Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone

This is a featured missions trip post by Karly Brinkman. She is a sophomore at AU studying Public Health. She’s from the fantastic city of Chicago and loves eating deep dish pizza. If not relaxing or studying in her room, you should be sure to look for her in the library because she prefers doing homework at the Mud Box

If you have met me, you’ve probably noticed I am painfully shy and extremely awkward. It takes me awhile—months, actually—to get to the point where I can feel comfortable being myself around others. You wouldn’t think that a person with such limited social skills would choose to transfer universities, having to make friendships from scratch for the second time in two years.

A Thought on Missions Work

This is a featured thought by Reina Villanueva, a junior studying film and media arts who has a passion for camera work, laughing, and taking the occasional creeper shot of dogs that she sees in the city.

On Monday our leaders challenged each member of our team to examine his or her expectations for the trip. It really hit me how much I had allowed my fear to limit my expectations of God. Because I hadn’t seen God move in certain ways at certain points in my past, it was hard for me to expect Jesus to work any miracles or transform any lives this week – especially through me. But in Ephesians 3:20 it says that Jesus is able to do more than we can ask or imagine according to his power which is at work in us. So it is my prayer this week that our team would bring bold requests before God. Please continue to join us in the expectation that Jesus will not only meet us here in this city, but work in ways we could never have imagined — in ways that could only be possible through him.

Release

This is a featured post from Emily Packer. She is a sophomore majoring in Public Communication and Literature with a minor in Marketing. Though she spends most of her time daydreaming, she loves to write and sketch when feeling creative. From a small town to a big city, she craves adventure and plans to travel to many places around the globe.

 

“For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” — Matthew 17:20

 

To release anything is to set it free. Free of confinement. Free to do what, though, is the question. If I were to release my heart, where would it wonder? Or if I were to release my mind, should I be afraid of what I might discover? To release, to set free the heart, mind or soul, does not consist of magic words. It requires a type of confinement to begin with, but also a destination. To release oneself to God is to release everything, for “oneself” is singular: body, mind, heart and soul.

We learn from the Bible that our faith is measurable. For when his disciples fail to complete miracles or heal the sick, he claims it is because of “what little faith” they have. If our faith can be measured, then the end goal is to have faith like a grain of mustard seed. A grain, less than 65 milligrams, and mountains will move. I think my faith falls short of those 65 milligrams each time I turn God’s miracles into my test of his will. When I ask for something out of faith, I expect a consolidation of doubt.

Just as the mustard tree releases its seeds just before it’s about to die, I have a habit of only releasing my heart in moments of desperation and hopelessness. But, as a wise man once preached during church, we must lay claim to the nearness of God. Even in our moments of despair and desperation, we should not reject what is good because of what is bad. If we release despair and desperation for what is good and hopeful, we will be filled by what is good and hopeful. True faith is difficult because it must be planted, nourished, and grown. But before the seed is planted, the tree must release it.

Beyond Myself

This is a featured post by Natacha Barghout. She is a film major and has a heart for creating culture through the medium of film. She doesn’t just take pictures, she tells stories. A frequent contributor to this blog and someone with a knack for tea, she is pretty legit. You can read her personal blog at travelingtach.wordpress.com.

This post is about a missions trip which a small group of Chi Alpha students took to a foreign country over the summer.

 

This summer has felt like a whirlwind to me and as I’ve come back for my final semester as an AU undergrad, I’ve faced some difficulty in dredging up the earliest memories of the summer. I’ve unintentionally short-changed a lot of people just because May of this year feels as far away as May of last year, but please allow me this time to rectify my lack of detail.

TNW Reflection: The Writing on the Bathroom Stall

This is a featured post Joey Shadel. He’s a true athlete, and could easily school anyone on the wrestling mats. If you think that is strength, wait until he opens his mouth. His spoken word proves him to be a man of both inner and outer strength.

Bathroom stall writing has always been a point of intrigue to me. This isn’t hard to explain really:

1) I enjoy reading while… you know.

2) I also like reading what others have inconveniently, and most likely very uncomfortably, chosen to write (if it’s done in pen, then it’s less writing and more like carving) on the bathroom stall while they… you know.

A Butterfly: More Than a Worm With Wings

This is a featured post by Alex Capestany. She’s a senior from Missouri who loves Jesus and running in that order. She’s studied abroad in Jordan and loves art, writing, and poetry.

