For Future Reference

Hey Everyone!

As the school year comes to a close, I had 2 choices. 1. To shut down my blog, or 2. Keep posting for my liking. I have decided to remain here at wordpress and continue my blog. However, my blogging will be bi-weekly throughout the summer and end up being sporadic throughout next fall. I have also decided that I will be changing things up a little bit. It is not so much going to be about what college students can do on their quest for Christ, but an encouragement to join with me in expanding the kingdom and how my passions continue to evolve.

Blessings!

Fear Factor

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”  Isaiah 41:10

Where does fear come from? Everyone has fears. Kids. Young Adults. Adults. Psychology defines fear as, “Fear is an unwanted, unpleasant feeling of anticipated or perceived risk or danger, whether it be real or unreal.” Most of can relate to this meaning because most of us have a fear of something. However, the Bible states in Ephesians 6:12,”That fear is a spirit of torment sent out by our enemy the devil.” And to counteract that statement in 2 Timothy 1:7 it says, “For God did not give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, of love, and of self-discipline.”

I have been reading a book called “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day” by Mark Batterson. This whole book is about facing your fears, or in this case your “lion”, and defying the odds that are stacked against you. For 7 years I have been deathly afraid of heights, even to the point in movies I get nauseous. This past Easter weekend, I went out with my family and faced one of my biggest fears…. heights. I decided to bungee jump off 7 stories, an equivaliant of 70 feet. Walking up the stairs, with my feet latched together, I quoted scripture to remain focused on the task. Now don’t get me wrong I almost chickened out until the stunt master pushed me off the ledge. Falling 7 stories never felt so good. I looked at my feet bound together symbolizing shackels that held me from moving forward in God, but as I killed that “lion” those shackels were loosed and I is freed from that fear.

Fear can come in any shape or form. Maybe its rejection. Or being alone. Maybe you are afraid to fail. Or entering a new stage in life. Perhaps you are scared of heights just like I was. As I was reading this book I came across a statement that has stuck with me, “You have to be willing to fail in order to succeed.” What we have to grap is God is not a God of fear. He stacks the odds to watch His children succeed. He wants us to trust and rely on Him knowing that He already knows the outcome and we are victorious regardless. When we do succeed and we do kill our “lions” nothing brings our Father greater joy. 
    

Are you going to use the power God has instilled in you to fight those “lions” head on? Or are you going to allow your fear to control you? Think about it.

Blessings!

He has risen indeed!

“But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself,  that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed.” Isaiah 53:5-8

What a verse!  I get chills meditating on it.  As you have noticed media outlets, like themovie and mcusic industry have put that verse into motion and play. “The Passion of the Christ” was created  to paint a picture of the what occurred that dark day – Good Friday. The song  “True Love” by Phile Wickham was written to remind of the price He paid as he died on the cross.

  As I watched the Passion of the Christ, with my family the morning of Easter,  four words came to me, My Sweet, Sweet Jesus. I sat there watching a man who was being tried and beaten, scorned, flogged and spat upon for my sins that I had not even committed. What kind of love it that? I sat their thinking to myself “How could you not be in love with a man who loved me enough to die just to have a relatiobship with me.” It was the first time I actually grasped the amount of love that was nailed to that cross. Through Him I am victorious of sin!

For most Christians we view Easter as a sign of victory. He conquered the grave, as well as sin. We all say, or have said the well known phrase, ” He has Risen. He has risen indeed!”  It is a day and phrase that means a lot to those of us in Christ. For John Haas, Easter is a very monumental day for him.  And then there are some that feel as if “they are set free”, as SMU Alumni, Tori Green states it.

How do you view the day your Savior conquered the grave? Is it a day of victory. Freedom. Reconciliation. Healing. However you view the day, do not just make it Easter Sunday that you thank Him for what He did, make it everyday. He died and rose again to have a relationship with you. Once you enter that relationship, the amount of love given and shown is unsurpassable. After all, how can you not love a man who paid the ultimate price for you.

Blessings

Love, Life and Christ

“I the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not share you affections with any other God.” Exodus 20:5

College is the time where friendships blossom into relationships. Relationships into engagments. Finally engagements into marriages. Not only is this a time for finding that special someone, it is a time where it is most essential to figure out your who you are, as well as your identity in the Lord.

