…At the beginning of last semester I commented that college textbooks were little more than glorified file folders and that the stores that sold them were akin to fascist governments. I stand by that conviction. As a matter of fact last semester I conducted an experiment that, I’m sure, warms the cockles of Brian’s (formerly) anarchist heart. Last semester I didn’t buy any books. Of course, I was told to buy books, five of them, to be exact. The total cost of all of the books was over three hundred dollars.

Highway robbery, I told myself, might as well strip me naked as the day I was born.

Honestly, I was not prepared, mentally or financially, to “bite-the-bullet” as I had done for two years previously and buy the books. So I didn’t. I didn’t nuy a single book that was on a syllabus last semester. Instead I payed more attention in class, used the internet, and once (only once) I borrowed someone elses book to copy homework questions. I saved myself three hundred dollars and the spirit crushing agony of selling them back for three dollars.

The question to be answered is: was the experiement a success? Obviously, anyone can simply refuse to buy their college textbooks, but at what cost educationally? I recieved As in all of my classes last semester, except one, and ended up with a 3.25 GPA. Ha.

Matriculated

With my bright shiny new GPA in hand, I marched confidently into the Admissions office of Plattsburgh State, looked the secretary straight in the eyes and begged to be readmitted. They said okay. Two and a half years ago I learned a very important and very expensive leasson about going to class and handing in papers. The lesson is this: if you don’t do these things, you will be involuntarily withdrawn form the college and you will lose almost $10,000 in financial aid and scholarships.

The year after that I had to suck it up and go to Clinton Community College with my tail between my legs. Every day I was there was an unspoken acknowledgement of my failure. It took an element of will to not just give up. On the contrary, I applied myself and made Dean’s List for three semesters straight. I completed all of my General Education requirements and also managed to publish a book, become Production Manager for a radio station, and launch a website.

Now, here I am, back where I left off a year and a half ago. I am smarter, more mature, and better prepared than I was before. Also I am extremely terrified that I’m going to screw it up again.

The Hand of Almighty God

I have been purposely ignoring the real reason for my scholastic success. It’s not me, it’s not peer pressure, or good luck. The reason I have been able to succeed is because God is constantly working in my life. He provides for me, he encourages me, and he loves me. There is nothing more profound than that. To illustrate the reality of this I will tell you a true story.

On Friday of last week my car wouldn’t start. It was too cold outside and it was too late to try jumping it. I took Sarah’s car home so I could get to work. The next day, Brian and I returned to my car and attempted to jump it, but to no avail. We took the battery to my house and hooked it up to a battery charger. We prayed over the car and over the battery. A few hours later we hooked the battery back up and by the grace of God it started! It was a good thing because the city had put a parking ban into effect and my car was parked on the street. I had to move it before midnight.

We jumped and danced and sang how great God was. As we packed up the jumper cables I heard a familiar sound behiund us. It was the sound of a car failing to start up. I ran to the driver’s side window of a white Jeep. Inside, was a guy my age looking as I’m sure I had looked several hours before. We offered to jump the car but that didn’t work so the next best thing was to just get it off the street so he could avoid $50 in parking fines and just get the battery charged the next day. The three of us spent fifteen minutes cranking on that jeep and managed to move it all of five feet. It was a beast. I looked at the ground hoping there was just a little hill or something we had to get over but all I saw was a steady incline all the way up the guy’s driveway. We all gave it another shot but the thing wasn’t going anywhere. I rested my head on the spare tire and breathed heavily. Suddenly, Brian said, out loud,

Dear Jesus, please move this Jeep for us because I’m getting sick of

pushing it.”

Then, with a shrug we tried again. Immediately, the wheels turned and without even straining we pushed it all the way to the end of the guy’s driveway, more than thirty-five feet, uphill. We thanked God aloud and did another dance. How often today do we see the hand of God performing miracles?

Jesus said, with faith you can move a mountain. We moved a Jeep.

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