There's so much I'd say, all thought in vain
Like talking to a star, but little words travel far.
Writing was a characteristic season for my time in college. Once a month, since before attending Olivet Nazarene University, I would sit down with this very laptop and begin writing and recording everything going on in life at that season. This would be a mile marker of sorts--letting me have the ability to see the change of myself and my situation as the months and years progressed.
Ministry has been a critical part of that story. Even to the extent of having specialized journaling during periods of intense ministry, I would take time out of my day and record all that God would do.
To those who are about to undergo ministry, or going to college, I encourage the use of writing and journaling. It prompts a healthy time of reflection and release of critical events, thoughts, or seasons. 'Tis a time of tranquil isolation, being able to take some time to refamiliarize with oneself and being willing to journey to wholeness in mind and spirit as life begs change.
I would dedicate this blog as a memorial to all the memories I personally would make in the past four years--through the punk years of early college, all the breathtaking and fruitful times of ministry, the stress-filled and jubilous memories in college dorms and apartments, and all the spiritual highs and lows while moving through the journey.
In my free time I find myself a wanderer of the mind. I'd often find myself lost in a philosophical thought or construct of thoughts, sometimes spilling out into a beautiful narrative that few can really grasp the substance therein. Like tapping in the bone to eat at the marrow, journaling (and blogging by extension) allows one to savor the memories and reflections that make the present sweetest. College was a time for these periods of literate pilgrimage to remain private. Periods of growth necessitate periods of privacy, as a butterfly requires the safety and privacy of a cocoon to give permission to form. However, moving forward with more periods of active ministry, my mind becomes a treasured tool--one I've only recently deemed necessary to be made aware to those who would walk alongside me in ministry. I would gladly make my mind readily available to my comrades in spirit!