighborhood check out the link below. Then click on the "2004 photos" link and then on "hurricane charley." The pictures might be best viewed in a slideshow format.

http://photobucket.com/albums/v214/darlingmc/

Blessings

When You Come Home

I look forward to opportunities to come home and visit family. I love to walk off the airplane and out of the terminal after being away for long periods of time and into the open and waiting arms of unconditional love. It never fails that a smile crosses my face when I see my family at the end of the corridor. It's good to be "home."

As I write I'm reminded of a song by Mark Schultz entitled, "When You Come Home." The chorus goes something like this:

When you come home no matter how far
Run through the door and into my arms
It's where you are loved, where you belong
And I will be here, when you come home

It's become a fairly emotional song for me but you'll probably have to listen to it to better understand why. I am thankful to come home to the loving embrace of my family but it is in these times that I am also reminded of how thankful I am to be able to fall into the open arms of God's unconditional love. Coming home evokes a lot of emotions within me, however, I did not expect to come home to an unexpected welcoming committee.

Sara and I arrived in Orlando this morning around 10:30 having already been up since about 4am (which I believe is way too early for any kind of physical activity outside of breathing, and maybe some small amounts of snoring). We were thankful and grateful to not only have arrived but to have arrived safely because the "welcoming committee" I alluded to was...Hurricane Charley! Now, we are sitting on the couch in front of the television as the hurricane hits the west coast of Florida and travels toward Orlando. I believe life is always an adventure but I didn't expect to land right in the middle of this wild ride to begin our vacation.

I pray God's hand of protection is over everyone within the line of this powerful storm!

Florida Bound

Well, Sara and I are off to Florida via an overnight stop in Dallas, for what will hopefully amount to a little "fun in the sun!" We'll get to spend a few days with my family before school starts and then it's back to the usual daily grind. I can't wait for even just the smallest of breaks. I'm thankful for vacations and the opportunity for a little R and R. So mom, dad--be looking for us cause we're on our way!

See ya soon.

And Mike Wept...

Some might say there were a few tears this morning, although I'm inclined to say that it was just something momentarily in my eye that made them spontaneously water. But, as much as I may have been trained to do otherwise I'd like to think I'm man enough to admit it...so, okay, I cried. Really, what's wrong with a spontaneous outpouring of hysterical sobbing. I mean, we all know the proclaimed "shortest verse of the Bible:" and Jesus wept. Surely it's okay for me to water my face if Jesus did it, right?

At this point you are probably wondering about the cause behind such a sensitive and "in touch with my feminine side" effect. This morning Andy, Randi, and baby Ally loaded up and left for the wide open frontier of...Kentucky. Sara and I held it together until they left the driveway and turned the corner to begin their trek. But, about that time we lost all control. Goodbye's can be so difficult at times. You know it's not the end but at the same time you know life will be different. I know they will do great things and that God will be praised through their lives and in their relationships with others but the tremendous possibilites don't make me miss them any less. This may only be the first time I wept, because I think the chances are it probably won't be the last.

Take care my friends, may God bless you! Oh, and don't be strangers.

The Miracle of Life and Death

Monday was a long day for two of the families in our small group and can probably be best summed up in the profound realization expressed by the daughter (kindergarten age) of one of the before-mentioned families: "wow, we know someone who died on the same day someone else was born."

It continues to amaze me how truly perceptive children are because it was a day in which one couple welcomed a newborn baby girl into the world while another family said goodbye to a loved one--in this case a grandfather and even a great grandfather. It can be a time for tears, both of pain and sorrow and of happiness and joy. It can be a time of transition, as we adjust to life now different than the way it was before. More importantly though, is that both represent a time of hope. There is hope for the endless possbilities of a life yet to be lived to the glory of God and there is hope in the transforming power of a legacy left for all of those who follow because of a life fully lived. In the end, both seem to provide yet another small glimpse into the miracle that is the gift of life. And, in all likelihood, the families will leave this moment changed in some way(s) because of the impact of the experience to the praise and glory of God. I think it is evident that it has already influenced at least one particular young one.

Leave it to those who Jesus calls us to have faith like to provide us (once again) with insight into meaningful life!

I don't think I'd want to have it any other way...Father, thank you for the gift of life.

Spur of the Moment

I stepped a little further out of my comfort zone again today at church. After service we made our way to class a little late because we were visiting with some people. When we walked in we caught the tail end of an explanation that there wasn't a teacher for the class for some reason and that there wasn't anything else prepared. Sara, jokingly leaned over to me and said, "you should have brought your Elijah lesson" (which is one I've used recently at another church). I kind of laughed it off and kept listening to the announcements. After finishing the announcements the guy said, "I guess we'll spend some time in fellowship with each other unless someone has something." Before I knew what was happening I found myself raising my hand and in the blink of an eye I was up introducing myself and sharing a lesson from the life of Elijah. I was pretty nervous because it really was on the spur of the moment and I really didn't even have any time to think about it. Afterward, people said they really enjoyed it and a few said they really needed to hear that lesson. Go figure. Sara's first response to me was, "I can't believe you really did that!" To tell you the truth, neither can I. My heart didn't stop racing until about ten minutes after I was finished. I probably wouldn't have done that even up to just a few months ago but for whatever reason I decided to give it a whirl today. I guess it is just a small example of how God is working to transform me and I believe he blessed our time together.

Friends are Friends Forever

The life of a graduate student is one lived in transition. To go through a masters program (at least in our case) in many ways feels like a temporary stopping ground to prepare for the future. One aspect in regard to transition we all must face at one time or another involves the friends we make along the way. This is never more real for me than right now. It seems like just when you finally feel like your really close to someone the reality of grad school (in that it eventually comes to an end) sets in and it's time for your friend(s) to move on in life. Andy is definitely one of those friends for me. He and his wife Randi (and their new baby Ally) leave next week for Kentucky and I don't know if I'm ready for that. He's become one of my best friends in a short time and I think it's going to be hard to not have him around--thank goodness for cell phones, long distance, and airplanes. But, I'm thankful to know that we share something in common which is ulitmately greater than our friendship alone...we are brothers in Christ. No matter how far apart we are I know that the love of God in Christ binds us together. Sure, I'll miss him and the fun we have together but I know it's not the end. In fact I pray it is just the beginning. I know God has a plan for them as he does for all of us, even when we find ourselves in uncertain periods of transition. That's why I'm thankful that in Jesus, friends really are friends forever!

God, thank you for blessing us with friends to walk beside us in this journey!

Officially Presbyterian

Yesterday was a day of firsts. It was my first time to orchestrate a liturgy oriented service. It was my first time to lead a congregation in song to the accompaniment of an organ. It was the first time I had to worry about switching from one pulpit on one side of the stage to a larger one on the other side at the appropriate times. And, it was my first time to preach in a Presbyterian church (and listed in the bulletin as a visiting pastor). But, it was a great experience and it was a blessing to worship with the wonderful people of Eastland First Presbyterian. Apparently it was a blessing to them as well although there were points in the service in which I wasn't so sure because the majority just stared back at me from their seats with few, if any signs of affirmation. All in all, I believe my first experience as 'priest for a day' could be viewed as a success. It leads me to wonder what else I could do to broaden my horizons...