A familiar road...(and a couple of other little things)

if you have taken the time to pray for my trip to asheville last saturday-thank you. if you have taken the time to pray for my grandfather-thank you...your prayers are appreciated. his procedure was successful, but more importantly my time with him was special. i had opportunity to catch him up on the day-to-day with the collins family and i also had a chance to speak with him about Jesus. it truly was a special time. your continued prayers are welcome. i have not had a day like the one i had saturday in a long time. actually, i can't remember the last time i have had a day like the one i had on saturday...

in fact, as i was nearing home on the return trip, i realized that saturday was about much more than just going to asheville to see my grandfather.

the road betweem boone and the asheville/black mountain area is a very familiar one. while in my (five) wonderful years as a student at ASU, i spent 4 summers working at one of my favorite places in the world-camp timberlake ...while there is much that could be said recounting those summers, we'll save that for another time. when something (like that drive) is so tied to such a large part of your life, it tends to bring you to a place of reflection...i understand that this has been a theme in my life recently, but as i said in my first post, it seems that this is one of those times in my life in which the Lord is teaching and challenging me...and it is a good place to be.

i think i'll spare you many of the details, but let's just say that in the hour and a half (each way) that it took to make the trip, there was plenty of time to recount each camp moment, each day off, each climbing trip to ship rock, each little chief ceremony, each staff meeting on the front porch of the big house, each sock war, each staff week, each opening day, each 'frisbee dive' during free time, each volleyball game, each difficult camper, each easy one, and each camp friendship...all in great detail. okay, i realize that this must seem like a good bit of detail, but let me assure you that it falls well short of what was actually going through my mind.

it was a time of reflection, a time of listening and a time of allowing the Lord to deal with some things in me that needed to be dealt with...and as i passed the turn for curtis creek and approached old fort, i was moved (okay to some tears)...moved by how constant Jesus is in my life; the fact that in the midst of those days, in the midst of the times when i was in the center of where He wanted me to be, in the midst of loving the people around me with His heart, and in the midst of relationships that i did not treat with high enough regard, hearts that i did not care for in a way that i should have-the Lord continued to love me; he continued to use me-for 4 amazing summers at timberlake, He used that time to grow me and prepare me for the ministry which i have been a part of for almost 10 years now. i was moved by conviction, moved by grace, moved by memories, moved by the fact that the Lord would choose a time in my life 10 years ago to teach me things about who i am and who He is...right now. while this was not altogether painless, it was altogether good. i look forward expectantly as i know the Lord is not finished with this refining process. and if you have suffered through this much of this post-thanks for taking the time.

on lighter matters-i made the drive to black mountain yet again. yesterday i drove down to meet my friend dan singletary for a day of fly fishing on the north mills river near the asheville airport. it was a great day on the river, a great time of fellowship, a great time enjoying creation in one of my favorite ways. thanks dan.

on the blood, sweat, and gears training front i have not been nearly as disciplined with my training as i need to be...we're working on it, though i don't have long to 'work on it' as the ride will be here before i know it (and probably before i am ready).