Got Wednesday Beat!

So, today was a long, rainy, and grey day... I took the ABSITE exam in the morning (the usual standardized test thing); then went to the lab for an hour; and then home to read. But the fireplace was so comfortable that the reading turned into a nap... until Drea woke me up with a phonecall to come out for dinner. At the same time, to my surprise, my doorbell rang, and 3 of "my" middle-school girls stopped by to say "hello." So, in they came, soon there was hot chocolate, and a game of Nobody is Perfect going on. All the while, we were talking about how great God is; what all wonderful things He did for us all week (oops, here's the Sunday School teacher who forgot to write them down); and how revival seems to be lurking on every corner (I feel it, too!)! We talked about the persecution of Christians in today's society, and before we knew it, we were there, praying for people all over the nation, our friends in Madison, and even all over the world to come to know Jesus. It was amazing to listen to the hearts of these young Christians, who already have such a passion for the Lord. I just can't wait to see how God is going to use their lives so powerfully! They are bright lights in my life; and they will shine...

At the same time, I had to marvel again at God's unending faithfulness:
I asked him to make me a mentor to some group of younger people before I moved to Madison; and there I was...
I had also asked him to use my home for His glory; that many times people would gather here to praise him; and there we were...

In all, He is so good; and He loves me so much; what else could I want?

WOW!

What a day! I woke up after only about 5 hours of sleep; with a sense of awakeness and being ready to "tackle the day." Leaving the house, it was just before sunrise at 6:30am, with the most clear skies I have seen in a long, long time. A small moon-sickle on top, a bright morning star, and driving into the sunrise... occuring over the lake right where I get to park. I couldn't be more thankful for a place to live and work than right here where I am!

We had an outstanding "Grand Rounds" lecture on "Surgery in the Third World," so even a mandatory conference just awed me today. Charlie Hall's new CD, ...

Then, I was caught entirely by surprise, as I implanted my first kidney this very morning. Entirely out of the blue! It was beautiful, EXCITING, and it worked!!! I just wanted to bust out, right then and there, with a big, loud "You are my joy, You are my joy, You are my joy, You are my JOY!!!" in crescendo mode, but patiently I waited!!!

Afterwards, the team "drove through" Micky D's for 5 chocolate milkshakes... our joy when we were handed the drinks was so great that the lady at the window even had a HUGE smile on her face; when she surely was expecting a mom in a minivan with 5 kids and instead got 5 super-excited adults...

Guess it's been a while since I last posted on my own blog. For some of my ramblings, check on www.268blog.blogspot.com or www.ctomlin.blogspot.com -- I like posting there because my "internet friends" are kind of fun; and it's sort of a meeting place. Anyway, I had a wonderful Christmas in Wisconsin with Mom, Dad, Grandma, and the Dog. We re-painted some of my place; and it's just awesomely cozy now; just in time for a cold January and February to come. However, the weather here has been nothing but spring-like since 2 days before Christmas. It really reminds me of Narnia (great movie, if you haven't seen it); and how the winter began to melt away just in time for the coming of the King... we had 7 inches of snow, and nothing since.

Then I went to volunteer at Passion06, a college student conference centered around the "theme" of "the glory of God." It was, well, I can't really put that into words. I learned a ton, about worship, living my life for His glory in everything I do, about spiritual warfare; the whole week was INTENSE! Yet, none of us got tired (I met 3 wonderful roommates, and some other wonderful people), despite a lack of sleep. I really hope that motivation translates into my attitude at work; I need it! If you'd like to get a glimpse of it; itunes will soon host the new passion music, and some of the talks (which were awesome). Feel free to check it out (Jan 24/25 are starting dates).

Ok, I think I'll head home now...