Magical Things Ahead

     Today I’m flying back to Texas as my winter break wraps up.  Leaving home again is emotionally difficult, even though I’m excited to be back with my friends at a school that I love so much.  Isn’t it strange that I am simultaneously pumped to have coffee from the shop across the street from my dorm and sad that I can’t have coffee from my favorite place at home again until May?  Going to college, especially at a school far away, is weird like that.  It’s almost like I live in two worlds, and as happy as I am in each of them, I will always miss the other when I’m away.

     This break has been restful and full of time spent with people at home who I love and missed so much throughout the fall semester.  It consisted of catch-ups with my old Bible Study group at Spill the Beans, Campaigners with my home Young Life group, long drives and sleepovers with my high school best friend, lots of Cook Out milkshakes, twenty-four hours with my Young Life leader, and watching Wizards of Waverly Place with my siblings.  As I prepare to begin another semester 885 miles from home, it’s so important to remember that the same God that made this time at home so sweet is coming back to Waco with me — and He wouldn’t send me back if He didn’t have something even sweeter in store.  This sweeter thing might be learning big lessons in class or at church in Waco, it might be new friendships or growth within the friendships I began last semester, it might be talking all of my high school friends into going to camp this summer — it might even be all of those things!  Isn’t that exciting?  God is sovereign, and because of that I know that my trip back to school is the result of His plan, not the purchase of my plane ticket or the first day of class quickly approaching.

     Something I’ve been struggling with a lot lately is the thought that my life is so spread out geographically.  Home is far from school, my school friends are far from home and my home friends and family are far from school.  After my Young Life leader came to visit me, it really hit me that I will most likely never be able to see her as frequently as I saw her in high school ever again.  I spent some time wondering if I would be happier with all of the people I love being closer to me — maybe if I went to school closer to home and had never done Work Crew, I would not be so attached to so many people far away.  My overly-sentimental heart breaks when I remember good things that I no longer have, so if I didn’t know what I was missing, would life be better?  While it might be easier, life would absolutely not be better in the absence of these experiences, because not only would I be missing out on lots of good things, I would be missing out on God’s plan for me.  The pang in my heart when I remember the distance between me and those that I love is a small price to pay for the relationships I have and the ways I’ve grown from knowing these people.

     There’s this quote I read recently that said something along the lines of, “a moment may be magic, but if you stay in that moment, you’ll miss out on even more magical things ahead.”  I’m holding this thought closely right now as I struggle to leave people and places I love.  I will come home for the summer in May, and I need to cling to the truth that God has some magical things planned for me between now and then.  Ecclesiastes 3:1 says “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven,” so, while I may want now to be the time to stay home with my little siblings and home Campaigners group for a couple more weeks, I trust that God’s plan for this time is better than my own.

     If you, like me, are struggling with distance as you go back to school this semester, I pray that you would be encouraged by the truth that God has something magical planned for you in the leap of faith that you’re taking.  Trust that He will take care of you as you return to the familiar discomfort of college and embrace the opportunities He sends your way!  Go to the Lord for comfort, because He is the only thing in this world and in your life that will never ever change.  He is one prayer away, He will never miss your calls because of the time difference.  You get to take Him, the God of the universe, with you everywhere you go, and that’s pretty cool if you ask me.

Lonely But Not Alone

     Long time no blog post!  College is busy and fun and so much to handle all at once, let me tell you.  This week I’ve found myself with very little classwork and studying to do so I figured it was time for a new blog post.  Today I’m sharing a little about my life and something I’ve been learning lately.

     Like I said, this week has been relatively easy, but last week was not.  At the start of last week, I felt like being vulnerable and opened up to my roommate about how I felt like I had a lot of friends here at Baylor, yet none of them really knew me and completely loved me for who I am.  Within forty-eight hours of saying this, I faced four separate circumstances with friends that all unintentionally corroborated the way I was feeling — that I was surrounded by people, people who were definitely my friends, but I was not fully known or fully loved by any of them.

