God, friends, and airsoft

Today I ran SundayPlus for the last time before leaving for college.

I was glad to have the chance to do it one more time, since my regular Sunday this month is the day I'll have left early for Grove City. Dawn Weaver needed to switch weeks this month, which worked out well for me.

So it was a pleasant, uneventful morning on SundayPlus. I even got to ride in early with my favorite Susannah, who was filling in for Jack on IMAG. Mark Mitchell delivered an excellent message on the priority of evangelism.

I cut out a little early from church, changed at home and grabbed my airsoft gear, and met Brandon W's crew in front of Covenant Life. It was a normal airsoft crowd, in my experience, and per Brandon's prediction, we had two girls - Katie B. from caregroup and Becky M. with us. (Brandon plans to jibe Brandon Miller - a frequent airsoft participant - for not coming today, noting to his shame that even Katie, a novice and girl, showed up to play.)

We drove up to Frederick in three cars. I drove one of them, enjoying the company of Sean Mayo and being able to decide what music to play on the stereo. I'm serious - that's why I usually offer to drive on group outings. We went to the Burgoons' house in Jefferson, because they were kind enough to let us play in their back woods - an extensive, perfect-for-airsoft course filled with treacherous hills, slopes, creeks, ravines, trees, leaves, brush, and, of course, mud. The Burgoons are members of Sovereign Grace Church of Frederick.

Peter W. was there, as well as several chaps from the local church. Mr. Wyzga and Brandon took charge. Chad was also there, as well as Sean, Alex J. and Roma (my car's occupants), Laddie V., Katie, and Becky.

I could recount each of the three Capture the Flag games we played in detail, but I won't for the following reasons: it would take too long; it wouldn't be very interesting to read for anyone who wasn't there (I believe this comprises my entire readership); I don't need to remember all the details; and besides, for everyone half the game is sitting in a cramped position amidst thorns, leaves, and mud waiting for a target to walk by. This was especially true of Sean, whose sniper tactics saved the day many times, even though he did nothing but lie in wait covered with leaves.

Everyone played well, though, and it was neat to see people coming out of their comfort zones and taking bold actions despite the risk of getting hit or landing in mud. I played on Brandon Wyzga's team, along with Mr. Wyz, Katie, Alex, Sean, and a few straight-shooting Frederick fellows. We warred against Peter, Chad, Becky, Laddie, Roma, and a couple of small guys from Frederick who really held their own. I pinned down a formidable David Thompson for a good fifteen minutes, strafing the tree he used as shelter as I made a wide circle around it. He had a very defensible position, and followed through with an excellent defense from a gas pistol. Eventually I flushed him out, but not without getting hit and "re-spawning" at least twice. I took his spot, only to be shot out from behind by Chad Wyzga. Before he got me I did my best to put up as vigorous a fight as his teammate had given me.

Drove back with a full car and dropped everyone off at church. Sean showed me something I didn't know about the car: what the other two gearshift positions are for. Tonight I learned that ever since I learned to drive I've been running in overdrive - which apparently is the D with a box around it, as opposed to the D by itself below that. Apparently I can save gas by not running the car in overdrive when I'm doing "city driving" with starts and stops, as it's harder for the engine to push the car forward in overdrive because it's trying to turn the wheels faster than the engine is turning. This is, however, ideal for highway driving - because the engine doesn't need as much torque to push forward a car that's already moving at high speed.

------

God is showing me so much of His goodness at saving me from my sin, and to a profound extent His power to enable me to obey and please Him and walk in holiness. He is giving me so much faith for the future - not about personal life events, but about His promise of future grace and my ongoing Spirit-enabled ability to love, worship, and glorify Him. Thanks to some wonderful leadership from my dad, I've been thinking very hard about the spiritual temptations there will be for me at Grove City, and how I can fight those and pursue God with a whole heart. God is giving me faith for that now, and encouraging me to pursue Him wholeheartedly, because "He exists and He rewards those who seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). I don't know when I've been more convinced of the truth and reality of that verse.

Also I've been having my mind repeatedly uplifted by the Scripture-filled words and wonderful melodies in Mark and Stephen Altrogge's CD, "In A Little While." I was going to post lyrics here, but this post is too long already so I'll put up some lyrics as a standalone entry soon. I'm really going to miss living at home and attending Covenant Life. I have begun to appreciate much more some things that previously I had (comparatively) taken for granted, like what a joy it is to serve on SundayPlus, how much I love my family, and the blessing of Spirit-rich friends who care for my soul and serve as examples for me to follow.

I'll miss being here so much, but God is flooding my soul with divine joy and faith.

I really don't know when I've been happier.