i intervened in my first altercation on tuesday at the lovely jjaep...quite exciting. not really...but i did get the two boys separated before punches were thrown. here's the deal. i was walking a group back to class when a kid in the challenge class...which is a collection of the most poorly behaved students on campus...walked out and started posting up to one of the boys in my group. and to help me out another of my students started throwing gang signs at the rest of challenge class who hate this kid. how nice of him. anyway no blood was spilled. i was pretty proud of myself considering every other staff person in the area were not paying any attention. you'd think when a kid walks out of class without permission the adults supervising the class would notice...apparently not. but luckily nothing severe happened...and for that i'm very thankful. i don't get paid to break up fights. and i'm not about to jump in between two kids throwing punches...especially since most of these boys are way bigger than i am. i may know how to restrain them, but i'm not so dilluded as to think i could actually take one of those kids down without first hurting them and that would get me fired. so if they want to fight, fine. but they better be prepared to see it through because i will not be attempting to break that up. that's what campus police officers are for.

**as a disclaimer...this isn't anything serious. just some thoughts i was having. no need to be worried, bruce.

so yesterday...and monday too it seems....were just days i could have done without. just one of those times when a bunch of junk happens that you really didn't need in your life...ever. in my reading through james again, i've been reminded by the Lord to praise through the circumstances even if i don't feel like praising. so yesterday i just was done. i didn't even want to try. it was like i was just saying not now, Lord...i just can't be okay with this, and i don't even want to try. and all the while this song is echoing in my mind...
living water swallow me
deepest river wash me clean
Jesus savior more of thee
Jesus more of thee
come and ruin me with your love
so no other is enough
come and leave your mark on me
Jesus more of thee

and in the end it's not a matter of if i can or can't. it's has to become a must. i must or nothing is okay. i must not out of obligation but out of sheer reverence. it was just kind of startling...how He brought me to that point. and like so many things...i asked for it, but i didn't see it coming like that. yet, i'm really thankful that it did...rotten circumstances or not. and that only reminds me that He's really not safe. but He is so very worth it.

And yes, Amy. I've been checking on the little girl every day through the site. She certainly is a beauty.