One Month Later

Well, it's been exactly a month since I moved in at SAGU.  And has the time flown.  I was so nervous coming down here. Nervous about classes, meeting people, and of course money. But God has a plan all worked out that He is letting me see little by little. He is the reason I am here.

It feels like we've been here forever yet only been here for a few days.  Everyday I meet new people and I actually talk to them.  A big shocker to me and anyone who knows me.  I never talk to people unless I know them.  I feel at home with the people that I have met.  It's nice knowing people who I have common ground with.

Then there's always the school work.  Which is not that hard for me! I somehow am always ahead on all of my work.  This is by the grace of God alone.  My study habits have magically transformed from high school.

As for money, I still have no idea where I am getting it from.  But I have full faith in God that He will finish providing for what He started.

This first month has been a crazy one.  College is nothing like I expected.  And everything that people warned me of....is the exact opposite.  I guess that's what you get when you come to bible college.  I know that it's only been a month but I have learned so much about God and myself.  I can't wait to see what the rest of the semester and my college career in general has in store.  If this month is anything like what it will be, then I can't wait!

Desensitization

So I am kinda boring this idea from my psychology class.  We talked about morals today and this came up. It really got me to thinking...sorry if it comes out weird.

As American's we are used to accepting people as they are.  We don't want to offend anyone.  And we don't like to stand up and say, "hey don't do that it offends me and what I believe."

For example cussing.  As Christian, we believe (whether you know it or not) that it is a sin to use vulgar language.  Yet exposing ourselves to it, we have become desensitized to it.  We no longer care if people around us cuss, as long as we don't partake in the sin we are fine. That is wrong.  At least I think so.  I know that I am very guilty in this area.  I went to a public high school right across from a university.  Students there partook in various drugs, sexual activities, cussing, drinking, and everything else imaginable.   I got used to everyday someone cussing people out in the halls, or someone doing drugs, or someone else getting caught going a little to far on campus.  It stopped bothering me.  I wasn't doing it so I didn't care.

 That's what's wrong with Christians today.  We just don't care anymore.  As long as we stay in line, then everything is fine.  Quoting my mother, "it's not just whether you do it or not, it's the company you keep." Didn't God even say something like that?

Just because you aren't doing it, if you are around it enough, it's going to stop bothering you.  Why? 

People joke about how naive I am sometimes.  Or about how I am such a child.  Know why? It's because I don't understand drug slang terms, I don't understand what people mean when they talk about sex or make jokes about it, I don't cuss at all, I don't understand what a lot of bad words mean, and I don't think any of it is okay to do. Is that cause to joke at? No. It's something to be proud of.  I haven't let peers and society seep into me and convince me that it's okay to let these things go as long as I don't do them. 

I'm not sure if all of this is making sense.  I just basically wanted to say don't let society say it's okay to let things go.  Don't become so used to something that you once considered bad that now you don't let it even bug you.  Stay firm in what you believe in.  If Christians started acting like Christians and followed through with what we believe, then maybe we could see something awesome happen in this country.  Don't let yourself become desensitized to what God has said is wrong. 

School work

College is a huge difference from high school. But for me, not in the way you would think.  

I am doing all my homework, studying, going to the library, staying ahead in all my classes, and finding the classes relatively easy. Yes, I said easy.  Yes, I really am going to college. 

Something about being here at a bible college has just motivated me to be the best that I can be in all the things that I do.  I like getting all I can out of these classes because I know that they will be very important for me later on in life.  And even if they weren't, any Christian should want to get all they can out of these classes.  In just the short few weeks that I've been here, I have learned more about the old testament than I ever thought I would know. The best part, I am remembering all that I am learning and finding it interesting. 

This, for me, is yet another indicator as to why I am supposed to be here.  I strongly believe that God is with me in my studies. If any of you know, I was not the best student I could have been in high school.  I rarely did my work, didn't pay attention in class, and NEVER read any of the material I needed to.  Not to say I was a horrible student that failed every class.  I just mean that I was only slightly better than average when had I applied myself, I would have gotten a lot more out of everything I learned.  God is giving me a knew love for the knowledge He is allowing me to get.  I can't forget that it is God that brought me here. He's the one paying for it.  So when I do my work, I have to keep in mind that I am doing this for God.  He provided me the brain, the time, the money, and everything else.  The least I can do is utilize the things He is giving and do His will.

School, like I said, is easy for this reason.  God is right by my side helping me and encouraging me with everything that I am doing.  So how could that not make things easy and worth while?

Distractions

I heard someone say the other day "If I fall asleep and God isn't on my mind, then something is wrong.  If I wake up, and God isn't the first thing on my mind, something is wrong."

Everyone has distractions. Here at college I see that more than ever.  People are so focused on relationships with friends, people you want to be more than friends with, money, school work, jobs...and the list goes on. 

