Home Sweet...Grandma's Apartment?

I've been home from college for about two weeks now...and honestly, they've been pretty spiritually dry. I'm not sure why though...I'm living in my grandma's tiny apartment, with my life's belongings crammed into a tiny room that lacks A/C. I drive my dad's car to work each day, after picking it up from the middle school, and I'm trying to maintain energy throughout the day to get everything done. None of this is comfortable nor convenient for me, but I keep reminding myself that it could be worse.

I miss the Chapel, my small group, and my Tuesday dinners..I miss the constant chaos and noise of my residence hall. I miss all the opportunities to share my faith.

But there are still things to be celebrated...I found out yesterday that I will be an RA for the 2012-2013 school year and I could not be more excited. Not only is it a great financial blessing, but I'm also a role model and leader to many residents...what an awesome opportunity for ministry!!

Nonetheless, I have a lot of work to do...spiritually. I'm currently balancing a pretty much full-time job, summer classes, and clinicals at the hospital. From 6am to about 6pm, I'm nothing but busy. I do my best to use my nights to be productive and get some cleaning done, shop for groceries, and get in some exercise to clear my mind. But where does JESUS fit into that schedule? ...He doesn't. And that is where my problem lies. Because my relationship with Jesus is lacking, my joy has been stolen, friendships are broken, my family is falling apart, I start to doubt myself, and my world seems to be caving in around me.

A QUOTE: "If you're too busy for God, than you're busier than God intends for you to be."

I was able to talk with Virginia last night and let her know where I was at...thankfully, we have decided to hold each other accountable. It is so absolutely crucial that we are in the world daily and furthering our relationship with Christ. On the nights after work, we are going to get together for dinner and just read our Bibles together. After all, God does call us to fellowship with other believers and encourage each other. Youth group and church are great places to learn and grow, but outside of these things we need to be surrounding ourselves with believers AND having godly conversations....sometimes, we get together to vent, share our life problems...let's put it this way...THERAPY! These things aren't bad, but when they are the only things happening, we tend to go to our friends rather than God for help.

ANOTHER QUOTE: "Have you prayed about it as much as you've talked about it?"

Something I think that would be cool this summer, is "Fellowship Night." A night that once a week, friends/believers can meet at someone's house for dinner or maybe just snacks and coffee and fellowship. A time where we could present prayer requests, popcorn pray, play games, and talk about current, relative issues that we are all dealing with.

If I'm again honest, I hate when I have great ideas....because these ideas usually never happen. I'm too busy to plan and organize so I just write them off and keep dreaming. Hopefully in the days to come, I can pursue Christ, get back on track spiritually, and see where God leads me.

As for now, I'm in the middle of writing a paper for clinicals, and have yet to read two chapters and take notes on each of them.

Thanks for listening and praying!

Overview

Clearly it's been a while since I've blogged...5 months to be exact. A lot has happened and in a matter of 19 days I'm done with my freshman year of college.

Last night I was up late with one of my friends and we were just talking about our faith and what God has done through us during our freshman year. We both came to the agreement that this was the first time that we were intentional with our faith and always on the lookout for other people to bring to church. We have brought at least 5 people to small group, seen 2 girls have a desire to know more about Christ, 3 girls feel convicted and begin to question what they believe, and 1 girl accept Christ. How awesome is that!?! A prayer that was on my heart for quite some time was for my neighbor, an atheist, to simply come to small group dinner. Guess what? This past Tuesday, she did!! It's definitely a step in the right direction and seeds are being planted in my small little res hall family. As the year comes to an end, there are so many others that we didn't reach out to, but I know in my heart of hearts that we set a worthy, godly example for them.

Next year, whether an RA or a commuter, I have big goals! I would love to see God use me and two other girls to start a small group in the dorms. My head is spinning with ideas! With only 19 days left, I'm sad to leave. I love my hometown and church, but I don't know how to spark the same passion in them, that I have now. I don't want to leave my small group community here at college that shares my desire to reach others for Christ and that passionate faith that keeps me motivated.

As I prepare to go home, I pray that God would guide my every step...maybe even grant me the opportunity to share my testimony back home and inspire others. After this year, I truly believe that living on campus was exactly where God wanted me, I have no doubt about that.

God I pray that you would lead my every step. God help me to transition into my summer back home, commuting to and from school, for work and summer classes. God help me to keep the passion going, help me to inspire those around me. God you have plans for me that exceed what I can even imagine. I pray that you would continue to use me and work through me. You are good and you desire to see me prosper and grow. Help me to press on when trials come my way and try to hinder me. God you have blessed me beyond belief over the past 9 months. Thank you for loving me and guiding me every step of the way. Amen.