Website is down!

Ok, so our student website is down. We are redoing everything and hopefully have it up and running by the New Year. Until that time, please check back here as I will update the blog with all of the information you need. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Pastor Mark

Last Friday

So here is the story.  I had a bad couple of days last week, nothing to worry about now.  I was sitting in my office looking at Ecclesiastes 3 and wondering.  I picked up a book given to me by my grandmother when I started preaching.  She gave me all of my papaw's books...he was a preacher also.  When I opened it to Ecclesiastes 3 I found a business card.  It was my papaw's.  The card is about 50 years old.  That was not to impressive but what he wrote on the back was to me.  He wrote, "In the church's lowest condition the faithful few need not despair: the time to build up will come.  The love of God to his church is unchangeable.  The judgment of God will yet repair all the wrong of time."  I read this and wept.  I got on the floor and prayed to God.  I do not know why my papaw wrote this.  I do not know if it was for himself or someone else?  I do not even know if he ever used it?  I do know that God knew I needed to read it last Friday morning over 50 years after it was written on the back a business card.  I now keep it in my wallet.  I am so thankful that God loves us, he is with us, and someday he will repair, fix, and destroy the evilness of the world.  

Our New Baby is Cute

Well tonight we launched a new college/singles/young adult and couples service at CHBC.  It was amazing!  We launched with close to 400 people of all ages.  God showed up and everything was so awesome.  David, our worship pastor was on as was the band.  I had so much fun.  I told several people that this service was so much work that it was like birthing a baby!  One of the college students came up to me after the service and said "I think our baby is cute!"  I think so too.  There were a lot of people who left excited and ready to bring people next week.  I would love to see 1000 people in there very soon.  Thank you to everyone who made tonight a success.  I love all of you!

Mark

My prayer for Central High School

I love students! It is why I do student ministry. We launched our fall semester last night with 92 people and 2 salvation's. I went to sleep so excited. I was working out this morning as I heard maybe 50 sirens buzzing by. I was then told that a shooting at occurred at Central. We have one student who attends and many friends who visit us. I am also one of the football chaplains. I rushed out and to the school talking to out student who was in lock down in the chorus room. God protected her today. Usually she eats in the cafeteria at the time of the shooting but today she took a pop tart from home and was in the chorus room. I have now heard that the student shot has passed away. My heart hurts because two students lives are ruined. One has passed from this life to the next and the other will never have a real life. Why? As I sit here and type, I am now more passionate than ever to reach students with the gospel. I want them to have hope, to have God, and for them to know he loves them unconditionally. To all of my students, I love you and I am here. To Bailey, I am glad your OK. I have never been so happy to see you than when i watched you walk from the school to your car. Even though we could not talk face to face I prayed for God's peace over you. Things will be OK. There is more work to be done.

Mark

God I pray that you will pour down your peace and Holy Spirit upon the lives of the students and parents of CHS. I pray that they understand that you are God and you are still on your throne. Today you were not surprised or caught off guard. We live in a fallen world and one day evil will be destroyed! Until then we cling to you and we ask that you help us, guide us, use us, and keep us from temptation and evil. There are hearts breaking today Father, and I ask that you comfort them. For those asking questions, please put your people in the right places to listen first and answer if necessary. God I pray that good will come from this tragedy and that new life may result from this also. You are God and you are sovereign. We love you and trust you. Move today and everyday. We ask that your will be done. In Jesus name, Amen!

Africa Day 10: Passion Cape Town

Well I am done with Passion SA. Tonight we finished the second leg of the Passion World Tour in Cape Town. I got up early and had breakfast before leaving for the venue. We had to set up chairs and then zip tie them together. The set-up went pretty easy. All 4000 chairs were supposed to be delivered at 10 AM...at 2:30 PM I was upset with the the company we used and trying to find the chairs we paid for. Everything worked out and the night was amazing! From the time the video launched until the end, the whole night was special. It was rewarding again to see a year's worth of work finally celebrated. I am so grateful to Passion for allowing me this opportunity. Chris and Matt did a great job leading worship and of course Louie was awesome. I am going to bed thinking and knowing "Savior, he can move the mountains. My God is mighty to save, he is mighty to save. So shine your light and let the whole earth see...were singing for the glory of the risen King! JESUS!" Well it is 2:45 AM and I am off to bed. I will write more tomorrow.