     At home, I spent most of high school with many friends, but only a few that really knew me.  I was completely content with that because I knew I could count on these few; they could always tell when I wasn’t quite myself, they knew what made me feel loved, and they understood me.  It’s obviously completely unrealistic to come to college expecting to immediately find friendships that felt like the ones you spent years building in high school, but that doesn’t make it any easier to feel lonely.

     I was bombarded with assignments and tests and I felt like I wasn’t really valued by the people I made time for and did kind things for.  I was so frustrated because before that week, I felt like I was doing pretty well; I just began leading Young Life at a local high school a few weeks ago, I had plenty of friends in my dorm, generally speaking I had a grip on my schoolwork, I found a church home, and I was spending time in the Word every day.  What I didn’t understand was that God was teaching me something.

     Last week I began praying in ways I haven’t in a long time.  I recalled all the times I had heard that being in a relationship with God meant you would be upset with Him sometimes and that it was okay to tell Him that.  I begged God to comfort and provide and make His presence known the way He promises to in the Bible and in the devotionals I was reading.  I prayed for a community that would make me feel like I was valued, loved, and understood.  I told Him I knew what He was capable of and I waited expectantly for Him to show up.  Then He did.

     Thursday afternoon, I got together with my mentor group from Young Life leader training to catch up — this was probably the first time all week that I didn’t feel empty and unnoticed.  Later that evening I hung out with some of the people on my Young Life team and one of the kids at the high school we lead at.  Friday night we went to the high school’s football game and then I got to hang out with one of my co-leaders who I’m starting to get really close to.  This week has been filled with Wizards of Waverly Place and Victorious watching sessions and other spontaneous and simple and fun things like meeting the president of Baylor at a volleyball game, getting way too much coffee and spending way too many hours at Common Grounds with so many great people, finally trying Bittersweet’s iconic cookies, and getting dinner with a friend I made through blogging (four years ago!) when she came to tour.

     As I’m getting to know other Young Life leaders in Waco, I’m finally starting to get that community I’ve been waiting ever so impatiently for.  I now have people that I feel like I can be open with and feel valued by.  I had been feeling so lonely, but I now realize I was not alone in two ways — I am not the only college student who has felt surrounded yet forgotten and even when I was crying alone in my dorm room, God was with me.  I think sometimes God presses pause on our comfort to get our attention so He can teach us something that will allow us to appreciate Him all the more when the good gets better.

     Don’t get me wrong, college is still absolutely not perfect and it’s really not all fun and games.  I spent fourteen hours studying for a test last weekend and I’m pretty sure I still didn’t do well.  I have a departmental exam for one of my journalism classes from 6:00 – 11:00 p.m. next Tuesday.  However, I’m so thankful for reminders of the Lord’s faithfulness like this week.  He will provide in His own timing, and in the waiting it’s really important to rely fully on Him — He has always been, is always, and will always be sufficient for us.

Thanks for reading!

October Playlist 2019

     In all honesty, I’ve had this playlist ready since the beginning of the month but kept putting off actually writing the paragraph to introduce this post.  I know, when did I get that lazy?  I’d like to blame it on being busy, because I definitely have been, but I should’ve found the time to write this earlier.  Anyways, I’m still so excited for you to listen to the fun music I’ve been enjoying lately!  I recently discovered The Valley and I’ve absolutely loved their album MAYBE, especially the song “There’s Still A Light In The House.”  A few other honorable mentions include “Colorado” by CHAPPY (which he wrote after serving on program at the YoungLife camp Frontier Ranch when I was there in 2017!), “Nothing Else” by Cody Caries (such a good worship song to help you focus on Jesus and refocus), and “Strawberry Swing” by Coldplay (which has easily become one of my favorite songs to study to).  The actual playlist on my Spotify has well outgrown the list shown on the graphic below, so be sure to check it out here if you want to hear more of what I’ve been listening to this month!  Enjoy!

