I'm Back, Baby!

I think that since I've been back at Bluffton I have been asked "what is it like being back" at least 4 or 5 times a day. Maybe if I answer it publicly I won't have to sit through another of the same conversation. How does it feel to be back? It has its ups and downs. I don't think it has really hit met yet that I'm not actually a part of the community I found back in Pittsburgh. Sure, they assured me that I'm welcome back anytime and how much they're going to miss me. It's just a guess, but I'm pretty sure life will go on in Pittsburgh without me. Someone else will run the game at youthgroup, someone else will send out the invoices for the music lesson, someone else will stand in the back and sing with the praise band. I can't let that discourage me though because am I also sure that I will be missed, and I will be welcomed back. At least I hope so, since I am getting the opportunity to pass through Pittsburgh and will be there in a few Sundays. As for the ups of being back on campus, I think they're evident. I definitely missed a lot of my friends. Two of my good friends are planning on doing semester abroad programs next fall, so I keep telling them we have to fit as much fun into this semester as possible. Other than that, it's nice not to have to cook for myself or drive every day to an internship. I also missed getting to know all the freshman this year. There are so many faces on campus that I have never seen before and that makes me sad.

My roommate who normally leads Sunday Morning Worship got his wisdom teeth out this weekend, so he asked me if I wanted to lead this morning. I was a little apprehensive just because it was my first week back and I felt like I was still getting settled, but then I realized that I was just letting fear try to dicatate my life again. So, I did it. I was really pleased with how well it went. Throughout the week I tried to find a good balance between freaking out to make sure everything would be perfect and allowing the Spirit to work. Derick, my roommate, always seems to just kind of throw things together last minute and it always works out really well. I, on the other hand, need to plan. Not because I feel like everything has to be perfect, but because I feel like God always deserves the best we can give Him. I tried to mentally get myself to the place where I didn't actually care what the band sounded like but was more worried about how sincere we all were. Honestly, I don't know if I got there completely, but it was good that I wasn't freaking out about everything being perfect when my wireless mic decided to stop working as soon as I went on stage. I just stole the guitarists mic and life went on. (He sings loud enough to not need a mic anyway.) In the end, we praised God, had some fun, and I learned a little about what it means to lead the worship band. I guess it is good to be back...baby!