Denny's, Kool-aid and a life after college...

So my friend Eddy is a huge Denny’s fan.  I can remember back to one of the first times my roommate Ben and I actually hung out with Eddy exclusively (sorry if this sounds like we were dating).  It was the middle of the week after a mid-week worship service and we had a hankering for some breakfast food I suppose.  We decided on the local Denny’s that was really close to the FSU campus.  The funny thing was, when we walked in every single one of the workers yelled, “Eddy!!” just like they would yell “Norm!!” on Cheers.  I think Ben and I knew at that point this was a man who knew people.  It was like eating with the godfather, Eddy didn’t have to order because they knew what he wanted and then didn’t have to pay because apparently, “his money was no good there.”

True story?  Perhaps…

The point being is that two weekends ago, during MLK weekend, I was able to travel to Atlanta and meet up with Eddy and Ben for the first time since Ben got married several years ago.  All three of us Texans.  All three of us married. All three of us somehow placed at Florida State University.  And I could not have been more encouraged by the weekend.  I’m not going to lie, life after college sometimes has it’s “WOW THIS SUCKS!” moments.  We even talked about it that weekend.  Take for example the fact that at any given point we really had nothing to do in college.  We would simply move from apartment to apartment hanging out on a moment’s notice and had nothing to really worry about.  Another aspect of college that seems to be extremely different post-grad were the gross amount of believers that seemed to congregate together.  We just found one another; so it was really easy to make promises to God about life styles and choices because you were surrounded by so many people who drank the Kool-aid with you. 

Life is full of people who don’t like your Kool-aid though.

And so post-college it’s been easy to lose track of those commitments and lose sight of the way it used to be.  When you don’t have 30 people pressing you to be more like the person Jesus has called us all to be.  And so to Eddy and Ben I say thank you for a great weekend.  Thank you for encouraging me.  Thank you for showing me that in spite of several perceived ups and downs that the life Christ calls us to live CAN be lead outside to confines of a hermetically sealed Christian “Bio-dome” (thank you Pauly Shore for your fine cinematic work).  Even as a pastor it’s hard some times to live right and continue to grow in the right direction. Sitting around MLK weekend and discussing a plethora of spiritual issues with these guys was like a lightening bolt of energy to my Dolorian.  I heard their stories of life post-grad and how it’s been tough at times and easy during others.  We all talked about the struggles we’ve faced and the things that have kept us from moving forward.  

Life outside the bubble is hard some times but life outside the bubble is ultimately good.  Life outside the bubble was always part of the plan.  Do NOT misunderstand; this is not a blog discounting the value of the body of Christ and our fellowship together.  It’s simply an observation regarding the difficulty of making the same wise choices when living in the world and no longer constantly around a virtual commune of believers.  There's got to be something in the middle.  There's got to be something in between being with ONLY people who share your thoughts and then living and working in the real world in real life with people who a) probably don't care what you have to say and b) don't agree with you.  

So here’s to a healthy mix of post-college living.  To my friends from school who are reading; my prayer is that since moving on you have all found a strong group of believers with whom you can relate to, worship with and serve along side.  My prayer is that you would view wherever you are as the mission field God has specifically designed for you and only you.  And I pray that your walk with Christ doesn’t hinge on the amount of people around you sippin’ the same Kool-aid.  I pray it hinges on the One we live for.

It is my humble opinion that more people should eat at Denny’s.  It is not only the home of the famed, “Moons over my-Hammy” but a place where something special always happens; a place where the godfather eats free.  Thanks Eddy and Ben.