Listen to the playlist here!

Thanks for reading!

One Year After the Visit that Made Me Choose Baylor

     Exactly a year ago today, I toured Baylor University for the first time.  I came here the day before I toured the school I thought I was sure I wanted to attend, but I immediately fell in love with Baylor’s beautiful campus, kind people, and vibrant Christian community.  I remember having the weirdest feeling as I prepared to walk into my meeting with my admissions counselor that morning before touring.  When I started my tour, that feeling became so familiar — the feeling I got my first time at YoungLife camp, and the feeling I got when I had the chance to call YoungLife’s Saranac Village my home for a whole month while serving as a housekeeper just a couple months before my tour.  By the time we left campus that evening, I was pretty sure I would end up here.  A week later, I submitted my Early Decision application, a binding contract I was never comfortable with the idea of prior to touring Baylor, because I knew the Lord was telling me that this was what He had planned.  A year later, I’ve never been this happy.  I know this sounds cheesy, but I literally still walk to my classes smiling at the thought that this is real life.  I go here.  I am so happy I get to be a Baylor bear.

     Something that’s so crazy to me is that so many of the students here grew up coming to Baylor football games and knew they would come here, following in their parents’ footsteps, pretty much their entire lives.  At the same time, some of my best friends are from Colorado, California, Wisconsin, and Virginia and only came once or twice before picking Baylor.  I came here, a thousand miles away from home, one time and knew this was it.  Baylor’s really special in that way — people come from all over because they crave the unique kind of Christian community we have here.  God is talked about openly and I’m already having deep conversations about my testimony and relationship with the Lord with my new friends.  I never had conversations like that with half of my friends at home.

     Don’t get me wrong, college life definitely isn’t perfect.  I wouldn’t say I’ve really gotten homesick, but it definitely has been hard to be this far from my family, friends, and YoungLife leaders.  Meeting new people has been a ton of fun but it’s hard to figure out who will just be friends you see around, who will just be friends you hang out with every once in a while, and who will be the friends that are there for you when it really matters.  Not having those for sure, stable friends has probably been my biggest struggle over the past few weeks, but I definitely don’t feel like I’m alone.  Despite not knowing who will be my lifelong friends just yet, I am so grateful for the budding friendships I already do have.  I’m constantly hanging out with new people I’ve been wanting to get to know and I’m in awe of how friendly everyone is.  I’ve found so many girls who value their faith and are passionate about sharing the Gospel with others, and I know these kinds of people aren’t common on every college campus.

     It has honestly never been this easy for me to follow the Lord.  Just being here is such inarguable proof of His grace — I’ve done nothing to deserve such a stunning place to study something I love, such a high-quality college education, and such incredible new friends that point me to Him — yet in the midst of my sin He has provided something so special.  There are more churches than I can count here in Waco and there is an abundance of ministry specifically for college students.  I’ve finally found a church that I love and truly feel at home in and I’m so excited to continue to grow in my faith at Antioch and alongside the Life Group the church has provided me with.  Just this week at Antioch’s college ministry service we learned about the spiritual warfare happening around us all the time, and when the sermon was over we worshipped like I’ve never worshipped before.  Standing with three of my closest friends, I danced and sang about how we fight our battles with God on our side.  The sheer joy I felt Wednesday night was just another reminder that I’m right where I belong, and this is more than I could have ever asked for.

     College classes are definitely harder than high school ones, as much as I hate to admit it to my high school friends who are currently taking an abundance of AP classes like I did.  I’ve never had to study this much, but I’ve also never had friends a few rooms down from me to study with whenever I like.  That’s pretty sweet.  Baylor provides so many resources for academic success that while the classes might be hard, being successful just requires the effort to seek out help.  I’m constantly being reminded that my identity is not found in my grades and test scores, but in my Heavenly Father who sent Jesus to pay it all so I could live in a relationship with Him.  How cool is it that I get to go to a school where my struggles are constantly faced with the truth of His word?