To all the girls in my small group last fall, you’ll remember how obsessed I was with the butterfly analogy from The Good and Beautiful God. In one chapter, Smith describes how God transforms us. He says when we don’t recognize that we are completely transformed by God, it’s like a butterfly saying “Oh, I’m just a worm with wings.” That’s ridiculous! And it stuck with me for a good long while.

TNW Reflection: Don’t Worry About Your Life

This is a featured post by Emilie Litsas. She’s a Long Islander who’s proud of her Greek culture, and a freshman here at AU. You probably know her for her loud, trailing voice, her big smile, and her (sometimes) terribly corny sense of humor. Hopefully after talking with her, you can walk away with a funny story or some helpful advice to share.

“Trust God enough to raise you up.”

“Don’t worry about your life.”

As Craig Woodham spoke this past week at TNW, I felt as though he was staring at me. These are impressive ideals to live by, and they were slightly intimidating for me to hear. How did he know that I have been struggling with these very concepts?

Craig is a pastor at the Chi Alpha of the University of Alabama and is in charge of expeditions for the national Chi Alpha. He came to speak to our Chi Alpha as the former campus pastor of Blane and Hannah Young. With his light-hearted humor and lively stories, Craig invited us in the audience to feel comfortable and welcome. And yet, his insightful sermon offered advice that was difficult for me to swallow.

TNW Reflection: God is Brilliant

This is a featured post by Becca Pugh. She has a heart for children and their education, from DC to Jordan. Known to show off her inner diva when Beyonce comes on, Becca is the perfect, yet unlikely, combination of a gentle heart and true diva. Connect with her on Facebook.

[Editor’s note: This post is a reflection based on the sermon at Thursday Night Worship this past week.Check out the sermon podcast here.]

Loving God and loving others creates a Legacy that Matters.

God loves us…a lot. 

God has created you for a reason.

“God loved me enough to tell me that I would never measure up.”

I am not the answers for anyone’s problems- Jesus is. 

You reap what you sow…and where you sow.

God is brilliant. 

A few weeks ago, I found out that I didn’t get the job I really had my heart set on for post-graduation. It hurt a lot because it was a big dream of mine, and I thought it was something that God was going to give me. When I imagined my life for the next couple of years, I pictured myself in a classroom, teaching students who are in desperate need of a quality education, and a chance to break free from the expected outcomes of their futures. I believe this issue is something very close to God’s heart, and close to mine too. However, things didn’t work out the way I expected them to. So, what does that mean for me now? 

TNW Reflection: “Safe? Who Said Anything About Being Safe? But He is Good. He is the King.”

This is a featured post by Julia D’Amico. She’s a freshman from Boulder, Colorado. She loves good conversation, a good cup of tea, good music, going on adventures, goats, and the mountains. And Colorado of course! Check out what else she has to say on her personal blog, Just Your Basic.

[Editor’s note: This post is a reflection based on the sermon at Thursday Night Worship this past week.Check out the sermon podcast here.]

 Logan gave a great talk about trusting the Lord, a foundational part of faith and something that I constantly wrestle with.  It is a massive topic and Logan’s talk got me thinking about so many different things, so here’s a few of the things that were stirred up in my heart.  Thanks to Logan for a great talk!

 

Do I trust God? I am constantly challenged by this question. Do I really trust God? I wish I could say yes, absolutely, all the time, every day.  But when I am honest with myself about how tight my grip is on my own plans and expectations, I realize how far I am from complete surrender to God and His will.

 Logan spoke about what it looks like to trust God, trust His will, His heart, and His process, and I started realizing how much I am still crippled by fear and discomfort that so often keeps me from stepping into what it looks like to walk fearlessly in His path.  

 

It always confuses me why fear is such an obstacle in my walk. 

Abraham

This is a cross-post from Anna Beatty. She is both smart and quirky,a combination that is hard to come by. Case and point: she quotes Soren Kirkegard in one breath and Mr. Darcy in the next. Although she may not know how to Dougie, she can teach you how to worship. You can read her personal blog at annaindeutschland.wordpress.com.

[This post is part of the Summer Escapades series. A way to keep up with each others’ whereabouts both physically and spiritually. Ms. Beatty is studying abroad in Munich, Germany right now.]

Genesis 22

1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”