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Giving Gifts
To Others: There is no doubt your mom will appreciate a pair of fuzzy slippers on Christmas morning, but there are a lot of other options for gifts that your loved ones will be amazed and surprised to receive. How about volunteering 10 hours at the Hays County Food Bank in your parent's honor? How about dedicating a weekend of work on a Habitat for Humanity build in their honor? There are lots of ways to give a gift that is not only meaningful to the recipient, but a blessing to others. And since it's Jesus' birthday we are celebrating, what better way than to tend to those in need, which he said was just like caring for him?
To You: There may be lots on your list, but consider how happy relatives might be if you said, "What I'd really like is financial help in going on our campus ministry's Spring Break trip to the Gulf Coast." When they find out you'll be helping rebuild homes and lives, they will be glad to be of help. And yes, that is our plan: see the article to the right for more information about "What a Relief! Spring Break '08"
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A Week in D.C. - FREE!Applications are available for Breaking Out 2008! Washington, D.C. at the Steinbruck Center, March 2-7 or 9-14. The cost is just $75 per person, which includes housing, meals and travel. There is a maximum of thirty students per week, with a limit of two students per school. The week will center around the issues of homelessness, poverty, injustice and advocacy. Go to www.lsm-usa.org for applications. You can also read a summary of last year's event in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Space is limited, so apply soon!
AND, Texas State Students, should you be accepted, Higher Ground will even cover the $75 cost. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here are a few random opinions about stuff I've encountered lately. I invite you to send in your own reviews of movies, TV shows, websites, etc., and they'll get posted in the next newsletter. -PJB
The NFL - Because the NFL doesn't have enough piles of cash, they decided to move a few games to the NFL Network, a station not available on our local cable system. The cable company, meanwhile, doesn't want to pass on the (fairly hefty) subscription cost to the NFL Network, figuring that its customers don't need to pay for what has always been free. A pox on both their houses. Forgotten, as always, are the fans, who despite common sense still get excited about professional athletic competitions. Thanks to all of you who play sports for the love of the game, or for no more than a scholarship. You're at it for the right reasons, and if you can't dazzle in the same way a professional might, you still have my vote for being the best.
IHOP:
Don't go to San Marcos' IHOP looking for creative, cutting-edge cuisine. They are all about the pancakes, even if they also serve a bunch of other stuff no one orders (for example, tilapia with cream gravy.) The naugahyde seating, the inoffensive pop music piped over the speakers, the choice of five kinds of syrup, the limitless pot of coffee... that's the spirit of IHOP. On a recent visit, I had the Pancake Extravaganza; pumpkin pancakes, two eggs, hashbrowns and bacon. Delicious. The pumpkin pancakes were evocative of pumpkin pie, redolent with hints of nutmeg and cinammon, all the while maintaining their integrity as pancakes, being both flat and round. My dining companion was feeling adventerous, so had the Stuffed French Toast. He was likewise content, his risk-taking rewarded with a wad of sweet cream cheese filling between golden egg-battered toast and smothered with an ample ladle of strawberry sauce and a dollop of whipped cream in IHOP's signature floral swirl. The service was attentive and prompt and included a discrete visit by the manager. IHOP's only blemish is its cost; we are talking pancakes, after all, not lobster, but one can't escape the establishment for under $6.00, excluding beverages. On a college budget, IHOP's prices make it more a special occasion destination; birthdays, wedding receptions and the like.
The Mist: Another Stephen King story made into a movie, "The Mist" has less to say than "The Shawshank Redemption," but more than "It," "Cujo" and "Carrie" combined. The latter's main theme: boo, and be careful around clowns, large dogs and disenfranchised, emotionally-fragile high school girls who can throw knives around with their minds. "The Mist," while not Acadamy award winning stuff, does explore issues of fear, security, paranoia, religious zealotry, and group behavior, all in the context of some pretty cool monsters trying to attack a bunch of folks hiding in a grocery store. You can see the ending coming from a block away, but it is still memorable. All of that said, you won't be missing much if you just wait for it to come out on DVD. |
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Healing, Pancakes, Study Break, Christmas Party
December 5th, 5:30 - 7:30, we'll do all of the above.
