<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257</id><updated>2024-03-07T04:08:46.654-05:00</updated><title type='text'>theGodzwas.com</title><subtitle type='html'>The life and times of Mike, Jen, Sam and Levi Godzwa.  Read on for thoughts on faith, family, running, coffee and our ministry to students @ American University in Washington, DC.</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default?alt=atom'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default?alt=atom&amp;start-index=26&amp;max-results=25'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>67</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-7263687534069588597</id><published>2007-03-09T10:09:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2007-03-09T10:57:12.464-05:00</updated><title type='text'>The Mexican Connection</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVDySdmin8BRgbt4nF3ItgIStuNqnIWp8dnLTVHqMapd0H6QmOjB7DCbzXHdlhm7j9eOISV-USCXwPOI4bBWsmST5ywxq6HHQCwzJo2bS8KoJGtCevMYiKaP53AKMZC88flyW/s1600-h/meridachurch.jpeg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVDySdmin8BRgbt4nF3ItgIStuNqnIWp8dnLTVHqMapd0H6QmOjB7DCbzXHdlhm7j9eOISV-USCXwPOI4bBWsmST5ywxq6HHQCwzJo2bS8KoJGtCevMYiKaP53AKMZC88flyW/s200/meridachurch.jpeg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5039945259745590402&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Tomorrow morning I&#39;ll be taking 6 American University students to Merida, Mexico.  It&#39;s spring break and instead of lounging on the beach or sleeping in late they&#39;re going to share the love of Jesus by serving churches in the Yucatan.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It&#39;s a double blessing for me (no that&#39;s not a twin joke) that I also get to lead this team with my &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.disciplemexico.org&quot;&gt;brother&lt;/a&gt; as the host missionary.  We&#39;re breaking him in as the first short-term team he is bringing in (no pressure!).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Pray for us.  We need energy from the Holy Spirit.  All of the students are finishing up a hard week of mid-terms and late night study sessions.   We need grace to put the last minute touches on our ministry presentation.  We need God&#39;s protection in travel and His annointing as we minister.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And as you pray, remember the 2 other teams from AU Chi Alpha working in New Orleans and with AIDS patients right here in DC.  Thanks for lifting us up.  I can&#39;t wait to see what God will do with the sacrifice of college students devoted to him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;fullpost&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/7263687534069588597/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/7263687534069588597' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/7263687534069588597'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/7263687534069588597'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2007/03/mexican-connection.html' title='The Mexican Connection'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVDySdmin8BRgbt4nF3ItgIStuNqnIWp8dnLTVHqMapd0H6QmOjB7DCbzXHdlhm7j9eOISV-USCXwPOI4bBWsmST5ywxq6HHQCwzJo2bS8KoJGtCevMYiKaP53AKMZC88flyW/s72-c/meridachurch.jpeg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-116328261208802229</id><published>2006-11-11T16:57:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-11-11T17:03:32.110-05:00</updated><title type='text'>I&#39;ve moved to Wordpress!</title><content type='html'>I&#39;ve made the switch to a different blog hosting site.  If you get to the site using www.thegodzwas.com, you will be redirected automatically, but if you have this page bookmarked, here&#39;s the &lt;a href=&quot;http://thegodzwas.wordpress.com&quot;&gt;replacement&lt;/a&gt;.   There are a few videos that have yet to be uploaded to my Wordpress site so if you want to reminisce, you can still get to this site by typing in http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/116328261208802229/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/116328261208802229' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/116328261208802229'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/116328261208802229'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/11/ive-moved-to-wordpress.html' title='I&#39;ve moved to Wordpress!'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-116296365207607156</id><published>2006-11-08T00:02:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-11-08T00:27:32.133-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Just one of the reasons I love the A/G!</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/1600/barrel-small.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 78px; height: 97px;&quot; src=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/320/barrel-small.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the front room of our apartment sits a little yellow plastic barrel that gets filled up with spare change.  It&#39;s a Buddy Barrel from the Assemblies of God program called &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bgmc.ag.org/&quot;&gt;B.G.M.C.&lt;/a&gt; and the proceeds from those funds goes to supply missionaries with literature or office equipment they need to tell the world about Jesus.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It hard to imagine that spare change amounting to much, but because of a whole lot of donations from boy and girls from all over Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, we have a brand new Dell LCD projector!  Thanks kids for helping us broadcast the widescreen gospel message @ AU and thanks for sending a check instead of all those quarters.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/116296365207607156/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/116296365207607156' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/116296365207607156'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/116296365207607156'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/11/just-one-of-reasons-i-love-ag.html' title='Just one of the reasons I love the A/G!'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-116296194391274927</id><published>2006-11-07T23:45:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-11-07T23:59:03.926-05:00</updated><title type='text'>That&#39;s what it&#39;s all about!</title><content type='html'>Sam just learned the &quot;Hokey Pokey&quot; at school this week and now he&#39;s going around singing &quot;That&#39;s what it&#39;s all about!&quot;  Well, this week I&#39;m reminded what campus ministry is all about. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One of our small group leaders told me about a conversation with Bill (not his real name).  Bill had been turned off to organized religion a long time ago, by a grade school teacher.  But because of the a number of different things that college life brought out, he began to explore Christianity for the first time.  He got involved with a small group and became more excited about the Jesus he was reading about and experiencing in the relationships there.  Last Tuesday night, Bill stayed after small group and talked with his leaders about taking the next step.  After it was explained he said, &quot;I would be glad to do that!&quot;  With that, Bill prayed to begin his relationship with Jesus.  That is what it&#39;s all about!