     I’ve tried to put it into words, but I don’t know how to explain just how much Baylor means to me already.  This place truly feels like home.  I’ve never been surrounded by so many supportive, God-fearing people and I feel like I can be completely myself here.  Thank you God for putting this place on my heart a year ago and for answering my prayers with my tour.  Letting God interrupt my college plans by applying Early Decision to a school I was hardly considering before touring was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.  His plans are so much greater than my own and this experience has already been such a huge testament to that.

Thanks for reading and sic ’em bears!

Become.

     Almost four months ago, I finally caved and ordered a Giving Key necklace for myself after years of hoping someone else would buy one for me simply because they were on sale for the fourth of July.  When selecting a word to be pressed into the key, I saw “become.”  I had been reading (and still am reading…) Everybody Always by Bob Goff, which discusses the mindset and actions we must make habitual through Christ in order to become love.  I thought the word “become” was nice and simple, not too cliché.  Perfect.  Little did I know how significant this word would become in the months ahead.

     To my surprise, when I was supposed to leave for Lake Champion as a camper the following day, I joined the Work Crew.  While the opportunity and decision seemed pretty spontaneous to me that day, it’s so clear that God had it planned out from the very beginning.  In my three weeks as a server at that beautiful camp in Glen Spey, New York, I was surrounded by strangers that quickly became brothers and sisters in Christ and I was constantly encouraged by the growth I witnessed, both in myself and in the people around me.  I saw who we were becoming and it brought me such great joy.

     Coming back from Work Crew, I wanted to bring that type of mindset home – the servant mentality, the constant prayer, but specifically to continue making the choice to see people for who they are becoming and will become.  I want to meet people where they are, but I pray that God would give me little glimpses of the great big plans He has for every person I encounter.  I feel so blessed to have friends here at Baylor who already choose to see me for who God made me to be and not for the moments when I’m insensitive or unkind.  The faith they have in who I am because of my identity in Him is absolutely insane to me given how short of a time we’ve known each other.

     Now that I’m in college, I’m “church shopping” here in Waco and trying to figure out which of the countless available college ministries are the best fits for me and my schedule.  For the past three weeks, I’ve attended Antioch’s college ministry service on Wednesday nights.  The messages have been incredible every time, but this past week’s message hit a little different.  Luke Whyte, Antioch’s college pastor, talked to us about how we are not defined by our past sins and how we don’t have to carry them anymore.  While we should be responsible and honest in regard to what we have said and done, we do not have to claim our sin as our identity. That’s what the cross was for.  Every bit of torture that Jesus went through, every strike made by the cat of nine tails, every step He made with the cross on His back, every nail that attached Him to the cross – our sin went through that too.  The difference between Jesus’ and our sin’s experience in the crucifixion?  Our sin didn’t resurrect, Jesus did.  Our sin is still in the tomb, as far removed from us as it could be.  As soon as we say yes to a relationship with God, He sees us as clean.

     For much of my senior year, I felt like I was carrying a backpack full of bricks.  Each brick was a mistake I made while thinking about how God wouldn’t want that for me.  I felt isolated because I was ashamed of the sin I continued to commit while I thought I was supposed to be “on the other side of my testimony.”  I gave my life to Christ a few years prior, I had done Work Crew, I shared my testimony with my area at the YoungLife county banquet, I was leading Wyldlife – I thought the rest of my life was supposed to be a series of good times with the occasional challenge, which I’d face with God on my side and easily defeat.  I thought I was living on the peak of the other side of my spiritual struggles.  I’m going to let you in on a little secret: there is no “other side” of your testimony.  Your story isn’t that diagram of a book plot your English teachers showed you in grade school, it’s a mountain range.  I’m learning that season means more than just when the leaves fall or when it gets warm enough to go to the pool.  God knows sometimes it’s harder to lean into Him, and He’s still working in what we feel are dark times.  When I’m hiding from Him He can still see me, and He calls me child.

