Monday, March 1, 2010

87

Greg here.
The university hosts a dinner for graduating students each spring. It's called "87". That is, 87 days until graduation. Your guess is as good as mine as to why it isn't 88 or 41 or 99. I'm probably wrong but perhaps the class of 1987 started the tradition and it stuck.
Each student is permitted to invite a few favorite faculty/staff. It could be they hoped to get extra credit by inviting a prof or that they truly respected the character of an administrator. Perhaps meaningful conversations inspired the student and they wanted to show their appreciation. In any case, it is considered an honor to be invited by a student.
Last night one of my student leaders, Dana, told me a really cool conversation she had with another student, "Mike". Mike is a senior. He's well liked and well respected on campus. I've spent countless hours hanging out with Mike over the past 2.5 years. He doesn't have a relationship with Christ, though I continue to look for the opportunities to share. I really enjoy spending time with him and have shared Christ with him on several occasions. When it came time to tell the school which faculty/staff he wanted to invite to 87, my name was one of 4 on his list. Unfortunately, since I'm not employed by the school I'm (understandably) not able to attend the dinner. Nonetheless, I'm thankful for the encouragement that my relationship with him has meant something significant to him. Pray for "Mike" and more open doors for the Truth.

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