So I am at work Friday afternoon and these three guys come in. When they put down their belongs on one of the tables In notice a notebook, and two bibles. On thinline black bible, and another big, bulky study bible. They come up to the counter to order, and after some banter about one of them being a partner at Starbucks I find out that they are all on staff at a baptist church in Lexington, KY. The conversation takes off from there. We talk about how I’m pretty much Reformed but I go to a “liberal” SBC college. They talk about how they consider themselves a “little b” baptist church since they are becoming more reformed, but have a big focus on community, discipleship and outreach. We talked about how Jesus and God are not concepts, and how UK needs some reformed people to reach the campus. It was such a refreshing conversation. I left with two business cards and promised to visit their church if I was ever in the area. That was the second time in the last week that a random conversation has come up with customers at work who were solid Christians. It was exciting to talk to other believers about ministry and life after college and new things. In case I havent mentioned it I am so ready to graduate. Im like a salvating congregant at a church potluck.
On a side note Ive been holed up in drive-thru at work for far so long that I forgot about the beauty of cafe service. I like working drive-thru on a morning shift, because all the regulars come through. There is a great sense of pleasure to make a personal connection with some one, because you know excatly what they are going to order. But these last few days Ive enjoyed the people walking through the front door, even if they do get pissy with me because we dont have free Wi-Fi. Yes, there is a Starbucks in existence that does not have Wi-Fi. That is the Starbuck’s trivia for the day.
In related news…we have internet and cable at our house. “Praise God from whom all blessings flow…” The house is almost in order. My room is more functional, and for the first time in years all my books are out in broad daylight. They are like my little children, all lined up against the wall for me to look gazingly at. Yeah, no bookshelf yet. Im still the lazy one in this roommate relationship, but I did clean the apartment on Friday. Mmmmm…..Pine-Sol.
Moving is in full swing. I took two car loads today to the house compared with the roommate’s, five loads? Clearly Im the slacker in this relationship. Im also the financial dependent one as well. She has…a career, and a sweet paycheck. I have $20 of gas in my car to last me until Friday, and that was made possible by a random donation to a friend who then gave it to me. (I mean Ill get tips tomorrow from work, but that will go to a little something called groceries.) God is awesome in His, but He sure does stress me out sometimes.
So, I forgot how totally stoked I am about our cute house. We have a good size yard with trees perfect for sitting underneath on cool fall evenings and for hanging a hammock in. We have a beautiful view of the mountains, and I cant wait to look out one of the two windows in my bedroom to see fall’s colorful desplay of change. Our living room and kitchen are just one big, open room and it feels so great. We have close neighbors that include goats, and cats roaming around. Rent is so affordable for a house and I have the best roommate. I really don’t know how I got so lucky.
Work is going well except for the occasional lack of hours. But tonight was one of those shifts where I left feeling engergized. A borrowed partner was my closing shift, and she totally knew Jesus. Her, her husband, myself, and a customer got into a frenzy of a conversation towards the end of the shift. The customer happened to be a professor at a colleg in VA and he was Christian as well. He talked about presenting at Oxford, and hearing Tony Campolo speak there as well. Lots of great energy, conversation and seeing how God beautiful orchestrates the many details of our lives. I got so excited just hearing all the connections and stories of school, places and areas of study. People and their stories energize me anyways, but this particular set of stories and people was especially refreshing tonight.
At one point of the conversation the Professor Customer said, in response to my apparent admiration of his Oxford experience, “You could present at Oxford!” Im thinking…Me? Yeah right. Let me just tell you all about my insecurities as a student and how I barely have a 2.89 GPA. Blah blah blah.
What excited me though was this: God’s plans for me and my life are bigger and better than I can ever dream up. I never wanted to go back to college, and here I am eleven weeks away from getting my B.A. (Sometime I will blog about how much college has radically changed me, and proved me wrong in so many ways about what I thougth it really couldnt do.) I have all sorts of dreams for my life after graduation. Dreams that fill me with so much excitement. I think that energy is what is going to get me through this last semester. But the reality is that the best dreams and plans I can have for myself pale in comparison to God’s plans for me. A lot of times it’s hard to obediently submit my dreams to Him and genuienly, loving say “Whatever, Lord. Whatever Your will.” But I look back at just the last four years only to see how great His plan has been so far for me, so why wouldnt my future be great. A future of uncertainty circumstantially, but a future full of opportunities to know God even better and to look more like Christ. Because while I can be a bratty, fussy child of God in the end I know all that is is for my good. Maybe I will go on to get my Master’s and even PhD (What?) and present at some prestigious school ike OXford. Maybe I will be a missionary in Romania or Spain. Maybe I will be a worship leader at some church. Maybe I will get married and have a bunch of kids. Maybe I will do all of it. Maybe I will do none of it and I will do something I havent even thought of. Which is totally possible. Because I never even thought about asking the girl I am living with now if she needed a roommate a couple months ago. That was some one else’s idea. And I never thought I about moving into a cute little house with her. That was her idea. And I never thought about going back to college, or moving to TN, etcetera, etcetera.
Sleep in.
Miss class.
Iced Coffee.
Miss coworkers.
Study Greek.
House Codes.
Liberate Paul.
Liberate Women.
Liberate Self.
Hug professor.
In theory.
Take test.
Lead group.
Be led.
Hear stories.
Feel hearts.
Grow closer.
Drive home.
See friends.
Long time.
Struggling marriage.
Struggling self-esteem.
Need Savior.
Christ Jesus.
Past relationships.
Need healing.
Visit cafe.
Feel comfy.
See friends.
See crush.
Be funny.
Not overbearing.
Come home.
Cat Stevens.
Surf net.
Journal some.
Bed time.