Yes I am guilty of being distracted by all of the above.  But why? You would think that while in a bible university it would be the first thing I learned...put all your focus on God.  You are right.  It is the first thing I learned.  And you know what else? It's not a new lesson to learn.  In fact I guarantee that most people know this. It's how many people are actually able to follow through with it that matters.  

I know how easy it is to focus on anything but God.  That's the way we are in today's time; pushing God to the back burner. We can't afford to do that.  Have you looked around lately? Seen the news? Checked your bank account? Looked at the other nations in the world? God has not forsaken us, we have forsaken Him; taken our focus off of Him and put it on what we classify as important needs.  The thing is, if we focus on God, all our other needs will be taken care of. 

I'm not saying don't abandon school work, or getting a job, or meeting people.  But just don't let any of it become that distraction that keeps you up at night or wakes you up in the morning.  Distractions are always going to be around.  Putting God first will help solve those distractions or take them away.  Let's face it, a distraction isn't always the best thing.  And if God can take it away, just imagine what He will open up for you.

Prayer

Last night we had an all dorm prayer meeting. About 40? people showed up. Not really a lot. But hey, those that came, came ready. It was really neat to get to spend half and hour in prayer with people who I might never talk to.  I was able to pray over specific needs of some girls and over the students in general.

One of my first days here I prayed over a friend to get a car.  Some type of transportation that was not costly.  That same day she was surprised with a car.  I have never had a prayer answered that fast or that amazingly.  I have so much more confidence in how God is going to handle my prayers and needs.  Being here at SAGU is opening me up to a whole new prayer life.  I love spending time with the Lord in prayer.  It is amazing what He will open up to you if you just open yourself up to Him.

We pray a lot here at SAGU. We start every class with it, chapel (several times), over all the meals, in our own quiet time, any ministry on campus we go to, and the list goes on.  I think that in today's time people have stopped revering prayer. We take for granted that God is there when we need Him.

But prayer is more than about asking God for what we need or asking Him to show us something new, it's about talking to our father.  He just wants to spend time with us.  At SAGU I am challenged daily to be in prayer with God.  More than just a "Dear Jesus, Thanks for all you do. Will you please help this person with whatever. Amen."  We spend a long time in prayer.

It's a difficult thing to open yourself 100% up to God in prayer.  I am guilty at times of my mind wondering during prayer when I should be focusing on God.  It's just one of those things that happens and God is helping, as I am willing, me to focus more.

In other things, college is awesome.  I am meeting lots of people everyday.  Slowly but surely adding up friends.  The work is finally at full speed and I just need to stay focused and will do fine.  I started studying in the library yesterday.  Wow. I hate that place soo much.  But it really helped me.  I walked all the way across campus, and had nothing but homework with me.  Then by sitting at a table in the open, I am forced to do work because I feel like people around me will watch to see if I am actually doing it.  Yes, they probably aren't but hey, it's part of the psychological whatever.

So other than that all things are going good. I am really excited about what's happening here.

SAGU Thus Far

Wow. A lot has happened. I'm not sure that I will be able to recap everything but I will do my best.

So the monday before I was supposed to leave for Texas, I was hit with cold, hard reality. College is expensive.  Really expensive.  So much that I was no longer able to attend SAGU (the worlds best university!).  I prayed and told God that I will surrender to His will and that if by friday night I was unable to secure the funds to go this year, I would stay home and go to NWACC and work and prepare for the next year.  Tuesday morning I began the process of applying.  I called my admissions counselor and gave her a heads up that it is a possibility that I will not be coming.  She went through my file and was able to find me multiple scholarships that I did not meet the requirements for yet gave them to me anyway. Through God's blessings, I had to wait only a day to see that He wanted to me at SAGU.  He is my sole provider. I'm not saying that my time here is going to easy and money will be absolutely no problem, though God could make it that way if He desired, I am saying that it is manageable.

In the short time that I have been here, I have already learned so much.  I was able to pray with a friend to get a car or some sort of transportation so that she can come to the school.  That same day she got a car.  I have never been so amazed that I prayed for that and it happened so fast.  Everywhere you go on campus you can just feel God's presence.  The chapels are amazing! I am really gaining new perspectives on my calling and the people around me.  I feel God beginning to do amazing things in me and all the other students around me.

I know that I have only had classes for 3 days, but I already feel so at home.  That is a great feeling and I am reminded daily that God really wanted me here.  Even things that people say in the normal conversation impact me so much.  I have learned so much just by talking to students and hearing the stories that they have to share.

One of my favorite parts about school, aside from chapel, is that everyone is already on a common ground.  We all love Jesus. We are paying a ton of money to come here so we are all very much in love with God.  I love sitting down and just talking about praying or something that God told us.  Each person understand and they don't automatically think you are weird.  We all share a common bond.

I know that it's going to get harder, and there will be lots of stories to tell, but this had been a great start to college!