As a female, it is our heart to want to be pursued by a man. Now, men don’t check out. This is for you too! We all long for that satisfaction to be wanted and accepted by the opposite sex. However, this is where it can all go wrong. As a believers we must make sure that we pursue relationships with the purest of intentions. Is it wrong to want to be wanted? No! Not at all in fact the Word says, “God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female.” His heart is to romance his lover, and with that being his heart, naturally it is ours. I have realized that before I am blessed with an addition to my life, I must allow the lover of my soul to romance me in such a way that none can comprehend. He has to be my number one! After all, He does exhibit the truest depiction of love.

I know how easy it is to get wrapped up in another’s affections, and ultimatley end up losing yourself in the process. This is where most of us get in trouble. In the scripture at the beginning of this blog we see that he does not compete for our affections. He wants all of our hearts, not just a piece. This is something that I have been working on personally. I have found that once you allow God to romance you a deeper satisfaction comes upon you that you cannot find elsewhere. Your thirst is quenched. Your needs are met. The amazing thing about God is He meets us where we are at. No matter the circmstance.

Blessings!

Erynne Hundley Brings Prayer to Idol

“Delight youself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Pslam 37:4

The Lord embedded in all of us dreams. A dream that we consistently runs through our heads while growing up. Whether or not we pursue that desire is our choice.

For Erynne Hundley, her desire was music, specifically singing. Erynne started singing at the age of 6 and has continued through adolescence and into her adult life. As a sophomore, theater major at Oklahoma City University, she decided that is was time to take her voice out of the 4 walls of the practice studio to American Idol in July of 2009. In Dallas, Texas her faith and prayer became a huge aspect during autidions. After all four judges gave her “Yeses” it was off to Hollywood for Miss Hundley.

Going through Idol was anything but easy-going, Erynne said, “When I went through Idol, it was a really big strain not only on my body and mentality, but in my spirituality becuase I had to remian strong in faith and beliefs to remian strong in myself.” Erynne attends church on a regular basis, but realizes that the social “norms” in this day and age are easy to get caught up in. So she tries to surround herself with people that believe the same way she does to relieve some of the peer pressure. She also realizes that God has given her a gift and a passion and using this gift is one way to bring glory to His kingdom. Whether or not she will return to Idol next season is still in the air, she said, “If I feel like I’m ready to audition again, and I’m mature enough to handle to the responsiblity of audition, as well as God telling me to audition then I will.”

Not only has she inspired me to go and act on the passions I have in my life, she has done the same for those who come in contact with her. She was a huge blessing on the show and to those who have watched this season. I pray for an abundant amount of blessing on her in the coming years.

Blessings!

| View Show | Create Your Own

The Art of Serving

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” Philippians 2:5-7

As Christians we are called to serve the body of Christ and those outside of the church. I feel as young people in college what more opportune time than now!  Christ lowered himself to servant status to show Christians the life they should be leading. In John 13 we see Jesus washing the disciples feet and He states, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”

Although life of a college student is busy with homework, work, extracirriculars, etc. there should always be time to invest in lives and serve others. I don’t think  many people grasp the urgency of serving. I have realized that many look at serving as an obligation or a waste of time, until you find your niche. I never really had a want to serve until I found the people and organizations that I am very passionate about. It isnt a something that just dawns on you, and it isn’t something that you should expect to come easy. It takes time and pursuing the heart of God to really know what He has in store for you. Once you do find that niche, don’t just just stop at realizing it. DO IT! Go out and allow God to work through you. The lives that you can impact are infinite if you let Him work.

While reading this aloud to my roommate Stephanie Pena made a very good point as to how we should serve. She said, “People need to be reminded of how important serving is, and to go out and do it with a humble, peaceful spirit.” How true is that? How many times do we do things for self-gratification? Luke 18:14 says, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  We should humbly put others before ourselves, just as Christ did for us.

If you don’t know where to start and want to get your feet wet Journey Church, in Norman, college group LifeStream goes out once a month as a community outreach, known as LoveWorks, and serves different organizations.  If you have interest or questions about this let me know and I will be more than happy to guide you.

If you have realized what you are interested in or passionate about, I encourage to go out and serve. Allow the blessings to flow through you and those around you.

Blessings!