Cheers
Mark

Africa Day 9: The Sea Swallowed the Sun

Well today was a great day! I had a great breakfast and talked with a new friend named Quin. He is also a student pastor here in SA and I met him a year ago. Then he had 13 students and last night he told me in a year they have grown into 120 students. I was soaking in his ideas and love for God. They encourage their students to do a 30 second prayer before entering school. They were doing it in a classroom but the whole school began to participate and it was hard to get 1200 students into a 45 student sized-room. AMAZING! After breakfast we had a walk through of our venue. I am excited about Passion Cape Town tomorrow at 7:00 Pm which will be 1:00 PM for you. We went to the waterfront for lunch and i had the most amazing calamari ever. We then went shopping at the market. I bought an African drum for the kids, a Zulu spear, and a painting of the townships here. After the market we went to Camps Bay which in my opinion is one of the most beautiful places in the world! You have the rock mountains on one side and the ocean on the other...it is breath taking. We also ate the most amazing ice cream. No joke, it was the best ice cream I have ever had. The shop was named Mozart. We think climbed out on the rocks and sat down and watched the sun set. It was like the sea swallowed the sun. It was beautiful and I so wished Carrie could have been next to me. Love I promise i will bring you here some day and we will eat ice cream on the rocks and watch the sun set. It will be beautiful but not as beautiful as you! My kids started school today. Brycen started kindergarten and Regan Pre-K 4. My heart broke that I was not there. I was able to get in after the venue in time to skype them before they left. Regan was so excited that she woke up at 6:00 AM. Where have my little babies gone. I am ready to come home. I am so full right now, God is doing amazing things here in SA! I will see most of you Sunday at church.

Cheers
Mark

Africa Day 8: Getting ready again!

Well today was very busy for me. I spent almost all day sending e-mails and talking on the phone making sure everything is ready for our event Wednesday night. All is well even though I was worried at different times today. All of our team arrived tonight after having a great safari in Kruger. They saw the big five which is huge here and to see a leopard is rare I here. I did walk down the street to Cavendish which has a mall and places to eat. I bought a cool pair of shoes for R79.99 which is about $11. I do want to thank God for an answered prayer. I had someone who bought me a mac laptop to do graphics and movies at church. I am so blessed by God and overwhelmed by the graciousness of this person. I love God so much, he loves us! If that wasn't enough...apple had a deal going and I got a new printer also. I am loving life and ready to return and get going with the fall ministry! I am so pumped about speaking every Sunday night. It will be great. I hope all is well with everyone. I am off to bed even though it is only 5:00 PM for you.

Mark

Day 3-6: Catching you non-Facebookers Up!

Africa Day 3
Well I only got five hours sleep last night. I could not go to sleep and just for Grant Mills...I watched Stomp the Yard on TV. So I have been tired all day. It is almost 1 AM now and I am still awake. I have taken a sleeping pill so hopefully I will be gone in a few minutes. Today we finished shopping and we prepared hospitality bags for everyone and placed them in their rooms. That took a while. Our team arrives throughout the day tomorrow. Please pray for the event in Joburg on Saturday. It starts at 10 AM here and runs until 10 PM. That will be 4 AM for you. We ate at the Spur tonight which is a favorite of ours here in SA. Well I hope church goes well tonight. Thanks Chuck for preaching. Do not forget the Pool Blast at Court South next Wednesday-it will be a blast! I love you guys!

Africa Day 4
Please pray that I can sleep. I get so tired during the day but at night I cannot sleep. It is 12:20 AM and I am wide awake. All of our team arrived in Joburg today. I was able to talk very briefly with Chris and Louie today. I rested awhile this afternoon and have been studying and preparing sermons for Wednesday's and Sunday nights. I am so pumped about the new Sunday nights starting in September. Tonight I went to dinner with our team leads and the Fee band. These guys are awesome! After dinner we sat in the hotel talking. These are some great guys and I know SA will love them. I cannot wait until Saturday. I want to thank God for this experience and for what God is doing in my life. Not only has God given me a great wife and kids...but he has given me a great church and ministry at CHBC. God is also providing things I have been praying about for years. I love God! Well tonight I am going to bed excited. Tomorrow I will be at the venue all day as we are setting up for Saturday. Keep praying and I will talk to you tomorrow. Thanks for journeying with me. To all of the bloggers, I am sorry...I cannot access my blog from Joburg.

