My Own Private Homecoming

In keeping with my dad's tradition of getting together with college friends on an annual basis, I took a day to hang out with my good friend Kelly Wolverton. We stayed Sunday night at the "Heart of Texas Baptist Encampment" and spent all day Monday walking the campus of our old almamatur and seeing who we might run into.

Kelly is much more of an extrovert than I am, and during the years we were at HPU together, I was basically known as "Kelly's friend." He prompted us to go up to the School of Christian Studies and see on whom we could just "drop in." My first inclination was, "Why are we going to bother these people unannounced?" But I quietly followed his lead. Boy was I glad I did. The first person we saw in the door was a new friend, Rusty Wheelington, who is a Professor of Youth Ministry. He and I were acquainted last year at a conference and became friends. Then down the hall were two OLD mentors who are long-term youth ministers just up for a special class. When I was an undergrad, these guys would assist with a 2-week workshop and I had the privilege of hanging out with them outside of class. So to bump into them now and get to hang out with them for about 20 minutes was a great gift! With them was a man I respect and admire, Gary Gramling who is the director of the Master of Arts in Youth Ministry program at HPU. He was a former professor of mine in the early 90's, and friend when I served at FBC, Brownwood in the late 90's. His heart for God is tremendous and contagious.

Kelly, being the extrovert, invited the professors to join us for lunch at Gomez's! For those familiar with Brownwood, Gomez's needs no introduction. Those unfamiliar just know the term, "greasy spoon" does not even come close! Rusty and Gary joined us (check it out, I'm using their first names now!) but I was the only brave one to actually order Mexican food ("I'll have the #1... ALWAYS!).

I loved this day because the conversation was "all over the place" from light-hearted goofy stuff, to intimate sharing of internal struggles and desires for God's work.

Kelly and I ended the day visiting a 95 year old lady who is one of the Faithful at FBC, Brownwood. Her name is Pauline Moore, and we share a unique connection that developed through simple, short conversations when she would pass by my office at the church, or call to question why certain things were planned or conducted a certain way. Even with the connection, I still only call her Mrs. Moore. She has quite a life to share and actually a lot of life left for 95!

It was a great trip!