Jeremy LangleyMy website for the random times when I blog

Kind of a strange headline, huh? Last week was kind of a bad week for me. I’d venture to say it was one of the worst weeks I’ve had in several years. I had even begun to think that the direction I had begun to take in my life was all wrong. It was as if I had missed the turn completely. I didn’t know what to do. Let’s start from the beginning.

Now, I’m not going to use specific details because I don’t want to glorify the actions of the other person, and I don’t want to risk stirring the pot anymore than it already has been by letting you know who I am talking about. I don’t even know if that person knows I blog, so I doubt they ever ready this, but I hope they do. I think the lessons I learned could help that person too.

In the course of my day-to-day life I deal with a lot of people. I deal with people at work, and I deal with people in my personal life. I like people. But last week I came across a person of whom I quickly decided I wasn’t too fond. This person said very, very mean things about me personally, professionally, and every other way you can imagine. He even had the nerve to tell me that I would never be successful in life and that my career was heading nowhere but the sewer. He also told me that he had just finished telling these same things about me to people that I look up to greatly and that I see as my mentors. I was devastated.

After this person said all of these things to me, I was mad. I was upset. I was confused. I was hurt. I didn’t know how to process it. I tried to put it all behind me, but no matter what I tried to do it kept coming back. And it didn’t stop with that one attack on Monday. An attack came again on Tuesday, and even though I don’t know the direct source of the attack, I’m 99.9 percent sure it originated from this same person I had the falling-out with on Monday.

I had just gotten out of class on Tuesday evening when the second attack came. I was distraught. I went straight home, fell on my knees, and prayed. It’s all I knew to do. I needed direction from above. I then resumed my normal nightly rituals while the battle raged on in my mind. I wanted to get back at this person, but I knew I could not do that without causing the situation to deteriorate even further. Finally it came to the point in the evening when I read a book. I like to read before going to bed. It’s just a habit I’ve formed over the years. As long as it’s not a text book, I’ll read it!

I have forgotten what I was reading at the time, and when I reached for the book on my nightstand I read the cover and felt an immediate peace fall over me. You see, the book I was reading was entitled “God is in Control.” What an awesome statement – especially in the troubling moments I had been facing. The book was written by Dr. Charles Stanley (by far my favorite TV preacher – although he has nothing on my pastor – and one of my favorite authors). When I opened to where my bookmark was placed, the headline read “God can use adversity.” Again, I am in awe.

Dr. Stanley asks, “Is God in everything?” He answers by saying, “According to what the Word says, ‘God causes all things to work together for good …’ (Romans 8:28). Just in time God demonstrates His awesome, irresistible power.”

After reading that, I wasn’t near as mad as I had been. I wasn’t near as upset as I had been. I began to understand, and I began to get excited. Because I can’t help but think that when God uses that awesome, irresistible power, it’s going to be to bring that person who hurt me to his knees. I try not to judge people, but as my grandfather – a pastor for over 40 years – always said, “You can always be a fruit inspector.” Well, in my humble opinion, the guy who said those mean, hurtful things to me is covered in rotten fruit. His actions and his personal life show it. I pray that he seeks out the saving grace of Jesus for his life if he doesn’t already have it. And if he has, I hope he finds his way back to the straight and narrow pathway that Jesus has paved for us.

After I was reminded what Romans 8:28 said, and after talking with my pastor, I decided the situation wasn’t worth worrying about. In fact, I was no longer mad at the man who insulted me. You see, through this trial, that man helped me to strengthen my relationship with God. This person didn’t tear me down like they were trying to do, they lifted me up. They told me I’d never be successful, but what they didn’t know is that I have a mansion being built by a king on a street lined with pure gold.  I don’t know how that could ever be topped!

“God causes all things to work together for good …”     He never ceases to amaze me.

I slept until noon today. It was the most refreshing sleep I had gotten in a while. Over the past week, sleep was a precious, limited commodity.