Africa Day 5 & 6
I apologize for not writing yesterday. I spent 12 hours at the venue setting up and getting everything ready for today. We then went as a team to Moya, which is an authentic African Restaurant. We had 5 courses and 2 desserts. It was very good but not good on the stomach. Several of our team did not feel well today. Yesterday was amazing and very tiring.What can I say about today...WOW! God showed up as did the South Africans. We had 6,000 people going hard after the heart of God. The Passion video started with Hello Joburg and the noise was deafening. It only got louder as the day went by. It was great to see Whites, Black's, and coloreds worshipping together. They came together under the banner of love to worship the King of Glory! Steve Fee was amazing and he also rocked the place to the ground. At one point so many people were jumping up and down that the floor was actually bouncing! It was also great to see that many university students with their eyes closed and hands lifted in worship. No one cared today, almost everyone went for it! I will never forget today. Today will be kept in my heart and images etched into my mind. It was so rewarding to see a year of planning pay off. I thank God for everyone involved with Passion and for this opportunity they gave to me. Louie spoke on what Passion is about and Isaiah 26:8. He also spoke about Ashley for the last two sessions. The students were into it and again I wish my words could express what really happened today. I will talk more tomorrow. I got only several hours of sleep last night and i must be up early again tomorrow. Please pray for me as I have hurt my knee really bad. I do not know what happened. I was walking and when I took a step, it popped. I am in a lot of pain. God provided a physical therapist and my knee keeps popping in and out. Anyway enough of that...God will provide! I cannot wait to tell you stories upon my return. Pray also for my family. I have been gone almost 2 weeks and still have 6 days to go. Carrie is amazing and I love her so much. I will see you soon. Thanks for praying for Joburg!

Africa Day 7: I am back on!

Well I am sorry for all of you non-facebook people but I have not been able to access this page while I was in Joburg. You can read Day 3-6 on facebook though. I am copying day 7 below and will try and add the others later. Things here are awesome!

Well today we sent the biggest part of the team to the Kruger national Park and our little small lead team flew to Cape Town which i must say is one of the coolest places on planet earth. I love it here. I would live here in a second. Well not a second because it would take about 20 hours to fly here. We left Joburg with great thoughts in our minds, smiles on our faces, and joy in our hearts. Looking back I think of the greatest of God. God could have done that event without any of us but that he allowed me to do anything makes me love Him even more. I think of the floor shaking, hands lifted up in worship, and a loud noise that I know made God very happy! South Africans are crazy and not afraid to go after God in worship...I love it! I did forget to mention two funny events yesterday. Evan walked into the green room during the first session and one of our rented tables was on fire! The flames were huge. A candle had gotten hot and tipped over spilling hot wax onto a wooden basket and the rest is history. Luckily Evan had a water bottle in his and and others close by. Evan saved the day and no one but us even knew. The table did die however with a huge hole burnt into it. The other event happened late last night. Everyone had left and Evan, Christina, and I were loading up the final things into the van. Someone from Evan's group texted Christina and she was trying to figure out how to call them (we are using old SA cell phones here). Instead of walking through the open glass door, she walked right into a closed one. We all three laughed so hard we almost became sick. It really was a great day yesterday and I cannot wait to share it with you. Today we landed in Cape Town. We checked into the hotel which is awesome and rested a bit. Tonight we went to Hillsong Cape Town. It is a church plant from the main church in Australia. The former student pastor Phil Dooley is the lead pastor. They have only been in existence since the middle of June and they already have 4 services that are full and thinking of starting number five. It was a great service. The worship was awesome and they did one of my favorite songs "The Time Has Come." Phil's message was great and challenging. It was a good night. We ate at the Spur on the waterfront which is one of our favorite SA places to eat. I am now here and going to bed. I hope church was well at CHBC and wherever you go! Thanks for all of you who prayed for me and for my knee. It was so crazy...I walking and it popped causing a lot of pain and today the same thing happened and I have no pain at all. I believe God healed me! Thanks again for the prayers. Also please pray for some friends of ours. I got word today that one of my friends in Charlotte was killed in a motorcycle accident Saturday. He was young and he leaves a young wife Erica behind. Please pray for her and for those ministering to her. Well today is Sunday and I will be home on Saturday. I cannot wait to see my kids and my beautiful wife. I have not gotten to talk to them today so I am home sick tonight. Sweet dreams guys I love you! Regan, if I could choose any girls in the world to be my daughter I would choose you every time. Brycen and Corbin, if I could choose any boys to be my sons, I would choose you both every time. Carrie what can I say...of all the women in the world, you are the greatest! I love you so much. You still make my heart beat fast!Mark

Africa Day 2- Shopping and more Shopping!!!

