I'm becoming sickly! Slacker. I'm sort of sick again, and it's only been a few weeks since my last little bout.

Let me see if I can formulate the three challenges that I've experienced in the last four days.

(1) I went to the Campus Crusade for Christ meeting on Wednesday. This time the speaker spoke on Paul's declaration: I've fought a good fight, I've finished my course, I've kept the faith. To paraphrase.

What am I fighting for? I mean really? Grades? Prestige, with all my grandiose plans? Money? Am I really in "the" race that really matters? Would I have any regrets if I left this earth today?

I have to wonder at myself sometimes. Because I take pride in my grades. Because I have a warm feeling in my heart when I think that someday I'll have a Master degree or two hanging on the wall. Because I get warm fuzzies thinking about a good job that will pay good money.

It just makes me wonder.

(2) Diffusing the Fragrance. If you want to know where that comes from, go to 2 Corinthians 2:14. A lovely word picture that really has direct bearing on (1), because to me it communicates God's desire that we are vessels that essentially dispense the fragrance of Him to both the saved and the perishing.

I came up with this cheesy mnemonic to help in cultivating this desire and putting it into practice: ESP.

E ndeavor to think about God througout your day. Keep Him on the tip of your mind.
S pend time alone with God, the longer you linger the better. Develop that intimacy.
P ray for boldness and for opportunities.

(3) There was a group of youth that just got back from a Mission Trip to Mexico, and they shared tonight at church. Wonderful things happening in their lives as a result, and very challenging things that they shared. A question asked by some of them: why is it that we only do this kind of stuff (tract distribution, street preaching) on trips like this? Why can't we do it at home? To me, this points back to (2) as well. We can, we must be sharing the Love all the time.

But am I?