It is sometimes sad for me to look back over life and see how I go through certain patterns. Times of growth and drought, of remembrance and disremembrance. Lately I’ve completely neglected the awesome sovereignty of our God, a theme of my life that was so beautifully clear to me two short years ago.

But tonight, I remembered, primarily through an open forum with Dr. Nielson. How? His vision for this school is based upon God’s providence and His mission for His people. And I think Dr. Nielson tries to base the school’s practices on that, which I find so encouraging and refreshing!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lately I have been discouraged by the general attitude of the students here. Partly it is because I am not one who greatly enjoys scholasticism in and of itself. I love learning. But I hate sitting in school and learning to learn just because. I want to learn so I can get off my duff and do something!

So, in the midst of that frustration with the highly intellectual attitude that sometimes permeates this place, I go to this open-forum, expecting it to be outside of sovereign control (that was a joke). And I find that the administration here, in spite of the continuous clamor I hear of discontent, has as its primary goal to be an effective world for Christian growth to be “culture-shattering.” And I think that is awesome. Hard to work out, yet revolutionary.

And a large part of making this work at a Christian college is for us students to start acting like Christians. To do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with my God.

So I’m preaching to myself, I know. I am unkind more than kind; proud almost always.

Here’s an interesting solution. We say we hate change. Yet I’m supposed to be changing into the likeness of Christ every day, to be conforming to Him. That’s a lot of change, and I resist it a lot. That’s why dying today was such a good thing. And dying tomorrow. And the “day after tomorrow.” And not just with a water gun wound; with three nails and a rough-hewn log. And you just pick up that cross and follow Him