A day with no light.

Today I got to experience the fun of having no electricity and let me tell you it was NO FUN. This weekend is Biola University's 102 Birthday and Homecoming weekend so a tons of extra people are on campus. Also is was raining and just to make matters better the electricity went out all over campus. My dorm was basically pitch black because it wasn't really any sunshine out today. Finally by the time Biola won there 2 homecoming basketball games the electricity was back on. I didn't realize how much I really do depend on light and electricity and I fully believe that God wanted me to remember how good I have it and to be always thankful for the things I have and not to wait till I don't have them to say I'm thankful. My lesson learned is that I am truly blessed to have electricity and all the things that help make my life so amazing. 

Take and look at your life and realize how good you have it!

Late Night Study Adventures

So it is week 3 of school and tonight marks the first night of what looks to be an all nighter. Oh joy! This is what makes my life as a college student complete. But don't worry folks I have my diet coke and it looks like tonight is going to be one for the books. 

New Friends. New Adventures.

(L to R. Mikeala, Me, Stacie, Carol, Julia.)

This is late coming but I wanted everyone to hear about my fun night in San Diego. Due to Facebook I saw that there was a cool art show in San Diego and me trying to be an artsy person decided to find a crew to go check it out. This "crew" ended up be me, Mikeala, Julia and Carol. Mikeala lives on my floor and Julia and Carol are some of my very new friends. This was an epically goo group. 

We get to the art show and it ends up being very small and we were done with the whole thing in about 15 minutes so we decide to go find tacos somewhere. I don't have any idea where to look but I do know someone who would, so I called my trusty San Diego guide, Les. We ended up going to meeting up with him at a christian sorority open mic night where he was hanging out. In ending we met a girl named Stacie and we all became fast friends and we got to tour the Alpha Delta Chi sorority house, a christian sorority on San Diego States campus. I have decide that I want to bring sororities to Biola. Haha. I think by just saying this a couple of people have had minor hard attacks. But I do want to add that sororities, although many are, they don't have to be all about what you look like or about getting so wasted you don't remember what you did last night. From what I understand, sororities are for making lifelong friendships, giving back and also for networking to help make the world a better place. 

In the end we came away form San Diego feeling a little more artsy, full from a california burrito and with some new friends! 

What is Valentines Day Really About?

Valentine's day has been known as many different things. I have heard Single's awareness day, a Hallmark holiday and for Starbucks it was the perfect holiday to come out with a new cup to promote there "Love Project" which is raising money to but medicine for people living with HIV in Africa. 

For single's it is just another day that they have to realize that they don't have that special someone. For couples it's another day to celebrate there relationship. I am a single and I think that today is another day to just tell people you love them. It doesn't have to be this dramatic thing about bringing light that we don't have a significant other. Just embrace those around you and let them know you love them.

A couple I know told me they don't believe in Valentines day. They think it is a Hallmark Holiday where they scam to make more money off us so that we can buy our significant other something special. Why should we just celebrate our love on just one day? This makes sense but I do think that this is just another fun day to do something extra special to remember that love you share. 

And as for Starbucks...They made another cup! They brought a cup out for Valentines day! The cups mean something. They mean good things are happening just like when they come out for the Christmas season. They make things happen! Not only to they represent that but these Valentines day cups are saving money to send medicine to Africa for those who have HIV. The cups really do make things happen!

All in all Valetine's Day is not a time to be depressed and lonely but a time to remember that we are to love one another just as Christ has loved us!

Let's Share the love people!

Fear

Fear is a word that I never thought was a cause of the things I deal with in my life. My marketing teacher, Less lead a devotion yesterday in class about fear and how fear effected his life. He had us think about how much it really does effect us. I started to think about it and it is really true. Some of the things I fear:

-Not finishing college

-Not having a job to support myself after college

-Not falling in love and getting married

-Not being accepted

-My past will negatively effect my future

-Not having good close friends

-Not leaving a meaningful mark on the world

These are just some big ones for me right now and after I started to think about it, fear is at the root of a lot of things I do and say. My challenge to myself now is to really look fear in the eye with the realization that I belong to a God who can face the fear with me and His plan for my life can conquer any of my fears.

Smack Talking Etiquette

Today Biola Mens Basketball Team killed Vanguard University. It was a great game but yet again Biola came away with the win. After attending this game and having some fun in the stands I have become aware of how much people talk smack. I'm not oppose to this, actually I'm totally for it, but I want to let some people know of basic Smack Talking Rules. Actually it basically comes down to one, that is "Don't dish it out if you can't handle what's coming back your way." Prime example tonight was at this basketball game. The Biola boys like to start the game slow and eventually they get em in the end. Vanguard had a good group come to support and they made shirts that said "Beat Biola" which was funny because I think that we are a rival for them but they are not our rival which just makes every part of this night even better. The fans were very into the game I'll admit that there team had some good moves which as a sports  fan I just took the smack talk and gave them a round of applause, but I did not get the same reaction in return. They were actually not very nice in return but that is all right.

