This was the weekend of my fiftieth birthday.
50 years old. That has an "old" ring to it.
It's interesting how we picture ourselves. I tend to "see" myself still in my late 20's - though my body lets me know quite often that's not the case. Fifty is for old men and I don't see myself in that category. Maybe it's from working with college students for over 26 years. Maybe that has kept me "younger" and more immature than other men my age. And I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing!
50 sures puts me past middle-age - unless I plan on living to be over 100!
But it is also a natural point for reflection and evaluation. Most likely, over half of my life is past now. And over half of my time in ministry. Am I content with what it has been? How do I want to adjust its trajectory from this point forward? Though my physical strength is on the decline, I don't believe that has to be the case spiritually and personally and in ministry. I do believe that the my greatest years of service and ministry are ahead of me. And I am excited about them.
************
There have been a few celebrations over the past week. On Tuesday night, our students all wore black to our Encounte
r service. Since it was three days before my birthday, I didn't catch on until they started to sing "Happy Birthday" - I guess the mind starts to slip a little at my age. They also brought a coffin-shaped cake and some pictures of my face on the body of a hamster (that's another story).
On Friday, the Carter clan came over for dinner. We always have a great time playing with our god-children.
We spent Saturday and Sunday with our girls and their men in Kansas City. We ate and played at Dave & Buster's, played cards, watched the new James Bond flick, did a little shopping, and just hung out together.
And, of course, a birthday wouldn't be complete without presents:
* A new leather recliner
* A beautiful painting that Gina had commissioned featuring one of my favorite verses of Scripture - Ephesians 2:10 - and done by one of our alums, Lisa Miller. If a students has been around ConC very long, they have heard me talk about it at least once.
* The traditional box of Cap'n Crunch cereal
50 years old. That has an "old" ring to it.
It's interesting how we picture ourselves. I tend to "see" myself still in my late 20's - though my body lets me know quite often that's not the case. Fifty is for old men and I don't see myself in that category. Maybe it's from working with college students for over 26 years. Maybe that has kept me "younger" and more immature than other men my age. And I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing!
50 sures puts me past middle-age - unless I plan on living to be over 100!
But it is also a natural point for reflection and evaluation. Most likely, over half of my life is past now. And over half of my time in ministry. Am I content with what it has been? How do I want to adjust its trajectory from this point forward? Though my physical strength is on the decline, I don't believe that has to be the case spiritually and personally and in ministry. I do believe that the my greatest years of service and ministry are ahead of me. And I am excited about them.
************
There have been a few celebrations over the past week. On Tuesday night, our students all wore black to our Encounte
r service. Since it was three days before my birthday, I didn't catch on until they started to sing "Happy Birthday" - I guess the mind starts to slip a little at my age. They also brought a coffin-shaped cake and some pictures of my face on the body of a hamster (that's another story).
On Friday, the Carter clan came over for dinner. We always have a great time playing with our god-children.
We spent Saturday and Sunday with our girls and their men in Kansas City. We ate and played at Dave & Buster's, played cards, watched the new James Bond flick, did a little shopping, and just hung out together.
And, of course, a birthday wouldn't be complete without presents:
* A new leather recliner
* A beautiful painting that Gina had commissioned featuring one of my favorite verses of Scripture - Ephesians 2:10 - and done by one of our alums, Lisa Miller. If a students has been around ConC very long, they have heard me talk about it at least once.
* The traditional box of Cap'n Crunch cereal
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