     Hearing Luke’s message after a guilt-ridden preceding year was so eye-opening for me.  He told us a story about a football coach who, rather than screaming “don’t do that” to players who messed up during games (like most coaches), would kindly shout “that ain’t you baby!”  That is who our God is.  He doesn’t want us to carry the burden of sins He already died for.  The temptations of our old selves that we’re drawn to are habits of our old flesh, not who we are.  Because of the cross, God can have a direct relationship with us.  This relationship isn’t one that sends us to timeout when we sin for the millionth time that day, but one that says “that’s not who you are” when we return to the ways of the dead flesh we left behind when we accepted life with Christ as a new creation.

     God doesn’t see us for who we were or even for the messed up beings we are, He sees us for who He knows we’ll become.  God has a plan and He doesn’t make mistakes, so I know the hard uphill stretches of my journey with Him are only making me stronger in our relationship.  And the best part is, I don’t even have to carry that backpack full of sin bricks – God told me to leave it at home because we won’t need it in the final destination we’re running towards.  I am so grateful for my God who has a vision for who I’ll be and I continue to pray that He would help me to view my friends and those around me with that same perspective.  “Become” is a pretty dang cool word and I’m glad I get to remind myself with that discounted key necklace that I want to be obedient every day to the steps He would have me make to become exactly who He designed me to be.

Thanks for reading!  I pray that you understand that you are not your past.  The burden of your sin was left in the tomb.  And that truth, my friends, is something to rejoice in.

My First Week-ish at Baylor

     I’m about two weeks into my freshman year at Baylor and to say I’m loving every minute of it would be an understatement.  I’ve been overwhelmed by the kindness of my peers and professors and I’ve fallen in love with the access to Christian ministries I have here.  Don’t even get me started on how beautiful the campus is — it’s hard to be mad about the Texas heat when my walks to class are so pretty!  Today I’m sharing a little about what my time here has looked like thus far, from move-in to classes to football games.  I’m only really going to be covering the highlights, but of course I have plenty of pictures.  I hope you enjoy this little peek into my college life so far!

Move-In Day

     As I anticipated, move-in day was overwhelming and stressful and fun all at once.  Volunteer students carry all of your belongings from your car to your room while you pick up all of your Welcome Week materials and get your ID set up to unlock your room so the physical labor of bringing everything in was pretty much nonexistent and I’m so grateful for that.  Once I actually got in the room, my roommate Perri and I began settling in with our families’ help.  Both being pretty far out of state, our families left early in the afternoon to prepare for flights home from other cities the next day.  I won’t be going home until Christmas, so saying goodbye to my dad and sister was bittersweet.  Once our families were gone, we put the finishing touches on our dorm and got things organized before heading to dinner with a bunch of our friends!  I’m so proud of how our dorm turned out (we added a little more to the space after the photos below were taken) and I’m actually so excited to be sharing this room with my roommate who is now one of my best friends!  Our residence hall is home to nearly 600 freshman girls and while that sounds super crowded, it’s so cool to be this close to so many sweet girls.

Club Collins

     I’m going to be honest, my friend group didn’t go to a ton of the Welcome Week activities, but one event we were sure to attend on Friday night was called Club Collins.  This little dance party mixer was held in the gathering space of the first floor of our dorm and was super hot (temperature-wise…the room was warm before it was completely packed with sweaty college students) but super fun!  Our CLs (Community Leaders – essentially RAs at Baylor) set up a photo booth and other activities for the event.  My friends and I got a little bored (and sweaty) about an hour in so we ended up leaving before the event was over to shower and head to HEB for a late-night grocery run.