</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/116296194391274927/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/116296194391274927' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/116296194391274927'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/116296194391274927'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/11/thats-what-its-all-about.html' title='That&#39;s what it&#39;s all about!'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-116158466205721674</id><published>2006-10-22T22:47:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-23T10:47:00.556-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Pray for protection?  Now, I always will.</title><content type='html'>When I&#39;m home, I like to put Sam to bed @ night.  We go through a normal routine, 2 stories (these days Sam&#39;s on a Rhyming Bible kick), 2 songs, prayer, and a hug and kiss good-night.  I always try to focus during the prayer so that it doesn&#39;t become a mindless habit sometimes I get in a rut.  One standard is asking God to protect our family.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Until yesterday it seemed kind of silly to pray for protection.  We&#39;re not engaged in any physically dangerous work.  We live in Washington, DC, but in a relatively crime free area in an apartment building amidst multi-million dollar homes.  Safety is almost a given.  Almost.&lt;span class=&quot;fullpost&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yesterday, after cleaning up from a reception for parents on campus @ AU, the Godzwa family walked to our cars.  We drove separately so Levi could finish his nap.  I left Jen and the kids at the entrance to the parking lot thinking I would see them in a few minutes at the apartment.  I drove home, put some things away, but they never arrived.  I wasn&#39;t too worried, but I decided to call Jen&#39;s cell anyway, just for information.  When she picked up I thought she would tell me they stopped for some milk.  Instead, Jen told me she had been robbed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A few minutes after I left the parking lot in our van, Jen was strapping the kids into their car seats.  A man came up from behind her, said he had a knife, and demanded money.  After rifling through her bag and finding her wallet, he pushed her inside the car, dropped the knife, and ran off.  He took the wallet which contained Jen&#39;s ID, 2 credit cards and $7 in cash.   Jen called 911 immediately and the police arrived within a few minutes.  They fingerprinted our car and took the knife for evidence.  After I talked to Jen on the phone I quickly called our bank and credit card company to cancel the cards.  The thief had already tried to use Jen&#39;s card at a liquor store and a gas station where he was photographed.  The police said they hope to have him in custody soon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Except for a small bump on the head and the shock of being robbed, Jen is doing fine and the kids never even knew what was going on.  The officer who took the report said they were really lucky. I had to disagree.  God protected my family yesterday and I am utterly grateful.  As I put Sam to bed tonight, we prayed for the safety of our family.  I don&#39;t take it for granted anymore.&lt;/span&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/116158466205721674/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/116158466205721674' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/116158466205721674'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/116158466205721674'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/10/pray-for-protection-now-i-always-will.html' title='Pray for protection?  Now, I always will.'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-116120901517580864</id><published>2006-10-18T16:55:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-19T06:44:12.803-05:00</updated><title type='text'>October Newsletter is released!</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://auchialpha.org/mike/october2006.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/320/October2006.1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hot off the press!  Here&#39;s our latest edition of the Collegiate Chronicles.  Click the photo to download the electronic version&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To open the PDF file you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. To get Acrobat, go here: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html&quot;&gt;http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/116120901517580864/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/116120901517580864' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/116120901517580864'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/116120901517580864'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/10/october-newsletter-is-released.html' title='October Newsletter is released!'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-116037424909574840</id><published>2006-10-09T00:41:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-09T01:10:49.116-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Say it isn&#39;t so Joe</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/1600/JoeTorre.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/320/JoeTorre.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Those of you who know me well (all of you who read this blog) know I&#39;m in pain.  No, I haven&#39;t fallen down a flight of stairs.  I don&#39;t even have a paper cut.  It&#39;s my heart that hurts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My team, the New York Yankees, were eliminated from the playoffs yesterday.  The Detroit Tigers, one of last year&#39;s worst and a team that was just swept by the Kansas City Royals (this year&#39;s worst) dispatched the Yankees 3 games to 1.  What made it more humiliating was the way the Yankees played.  The most expensive team in the history of the game couldn&#39;t buy a hit!  They fell apart in a way I haven&#39;t seen since they lost 4 games to the Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I thought this was the year.  This was the season I was going to introduce my sons to the thrill of being a fan of the World Series Champion.  Instead, we&#39;ve got to wait until next year.  I&#39;m beginning to understand a little of what it is like to be a Cubs or a Red Sox fan.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It&#39;s going to be a long winter this year.  I&#39;ll be counting down the days until the pitchers and catcher report for spring training.  That&#39;s approximately 132 days away.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/116037424909574840/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/116037424909574840' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/116037424909574840'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/116037424909574840'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/10/say-it-isnt-so-joe.html' title='Say it isn&#39;t so Joe'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-115977219679365917</id><published>2006-10-02T07:31:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-02T01:57:40.800-05:00</updated><title type='text'>A little too important in our own eyes?</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/1600/cellphonerun.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/320/cellphonerun.