(Br)Usher with Greatness

Last Friday, on our way home from Atlanta, I found myself one of the last people to get on the plane. As I was standing on the sky bridge, dispassionately preparing to board, I gazed at two guys who walked up at the last minute. One of them looked very familiar.

So I went through my usual "how do I know this guy/girl" routine, where I check my mental rolodex of work acquaintances, college classmates, and random people who are friends of friends. I came up with nothing, but thought certain I'd seen him someplace before.

Suddenly it occured to me who it was. And the place I'd seen him was the Grammy's, magazine covers, and on my iPod. It was USHER.

Oh, friends, that boy is even prettier in person.

I guess he felt me staring, because he looked up at me and realized I recognized him. We had a few seconds of nonverbal communication, with him wondering if the crazy white girl was going to start singing, taking pictures, or just generally busting him on his attempt at flying incognito and me trying to keep from drooling or making a fool of myself.

After a moment of considering whether or not to whip out my camera, I decided that he was entitled to his privacy. So I just smiled. Understanding that I was going to leave him alone and allow him some peace, he flashed that trademark beautiful grin and winked at me.

So yeah, I came home from Atlanta without a picture of Usher and me. Instead I granted him a papparazzi-free flight, and he granted me a private and grateful smile.

I hummed "Confessions" all the way home.

I'm sorry, Atlanta

I totally owe the ATL a big apology. Obviously my aversion to this town was the result of ignorance. She's a gorgeous city at night. I'm not saying I want to move here, but she's a great lady to visit.

After all-day meetings (more on that later) we headed to the world famous Varsity for burgers and fries. It was a bit disappointing, but at least four of us ate for a mere 23 bucks.



We then headed to Atlantic Station for dessert at Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro, where we capped off dinner with $45 worth of dessert. :)



I'm off to bed kids. I've ignored the treadmill on this trip, but I'm too pooped to run. I did walk about three miles to the bookstore earlier today so I'm not a total slug, but I figure I consumed at least 3,000 calories in the past 24 hours.

As Georgian Scarlett O'Hara would say, "I'll think about that tomorrow."

The blessing and the challenge

Almost against my will, my boss drug me to a Christian college conference in Atlanta. I'm not particularly fond of the capital of Georgia (no offense, Amanda!) and I'm less fond of attending meetings I think won't benefit me, so I had a lousy attitude about being here. And when you add in the fact that I had to get up at 3 a.m. and change planes to arrive in time for a 3 p.m. meeting about research findings, I was one grumpy gus.

The Lord indeed works in mysterious ways.

I've been in a spiritual holding pattern lately. Oh, I know I'm going to heaven, but the spiritual growth part of Christianity always evades me. I want to be more like Christ, but I always find myself more like the Pharisees: full of judgement and short on grace. In other words, most of the time I totally miss the point.

As you can imagine, that's particularly challenging given my profession. I feel blessed to have what is, in essence, a ministry position. I know what I do impacts the Kingdom in a small way, and it's not a calling I take lightly most of the time.

Instead, I find myself bogged down in the mundane, making time for making spreadsheets and giving up quiet time for Bible study and prayer. And I know better. Just as I know chocolate temps me and going to the gym is necessary, I know that my journey toward becoming more like Christ will never be complete. Yes, salvation is finished. Supplication is not. But oh how I take my Lord for granted.

But thankfully he still seeks a relationship with me. And he still reaches out to me.

Tonight I found myself sitting in a room with 1,200 people who work at Christian colleges. And during that time the band Watermark led worship, singing one of my favorite songs, "Hosanna." After that we heard from Rich Stearns, president of Worldvision, who reminded us that Christians are called to be salt and light. And we are called to preach the Gospel to all nations, including those who are ravaged by poverty and disease and hunger.

2.5 billion people live on less than $2 a day. I have so many blessings in my life and I take so much for granted. Like medical care and food and shelter.

I am challenged to think of others. And I am blessed to be a child of God.

Captivate us, Lord Jesus
Set our eyes on You
Devastate us with Your presence
Falling down
And rushing river, draw us nearer
Holy fountain consume us with You
Captivate us Lord Jesus, with You
- "Captivate Us" by Watermark