Saturday and the Big Event(s)

     Saturday was slow but eventful, including the farmers’ market, two trips to Common Grounds (best coffee shop ever and way too close to my dorm), meeting Brooklyn and Bailey at the church fair, Chick-fil-A for dinner, the Big Event, and the Bigger Event.  Baylor New Student Programs held “the Big Event” in the SUB (Student Union Building), which included food, karaoke, games, and bear building.  After the Big Event in the SUB, we headed to “the Bigger Event,” which was held off-campus by an organization called Zeta Zigga Zamma (ZZZ).  ZZZ calls themselves a Christian fraternity and it’s essentially a God-loving group of guys that hosts substance-free parties that typically include Kool-Aid, prayer, a little bit of worship music, and a whole lot of dancing.  The party was so fun and I’m so grateful to be at a school with organizations like this one!

Sunday Before the First Day of Classes

     Sunday morning was my first opportunity to try out a church in Waco.  My friend group attended a contemporary service at Harris Creek Baptist Church and we loved it.  There are more than enough churches in Waco to go to a new church every week of freshman year and never repeat, so there are still a few more on our list to try before finding permanent church homes!  Right after church, we went to Rosa’s, my friend Lauren’s favorite restaurant ever.  That evening, the candlelight service was the final event of Welcome Week.  I went to the service with my friends Lexi and Parker and there we prayed for the school year, sang worship songs, and heard from a speaker.  It was such a neat way to start the school year and totally unlike anything my high school ever offered.

First Day of Classes

     My first day of classes began with a big breakfast surrounded by lots of friends and wrapped up with my last class ending at 4:25pm.  Something I really love about Baylor is the abundance of ministry available every night, and the night of the first day of class was no exception!  Baylor has this super cool worship service called Vertical, which takes place most every Monday night, and our first time at the event was such a neat experience.  Vertical reminded me a lot of YoungLife club back home, except all the music was worship instead of fun pop songs that often precede club and the talk was a little longer.  Vertical was the perfect end to the first day of classes and I’m so excited to continue going (especially because Passion Band is coming on September 9th)!

Breakfast at Magnolia Table and College Ministry at Antioch

     My good friend Lexi and I had what will likely become a weekly (and expensive) tradition of Magnolia Table for breakfast on Wednesday.  The meal was such a nice break from dining hall food and it was a fun use of our extra morning time given that our first classes were at 10:10am!  After classes that night I went with a group of friends to Antioch’s college ministry service and it was so good!  I loved every worship song we sang and the message about finding yourself was incredible.  I’m hoping to try out one of Antioch’s Sunday services soon!

First Football Game

     Saturday marked not only our first game as Baylor students, but also our first time running the Baylor Line (refer to my post about Line Camp here if you don’t know what the Baylor Line is)!  Running the Line was such a fun experience and was even worth the hour-ish wait in the hot sun beforehand.  We were pleasantly surprised that no one in our friend group fell or lost a shoe/phone in the chaos of running the Line (trust me, there are horror stories of torn ACLs and broken jaws).  Baylor beat Stephen F. Austin 56 to 10 and we celebrated the victory with another trip to Rosa’s (Lauren’s request again)!

Labor Day Weekend in Lake Travis

     One of my best friends here at Baylor, Abby, was super generous to invite a small group of friends to come home with her Sunday through Monday and spend time out on Lake Travis on her boat!  We had a blast wake-boarding and meeting Abby’s dogs, but man did we enjoy her mom’s homecooked dinner on Sunday night!  After dinner, we got dessert at an awesome donut place in Austin called Gourdough’s.  We enjoyed the luxury of sleeping on beds that weren’t twin-sized then headed back to Waco after breakfast Monday morning!

I’m so thankful for what Baylor already is to me and I’m so excited for what’s to come.  This place and these people are such a gift from God and I’m so confident that I’m exactly where I belong.  I hope you enjoyed this post — sic ’em!