Well you can tell by the title how my dad was. We shopped a lot! We had to buy things for the green room and hospitality bags that we will give the team when they arrive Thursday morning. We woke up at 8:30 and had breakfast at 9. We are 6 hours ahead of you. After breakfast, we met with Jire which is an Christian organization that has helped us with tickets, transportation, and other items. After the meeting we had a quick walk through in the venue. We then shopped the rest of the day. Hopefully tomorrow will consist of less shopping! We are eating Pizza with Evan's family. They have triple decker pizza which is GOOD!!!! I have had some grapetizer today which is my favorite drink here in SA. Well that is my day today. I hope all is well with everyone. I miss you.

Mark

Africa Day 1- Planes, Flights, and Johnny Knoxville

Well I am here in Joburg, SA. I promised I would blog every day so you could journey with me. However, I cannot access my blog here for some reason. So I will place my thoughts here tonight and try again tomorrow. It is winter here and cold. I traveled from 1:00 PM Sunday from Knoxville until 5:05 PM Monday here in Joburg. There is not much to say except I watched movies on the plane, ate bad food, and slept. I watched Prince Caspian and Iron Man. I guess the only exciting thing that happened besides our plane dropping in turbulence and watching lightning underneath us was i flew from Knoxville to Atlanta with Johnny Knoxville. I saw him in th airport and thought it was him. When i heard him talk I knew. I prayed that we would sit close enough for me to talk to him but he was in the back of the plane. Well that is all for day 1. I will talk to you tomorrow.

Mark

Goodbye to my Friend

Well tonight I say goodbye to my intern Josue Leon and his wife Erika. Their internship is over and they are moving to Florida this summer to go back to school. Unfortunately I have done this several times but this something is different. Josue has touched my heart and changed my life. About a year ago Josue came up with the idea to bring a girl here to speak to our students. Her name was Fatu and she had her arm cut off by rebels during the blood diamonds era in Sierra Leon. The result of this night is forever life changing not just for me but for our students and our ministry. We all began to look out more than inward. I remember telling her that I would go to Africa someday and make a difference. I said that not knowing that I would start working alongside Passion the next day to do a conference in South Africa. Josue loves missions, he is a result of it. An orphan in Hati, Josue was adopted by American missionaries and then given money, lodging, schooling, etc. by a man named Rex who was doing missions. After having lunch one day, we developed a strategy for our students;"Change me, Change here, Change everywhere." We have raised over $2000 in a year to help Oneverse, Blood Water Mission, and World Vision. We have done many local mission projects in Knoxville and we are going to Nicaragua in July. I want to say thanks Josue. You have changed my life and I will never be the same. It is people like you that make Christianity look very good. You are a man of God that I know God will use to do great things for the Kingdom. I have been blessed to know you and Erika and I pray our friendship lasts forever. By the way, I will never tell anyone that you were 1-41 against me in Ping Pong. It is our little secret. I love you buddy!

Do you recycle?

We live in a time when it is cool to recycle and everyone is going green. It seems as if everyone is now considering the world and maybe what it may look like 100 years from now. On Friday, driving home from school Regan said to Carrie, "Mom can you believe that some people do not recycle!" Regan learned about recycling at school last week. Well to be honest with everyone, that someone was us. Not anymore. Tonight as Regan lead the way we went to Target and finally to Walmart to buy 2 containers so the McKeehan's could recycle. One bin for plastic and one for cans. We now have 7 cans in the plastic box and half of a 26 gallon trash can filled with all of the plastic things I could find rummaging through our existing trash. What a joy I had to see my little 4 year old baby girl laugh and smile as she put in the first can and first plastic water bottle. By the way, she is not done. She has already called my parents to ask them if they recycle? It also got me thinking about how I spend money. If I have to buy things and everyone does, why not spend it places that help others. We shopped at Target tonight because they give 5% of their profit away to organizations like the United Way and other notable charities. Ethos water has the mission to help children have safe and pure drinking water. Jedidiah clothing has a line of clothes that sends a percentage away to help others. Maybe if we think and plan, we can spend the money we are going to spend anyway and help others along the way. We should all recycle and we should all help people. Jesus said when you do to the least of these, you are doing unto me. As I laid my beautiful baby girl to bed she was still asking what she could recycle. She is passionate and I am thankful. I want to change the world and I am lucky-Regan is right behind me!

Today is a new day!