Healing Service: Not just for the sick, but for the stressed, tired, worried and over-whelmed. 5:30 in the All Saint's Chapel.
Pancakes: Blue-ribbon winning pancakes and "abelskiver," a Danish pancake so good that IHOP blushes with shame
Study Break: You need one, and we'll have plenty of coffee and friendship to make the grind of Finals Week bearable.
Christmas Party: With gifts, of course. Wrap up a "treasure" from around your dorm or apartment. If no treasures are obvious, you can spend up to but no more than $5 on a gift. We'll draw numbers and make a game of it that will bring a smile to a week when there are not enough smiles. If you forget, come anyway; there will be a few spare treasures to give. |
And More Study Breaks...
Sunday, December 9th: Supper at 6:15, worship at 7:00, coffee and dessert at 8:00 until you go away.
Monday, December 10th: Free coffee and cheap Dr. Pepper,
7:00 - 10:00.
And stop by most every day during the day and the chances are good you'll find Pastor Jaime on site and/or free coffee and cheap Dr. Pepper available.
Higher Ground: where sugar, caffeine and Jesus are your friends. |
SPRING BREAK WITH A PURPOSE
Look, everyone knows how you're supposed to spend Spring Break; at the beach partying way too much, making bad decisions, and avoiding the cops. Amazingly, some people (by which I mean people who think for more than a couple of minutes) do not find the prescribed Spring Break all that satisfying. Well, here's an option... how about putting your faith into action, living out Jesus' words, making a difference in this world, by going on a Spring Break trip to a place where you can help rebuild lives and homes. Details are still being worked out, but look for some definite word in the weeks ahead about Spring Break '08 - Destination Gulf Coast. We'll go to an area still devastated by Hurricane Katrina and do what we can in cleanup, home building and more. Cost? We'll keep it to a minimum. And yes, we'll make room for a little time at the beach. Texas State's Spring Break is March 9-16.
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Spring Semester Stuff
Province VII Campus Ministry Conference - January 18-20, Camp Allen, Texas. "Practicing the Presence: A conference on 21st century spirituality for students, chaplains, faculty, and friends of campus ministry." Guest speakers include Patricia Hendricks, author of Hungry Souls, Holy Companions: Mentoring a New Generation of Christians, Dr. Michael Battle, and Jim Goodman. Scholarship help is available for interested students. Applications are available on the web through www.highergroundtxstate.org.
Student and Mentor Retreat - February 15-17, 2008. Leadership development, planning, recreation and service for both students and mentors at Camp Lutherhill, La Grange. High ropes, anyone? Costs to be announced, but it should be very very low. Plan now to attend; put it on your calendar. Make note of the date. Be attentive to the timing. Look for reservation forms on Facebook, at Higher Ground functions and through this newsletter next month.
Also on the agenda... We will be scheduling regular fellowship and service events throughout each semester, ranging from movie nights to helping on a Habitat build and lots more. |
Invite Me
Lots of students are involved in music, classes, theater, athletics, and various organizations. I, Pastor Jaime, would love nothing more than for you to invite me to any of the events in which you take part. Okay, maybe not certain fraternity and sorority parties, but maybe so. Please know that I know you've got an active, interesting life here at Texas State University, and it's not limited to Higher Ground. Even if you have a class that you find particularly interesting, let me know... most professors are just fine with visitors sitting in on a class.
Lastly, some of you will be moving into new dorm rooms or different apartments. Once again, I'm glad to come visit for a blessing. "Bless My Crib" was much appreciated by those who took part at the beginning of the Fall semester, so just write me a note at [email protected] and we'll find a date.
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 Our campus mission is to be a welcoming spiritual community, a place for people of any gender, race, national origin, and sexual orientation. Growing together in faith, we seek the unity that Christ envisions for
His church through learning, liturgical worship, service, and fellowship. |
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That's about the cost of the steel in a nice Swiss watch. But shaped and transformed, bent and coiled, that fifteen cents of steel becomes the heart of a watch worth thousands of dollars. So it is with the gifts God has given you. College is a great time to let God shape the steel within you into the masterpeice you are becoming. Come to Higher Ground and let God help that shaping along. You are always welcome here. |
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