I leave for camp in 3 hours… pray for me. It’s kind of crazy trying to get all the preparations done for a 2 month long excursion in a mere morning. I’ve been working at Panera nonstop since I got home. I worked 22 hours just in the last two days… I have barely had time to think about camp yet.
But yes, i’ll write longer later when I have more time to think and write. Blessings to you.
I wrote in my journal today… it’s a black, moleskin journal that a good friend gave me for my 17th birthday almost 2 years ago. I only write in it every now and then – i’ve written in it since August 5, 2005 (the day I got it), and i’ve only filled a mere third of the book. But it’s a beautiful feeling being able to write down my thoughts on everything going on… from relationships, friendships, Camp Westminster this summer and being a senior camp counselor, work at Panera, meeting famous people (Rebecca St. James, for example… yeah, i’ll have to tell you about that one sometime :)… you know, anything and everything that runs through my mind.
I mentioned a few days ago that I was reading “I Kissed Dating Goodbye.” I know a fair amount of people who would (and have) turn their nose up and laugh when I say that i’m reading it… i’m almost 19, i’m finished my first year of college, i’m heading down the road of getting a degree in business, and the my general manager of Panera Bread said he would make me a manager at Panera if I stayed. What do I have to lose? And why wouldn’t I date right now?
Two words….waiting and preparation.
I found this beautiful quote by C.S. Lewis this morning… for so long now (and I doubt that I will stop this for as long as I live), I have tried to be something that I am not. Have you ever caught yourself beating yourself over the head for giving into temptation? Or sitting depressed and overwhelmed because you haven’t spent time with God in a long time… and you know it?
“I am not what I want to be,
I am not what I ought be,
I am not what I should be,
but by the grace of God,
I am what I am.”
I do not live my life the way I should. I make promises to friends and people, and I fail to follow through with them… I say one thing, and I do the opposite. I look at my Bible… yeah, that’s it. More often than not, I deprive myself of the depth and richness found in the 66-book long letter that God wrote to me… and to you.
I don’t live a life of love, like I am called to live in I Corinthians 13. I don’t persevere or endure… like I am called to in Philippians 3:14 and Hebrews 12:1. I rarely live my life solely by faith… like I am called to in Hebrews 11.
BUT… by the grace of God, I am what I am. It is by His grace, and His grace alone, that I can someday stand before the Pearly Gates. Nothing I have done, am doing, or ever will do will change that.
I’m home now. My freshman year at Covenant College has come to a close, and I’m enjoying time with my beautiful family again. And I was thinking of what I could write, I decided I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you about my family… one at a time. Perhaps I won’t cover all of them this week or even this summer. But my family is a huge part of who I was, who I am, and who I will be in the future. I guess you could say that by telling you about them, I will be telling you about me.
Jonathan Herbert Codington. He’s the third boy in the family, and number six in a family of nine. He was born on October 21, 1993 in a small town in the south-west of France. At the time, we were missionaries there. My parents had only just gone to the mission field a year earlier… Johnny was the first one of us born outside the US (and the only one who ever had a green French passport — something he was and still is always quick to show us if we ever forget he’s “special”).
I worked a 12 hour shift at Panera yesterday…that’s the first time I’ve done that in a long time. AND three weeks from today, my brother Wim is getting married to Libby Davis. The Codington family is growing once again. As of June 3rd, we’ll be an official baker’s dozen.. :)
I was just working a normal shift from 9:00 to 3:00 p.m. at Panera Bread… it was around 2:35 p.m. I was just repeating an order back to a customer and counting out his change after he has paid for the order. I dropped the money he gave me into the register, while subconsciously listening to the conversation he was having. I heard him say something, while the lady he was talking to responded in an Australian accent. It caught my attention, and I looked up.
Rebecca St. James was standing in front of my register, waiting to order a soup, salad, and a decaf cappuchino… I recognized her immediately. How could I not? Her face was only on half the cds in any given Christian bookstore (ok, maybe not half…), and I always listened to her growing up. I even still have a cassette tape of her music.
I smiled, took her order, made her a decaf cappuchino (trying my best to make a perfect foam top), and then told her to have a beautiful day. I guess you could say I was smitten… but hey, how often do you get to make Rebecca St. James a cappuchino? That’s what I thought…
I’m home for the summer now. It’s such a blessing to have a break from studying and the busyness of classes and work. These last few days being home, I’m remembering what it means to sleep from 9:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. :) I’m tasting homecooked food again… made by the one and only Mrs. Codington, my mom. I’m reading, writing, swimming, fishing with my little brothers, working 40 odd hours a week at Panera Bread, talking with friends, getting fitted at Men’s Warehouse to ge a groomsman in my brother Wim’s wedding (June 3rd in Nashville), and getting ready to be a senior camp counselor at Camp Westminster for the summer! It’s an exciting time of life!
One of my ambitions or goals for this summer was to read more. During the school year, it’s hard to find time to read. One of my good friends from home gave me the book Chosen by God, by R.C. Sproul, to read… it’s about predestination, free will, and God’s sovereignty. I’m about 45 pages into it so far, and it’s interesting to delve deeper into my beliefs and understanding of the Biblical teaching that God has chosen His elect, and yet His sovereignty coexists with the free will of man. I’m not going to go into the philosophical aspects of how that is or even why that is… if I could answer that question, I wouldn’t be writing a blog post — i’d be writing a book. :) But let me know if any of you want to find out more about it. I always love to share with people what i’m reading and learning. Click to continue »
What can I say? I am finished freshman year, and I am officially a sophomore. Such a good feeling…
Me and a few friends headed down to Bear Creek this afternoon after everyone had finished their finals. It’s a beautiful trail and mountain stream further down Scenic Highway. We hiked for about 25 minutes, down the trail and along (and in) the stream. We finally met up with a few other people at the falls to do a little cliff jumping and swimming. It was such a beautiful day, and it was just amazing to enjoy the day without having to worry about studying for another final or writing another paper. You know?
It’s kind of sad to see people leave and to have to say “goodbyes.” People sometimes think that moving around a lot makes goodbyes easier, but it never gets easier to say goodbye… It’s hard to say goodbye to some people knowing they won’t come back next year – because of money, transferring to a different school, graduating, or just simply not coming back… It’s kind of a hard reality to come to grips with. Click to continue »
My final Biology exam is in 40 minutes… and then i’m done Freshman year.
Just thought i’d keep you updated. :)
Fourteen more hours until I am officially done with freshman year, and I will be able to call myself a sophomore. You got to love cramming for a cumulative biology final the night before… not to mention an additional laboratory exam at the same time.
This is where coffee/sweet tea/soda/anything-with-caffeine comes into play… :)