Yesterday, I returned from spending a week as a church camp sponsor with our group from the First Baptist Church of Magnolia. We took about 40 kids to the Ozark Baptist Encampment at Grove, Oklahoma. Since it’s been about 10 years since I’ve even been a camper at church camp, and since I had never been to this particular camp, I had no idea what to expect. I remembered what we had done as campers in the past, so I feared for the worst. Luckily, the 21 boys who went were the absolute best any sponsor could ever ask for.

I had several “favorite” parts about church camp, but the top of my list takes the cake. On Wednesday night after the service, I noticed two of our boys sitting in one of the open-air tabernacles on the camp grounds. I walked over to see what they were doing, and I could hear one of the boys telling the other about Jesus. How amazing! I got excited and sat down. Once there was a few minutes of silence, I cut in and made sure the boy understood the story of the Gospel. Then he prayed and accepted Jesus as his savior. I was on a high for the rest of the night! It might not have happened had that one boy taken the time to tell his friend about Jesus.

Another favorite moment of mine came one day during quiet time. Each day after lunch, the campers were to go to their bunks and read their Bibles, reflect on their relationship with God, or take a nap. The sponsors most frequently took the latter. The key point is that they were to be quiet. On Thursday, the sponsors in our cabin were late getting to quiet time, and I expected to return to a bunch of wild boys chasing each other with pool sticks (this had been the scene most of the week). However, I was wrong. I walked in the cabin to find every boy on his bunk with his Bible open. I was floored. God does still work miracles!

I never knew being a sponsor at church camp would be so much fun, either. Each day after the campers had swim time, there was a time set aside and dedicated for sponsors to go swimming. There were three water slides at the pool, and I personally tested each of them. It was fun. I also participated in the sponsor vs. camper softball game. The campers had an unfair advantage in that the Gravette High School baseball team was playing their infield positions. We lost. I proved my non-athlete status.

Softball wasn’t the only game during which I was on the losing team. I played “human fooseball” on Thursday night. Picture a life-size foose ball table with real people kicking the ball around. Yeah, it was fun, but we lost. I, in turn, was covered from head to toe in dirt.

More important than the games and fun we had at camp was the absolutely amazing worship we experienced. The presence of God could be felt in every service, and souls were saved each day. There were about 50 during the week we were there. Dustin Wisely, youth pastor at FBC Magnolia, was the camp evangelist. God spoke through Dustin in a great way. He challenged each of us to live our lives in a continual state of worship. I must admit that I needed the sermons and lessons just as much as any camper did.

I’m already looking forward to the next youth trip on which I get to be a sponsor. There’s just something about seeing hundreds of kids experiencing the joy and love of Christ that excites me! I’ve got a feeling that I’ll have my opportunity.

For now, I guess I’ll look forward to returning to my small, windowless office on Monday. Hey, at least I have a new desk chair that was delivered while I was gone.

Ok, I hope this works! I logged in to WordPress (the blogging platform I use) through the internet on my BlackBerry, and I’m kind of shocked it worked.

As I type this, I’m on a big, comfortable church bus (I will post pics on Facebook) heading to church camp in Grove, Oklahoma. This is the first time we’ve been to this camp, and we’re taking 40 kids from First Baptist Magnolia with us.

I’ve decided that I am going to be making a list of those things you really don’t want to hear as a church camp sponsor. So far, the list is topped by the comment, “I haven’t even had a shower today.”. It is one of my primary duties to make sure the 18 boys on the trip shower at least twice a day!

I’ll check back in later on down the road…

It’s been unseasonably cool here in southern Arkansas over the last day or so. It’s in the mid-60s this morning. I think it only got up to around 85 yesterday with the same forecast today. I’m absolutely loving it.

I hope this cooler weather continues this week. I’m heading out tomorrow for a week at church camp. I’m excited about it! This is the first time I’ve been to church camp in probably 10 years, and this time I’m going as a sponsor. When I signed up I asked if all I had to do was keep the kids from doing what we used to do at camp. I was quickly told that they come up with new stuff every year. I’m sure they do!

I have a lot of great memories from church camp. We used to go to Daniel Springs Baptist Encampment at Gary, Texas. It was hot – really hot. The cabins were not air conditioned, but after the first day, no one ever seemed to notice. This year we’re going to Ozark Baptist Encampment at Grove, Oklahoma. It’s a 7-hour drive, but I’m told the cabins are air conditioned! We have about 40 kids signed up, and I think around 20 of those are boys. The other two male sponsors and I will have our hands full.

