A Psalm of Joy

Praise God Who daily pours forth grace

My broken heart restored

His work is done yet carries on

In joy I call Him Lord!

O Lord You reign o'er mind and heart

The whole of self is Thine.

In awe I humbly bow my knee

Before Your name divine.

Divine, that Name above all Names

Is none but Jesus Christ,

Who loved before I drew first breath

Or knew His sacrifice.

Such sacrifice can not be found

In other time or space.

Come join the chorus of the saints:

Praise God who pours forth grace!

How I came to Crossroads & semester reflections

I took my 4th and last final for my first real, true semester of college today, and I thought that it would be a good time to review how things have gone.

To say the least, college has exceeded every expectation I had about going back to school. When I graduated from high school in May of 2007, now some 18 months ago (wow), I was burned out. I was completely, entirely ready to be completely, entirely done with school. For good. Until this summer.
In the spring of this year, 2008, I started to have thoughts about going back to school. But I had no idea what I wanted to do, or where I wanted to go. Previous to graduating, I had my eyes locked on Northwestern College in the Twin Cities, for a broadcasting degree. Through an internship with a local radio station during my senior year however, I learned that my perceptions about radio life were somewhat glamorized, and that it was not the best career choice for me.
As I lay in my sleeping bag in my bunk at Fort Wilderness near McNaughton, Wisconsin on a mid-May night, this lone thought popped into my head some time before I drifted off to sleep: "What about Crossroads?"
I thought that it was maybe just a fleeting thought that would vanish with the dark the next morning, but when I awoke, behold, that little school had demonstrated great staying power! Again, I thought to myself "It's probably one of those things that will wear off after a few days." and so I lived my life. But that thought of at least checking out to see what the school had to offer staid right there. So a couple weeks later on my day off, Amanda and I went to one of our usual coffee shops, and I went online to the school's web site, just to see what they offered. As expected, they offered a number of ministry-oriented degrees such as youth and family studies, music ministry, and pastoral leadership. I have never seen myself going into a church position full-time, so I wasn't interested in anything like that. But one thing did catch my eye, something that stood out from the rest: Business Administration. I clicked on the title and read:

"The Business Administration Major is intended
to equip students to serve in the business
world with Christian attitudes and ethics that
demonstrate servant leadership.

Students will learn the basic skills necessary to
function as a business owner, manager, or
employee within the profit or non-profit sectors."

I was immediately interested, and scoured the site for as much information as I could find about the program. In the next couple weeks, I talked with my parents and prayed about it. Within weeks, I felt comfortable with my decision, and printed off the applications and forms needed to apply.
Despite mailing in everything several weeks late, I was accepted to Crossroads College with open arms. Before long, I was emailing with people named Cindy, Kimber and Scott, knowing them by name only, and as the people who could answer my questions about how the housing worked, what I did and didn't need to bring, how to get scheduled for classes, and anything else I needed to know. Their helpfulness only solidified in my mind that this was going to prove to be a very good decision.
On the morning of August 23 I packed up about half my belongings, all of my music, my stereo equipment, a few tubs and boxes, a small TV, and fit everything into my small Mitsubishi Galant. It was stuffed from the floor of the front passenger seat to the very back of the trunk, but I got it ALL into my car, which was a rather satisfying accomplishment. Then, with me in my car and the family tailing behind in the mini van, we made the long trek from the Holter farm on Marion Road to Crossroads College, next to the llama farm on Mayowood Road. The grand total of traveling time? About 8 minutes. I was met at the entrance to the school by a guy named Brett who welcomed me to the college and noticed that I was listening to Fair's superb debut, 2006's The Best Worst-Case Scenario. I was thrilled to immediately make a connection with a music fan.
Up and around the bend, I got signed in, and met my R.A., a guy in a bowler hat named Bryan Casey. He helped me carry my stuff in to my unit, Earl Grice Hall. With my family's help, we arranged the provided furniture and fit my personal things into my room in the most efficient and comfortable way. A few hours later, everything was set to go, and we all smiled and hugged goodbye.
From the very first opening night pizza party and RA introduction time, I have loved, and been loved, by Crossroads College. The strangers I met my first few days became acquaintances by the first week. As the semester revved up, many of them turned into friends, and now, with one full semester done, many of them have become my spiritual family with whom I know I could trust my life with.
My professors are knowledgable, attentive, ready and willing to field any questions I may have, treat me with respect, and have been excellent to study under. The office personnel, those who once were just names, have become faces and friends. My first semester has been fantastic, and I have nothing but the highest and brightest of hopes for the future. Thank you to all of you, faculty, staff and my fellow students for accepting me as I am and providing encouragement, honesty and humor during the times I have needed it most. I love you all.

Merry Christmas!

The Next President is...

The next president is Mike Kilgallin! President of Crossroads College, that is. Mr. Mike Kilgallin was inaugurated as the 12th president of Crossroads College in a very nice ceremony held in the ballroom at the Rochester International Event Center, by the airport. I drove out for the 7pm ceremony, and was pleasantly surprised to find probably 200+ people in attendance. A number that saddened me however, was that there was only two other students besides myself who were not required to be there. There were about a dozen in total, but the rest of those were in either the ceremony (colorguard, marshal) or the choir. My pastor John Steer, who serves on the Crossroads College board of directors, and I discussed this matter, and we both agreed that it was an important event, and an occasion at which the student body should have been better represented. It's not every year that the college officially acknowledges the hiring of a new president.
The man, Mike Kilgallin, is quickly becoming one of my role models. He's active in the school, and can be seen most days walking through the halls of the administration building. He's a short, well-built man, about 50 years old. His temperament and manner exude a perfect blend of confidence, control, collectedness and friendliness. He has a B.A. in preaching, an M.B.A., and is working on a B.A. in something else, which I cannot remember.
The ceremony was an hour and a half long, and featured the typical fancy ceremony things, such as an invocation, a welcome, the introduction and charge of the president, followed by a speech by the president himself, inviting us to ask ourselves, as the Hobbits in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, "what sort of adventure have we fallen into?" ...At this point, I am embarrassed to admit that I have no idea how he answered this question in his speech, as I fell asleep part-way through. (Mr. Kilgallin, should you ever read this, my apologies. I respect you very much, and was pleased to be in attendance for the evening's events.)
The personal highlight of the evening were the delicious desserts. Cheesecake desserts of the finest quality were served. Every variety was available, including chocolate cookie crumb, cherry, caramel, pecan, lemon bars, and more. It was fantastic.