There are some things that are unmistakable; the look on your dad’s face when the baseball went through the window, the feel of a favorite pair of jeans and the smell of your old dorm room.  Burnett hall will always have a special place in my heart and my nose.  It is where I spent 4 years of my life.  Living , learning, unlearning, crying, celebrating, embracing and making.  Some of the most memorable moments of my life happened in 1201, 1202, 1216, 1213 and 1101.  From never-ending 24 marathons with Chocolate Bear, to the public menace talk with Alec…there are dreams and memories that will forever live on.

I’ve always thought the lowest form of conversation is the “remember when”s.  You know the conversation; its the one that our parents, grandparents have at Christmas talking about how good life was before the democrats were in office, before “green”, and when Buddy Holly was considered Rock n’ Roll.  It’s the conversations that seem stuck in time, whenever these people get together it’s like the Cold War never ended.  But I’ve recently begun to rethink this assumption.

Life sucks sometimes.  There are times when flights don’t take off on time, when you get to a port of call for business and realize this was a bad decision, when bills come in and your first thought is how much credit left do I have?  We are getting to the point in life where life is starting to take things away rather than giving them.  Sometimes we all need a little hope, we need that light at the end of the tunnel.  We need someone to help us find our way.

Hope is the centerpiece of Christendom.  Hope that not only are we going to a place where there is no more pain, but that with the hope of heaven firmly entrenched in our hearts we can make a difference in our world.  Hope is what should be inspiring thousands and millions of Christians to give monetarily and of their time to the people of Haiti.  Hope is what should inspire people to vote, to serve and to give.  Hope can get lost sometimes.  When all hope is lost…we are lost.

Bethany for me now is a diploma on a wall, the realization that I met many of my best friends for life there and a lot of good dreams and memories.  Whatever the financial situation of that star-crossed institution of semi-higher learning is, Bethany gives me hope.  The person that went to Bethany is the person I was.  That same person had world-changing ambitions.  That same person aspired to be a great husband and terrific father.  That same person wishes to honor his God and use his talents and gifts in his service.  There are times where he gets lost amidst the bills, the bull-crap and the appearances.  Sometimes we need to look at who we were to remember who we can be.  Sometimes we all need a little hope.

“Remember the nights, remember the fleeting moments, all we have are dreams and memories”