I’ll be tweeting all week from camp. I hope to have lots of good news to share. I accepted Christ as my savior at church camp when I was 10, and I hope we have a lot of similar stories to tell when we return. Please pray.

It’s hard for me to believe that I’ve lived in Magnolia for a year now. When I started my job at Southern Arkansas University in May 2008, I didn’t know exactly what I was getting myself into, but I must admit that the last year has been one of the best I’ve had yet.

Over the course of the last year, I’ve grown a lot. I understand that the world isn’t as simple as I once thought it was, and I’ve learned that people you’ve only known for a short time can be your most trusted allies. Of course, there are some people I’ve met over the last year that I wouldn’t put in that last category!

My job has taken me to some interesting places and allowed me to do some things that I likely wouldn’t have done otherwise. I traveled to Oklahoma City for a conference and got taken to dinner in a limo while there. On the way home, I apparently barely missed Carrie Underwood’s grandpa at a gas station in Checotah, Oklahoma. I traveled to five states in two days last summer looking at rodeo arenas. That trip not only expanded my horizons about rodeo arenas, but it helped me to sharpen my political debating skills (you had to have been there).  I’ve helped put on an NCAA regional baseball tournament and worked a 100+ hour week in the process. I’ve been to the Governor’s Mansion twice and am going back next month. I’ve been to more political events than I can count, and I’ve gained wisdom by watching some of the brightest minds in higher education do their work.

One of the accomplishments I’m most proud of is the coordination of the University’s Centennial events. I can’t claim much of the successes as my own, but I’ve been honored to chair the steering committee. On April 1 during the event we called “Founders’ Day,” my boss’s wife came up to me during the Tracy Lawrence concert and said, “Jeremy, when you took this job, I bet you thought you were getting some little bitty assistant to the president’s job, didn’t you?”

To be honest, I didn’t know exactly what I was getting myself into when I started my job as Assistant to the President for Special Projects, but I’m glad I did. If this first year is any indication of what the future holds, I’m more blessed than I could ever imagine.

I’ve never ridden in a taxi. Don’t hold it against me. I grew up in a town of less than 1,500 people. The only taxi cab we had was the one Mama drove!

While in Oklahoma City for the CASE District IV conference, Jeanie Bismark, executive director of the SAU Foundation, was determined to get me in a cab. I was excited. The opportunity came on Sunday night as we prepared to hit the town for dinner. Cattleman’s Steakhouse in the OKC Stock Yards would be our destination.

Like someone who was very sophisticated and seemed to know what he was doing, I walked out the front door of the Skirvin Hilton Hotel and asked the valet to call us a taxi. He asked where we were going, and we told him. Without missing a beat, the valet looked up to the back of the parking lot and beckoned a black, stretch limo. Our ride awaited.

A limo?!?! Yes, a LIMO!!! Needless to say, we were a bit giddy. Josh Kee and I actually had photos posted to Facebook before we ever left the car. It was too neat to pull up at the restaurant in a black limo. I felt event more sophisticated than when I had asked the valet to hail a cab for us!

The driver gave me his card and asked that I call him when we were ready. The only thing neater than arriving at the restaurant in a limo was leaving in it. I must note that the driver worked on tips only and that no university money was spent for the limo ride.

Later in the evening, some of our colleagues from SAU rode in the limo. The driver remembered us. I guess we were the only ones to get that excited over the ride that night.

I still have the driver’s card. I guess I’ll have to look him up next time I’m in OKC. It was a very memorable experience to say the least.

Whew!

What a busy couple of weeks it has been. Fresh off of a very busy Founders’ Day week (a week in which we had the biggest party in Southern Arkansas University’s history), I left for my first CASE District IV conference. In case you don’t know, CASE is the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. Our district IV conference was in Oklahoma City. It was an excellent conference. I learned more than about different aspects of higher education advancement than I knew existed, and I was able to pick up some information that will significantly assist me in my job. I hope some of it helps the university as a whole.

