The "Egg Bowl" and my Jonah Experience

Yesterday, I took my daughter to the "Egg Bowl" on the campus of Mississippi State University. This annual rivalry football game between Mississippi State and Ole Miss is always an interesting affair. In the past, the game has had some amazing finishes, but this year was crazy. (Read about it here.)

I haven't been on the MSU campus much since the Fall of 1987 when I was enrolled there for one semester. Being on the campus brought back a lot of memories and an appreciation for the journey I have taken in the last 20 years.

After graduating from Calhoun City (MS) High School in 1983, I made a commitment to be a minister. So, I enrolled in the Winters School of Music at William Carey College (now Wm. Carey University) in Hattiesburg, MS.

At that time I was preparing to be a Minister of Music, but I never had the "passion" that many of my fellow students exhibited. For example, my roommate from Japan, Kenichoroh Fugisawa, practiced 8 hours a day--even on Saturday. That was never my level of commitment, but I did graduate.

Deep down, I still felt a desire to be in the ministry, but I didn't want to go to seminary. So, I compromised and rationalized not going to seminary by pursuing an Master of Business Administration Degree at MSU. My plan was to get the degree and go to work in some aspect of the Christian Music Industry--exactly in what capacity I was clueless.

I loved being a student at State. My roommate from Florence, MS was a member of the Famous Maroon Marching Band at MSU and he encouraged me to join. I did. Being in the band was a dream fulfilled. The band gave me opportunities to carry a tuba to football games at Auburn, Legion Field in Birmingham, and LSU's Tiger Stadium (I was even present when they filmed scenes during Halftime for the movie Everybody's All American).

The courses at MSU were challenging, but the academic environment was very different from what I experienced at William Carey.

Even though MSU was a great place to study, I came to the realization that I needed to focus on preparing for ministry in a church setting. So, during Christmas Break I transferred and attended New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. While leaving State was difficult, I felt a peace about going to seminary. So, like the prophet in the Bible, my "Jonah Experience" came to an end.

As I look back, if I had stayed at MSU, I would have never met my wife in New Orleans. Terri has been such a blessing to me. So, unexpectedly, the journey that took me from Hattiesburg to Starkville to New Orleans was necessary for me.

Consequently, I am a Bulldog fan and I enjoyed watching Ole Miss choke down the stretch. They had a 14-0 lead with Ten Minutes left. State won on a last second field goal. Go Team, and you go to Ninevah if necessary.