Lessons from Sonne

I got to spend the weekend at one of the guys' dorms, Sonne (I have already gotten an earfull from the Maugenhard family). And I count myself blessed to have been able to work with the staff and hang out with those great guys. I'm going to try to articulate the immediate lessons I learned from the staff members.

The first lesson came from Tommy. I really respect his wisdom in keeping things private that should stay so. "When words are many, sin is not lacking. But he who holds his tongue is wise." He knows how to deal with people appropriately and speaks with grace and wisdom!

The next lesson came from Sharon. When I got to the dorm Friday night, there were a ton of things to be done for the boys. So after we prayed together, she delegated the work to me so that she could have time in the Word. She recognized that it was more important to take care of the condition of her heart than to do the running around stuff. Very Mary-Martha. Very cool.

The conviction stick was wieled by the Spirit in Andy, unbeknownst to him. When asked why I live the way I do, I gave a shallow, earthly (although legitimate!) answer, to which he replied, "is that it?" Line drive to the chest. The question stuck with me throughout the day, and I rolled it around as I rolled cookie dough. The decision to live a "good life" during and after college was made from a mostly shallow thought process that went something like "the type of man I want to marry deserves someone better than me, so I'd better straighten up so he likes me when he comes around." Although that's a valid decision, it's not enough. That puts way too much emphasis of my significance in that relationship instead of in Christ. So, I once was living for the approval of man, but now I live for glorifying God. Andy wasn't trying to convict me, but that's the Spirit working through him.

And, finally, CB. From her I learned about boundaries, a prerequisite for being the only single female in a guys' dorm. During a campfire, the boys wanted to have manly bonding time- haha, which I guess just means taking off their shirts in the freezing cold. And despite my saying "what's the big deal!? If you want to take your shirts off, take them off! I don't care," they waited until CB and I left. As we were leaving she told me that she instilled a shirts-on policy for the guys when she's around. Not only do I respect that that is important to her, I respect that she has communicated that to them well enough that they respect her wishes even with another adult saying the opposite.

I definitely feel blessed and challenged by my time in the dorm. It's a bit sad to come home to quietness and just cooking and doing laundry for one, but I've got plenty to think and pray about now. So, thank you to Tommy, Sharon, Andy, and CB for challenging and encouraging me just by being yourselves. And thank you for trusting me with your Sonne fellas.

Much love for a Spirit-filled weekend with Sonne boys and staff.

Also, everyone who has been to my apartment has said something about the tiny little spiral staircase that goes up to my room. We all knew it was just a matter of time until I went tumbling down, and today was that day. My teeth are still in my head, so I'm ok!