 

September Playlist 2019

     Since arriving at Baylor, one of the many things that have been super fun has been hearing my new friends’ favorite songs.  Being out of state and about a 13 hour car ride away from home, I don’t have my own car here, which means if I’m in a car I’m riding with my friends and one of them is always on the aux.  I’ve also been going to a ton of worship services and college ministries, so I’ve found and rediscovered a lot of beautiful worship music as well.  And don’t even get me started on the new Taylor Swift album – SO GOOD!  So there’s the explanation for today’s post, my September playlist!  You can follow me on Spotify here for access to the playlists that I’ve made for many moods and time periods in my life.  All of my playlists posted on the blog since July have corresponding playlists on my Spotify!  I will be adding more songs to the playlist as the month goes on (I’ve actually added a few more since I wrote this post), so if you follow the playlist you can stay up to date on what I’m listening to.  Enjoy!

Listen to the playlist here!

Thanks for reading!

An Open Letter to My Rising High School Senior Self

     Senior year is such an exciting time, there are so many lasts leading up to a big new beginning!  My senior year was far from perfect, but I’m so grateful for the friends and family that supported me through it and made it fun and memorable.  Today I’m sharing a few things I wish I would have known or remembered going into my senior year in an open letter to my rising high school senior self.  Whether you’re a senior or not, I hope this advice resonates with you and reminds you to savor every second but also stay on track to reach your goals.

Dear rising senior Faith,

     Can you believe it?  You’re finally a senior.  A year from now you’ll be ready to go off to college, and your college decision is just months away.  I know you’re nervous about all that this year will hold, but you’re so blessed to be going into it with such a strong support system (nearby and a phone or FaceTime call away).  Remember Romans 8:28; “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”  As you trust in Him, He will protect and guide you.

     I’m so glad you’re confident in your goals for the future, including your college choice and major, but please keep an open mind to how that might change.  Keep your eyes open to see what the Lord guides you toward and be obedient to what He calls you to do.  Nobody said following Him would be comfortable or easy, but you know how much more full and rewarding life is when you’re obedient to Him.

     As it’s your final year in this place with these people, I know you’re going to be tempted to do some things you maybe shouldn’t, since this is your last chance.  Please treasure the moments you have with your family and your friends.  Continue to hang out with the underclassmen girls and be a good role model for them.  Keep Romans 12:2 in your heart; “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  Don’t give in to what everyone else is doing, that won’t bring you true joy and the little satisfaction it may bring is fleeting.  Remember that any boy who is interested in you should be more interested in the Lord.  Look for ways that you can serve others every day.  Wake up each morning asking yourself how you can glorify the Lord in this day.  Work hard, spend time in Scripture, and keep your eyes on Him.

You were made for great, beautiful things, don’t lose sight of that.

My Goals For Freshman Year of College

     Today’s the day – I’m moving into college!  I’m so excited to begin this new chapter of my life and I couldn’t be any more confident that the Lord wants me right here at Baylor.  I can’t wait to see what He has planned for me!  Today I’m sharing a post that will hold me accountable and be so fun to look back on at the end of the year – my goals for freshman year Baylor!  I know I want to strive for success academically, spiritually, and socially in my first year of college and I’m hoping these goals will help me to do just that. Maybe these goals will inspire you to make some goals for yourself this school year, or just give you a better idea of who I am and what I’m after.

Academic Goals

1. Maintain all As and Bs in all of my classes.
2. Never sleep through a class (my earliest class is at 9:30am so hopefully this won’t be too hard).
3. Cultivate positive and healthy student-professor relationships.
4. Pass all of my exams.
5. Have my efforts in the class reflect not only in my grades, but in what I’m really learning.  I want to actually soak in the material.

(It should be noted that I don’t really know what to expect in college classes so these academic goals might be vague or silly because I don’t really know what’s realistic)

Spiritual Goals

1. Become more consistent in having a daily quiet time with God, including Scripture reading, devotionals, and prayer (I do this often now but I want to be better about doing it every single day).
2. Start to live in a constant state of prayer – remember that God is never unavailable or far away.
3. Find a community of believers who want to actively pursue Christ and will support me in my own faith.
4. Find a church home in Waco.
5. Get involved in ministries on campus (including but definitely not limited to YoungLife).
6. Be present in chapel – not only in the literal for the purpose of meeting attendance requirements, but also attentive to learn and grow in my own faith.

