really hoping this isn't the flu...

but I have that horribly achy tired feeling, and I slept for 11 1/2 hours last night! Maybe I'm just tired. really, really tired.

Anyway, this is Spiritual Emphasis Week, and I'm really excited about it, despite a rocky start. Our speaker got stranded at the London airport because of all the snow, and he just got here last night! Needless to say, we had to do a bit of scrambling to fill in the gaps.

Fortunately, things went really well. Austin stepped in to speak and did a great job challenging kids to think about their desire for God, and we extended our worship times -- even including a couple of songs we had definitely not practiced!-- but it was surprisingly good.

I have to admit, I get so frustrated with singing the same songs over and over again; I don't always have high expectations for leading worship. But as often happens when I lead, I found myself experiencing some of the lyrics in new ways, partly as a result of watching people worship. I love being on stage, because I can see other people experience the power of worship. And they did. Some of the kids were visibly moved; some journaled; some spread out in the chapel to pray.

Please be praying for the rest of the week, and for our speaker, Andy Slaughter. Be praying especially for the guys. I feel so sorry for them; they get shafted a lot just because there are so few men at the school. We have weekly bible studies for every grade level of girls from 5th to 12th, but there's only one group for the guys. We have been praying as a staff for some of the guys to step up and become leaders at the school, so pray that God will work in them!