I woke up this morning feeling sick. My allergies are killing. I drove to the office after talking to a pastor friend of mine for 30 minutes. I thought to myself this is just another Monday. Then I was challenged. I am reading a book called "Crazy Love" by Frances Chan. Here is the deal...I live on a sphere called earth that is spinning about 1000 mph. This sphere we call earth is traveling around a ball of fire called the sun at 67,000 mph. The earth is tilted and if that changed any we are in trouble. If we are closer or farther away from the sun, we are in big trouble. So when you think about it, no day is ordinary and normal. This place we live in is miraculous and special. Then there is you and I. We are miracles! I guess I am saying God loves you and I hope you live today with that mindset. It will change what you say, where you go, what you do. It will affect your conversations with people. You see God is not in heaven wanting to take things away. Sometimes I feel like people view God as a money grubbing being who is always saying "Show me the Money!" God does not need your money, if he did he is bigger than you can could take it if he wanted to. I have learned generosity is not a hardship to us it is a blessing for us. The bible says God wants to give. John 1:14 says Jesus came full of grace and glory. He did not need to get anything. I have realized again today I have really messed up. I am a sinner and no matter how good I try to live I still mess up. It is important because at the end of my life I do not get to judge myself, that will be left up to God. Life doesn't end with you walking through clouds and standing in front of a tall white podium and an old white haired man named St. Peter asking "so how do you think you did..." As you read the book of revelation you quickly see that we as Christians come face to face to a holy glorious God. To those who are not Christians, they face judgment and hell! So do not live your thinking success and godliness is based upon how you view yourself but how God views you. Let's be honest we can all find someone worse than us. God loves you, he loves me. Think about this, because of all of my mess-ups, God sent his son Jesus to die for them. We have all messed up and God punished his own son for the things that we did. That is love! The creator of the universe loves you. Not only does he love us, he also forgives us. So as I stare outside my window today I am thanking God for his blessings upon my life. This is no ordinary day, it is another day I have to live for God and glorify him in all that I do and say. As the psalmist said, "This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in HIM!"

To the Thief of My Passion CD

Well it is Monday! I know because my car broke down this morning, I made my wife mad, and my truck was broken into last night. After my radiator threw up its coolant this morning I called Carrie to come and get me. Yes I know my tone should have been better but I had wanted to go to the gym and that did not happen. I got ready in a hurry and rushed out to the truck to see that it had been broken into and the CD player taken. To be honest, I am mad that we work hard for things that people come and take. Thieves are selfish! My madness became anger when I realized they took my new Passion CD, "God of this City!" I called my dad becuase it is his truck and he laughed and said that maybe they need to hear the CD. I was not laughing at the time but I have now cooled down and prayed myself. So below I am writing to my thief:

Dear Thief,
I hope you enjoyed your time at my house last night. Thank you that you took something from me and not from someone who cannot replace it. I want you to know that I forgive you. Seriously, if you need something, please do not take from people. Ask me and I will try and help you. I hope and pray that you will listen to the CD that is the player you took from my blue truck. The lryics are very powerful. One of my favorite songs is #3 and it says, "You're the God of this city, You're the King to these people, You're the Lord of this nation, You are. There is no one like our God. Greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city!" I have a greater gift that I would like to share with you, it is far better than anything else that could be taken. Thank you for helping me to love my city more today than ever. Thank you for helping me to realize what is most important.

Well thanks for putting up with my rant today.

Mark

My Prodigal Son has come home!!!

There is a story in the Book of Luke, actually a parable that Jesus told about a prodigal son. you know the story, he asked his dad for his half of the inheiritance and then and wasted it on life. He later returned even ready to be his father's slave. I do not want to get into the theology and meaning of the passage, but to just share this thought. How excited must the father have been to see his son! How great to know he was okay. He threw one of the greatest if not the greatest party ever! Tonight I am very excited, my friend has come home. Over a year ago I made a stand not to do a wedding for one of my former students. I felt the wedding was a mistake and not one that honored God. To this, I lost a friend that was very close to me. Actually just several days ago I came to the conclusion all was lost and I needed to let it go. There were things that happened between all of us that was very hurtful. Today I received an e-mail from this student's mother stating that I might receive a phone call. Regan actually received a birthday gift from this person in the mail today. Just an hour ago Carrie and I received the call. There were tears, apologies, humbleness, and love. I was told that the wedding was off and a relationship with God had been restored. This was not a son of mine but I feel that another prodigal has come home. Tonight I am rejoicing and a million prayers have been answered. I am so happy. I also learned that sometimes when you do the right thing it may not seem right. People may not understand and others may leave you but you must stand for God. Our relationship will grow and my faith has been strengthened. I love God and thankful that he never leaves us! To my prodigal, I love you and I am so proud of you! When you come to Tennessee I am throwing a HUGE party!