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I have to admit, I&#39;m pretty tied to my cell phone.  I have it with me all the time and unless I&#39;m in a meeting I&#39;ll usually answer it.  If I accidentally leave it @ home, even if I&#39;m only going out for a few minutes, I start worrying about all the missed calls.  &quot;I&#39;m so important, people need to reach me!&quot;  I get some perspective when I return and find the voicemail tally @ zero.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When I was walking to campus, I saw a woman with a bad case of the &quot;too important syndrome.&quot;  She was jogging.  I mean, dressed to exercise, not just in a rush.  While pounding the pavement, you guessed it, she was talking on her cell phone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;No (gasp, pant) this isn&#39;t a prank phone call!  Now, about that appointment (gasp)...&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I can understand taking the phone with you in case of emergencies, but having a conversation.  That&#39;s going too far.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tomorrow I&#39;m going for a nice run in Rock Creek park and I&#39;m leaving the cell phone behind.   If you need me, leave a message, I&#39;ll get back to you soon.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/115977219679365917/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/115977219679365917' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115977219679365917'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115977219679365917'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/10/little-too-important-in-our-own-eyes.html' title='A little too important in our own eyes?'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-115971158354656433</id><published>2006-10-01T08:51:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-01T09:06:23.566-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Just a bit short...</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/1600/Mikekicks.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/320/Mikekicks.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A couple of weeks ago we 18 students set out from American University Chi Alpha set out to reclaim the Silver Shoe.  It&#39;s the trophy for the Annual DC Chi Alpha Kickball Tournament.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We had a great team and fought hard, but sadly we fell just a bit short.  I guess winning isn&#39;t everything (did I just typet that?).  We did have a lot of fun and we were glad to give an emotional boost to the Chi Alpha students @ Georgetown.  Just wait until next year!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;fullpost&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/115971158354656433/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/115971158354656433' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115971158354656433'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115971158354656433'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/10/just-bit-short.html' title='Just a bit short...'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-115971066914491644</id><published>2006-10-01T07:28:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-01T23:22:05.930-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Up for air</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/1600/riddlequest.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/320/riddlequest.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;The first month of the semester has been crazy!  I was looking over the blog, and trying to remember the relative calm of the summer.  I&#39;m really trying...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anyway, on to the good news.  We kicked off the year with a huge welcome week offering of events and we&#39;re slammed with students at every one!   We handed out ice cream, cooked smores, played capture the flag and had hundreds of freshmen join us.  Sometimes, in the middle of planning these events I ask myself if we should keep doing these things.  I think we will!   The picture is of a group of us grabbing Chinese food after our 5th Annual Riddle Quest (a scavenger hunt around the DC monuments).   Lots of fun!&lt;span class=&quot;fullpost&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our first Thursday Night Worship of the year had a record 101 students show up (of course, I didn&#39;t bring a camera).  It was a blast!   The worship time was powerful and in the middle of delivering my message on Luke chapter 5, I had a powerful sense that this is what I&#39;m supposed to be doing.  We&#39;ve had a month&#39;s worth of TNWs since then and I wish I could say we&#39;ve stayed @ 100.  Well, we haven&#39;t (we&#39;re hanging around 70-80), but God has blessed us with a strong sense of his presence each night.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our theme this year is &quot;Deeper.&quot;  I think God is taking us there.  We&#39;ve been walking through the book of Ephesians verse by verse.  Each week it&#39;s as if we&#39;re pulling back the curtain of this world and getting a bigger picture of reality.   If you haven&#39;t read Ephesians in a while, I would recommend it.  It will leave you in awe of our great God who, for no reason other than his incomparable grace, reached down and saved us.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Keep us in your prayers as we continue to follow up a huge number of contacts and reach out to the thousands more @ AU.  This is a pivotal time in the life of college students.  They&#39;re setting their schedules and their priorities.  Pray that they would hear the voice of the Holy Spirit calling them deeper.&lt;/span&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/115971066914491644/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/115971066914491644' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115971066914491644'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115971066914491644'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/10/up-for-air.html' title='Up for air'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-115722529795010655</id><published>2006-09-02T14:26:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-09-02T14:30:15.316-05:00</updated><title type='text'>On a lighter note:  Sam&#39;s 1st Critic</title><content type='html'>&lt;embed style=&quot;width:400px; height:326px;&quot; id=&quot;VideoPlayback&quot; align=&quot;middle&quot; type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; src=&quot;http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=331898989284993370&amp;hl=en&quot; quality=&quot;best&quot; bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; scale=&quot;noScale&quot; salign=&quot;TL&quot;  FlashVars=&quot;playerMode=embedded&quot;&gt; &lt;/embed&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My first video with the MacBook and iMovieHD.  At the beginning of August, we got together with Jen&#39;s family for a small reunion. That always leads to singing! here Emma and Sam perform for a less than appreciative audience. Enjoy!&lt;span class=&quot;fullpost&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/115722529795010655/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/115722529795010655' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115722529795010655'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115722529795010655'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/09/on-lighter-note-sams-1st-critic.html' title='On a lighter note:  Sam&#39;s 1st Critic'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-115694293587818775</id><published>2006-08-30T07:55:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-08-30T11:57:55.146-05:00</updated><title type='text'>From auchialpha.org: Another Reason to be Glad You&#39;re at American.