GUPY Reunion

This has been an awesome weekend. All but one of the students that did GUPY 2007 got back together in Glenwood this weekend. It was a good time. And since what I lack in frequency I make up for in volume :) here we go.

I came into the weekend tired, with many ideas for the coming semester, but lacking the feeling of joy and excitement I am used to going into a semester. I walked into Marshall's house with Kelly and Jeremy and saw the other people from GUPY I felt a peace, but my face barely showed it. We were hanging out, marveling at how much Jacob (Marshall's youngest) had grown, and eating dinner. Then we started sharing about our semesters. We all had hard ones. All had instances of how things did not go our way. But at the same time I feel like there was still hope for the future, hope for how God was working even in the most difficult stories. As we went around, trying to keep it short, jokes were made about my being long winded. Jokes that are accurate, but when my turn came I felt and odd cold, I could barely talk, like I was nervous, but I wasn't. I really don't know what was up with that.

Then I got to sleep on the magically deflating air mattress (twice as I would learn later). I didn't sleep all that well. But the next day we had a quiet time about abiding in God (John 15). That was awesome. I really feel like God has been blessing me with letting me see him use me even when I do not feel I am in him as much as I would like. That has been a blessing to me, but I felt like I was becoming content in that and not trying/ desiring him to use me more, to work on the disciplines to help me be more ready to hear his voice and see his leading. He has been pruning me a while, and as Marshall noted while most of us felt like we were being pruned the main focus of the passage is not the pruning but living in him, and the promise that if we are in him he is in us and we will bear fruit. It was just a good time to refocus and see what God is doing, and can do. I think we were all encouraged through that reading.

We got to give some feedback on GUPY and help Marshall plan for GUPY 2008. I think it was a good reminder of all we did to talk about what was good. I think it helped revive some of the memories of what we had learned and left wanting to do. We spent the rest of the day hanging out, catching up, sharing jokes, reminiscing, eating at Natty Green's, talking about Vision and leadership and complaining about the candidates avoiding the questions during the debates.

This morning we went to Grace Community Church. And I loved the sermon, the video didn't make any sense, but the sermon was good. It was the lead pastor talking about the vision and direction for the church. How he had spent a year searching for it. And basically his response was communication, growth, and service. I think his exact words were connect, grow, serve, share... maybe this is more simple than what I said. I guess the part that resonated the most with me was where he said college grads talk about all the growth they had in college then say they got to busy and stopped growing afterwards. That is something I have noticed, and feared on some level with the Church. Something that has caused me to question when staff with campus ministries tell us to go to a church and not just our meetings. I feared the church didn't notice or care. It was really encouraging to see a pastor mention that. Granted UNCG is right down the road, but still. And being there to see Marshall begin his transition from IV to Grace and GUPY was cool as well.

Then after lunch, and getting back on the road it was hard to leave again. I found myself wanting a group of my friends from college to chose to move to a city so I wouldn't have to leave them all. But at the same time the conversations and prayer we had were what I needed to get the joy and excitement I thought I should feel. And while riding, reading, listening to music, and conversing with Jeremy, I got a few texts from a friend. Nothing huge, but it was kinda cool to know someone from VT was thinking of me, it made the drive back feel more like a transition back to school than just waiting around in Richmond. I have 4 days before the Vision Team retreat where things start to get interesting, and I know I need those to pack, and prepare. But I just felt like I should be on my way to Blacksburg, not Richmond. I feel like my heart and mindset, at least for now, are oriented to see little things as blessings and encouragements. That is just cool...

sooo this had no real plan or direct purpose, other than being my thoughts at the moment.

God's got big plans, I can't wait to see what he does.