Shouldn't We Still Remember

Let me first say that I love my family. My wife and kids are the greatest. My wife is the most godly woman I have ever met and she teaches my children so much about God, faith, love, and how to memorize scripture. Now that Easter is past us, all of the hype and talk about the resurrection has faded. Many of us have probably not thought of nor spoken about the cross, the resurrection, nor the any other part of what we celebrate at Easter. Both Brycen and Regan have been glued to a cartoon that I bought last year on DVD. It is about the last week of Jesus' life and it shows the crucifixion and the resurrection. It ends with Jesus ascending into heaven. They both have watched it at least once a day for the last 3 weeks. Several days ago when I came home from work Carrie told me this story. Regan was coloring in her coloring book which is one of her favorite things to do. She has a coloring book which has pictures of Jesus both being crucified and resurrected. While coloring the resurrection picture, Regan drew red circles all over the picture of Jesus. Carrie asked what it was and she responded, "it is his blood." Carrie tried to explain that this was a picture of Jesus after he had died and come back to life 3 days later. Regan looked at Carrie and said, "I know Mom, but shouldn't we still remember!" What wise words from my almost 4 year old little princess. Do not let the cross, the crucifixion, and the resurrection be something we think about only at Easter. Let's remember it often and know that it is the cross that saves us but it also sustains us daily. Today I am remembering Regan what Jesus did for me!

He Took My Place

Tonight is one of the greatest days as a father I have ever had. My son Brycen asked Jesus into his heart in his bedroom. He had been asking questions since the first of December. Today he put a belt around his neck and tightened it. Carrie immediately told him that he could hurt himself and even die. Bryce looked at Carrie and said, "If I died I would go to hell becuase I have never asked Jesus into my heart." Carrie began again to talk to him about salvation, sin, repantance, and how Jesus took our place. When I came home from church tonight, Carrie began to tell me the story. I went into Brycen's room and laid on the bed with him. We were talking about different things and I was telling him about church and how I was going to baptize 3 students this Sunday. He asked me why they were getting baptized and i told him they had asked Jesus into their heart. He immediatly looked at me and told me he wanted to do that. Again I went through everything making sure that he understood what he wanted to do. I yelled for Carrie to come in and he told her he wanted to ask Jesus into his heart and he answered all of her questions also. I then had him kneel at his bed and I told him that he must tell Jesus what he wanted him to do. Brycen wasted no time and he prayed, "Jesus thank you for dying so that I would not have to. Help my soul to be like your soul and help me to say what you would say. Jesus help me to have faith in Jesus name AMEN!" When I asked him if he were to die where he would go he said heaven with a huge grin on his face. We called Pap, Nana and Papa, Mamaw McKeehan, Aunt Rachel and Uncle Ben, and Aunt Mendy and Uncle david. While on the phone with Ben and Rachel, Brycen look at Carrie and said, "Jesus took my place right here (pointing at the bed)." He then asked Carrie where Jesus had taken her place. It is such a great night. carrie and I are rejoicing and the only question left is, "Where did Jesus take your place?"

What I love?

This weekend I was reminded how materialistic I can be. I spent some time Saturday with several of my students taking warm clothes to the homeless. They were so thankful for the small gifts of gloves, scarfs, sweatshirts, jackets, and toboggans. I watched as our students gave out these items and prayed with them while cars zoomed by. They passed by hopefully wondering why so many students were out in the cold with homeless people. To be honest, I have been the person in the car so many times. I pass by people in need and I give nothing because I was told once or twice that people begging for money just use it for "booze." It has been etched into my mind that these "people" are different and bad. I was following Saturday behind some students and I heard a man tell them that he was human just like them. He was so thankful for new gloves, socks, and a jacket. It was like Christmas! I thought to myself if circumstances were different, that could be me. If I lost hope, if I lost my family, maybe I would be living on the street. Saturday I fell in love with people again. I had a good time with them and with my students. I watched as one of my students saw a blanket in a concrete square and he asked me if someone slept there? I told him that was someone's home and to see his face was priceless. Many students, leaders, and myself had our eyes opened to a different world. I went to bed thinking about what I love. I love so many worldly things that in the long run make me feel pitiful. I will love people more than stuff. I will love God and be his hands and feet to all people everywhere. I have a new philosophy and new prayer. "Change me, change here, change everywhere." God use me to bring people to you!