The moral to my story is that the one Smack Talking Rule that I think always needs to be the standard and that is "Don't dish it out if you can't handle what's coming back your way." Also Ladies and Gentleman remember to keep it classy and to remember that it is all about having fun. Don't take it to heart. And in closing, Remember who you are reppin! He>I.

Week One is Done!

I can officially say I have made it through my first week of my second semester of my first year of college. Although this semester is a large work load, I am really excited for my classes. I'm ready to start making my mark here at Biola and I know God has great plans in my future and I just have to stay confident in his hands. 

I want to remind myself how lucky I am to be at Biola and to have great friends and family. This morning in chapel we had basically a time of worship and prayer for Haiti. It causes me to think of all the people without homes and things to eat and I complain about stupid things like not liking the food in the cafe or my class is so far to walk. I am so fortunate to have what i have and after prayer for the people of Haiti it brought again to my attention that I need to keep remembering all that I have.

In closing I would like to remind people that we are fortunate. God is good and continue to pray  for Haiti and the work He is doing there.

From a New Look

I am still amazed how to just get the picture someone has in their heads changes the way you look at a story or even belief. Yesterday in my first chapel of the semester and singer songwriter Steve Bell graced us with his music. First of all I fully believe that in order to be a good solo performer you need to know your audience and how to honestly make them laugh, feel good and basically just be able to talk to them. Steve Bell was made to perform. Although his type of song would not usually be my style, I can appreciate it. He was talking about one the songs he was going to play and he referenced Isaiah 6 which was when Isaiah was able to see heaven and Steve explained it as Isaiah's little day trip to heaven. I never really thought about it that way but basically that is what it is and that is a way to explain the story so people can relate and try to get a better understanding of what was going on. It causes me to think, yet again about  how we all look at art, experiences and people from our own view. If we could just take our our eyes and back rounds off and tried to view it from someone else's eyes just think what we could learn, Or even if we looked at it all like Christ did. No judgement. Just think how much that would change things. 

this verse makes me smile knowing my hope is in the LORD!

Isaiah 40:31 

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

It's one thing to you, but a COMPLETELY different thing to me

I have officially made it through the first day of second semester! It was very interesting to see people and the classes that I am in. I think on of my favorite classes is going to be my Art Appreciation. Honestly coming into it, I was thinking that it would be boring except when we get to go to cool art galleries. To my surprise I enjoyed hearing about how and how people take art in different ways. For me as a Business major, I'm going to look at one piece of art very differently then say an Art Major looking at the same piece. Many things make this so, like where you are from and some of your life experiences. The way you look at things come from your own experiences and that effects how you view things

Same as in art I believe that this is so in our relationship with Christ. Some people have gone through so much, myself included that only God could have brought them through. Based on that and more intentional investigation of the faith is how we have come to believe and trust in God and have that burning desire to worship him all the rest of our days. Now if you were to talk maybe to a junior higher who hasn't really gone through any big struggles they may say that they are followers of Christ but their view on it may not be like that of one who has had no other choice but to fully rely on God. My point is that we all view things from our own eyes that have seen things in different ways. What we have seen or heard effects how we take things in and ultimately who we decide to become. 

All that said I have also come to learn that art in many forms are used for Christ. We look at a piece of art and it may be of Christ helping a little child and it shows of his great love for us. Explaining that to someone else is an artists way of sharing Christ. Or we may just see a picture of creation or an abstract sculpture that causes a person to start to think about what the artists is saying or what maybe the underlined message the Holy Spirit has put for one specific person through that art piece. This further causes me to believe that there are many different ways to serve Christ and share his love with others. There is no black and white way of doing it. 

Laying Down your Burdens

Last night I made the adventure to Costa Mesa, California to attend Rock Harbor church. It was such a great service and had so many young people. It reminded me of Hume Lake in high school when you got their early to sit in the front and then the doors opened and everyone ran in to get a good seat. In this case we just rushed in to get a seat at all. It was so awesome to be in a place where so many young people were all together praising the Lord. It was very refreshing also because these were people who chose to come. They weren't required for any class or school but for the the sole purpose of worshiping God. It was AMAZING!

The speaker at one point was talking about laying your burdens down upon Christ because he can handle it. He referenced some verses but one that really stuck with me was Psalm 55:22 "Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken." It is such a powerful verse and it was exactly what i needed to hear. I take things going on in my life and even though I say with great assurance that they will be all right, I'm not sure how much i actually believe that. The Holy Spirit was working in me last night to remember that he was their for me to help me with the load and that it was not all on me. It is amazing to me how God knows really where our heart is and knows that he can shape and form it even more than we can imagine. 

I am so blessed to be at Biola and I can officially say i have finished my first class of my second semester of my first year of COLLEGE! Wow. That is a lot to think about and I'm excited for what God has planned for the next semester! God is Good, he is here to take our burdens and he loves us UNCONDITIONALLY! This is what is going to help me make it through this next chapter of my life!