</title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;I wrote this yesterday for our students on the auchialpha.org website.  I thought you might like to see it too.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let&#39;s be honest. When people think about universities in Washington, DC, the first one that pops in their minds is not American. Several times, when I&#39;ve mentioned to others that I minister to college students in DC they ask, &quot;at Georgetown?&quot; I just smile and tell them about a great school just a mile or two up the road.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well, last week, AU has just become more popular, at least among Evangelical Protestants. That was when Georgetown University decided to remove all affiliated Protestant campus ministries including our Chi Alpha chapter there. The reason given... a &quot;reorganization.&quot; You can check out the news stories from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehoya.com/news/082506/news1.cfm&quot;&gt;The Hoya&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/26/AR2006082600629.html&quot;&gt;Washington Post&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20060825-104032-5252r.htm&quot;&gt;Washington Times&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51701&quot;&gt;World Net Daily&lt;/a&gt; by clicking on the links. &lt;span class=&quot;fullpost&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Personally, I am deeply saddened by the news. My friends, Shawn Galyen, director of Chi Alpha, Karen Keyser, director of the American Friends program, and Sally Herman, director of Chi Alpha at the Med School, we unjustly removed and treated with disdain after serving the campus and Georgetown students faithfully for years without any compensation from Georgetown. What upsets me most, however, are the hundreds of students from 6 affiliated Protestant ministries that are disenfranchised. They were a part of a spiritual community where they received support, comfort, strength and wisdom. Now continuing that community has become much more difficult. Hannah Coyne, a senior Chi Alpha leader expressed it this way, “We found our home here. I know some students who may not even have come back this year if they had not been part of this group and felt support and love.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I want to extend that support and love to our brothers and sisters down the road. You can help me. If you know of anyone connected to Georgetown University, ask them to write a letter about this decision. Here&#39;s where they can send them:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1. President John J DeGioia, Office of the President, Georgetown University, 204 Healy Hall, 37th &amp; &#39;O&#39; Streets, NW, Washington, DC 20057 2. Mr. Edward Quinn, Secretary of the University, Office of the Secretary, Georgetown University, 205 Healy Hall, 37th &amp;amp; &#39;O&#39; Streets, Washington, DC 20057&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3. Father Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., Vice President of Mission and Ministry, Georgetown University, 108 Healy Hall, 37th &amp; &#39;O&#39; Streets, Washington, DC 20057.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4. Father Timothy S. Godfrey, S.J., Director of Campus Ministry, Georgetown University, Office of Campus Ministry, 109 Healy Hall, 37th &amp;amp; &#39;O&#39; Streets, Washington, DC 20057&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;5. Reverend Constance Wheeler, Protestant Ministry Office, Georgetown University, 109 Healy Hall, 37th &amp; &#39;O&#39; Streets, Washington, DC 20057. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I was at a meeting with the leaders of Georgetown Chi Alpha last night and I invited them to join us in worship. They will continue to pursue every channel to reverse this unjust decision, but in the meantime, they need a place where they can connect with God and receive comfort and healing. I know that you will welcome them with open arms. Finally, please pray. Pray that our God of justice would work the miraculous for the students of Georgetown.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&quot;We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;                                                                                                                           -Paul &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/span&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/115694293587818775/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/115694293587818775' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115694293587818775'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115694293587818775'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/08/from-auchialphaorg-another-reason-to.html' title='From auchialpha.org: Another Reason to be Glad You&#39;re at American.'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-115670571640948155</id><published>2006-08-27T14:05:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-08-29T07:37:09.773-05:00</updated><title type='text'>The buzz is growing...</title><content type='html'>After I completed my post on the dismissal of affiliated Protestant campus ministries @ Georgetown I did a blog search to see what people are saying.  Well, they&#39;re saying a lot.  Here is a &lt;a href=&quot;http://search.blogger.com/?ui=blg&amp;amp;q=Georgetown+University+Protestant&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt; to my search results.  It gave me 263 results!  Feel free to weigh in yourself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here are a few more news links&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51701&quot;&gt;World Net Daily&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=437&quot;&gt;First Things&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/115670571640948155/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/115670571640948155' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115670571640948155'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115670571640948155'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/08/buzz-is-growing.html' title='The buzz is growing...'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-115670449768843853</id><published>2006-08-27T13:33:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-08-27T14:01:28.313-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Gone in a instant...Part 2</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/1600/gtown.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/320/gtown.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now on to something far more serious than a stolen laptop.  Last Friday, we were told by our colleagues @ Georgetown University that they and all the other affiliated Protestant campus ministries had been removed from official status as chaplains.  It was an unprecedented move brought on &quot;as part of a broad restructuring effort in the Office of Campus Ministry, which has altered its organizational structure in the hopes of creating a strong Protestant ministry within the campus.