40 Days and Counting

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2

Conformity. A word that we as college students know and use all too well. As students we seek to find our own identity without having to conform to others likeness, but in the midst of that seeking we tend to conform without our knowledge of doing so.

As the Lent season approached, I had a few conversations with people about why they observe this tradition and what it means to them. Here is a quick brief to Lent. Lent began around 1500 AD. It always falls on the seventh Wednesday before Easter. The day before we all know as “Fat Tuesday” or “Mardi Gras”. This day is spent feasting with one another before the 40 days of fasting and repentance begins. Most Catholic, Lutheran and Episcopalian denominations have a time set aside for those who choose to observe, to come into the church and anoint their foreheads with oil and wipe ash in the sign of a cross, as sign of humility. In 2 Samuel King David commits adultery with Uriah’s the Hittites wife Bathsheba. He then continues on to cover himself in ash and sackcloth and cries out to what is now Psalm 51. David was the youngest king with the most influence in my opinion. The Lord implemented in David a heart after God’s own, which brings me to why Lent is observed.

These next 40 days are a time of reflection and atonement. We give up something that has consumed our lives and break away from it in order to respond to the Lord with a humble heart. Students across campus choose to observe this day without prior knowledge to what these next 40 days mean. My roommate, Chelsea Hoffman, and I had a sit down the other day about Lent, and got into a discussion about the background and what it symbolizes. She said, “Alex, I am not going to conform to what everyone else is doing.” That statement got me thinking about how true that statement really is. Students are participating in a religious tradition that has no meaning to them other than implementing discipline in their lives and to see how long they can go without breaking their Lent choice. My neighbor Laura Jones however grew up in the Catholic Church and participates with the means to better herself through the next 40 days. “I have given up fizzy drinks, chips and added going to the gym. Because I grew up in the Catholic Church I try to imitate what Jesus did in the desert, He fasted for 40 days” Laura says. For me, I had nothing to give up, instead I added something. I chose to set up a time to spend with family that I have not made priority for. This is something that I have a hard time making room for in my everyday life.

What is your focus this Lent season? Are you participating because it’s something everyone is doing, or are you doing it out of the purest of intentions? I encourage you reevaluate your thought process and open your heart to the spiritual benefits from this Lent season. I will continue to post updates as to how I am doing. Feel free to update me on how you are doing, the challenges you face, and how you are dealing with them.

Blessings!

Seeking A Mission

“Seek and you will find.” Luke 11:9  

How many times do I have to hear this? Actually, I heard this a lot freshman year college. Finding the right outlet for church is no easy task. Yet, college students are continually “seeking” to find the right fit when it comes to their religious life.

Most colleges, private or public, provide opportunities for those who wish to seek a religious life. If this is the case, then why do students look for other religious establishments to feed their spiritual growth? What is it that attracts them to the churches they attend?  It was shown in recent research that 75% of college students are “seeking” for meaning in life, and opportunities to grow spiritually. Two students from Oklahoma City University, Kristia Ford and John Dill, both juniors at the University, are involved religiously on and off campus. They both attend LifeChurch at Oklahoma City’s NW Campus weekly. He said about on campus religious life, “That I haven’t really found a church service here on campus that has what I am looking for, although I do love Evensong on Monday nights.”  Kristia said, “I started to attend LifeChurch because I didn’t really have a place elsewhere I fit in. I always feel welcomed and I love the contemporary worship.”  

I started to notice a “checklist” trend with the students; there are 3 areas’ they look at within a church:

v  Worship: It is all about engaging the audience.

v  Atmosphere: Students want to feel welcomed and connected

v  Pastoral Staff: They want someone to relate to

 The “checklist” definitely pertains to former Oklahoma City University student, Robby Gibbons. He travels 25 minutes to attend LifeStream, a college group held on Tuesday nights in Norman, OK. He said, “I just enjoy the fact that the speakers relate to the attendees, and the drive is definitely worth it.”

Through my experience, I have found that having a religious life off campus lowers my stress level. A study from University of San Diego found that students with a higher spirituality score are more active and hold different health beliefs than those who scored lower in their spirituality. I know that it is the one time within my week to let loose and converse with friends, as well as, seeking a spiritual life. Those helath benefits are a perk, that’s for sure. It’s a mission that you can’t fail.

Happy Seeking!

First Blog!

I have arranged for my first blog posting to come out February 10, 2010. Look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments