March 2 at Pepperdine

did i mention Pepperdine is gorgeous?

well, i mean that in a different way, now. my glasses broke this morning. or should i say, when i woke up, they were already broken. odd. the funny thing is, i was worried about being swayed by superficial factors, before coming out here, and i had other believers challenge me to think critically about looking beyond the surface.

i had no choice but to listen today with my ears, spirit, heart, and soul. because i couldn't see a darn thing past 2 feet in front of me today. but the thing is, i realized there is so much depth to this place, there are men here dedicated to leading the school spiritually, in pursuit of a greater commitment and faith in God, not just in academic excellence. they pursue both, and that is not an 'either-or' dichotomy.

there is a very unique thing here--the Nootbar Institute for Law, Religion and Ethics. There is also the top dispute resolution program in the country, and a center for entrepenuership, as well. there are top quality faculty, and most importantly, they are the most accessible faculty in the country. look it up--grab the princeton review rankings. but more than that--it was evident in how they treat the students. you can see in how they teach, interact with students. i hope God leads me here, i have much praying to do.

that was the weird thing--i had prayed for Him to give me 'eyes to see' before coming...and then my eyesight was hindered today. my ocular eyesight. in reality, my spiritual eyesight was enhanced, for i had to listen to Him, yearn and strain to hear His whisper in the dark today. i love forced fasting from my eyes. so glad He took something away so i could receive so much more. really--i don't think i've ever listened more intently for an entire today. or been more aware of others.


ok...a funny story, before i leave you with this post. we had dinner with the faculty yesterday, sunday night. Church that morning was really cool--then i went home and saw the school brochure. on the front cover was the guy i had gone to church with. he is a servant, and truly so, b/c after spending the morning w. him i had no idea he is a leader in the law school and travels all over the world helping lead teams of Pepperdine students in helping 'the least of these.'

so back to dinner...i'm sitting there listen to one of the deans talk about his children. someone asks where they go to school. he stops. he waits. he appears to think the answer will come to him on a cloud, out of the sky. perhaps in an envelope someone is waiting to hand him.

the cool part of this story is his wife. she stopped everyone from helping him and said--he'll figure it out. she meant it. i mean, he has to be one lucky dude. she honestly was not offended, insecure, or anything. she gave him hints, patiently, lovingly, until it dawned upon him. i was shell-shocked. most woman would be ludicrous, or belittle their husbands, or try to sweep it under the rug...i learned a lot from observing that...and this:

she signed a release, with him, where they might lose their car.

no joke.

they were on a game show where each couple risked losing their car to win a newer one [it never aired]. the couple they beat had their car crushed into one of those pieces of metal that 'wall-E' stacks up all day.

no joke.

another couple had their stereo system chain-sawed in half. i am not kidding. the game show people came in and took personal items from each couples' home. they had to sign legal agreements saying this was ok.

this meant this guy's WIFE had to sign legal agreements saying this was ok. and...she did.
she does not seem like a careless woman though--only one who is willing to take risks with her husband. and she was the nicest, sweetest soccer mom you'd ever meet. but something tells me she'd be a tough beat in any competition.

my point is--i really want a marriage like that one day, where my wife, well..."the heart of her husband trusts in her" and for her heart to trust in me that much, too.

i'm telling you, it was crazy...mrs. law school dean talking about their beloved kitchen table on a conveyer belt heading towards a motorized chainsaw...and they get the correct answer--saving it in the nick of time. now that's adventure.

and the backdrop for this story was a splendid dinner in an enclosed room with a panaromic all-glass view of nothing but ocean...with a door open so we heard the waves crashing against the beach.....what a glorious God we serve, who spoke the universe and all His beautiful creation in existence....