&quot;  There was no opportunity for our Chi Alpha to discuss the change or even be fully informed of the reasons for it.  They were simply dismissed.&lt;span class=&quot;fullpost&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I&#39;m asking you, as faithful supporters of campus ministry, to pray.  Pray for a miracle of a change in thinking amongst the Georgetown administration or for an open door to reach students in an unconventional way.  Pray for Shawn and Deb Galyen and Karen Keyser ministers @ Georgetown&#39;s undergraduate campus and Sally Herman, minister @ the medical school,  as they discern God&#39;s will.  And finally, pray for the hundreds of students disenfranchised by this decision.  Pray that they would not be discouraged as they continue to follow after Jesus and make His love known @ Georgetown.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One more thing.  If you or anyone you know is connected to Georgetown directly or otherwise, please contact me by clicking the contact link to the right.  We are starting a letter writing campaign to protest this injustice  and we could use you help.  Click on the hyperlinks to read the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehoya.com/news/082506/ministriesletter.pdf&quot;&gt;letter&lt;/a&gt; written by the University Protestant Chaplain and news stories from the&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;fullpost&quot;&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehoya.com/news/082506/news1.cfm#bottom&quot;&gt;c&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;fullpost&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehoya.com/news/082506/news1.cfm#bottom&quot;&gt;ampus paper&lt;/a&gt;, the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20060825-104032-5252r.htm&quot;&gt;Washington Times&lt;/a&gt; and the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/26/AR2006082600629.html&quot;&gt;Washington Post&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/115670449768843853/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/115670449768843853' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115670449768843853'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115670449768843853'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/08/gone-in-instantpart-2.html' title='Gone in a instant...Part 2'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-115670352760102234</id><published>2006-08-27T08:13:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-08-27T13:32:07.646-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Gone in a instant</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/1600/MyPicture.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;&quot; src=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/320/MyPicture.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Last Saturday was a blur.  I spent most of the afternoon preparing for a leaders&#39; meeting and the work went right down to the wire.  At 7 pm, the stress gave way to excitement when the first students walked in and we had a great meeting.  It was great to be reminded of the honor it is to serve God and be a part of changing the world through college students!  After the meeting was over, I spent time catching up with our leaders and then cleaning up.  That&#39;s when I noticed something interesting.  Something was missing.&lt;span class=&quot;fullpost&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Before the meeting I purchased three 12 packs of soda.  They were on sale so I figured I would pick some up for this meeting and be covered for at least 1 more.  I opened them up and set them by the pizza we had ordered and I went on with the rest of what we were doing.  Well, by the end of our event, I was thirsty, so I went looking for the leftover soda and I couldn&#39;t find it.  Sure we had a decent size group, 20 or so leaders, but I couldn&#39;t imagine going through 36 cans in 2 hours!  I started searching and I came up empty.  Still confused i returned to my office (which I had l left a few minutes before searching for the soda) and I noticed something else missing.  Something far more valuable.  My laptop was stolen!  Needless to say I was in shock and I think I still am.  I had that computer for more than 3 year and carted it around with me everywhere.  It was my little digital friend (of which I have a few).  As I ran around the office in a panic, I began to realized the damage that was done.  All of my summer&#39;s work vanished.  All of the Bible studies I was working on were gone.  All of the artwork, website and administrative material I created over the last few months was gone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well, why am I smiling in this picture you ask.  I&#39;ll tell you.  I&#39;m writing this blog on my new computer.  I purchased a brand new MacBook with the money from my insurance and emergency funds from the Potomac District of the Assemblies of God (thanks Keith!).  In fact, I took the picture with it&#39;s built in camera.  It&#39;s pretty spiffy.  i resisted the switch for a long time, but now that i can run any program I want on it Mac or Windows, I was sold.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lessons learned:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1.  Back-up your files!!!!&lt;br /&gt;2.  Buy a security cable lock (I picked one up with this purchase).&lt;br /&gt;3.  Don&#39;t cry over stolen soda, you might just lose something more valuable.&lt;br /&gt;4.  Finally, God really does work all things for the good, and He usually does it in partnership with good friends.&lt;/span&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/115670352760102234/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/115670352760102234' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115670352760102234'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115670352760102234'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/08/gone-in-instant.html' title='Gone in a instant'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-115488014472760266</id><published>2006-08-06T10:55:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-08-06T11:02:24.740-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Another brush with fame...Jen&#39;s turn</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wusatv9.com/video/player.aspx?aid=33975&amp;bw=&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/320/068118824_motherhood.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you keep up with parenting news, then you&#39;ve heard about the British lady who&#39;s tired of her kids.  Well, Jen was given an opportunity by the local CBS news to weigh in on the issue and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.wusatv9.com/video/player.aspx?aid=33975&amp;bw=&quot;&gt;here &lt;/a&gt;it is.  Too bad she didn&#39;t get the chance to read the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=397672&amp;in_page_id=1879&amp;amp;ico=Homepage&amp;icl=TabModule&amp;amp;icc=FEMAIL&amp;amp;ct=5&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; before the filming!</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/115488014472760266/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/115488014472760266' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115488014472760266'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115488014472760266'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/08/another-brush-with-famejens-turn.html' title='Another brush with fame...Jen&#39;s turn'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-115414237786571354</id><published>2006-07-28T21:57:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-07-29T07:55:34.043-05:00</updated><title type='text'>It&#39;s me, digitized!