Social Goals

1. Find a group of people I’m comfortable with and feel like I’m accepted by.
2. Become friends with girls on my hall.
3. Make at least one friend in each of my classes.
4. Go to a concert or out of town with new friends.

Thanks for reading!

Goodbye, Home.

     Over the course of my life, I’ve already moved six times (not including countless rent houses).  Today, I’m leaving home to go to college about a thousand miles away.  My move into college at Baylor marks the first move that ends with me living in a new place without my family – by myself.  The house in the photo below has only been home to me for about two months, but it’s where my family lives now, and the hectic summer I’ve spent moving into it, living in it, and living away from it throughout my travels has taught me a lot about what home means.

     This summer, my family moved to our new home, in a new state, just about a month after my high school graduation.  Actually, I was leading at Wyldlife camp and attending one of my YoungLife leaders’ weddings when my family made the transition into a rent house in this new town back in June.  While I had only lived in our former city in South Carolina for six years, it really felt like home.  In that city, I made great friends, went through my awkward middle school years, found YoungLife, started a blog, had my first job, graduated high school, and grew dramatically spiritually and as a person.  I learned from my circumstances, I realized that God has a plan, and ultimately I wouldn’t change a thing about my life – even the things that left me feeling broken in the moments in which they took place.  I felt like I left home in June when we moved an hour away from my high school, my favorite restaurants to go to before YoungLife and after football games, the field I played lacrosse on, my best friend’s house, the place where I attended YoungLife club, and the bedroom in which I spent countless nights of high school up until God knows when studying for tests that ultimately said nothing significant about me at all.

     Come to think of it, I also felt like I left home when I left Saranac Village in a little white van at the end of our session last summer, heading to the airport and waving to my Work Crew friends from the rounded rectangular window with tears streaming down my face.  I felt this again when I hugged my Work Crew friends goodbye in front of Fox Run at Lake Champion in July of this year.  I’ve also felt like I left home every time I fly out of San Antonio, knowing my cousins are at school in the city and my grandma is going through all the clutter in her home while I live hours upon hours away.  And of course I felt like I left home when I moved from North Carolina to South Carolina in middle school when my mom lost custody of my sister and I – when all of our nights watching Dancing With the Stars on the couch while eating edamame beans, just the three of us, came to an end.

     What I’ve come to learn about home, as cliché as it sounds, is that home really has nothing to do with a physical structure, and you can have more than one.  Home is where your family is and where your friends are.  Home is where you experience self-discovery and growth.  Home is where you’ve felt overjoyed and devastated – raw, authentic emotions.  Home is where you feel close to the Lord.  This is why leaving my seven-year-old brother today is hard, but I won’t be hugging our dining room table or the pergola on our front deck.  This is why the hardest thing about leaving your favorite place is never the views or the activities that you say goodbye to, it’s the memories you take with you without being able to access that same joy again at any given moment.  To me, home is now my old house in South Carolina, my grandma’s house in San Antonio, the living room of my mom’s old house in North Carolina, under the willow tree at Windy Gap, Loon Lodge at Saranac Village, the Emory Road House where my high school YoungLife club was held, Fox Run at Lake Champion, and this new place in the mountains of North Carolina where my family now lives.  I know that pretty soon Baylor will start to feel like home to me too.

     As I fly to Texas today, I am comforted by the Lord’s steadfastness.  I am so grateful that in this season of life I have learned that God is with me everywhere I go, and that is what truly makes a place feel like home.  He never changes and He never leaves my side – Hebrews 13:8 says “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”  I know I share this verse a lot, but another one I think is so applicable to so much of our lives and is so comforting is Psalm 23:6, which says “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  The one home I will never move away from is His house.  And for that, I’m forever grateful.

Thanks for reading!