| ...the continuation of the 10 things i think i think... 1. i think camp2007 prep has un-officially already begun. all campers, all counselors: we have a theme, and we have a great idea for a great, big game. and we are already working on your journal book QTs and studies...so exciting! 2. i think, after almost four years of thinking about it, coming back to philly was a great idea. i thought maybe i came back a bit premature, but you know, there has been so much renewal in my character and in my ministry, not to mention being back with family and close friends, and meeting people who have become good friends and partners - it has been so, so good. does it ever make sense to question the Lord? 3. i think the eagles will make it to the superbowl next season, and, dare i think it, the pats aren't even going to make the playoffs. that latter sentence is a bold statement, but i just said it; but remember, if you're mad at me for it, it's just a thought. 4. i think if the departed didn't win the oscar for best picture, i woulda written them a letter. i only considered writing a few 'idiotic' letters in my life: to ronald reagan, because he's my favorite president; to michelle kwan when she fell at the olympic figure-skating long program, because i thought she was such a gracious loser, and had so much poise all the while in tears; to tim keller, because i feel like we think alike, and because he will always be my spiritual mentor in the Gospel; and to a certain someone a while back that i let slip away and married someone else before i even knew that i had a chance. looking back, i shoulda wrote reagan, thank the Lord i didn't write michelle kwan, i got to meet with tim keller (but shoulda written him anyways, and maybe still will), and i woulda crawled into a hole and dug my way to china if i went through with the letter to the 'certain someone', whew! 5a. i think the next five years will be pivotal for me. i hope to be married in the next five years (if i can just get over my unwise sense of independence, and find that female happy camper), the future of camp, the future of ministry at church, the future of all of my next big personal projects (business and career, big purchases, gulp!)...man, lotsa stuff going on. 5b. i think i really am learning what it means to trust in Jesus as my righteousness, Jesus as my security, Jesus as my peace, Jesus as my freedom, and Jesus as my love. otherwise, i'd be the type of guy where the successes or failures of 5a could make or break me; thank God for the Gospel that allows me to take some big steps with courage and boldness, and to be repentant as well about my sin and idols with just as much courage and freedom because of the grace of God found in the cross of Christ. the next five years are secure, and that should translate into much less stress, since my identity will not hinge on those successes. 6. i think death brings out many different emotions in us; we get riled up when unsensible death happens, and at the same time, we enter into a moment of universal confusion and sobriety at the same time. recently, i attended a viewing for someone who passed away, a former camper. as i heard the words of the presider of the ceremony, i looked around and was thankful that so many people came (of all ages, races, and beliefs). in his youth, a senior in hs, the child touched many, that was obvious. it doesn't always make sense. but the one thing i kept reminding myself as i watched his mother sob endlessly, and my sister cry silently, "one day all of these wrongs will be undone...because the hands of the Lord are healing hands..." 7. i think my life has taken so many strange turns; i coulda been dead by the age of five. coulda died multiple times in hs. there were certainly some pivotal points in my life that changed it forever. i am so thankful for the Gospel. i may be a recovering legalist, and a recovering hedonist, but hey, i am recovering. 8a. i think i wanna go to the following places to visit this year: the hagers (jack, i have an idea for the summer - let's talk), the virgin islands or somewhere warm like the outer banks in nc (with the counselors, hopefully?), hah-va-ee (with the fam and aunt's fam), boston (within the next two months), cali (to see koreanjarhead's new hair-do)... 8b. i think i wanna go to the following in the next several years: fiji, the muthaland (every other year, hopefully), orlando (never been to disney)... 9a. i think i am gonna watch a red sox - yanks game this year back in fenway...used to do it every year. we're going to the world series this year; the yanks aren't even gonna make the playoffs. there, i said it. 9b. **small edit** on behalf counselor daniel chung...yes, daniel, i am actually purchasing a phillies 10-pack so that i can slowly work to become a phillies fan...but the sox will always be my first love. 10. i think i am going to submit several pieces of literature this year for publishing. maybe some day, i will actually have something real to say about the Gospel, and share it with y'all! 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