</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.meez.com/mikegodzw&quot; title=&quot;Check out this user&#39;s profile at Meez.com&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://snapshot.meez.com/user01/03/06/0306_10000337010.gif&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It&#39;s all &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.brianlyman.com&quot;&gt;Brian Lyman&#39;s&lt;/a&gt; fault.  Here&#39;s what I created on my &quot;coffee break.&quot;  I was so proud of my creation that I shared it with a few people in my office @ AU. I&#39;m not sure there was any more work done for the rest of the afternoon.  By the way, I&#39;m not responsible for any lost productivity as you create you own digital alter ego.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/115414237786571354/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/115414237786571354' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115414237786571354'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115414237786571354'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/07/its-me-digitized.html' title='It&#39;s me, digitized!'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-115259637187262133</id><published>2006-07-11T00:33:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-07-11T00:40:59.996-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Sam turns 3</title><content type='html'>&lt;embed style=&quot;width:400px; height:326px;&quot; id=&quot;VideoPlayback&quot; align=&quot;middle&quot; type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; src=&quot;http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-8861329501222142058&quot; allowScriptAccess=&quot;sameDomain&quot; quality=&quot;best&quot; bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; scale=&quot;noScale&quot; salign=&quot;TL&quot;  FlashVars=&quot;playerMode=embedded&quot;&gt; &lt;/embed&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hey, I can&#39;t help it. I&#39;m just an ordinary dad and this is your typical home movie. Enjoy the highlights of Sam&#39;s 3rd birthday.  Happy Birthday little man!&lt;span class=&quot;fullpost&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/115259637187262133/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/115259637187262133' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115259637187262133'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115259637187262133'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/07/sam-turns-3.html' title='Sam turns 3'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-115212079957282418</id><published>2006-07-05T11:35:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-07-05T12:38:40.933-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Is Your Body a Powerhouse?  A summer reading book report</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060882433/sr=8-1/qid=1152119176/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-7678216-5170361?ie=UTF8&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/200/omission.2.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I’ve been thinking about my physique lately. Well, I guess I should say that I haven’t been thinking of it enough. What drew my attention to it is this padded layer forming around my midsection. A few too many Five Guys burgers and a far too few running miles have caused my 6-pack abs to melt together (okay, I never really had 6-pack abs, but it was a good image). Jen brought home a new scale last week and I decided to test it out. When I saw the numbers displayed on the screen, I told Jen to take it back! I’m happy to say, however, that I’m on the right track! I did a 5 miler this morning and I’m searching for some low-fat alternatives to chips and soda (thank God for Coke Zero). &lt;span class=&quot;fullpost&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Being in good health is part of honoring God with our bodies, but did you know that our bodies can help us develop our spiritual health? A book I’m reading started me thinking of my body in a different way. Dallas Willard just released, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060882433/sr=8-1/qid=1152119176/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-7678216-5170361?ie=UTF8&quot;&gt;The Great Omission&lt;/a&gt;. It is a look at reclaiming Jesus’ plan of spiritual formation, a person enveloped in the trinity and knowing and obeying everything he commanded (Matt 28:19). In chapter 8, he puts forth the idea of the body being a tool for spiritual formation. He says that if our physical flesh is beyond redemption (as many Christians believe and practice) than our ordinary life is too. Thankfully Paul’s words show us this is not the case. He presents the body as “a temple inhabited by the Holy Spirit. It is not meant to be used for sinning, but is meant for the Lord,” (1 Cor 6:13) and our “bodies are members of Christ.” (1 Cor 6:15). The way our bodies become members of Christ is through training. Willard says it requires mortification of the flesh. Not a particularly popular message series. I’m trying to think of what the “Mortification” series invite card would look like. Here&#39;s Willard on the matter:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;“Indeed, mortifying or putting things to death doesn’t seem to be the kind of&lt;br /&gt;thing today’s Christians would be caught doing. Yet there it stands, at the&lt;br /&gt;center of New Testament teachings.” This process of “crucifying the flesh with&lt;br /&gt;its passions and desires,” (Gal 5:24) requires effort on our part. “Our part in this transformation, in addition to constant faith and hope in Christ, is purposeful, strategic use of our bodies in ways that will retrain them, replacing the ‘motions of sing in our members’ with the motions of Christ.” &lt;/blockquote&gt;This is done through the spiritual disciplines.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A discipline as described by Willard, “is an activity in our power, which we pursue in order to become able to do what we cannot do by direct effort.” When I wanted to run my first marathon, I knew I could tackle 26.2 miles by will power alone so I started to train. My first long run was 5 miles, but after 4 months and countless workouts I was able to train my body to run the entire distance. The same is true with the spiritual disciplines. Willard outlines the steps:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;First, we begin by acknowledging the good of what we are going to do and&lt;br /&gt;asking God&#39;s assistance. Second we begin to practice controlling our tongue (or&lt;br /&gt;any other offending part). Not by trying not to insult people when they shake us&lt;br /&gt;up. No, we begin further back from the target situation. Possibly we step out of&lt;br /&gt;the realm of words by not speaking for a twenty-four-hour period--even by&lt;br /&gt;dwelling in silence with the TV and radio off. This probably will require that&lt;br /&gt;we go into solitude for the period of time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Note that all of this is something we do with our bodies. We relocate and&lt;br /&gt;reorient our bodies in our world. We learn a new relation to our&lt;br /&gt;body--specifically, our ears and tongues. This pervasively impacts our minds,&lt;br /&gt;hearts, and souls, as it gives opportunity to explore our world in silence and&lt;br /&gt;find our proper place in it. This in turn allows us to gain insight in to why&lt;br /&gt;we use the accustomed foul and insulting language. