Day one...

Well, we made it here safe and sound. The drive was mostly uneventful. We drove to the far side of Nashville the first day and then drove the rest of the way on day 2. The room is nice. Small but nice. Grace did awesome!
Day one was mostly orientation. I am in a class of 21 other guys. There are a few Catholic priests and a smorgasboard of protestant preachers. Of course us youth pastors found each other pretty quick. I am the academic officer for our class, which means that I collect the homework from the class and turn it in. So those people who don't do their homework get harassed by Lt Casciato. Not a pleasant prospect I can assure you. . They are absolutely blasting us with information. It's kinda like trying to drink from a fire-hose. Doesn't feel all that safe but...WHHHEEEEEEEE!!!
So I found God on the way down here (I hate it when I misplace Him). Figure the odds, He was in McDonalds. We stopped at a McDonalds in Missouri (I think it was MO anyway...all the states kinda run together). Anyway, we told Grace that if she ate good, Daddy would take her into the play land. She was a little small for it so I took her in. We climbed up to the second level in those plastic tubes. Grace looked down and saw Mommy WAY down there. Then we went to go down the slide. But Grace was in the wrong arm. (Can you believe that they don't make them big enough for 29 year old Daddys who haven't been working out? I know, how rude.) So anyway, I couldn't wiggle into the tube with her in my arm. So I went to put Grace in my other arm so I could use the arm she was currently in to wiggle into the tube. But I couldn't switch arms because SHE wouldn't let go of me. She was so scared she had locked on to me and wouldn't let go. I told her, "It's ok. Daddy got you." She said, "Yeah," and rather reluctantly allowed me to pry her arm off me. I switched her to the other arm, wiggled into the tube and we slid down together. She squeeled the whole way down. When we got to the bottom it was time to go. Wendy took her to the bathroom to change her diaper. When they came out, Wendy told me that in the bathroom, Grace had told her, "It's ok. Daddy got you." Wendy figured that it was something I had said to her.
Where I found God in all that story is thus. It's a hard thing to come to a school like this. There is a lot of pressure. It's also hard to leave things behind. It's hard to leave the ministry behind, not to mention my friends and students whom I love with my whole heart. Sometimes, I am tempted to grab hold with all I've got and not let go. Yet the whole time, the truth of the matter is that God is trying to take me somewhere. He is trying to switch me to the other hand because He has some amazing ride for me. The whole time, He is saying, "It's ok. Daddy got you." The question then for me is do I have my daughter's courage? Am I willing to (joyfully or at least reluctantly) let Him pry my arm off His so that he can take me on this grand adventure. Furthermore, am I willing to remember those times that He did take care of me, and then the next time I am scared tell myself and others, "It's ok. Daddy got you." Father, grant me my daughter's courage.