The Smoky Mountains = great fun, great food, great laughs. I decided to go along to get a week off work, and when we got there I found out I held the status of a sponsor. This really doesn't mean much to me, except I got a few priviliges the students didn't get. We hiked up a mountain, rafted down the Pigeon River, walked the streets of Gatliburg late at night, and shared in too many conversations and jokes to count. I am glad to be home, though. I am only two weeks away from returning to C.C.U. (and I still need to find a job for my nine months on campus).

I went out-of-town Saturday (more on this in a sec), so when Jeff called me and asked me to teach Sr. High, I knew I would not have much time to write a 50-minute lesson. I've instead decided to hit several current "issues" running over and over in my head:

"How is a Christian identified in the world?"
"What is the will of GOD for our lives?"
"What is 'holiness', really?"
and "Once Saved, Always Saved?"

I'm hoping the kids will be able to contribute to these conversations, and I'm hoping some controversy will arise (I'm betting the last topic will stir up the most controversy, as many of the students [including myself] were raised in a Baptist background that takes a different stance on the topic than I do).

Today I visited my wonderful girlfriend in southern Kentucky. We went on a picnic at Big Bone Lick, took a walk down by the creek, swam in her pool, sat under the gazebo and talked for four hours, went to her cousin's birthday party, and called it a night. We both had an amazing, quack-tastic time. We can't wait to hang out again (I hope to visit her once before school starts; that gives me two weeks).