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When we find this insight (the belief that our words give us a sense of power over the offender)through the disciplines we realize how pathetic our response is and discover direct alternatives to it. It is at this time we can incorporate kingdom living into our daily lives. Willard goes on the say:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;The interaction between new uses of the body and inward re-positioning toward&lt;br /&gt;the context is essential. Learning to do what he taught is not just a&lt;br /&gt;mental shift without assistance from a modified use of the body, for behavior&lt;br /&gt;and life are not mental.&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Using our bodies in this way develops them into a &quot;power pack&quot; to appropriate our freedom from the habitual sin that so often trips us up. As we continue to teach our body how to act out righteousness it will, after much planing, practice and a healthy dose of grace, become an unconscious process.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, I&#39;ll end this extremely lengthy post with a question. How&#39;s your body? Could you stand to lose a few pounds? Here&#39;s a great &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rnjsports.com/&quot;&gt;place&lt;/a&gt; to find a bargain on running shoes. Do you need to develop your spiritual power pack? Click on this &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.methodx.net/thelife/spiritualpractices/&quot;&gt;link&lt;/a&gt; for some exercises in the spiritual disciplines and watch the flesh that you struggle against turn into your friend.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/115212079957282418/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/115212079957282418' title='4 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115212079957282418'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115212079957282418'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/07/is-your-body-powerhouse-summer-reading.html' title='Is Your Body a Powerhouse?  A summer reading book report'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>4</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-115120568185958262</id><published>2006-06-24T22:18:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-06-24T22:26:32.316-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Levi Breaks His Silence</title><content type='html'>&lt;embed style=&quot;width:400px; height:326px;&quot; id=&quot;VideoPlayback&quot; align=&quot;middle&quot; type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; src=&quot;http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-4703375644225772148&quot; allowScriptAccess=&quot;sameDomain&quot; quality=&quot;best&quot; bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; scale=&quot;noScale&quot; salign=&quot;TL&quot;  FlashVars=&quot;playerMode=embedded&quot;&gt; &lt;/embed&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Levi steps out from his brother&#39;s shadow with a lot to say. He also has a talent for physical comedy (watch the right corner of his mouth).</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/115120568185958262/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/115120568185958262' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115120568185958262'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115120568185958262'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/06/levi-breaks-his-silence.html' title='Levi Breaks His Silence'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-115077272904122795</id><published>2006-06-19T22:05:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-06-19T22:05:29.133-05:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;title&gt;O Suzanna...the headbangers version&lt;/title&gt;Sam returns with an all-favorite.  He shows his talent with the keyboard and his ability to sing while slamming his face into the couch pillows.  You&#39;ve gotta see it!&lt;br&gt;&lt;iframe src=&quot;http://www.castpost.com/Lib/playWMV1.php?filename=http://thegodzwas.castpost.com/OSuzannaw.wmv&amp;width=320&amp;height=240&quot; width=&quot;324&quot; height=&quot;312&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=No&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;br&gt;Powered by &lt;a href=&#39;http://www.castpost.com&#39;&gt;Castpost&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/115077272904122795/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/115077272904122795' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115077272904122795'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/115077272904122795'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/06/o-suzanna.html' title=''/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-114870778798998001</id><published>2006-05-27T00:00:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-05-27T01:08:07.753-05:00</updated><title type='text'>IVs, X-rays, and the blessings of community</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/1600/Photo_052606_001.0.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/320/Photo_052606_001.0.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is a picture of Levi after one of the scariest moments of his young life. Last night, around 8 pm, he began to throw up (seems like this blog is developing a theme). After 3 times, got him in to see a doctor. What we thought would be cured with a simple prescription, turned into a trip to the emergency room and an admittance to Fairfax Hospital. The concern was a possible intestinal blockage and a high chance of dehydration in babies Levi&#39;s age. He was connected to an IV (after 6 attempts) and strapped to a board where x-rays were taking of this GI tract. When the test were completed, Levi was admitted to continue the IV fluids and observation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;fullpost&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Medically, Levi is fine. The x-rays showed no blockages and his blood test came back negative for any viruses. The doctors attributed the vomiting episode to reflux, a problem in 50 percent of infants. After a few months, he&#39;ll grow out of it. In the meantime, we have a prescription to help.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What was truly amazing about the experience was the outpouring of love we received. Dan, one of our students rushed over to stay with Sam for the night. Molly, a friend in our building volunteered babysitting to give me a chance to sleep and Harvey and Sally, fellow Chi Alpha workers, brought over an awesome dinner. I was supposed to take 3 students to a conference tomorrow and Shawn, the XA director @ Georgetown, volunteered to give them a ride so I can stay with the family for another day. Along with all the help we did receive, we had a bunch of phone calls from friends asking if they could do anything else.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I never, ever want to experience another night like the last, but even still I&#39;m seeing some good in it. God showed us the blessings of community. We have some of the best friends in the world. We love you guys!