:the one where he shouted and i moved:

he ran the full length of the platform with enthusiasm. he shouted and sweated a lot. i am unsure why someone yelling would motivate me to a deeper relationship with christ. but it did. by the end of the night, fueled by adrenaline and the emotion of thousands of students around me, i found myself face down on the nasty stadium floor.

it wasn't part of my plan, this place. this university that required skirts below the knee, curfews and supervised dates. this university that did not allow television, shorts or secular music. this university that teaches the earth is 6,000 years old, dinosaurs were on the ark, and certainty saves.

the selfishness of my eighteen year old existence wanted desperately to leave town. the town that i now, can never imagine leaving. the town where three grandparents, two aunts and uncles, five first cousins and thirty plus extended family reside.  yet i needed to leave. i needed a fresh start. i needed a place where no one knew me and that's exactly what i got.

i left high school a believer, at least when people were watching. i care far too much about what others think. both a flaw and a virtue.

i left college a in love with the One that loved me first, last and all the moments in between.

in the months following the sweaty-man-marathon-inspired-conversion. i developed a love for the written word. the WORD. i woke up early and went to bed late devouring every word inspired by Him. i read oswald chamber's my utmost for his highest daily, certain that each page was written specifically for me at that place and time.

i quickly climbed the spiritual ladder set before me and became a small group leader on my hall. five girls came to my room each week to read scripture and be encouraged. little did i know this was paving the way to the future when girls would grace my home weekly, growing us both by leaps and bounds.

as part of the small group leader requirements, i met with my SLD (spiritual life director) once a week for accountability.

accountability [noun]: the state of being accountable, liable or answerable. 

the day before my meetings my stress level went through the roof.

what if i couldn't remember what i had read in my devotions?
what if i couldn't articulate how god was working in my life this week?
what if i was not spiritual enough?
what if i was not growing enough?

i popped my knuckles as i waited outside her door. my stomach in knots.

***

we leaned over the table close to hear each other. music loud and people too close for comfort in a coffee shop. she talked about her marriage and family. i did the same. we talked about our love for simplicity and our belief that we are called to live simply and love extravagantly. loving extravagantly looks different from one person to the next. we are all working out our own salvation. we laughed loud and hard and cried a little too. at the end of the night i felt full to the brim in my soul. though we never opened the bible or prayed, i felt holy. i thought of kicking off my shoes for the holy ground we stood upon.

what is holy but what is sacred, dedicated to god?
what is sacred but what is dedicated to some religious purpose, consecrated?

let us dedicate our moments to god, encouraging one another to do good, love him and love others.
take off your shoes sisters, for we are standing on holy ground.