tomorrow morning is the last morning i will be joining the presbyterian church for sunday morning worship (at least for a while). judy asked me if i would be willing to stand up in front of the congregation and share some of the things i have learned over my summer of serving in ministry there, at the church. this past week as ive been slowly stroling around the c.o.s. campus between classes and on the long drives into and home from town, i have been reflecting a lot on the past summer and the things ive learned... ive come up with quite a list, a few of them will be shared tomorrow morning... these are in no particular order...

this summer i have learned...

i learned how to play g chord, c chord and d chord...
i learned how to spend a week and half on the road with a limited budget
i learned that no matter where you go, it is possible to find beauty around you somewhere
i learned that california *really* is a extremely beautiful state
i learned that california *really* is a much higher class of living than some (maybe most) of the other states
i learned about the fragility of friendship
i learned that things change, even if it seems as though they may not ever change, they do and thats not always a bad thing
i learned more about the value of friendship
i learned that shasta daisy, hollycock, canterbury bells and snapdragons will grow here in the winter
i learned that where i live is a gardening zone "z"
i learned that people only hear what they want to hear, and even if you speak the truth in love, it can be inturpreted as hatefulness and arrogance
i learned that others peoples advice or words or constructive critisism can only be applied if you are ready and willing to change, if your heart is opened up enough, or else defenses go up and worlds collide

mostly though, i learned about freedom...
i learned that freedom is learning to give up the broken heart that you have been dragging around for the past few years...
i learned that freedom is being able to shut your eyes and step out of your comfort zone, trusting that Jesus is holding your hand and ready to catch you if you should start to fall...
i learned that freedom is learning to love others as Jesus loves them... aboloshing the "stereo-types" and labels that we tend to brand other people with and simply seeing them as Jesus children, who he knows and loves and has a special plan for...
i learned that freedom is not worrying about tomorrow, its being in love with the un-known becuase you know that Jesus is taking care of it all...

God is good, faithful and beautiful... this summer has been awesome... peace.