&lt;/span&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/114870778798998001/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/114870778798998001' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/114870778798998001'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/114870778798998001'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/05/ivs-x-rays-and-blessings-of-community.html' title='IVs, X-rays, and the blessings of community'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-114796566384944244</id><published>2006-05-18T10:15:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-05-18T10:34:28.410-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Our May Newsletter is published!</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/May2006.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/320/May2006.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The May edition of the Collegiate Chronicles is in the mail. If you would like to get an advance look, check it out by clicking* on the photo to the left.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*Adobe Reader is required.   Get it &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;noHover&quot; href=&quot;http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;noHover&quot; href=&quot;http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/114796566384944244/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/114796566384944244' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/114796566384944244'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/114796566384944244'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/05/our-may-newsletter-is-published.html' title='Our May Newsletter is published!'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-114590784266602402</id><published>2006-04-24T14:38:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-04-26T00:36:48.726-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Birthday, baptism, band-aids, barf, and the blessings of God</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/1600/2006baptism.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3631/1048/320/2006baptism.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sorry for the crass title, but it fit with the alliteration. Here&#39;s what I mean.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On Saturday, I celebrated my 32nd birthday. It&#39;s amazing how old that used to sound, but I&#39;m comfortable with that now... Anyway, my wonderful wife who is still recovering from child birth started my day off right--she let me sleep in! What a day I thought as I got out of bed around 9 am. We had scheduled a Chi Alpha baptism for noon, so I spent some time preparing for that and headed out the door around 11.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It was raining and I had flip-flops on. Those details are significant, because it explains that the onset of clumsiness was not due to old-age. I was in a rush, as usual, and as soon the light turned on Nebraska Avenue I was in motion. I set my flip-flop shod foot down on a manhole cover and then found myself on the pavement with a bleeding big right toe. Thankfully, I could disinfect it later in the chlorine water of the AU pool. (Actually I did try to wrap it up, but as with most band-aids these weren&#39;t waterproof. They were just a temporary fix.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;fullpost&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The baptism was incredible! We baptized 4 students, one who was an atheist only a year before. This is the 6th year in a row we did a public ceremony in the pool and every year I get an opportunity to share Jesus with someone watching. As I was thanking the lifeguards, they asked me questions about what we were doing. I was able to share the gospel there on the poolside. I think we&#39;ll do this again!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When I got home, Sam, who had been running a fever that morning, was getting worse. I took him into the clinic expecting a long Saturday wait, but it was surprisingly speedy. We were in and out in a 1/2 hour with the assurance that Sam just had a cold. Time for the birthday party!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I picked up Jen and Levi and we had a family outing to one of my favorite places, Five Guys. Not much for atmosphere, but incredible burgers and fries and even though I&#39;ve never had one, the hot dogs must be pretty good because Sam tasted his 2 times (the barf part). Needless to say, our outing was cut a bit short. We made a quick exit from the restaurant and shuffled quickly (remember the cut toe) three blocks to our car in the rain. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As I was relating my sad story to my dad he said, &quot;If that&#39;s all that&#39;s wrong, you&#39;re doing pretty good.&quot; I needed to hear that. I was feeling a lot of pity for my throbbing toe and sick son and was forgetting the 32 years of blessings in my life. I have a wonderful wife, 2 sons who bring endless joy and a job that fills me with purpose. So thanks Dad. You helped me to change my perspective. I went to bed that night with a smile on my face and joy in my heart.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Oh, the Dutch apple pie and Yankees tickets that Jen got for me helped with that smile a bit too. Thanks babe, you&#39;re the best!&lt;/span&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/114590784266602402/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/114590784266602402' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/114590784266602402'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/114590784266602402'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/04/birthday-baptism-band-aids-barf-and.html' title='Birthday, baptism, band-aids, barf, and the blessings of God'/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12391257.post-114515090154946058</id><published>2006-04-15T20:28:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-04-15T20:28:21.860-05:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;title&gt;&lt;/title&gt;I like to call it Sam unplugged. It&#39;s just Sam sitting with his guitar singing your worship favorites...Yesa be ya Name!  (Watch for the fancy guitar work.)&lt;br&gt;&lt;iframe src=&quot;http://www.castpost.com/Lib/playWMV1.php?filename=http://thegodzwas.castpost.com/Yesa.wmv&amp;width=320&amp;height=240&quot; width=&quot;324&quot; height=&quot;312&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=No&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;br&gt;Powered by &lt;a href=&#39;http://www.castpost.com&#39;&gt;Castpost&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/feeds/114515090154946058/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/12391257/114515090154946058' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/114515090154946058'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/12391257/posts/default/114515090154946058'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://collegiatechronicles.blogspot.com/2006/04/i-like-to-call-it-sam-unplugged.html' title=''/><author><name>mikegodz</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12476795349566330353</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://www.auchialpha.org/Mike/Samandmeicon.jpg'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry></feed>