I’m blessed that my job gives me the opportunity to travel. I was able to do some things that I really wanted to do. I went to the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the Myrial Botanical Gardens, rode in a limo to dinner, ate at an array of excellent restaurants, saw good friends that I haven’t seen in a while, and waited in the cold wind for a trolley for almost 30 minutes. The trolley never showed up.

I’ll blog about these events separately. I had an amazing time, but I’m glad to be home. I’m glad to be in Magnolia. We have a lot of events coming up. I’ll keep you posted.

Well, in case you missed it, we made it through Founders’ Day at SAU. I know, I know, in this new media age, I should have written this by 10 p.m. on April 1, but I was busy. I didn’t even get home til then!

What a day it was. I got to work about 7:20 a.m. and began implementing the plan that had been put together over the course of several months. The plan had been fine tuned only hours before I left work on Tuesday. I’ve got to stop here and note that there was an absolutely wonderful out pour of support from the entire SAU community that helped make Founders’ Day a success. I don’t know how we would have ever pulled it off without their help. I am blessed to work with such wonderful people.

So after arriving at work, the day soon began to pick up steam. Volunteers began pouring in to fill balloons, ice down 3,000 cokes, set up tables for the cook-out, and so much more. At the same time, the student activities staff was working with the professional stage company on the mall to erect a huge, and might I add very impressive, stage on which Tracy Lawrence would soon sing.

Then noon came, and it was time for the first major event – the groundbreaking for the SAU Alumni Centennial Bridge. I went over to the Welcome Center for that event, and then stopped by the baseball field for the 1 p.m. game. It was part of the celebration, and it allowed for a brief break and bite to eat. My hat’s off to Don Davis who was grilling for us.

Read the rest of this entry »

I was just about to write a thought-provoking, insightful blog post about something extremely important, but I was temporarily distracted, and now I can’t remember what that topic was. Oh, well. I’m sure it will come back to me later.

I read a book this weekend. That’s right. I read a book. The whole thing – cover to cover. It was the latest from John Grisham, “The Apprentice.” I absolutely love anything with Grisham’s name on it as author. He is one of the only writers who can keep my attention. I bought this latest book on Thursday night during a quick trip to Walmart, Magnolia’s social Mecca. I started on it as soon as I got home, and thanks to a day off work on Friday, I turned the last page sometime around 2 p.m. Saturday. What an awesome book. My only complaint, and this is my complaint with every Grisham book, is that the ending leaves one hanging. In almost every book, they just ride, boat, or drive off into the sunset. I want to know what happens next. Maybe he’ll write a book one day that does nothing but give the ends of the stories.

This time next week I’ll be at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. I’m attending the CASE conference. For those who don’t know, that’s the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. I’m looking forward to it. I’m glad that my job allows me to travel from time to time. It seems to be getting more frequent here lately – even if some are only day trips. It gets me out from behind my desk and out of the office. I love my job, but I hate sitting behind a desk all day.

Now back to thinking about my last topic. I promise, as soon as I remember what it was, I’ll provoke your thoughts. OH, and add Paraguay and Indonesia to the global phenomenon that is JeremyLangley.com!

Until next time…

Life is extremely busy for me these days – and I mean EXTREMELY busy. I’m not really complaining, I guess.

Coming up on April 1, SAU is celebrating its 100th birthday. We’re calling it Founders’ Day, and as chair of the Centennial Celebration Committee, my plate has been pretty full. The stress is getting a bit more intense as we get closer, but I know a lot of that stress is coming from trying to force myself to perform up to standards that I may have set too high. We’ll see. There is a wonderful steering committee behind the celebrations, and I am blessed to get to work with them. I’m determined that there will be abundant sunshine on April 1. Please pray that I’m right. For more information on the festivities, click here.

Besides Founders’ Day, there’s Muleriders on Tour. That’s where we’re going around the state holding gatherings for alumni and friends of the University. A lot of work, but there should be a lot of profit in the end by getting alumni back involved in the University. We held our first MOT in Texarkana this week. It was extremely successful.

I’m thinking about taking a vacation at some point in the early summer. Now I just have to decide where to go and what to do.

Stay tuned…