Just Be

Meet Austin Lyon! He graduated from AU in 2015 and is now living in Abilene, Texas. He is an RD at Hardin-Simmons University for second-year male students and is currently working to create a program for all second-year students. While at AU, he served as an RA in Dunn Hall for one year and as Student Body President for two years. Austin is an avid coffee drinker, a huge fan of chips and salsa, and loves to hike and adventure.

If you want to talk to Austin more about resting in the Spirit, feel free to contact him at (517) 990-5022 or email him at Austin.Lyon@hsutx.edu.

Go. Love.

So after graduating in May last year, I decided to stick around the Anderson area to work instead of heading back to the Northern lands of Michigan. This has been a blessing but also a curse. A curse because I have to explain to people that I graduated, but yet I chose to stick around, but a blessing because I have probably learned the most valuable thing I could possibly learn here in Anderson. Love.

I’m going to say something that may wig some of you out and some may not agree with and that’s ok, but here it goes! Do you know that massive bible they make you buy for intro to bible (The red one that adds a million pounds to your backpack)? I love the footnotes it has, but there were two scriptures a footnote focused on that rattle my bones a few months back when reading Matthew which reads:

Matthew 5:48 “Be perfect, therefore, as Your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Matthew 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasures in Heaven; then come, follow me.”

Wait… Did Jesus just call me to be perfect? Did he literally just say be perfect?

The answer is yes.

The only two times Jesus ever called us to be perfect. Not only that but his call to be perfect revolves around the love commandment. This shook me hard when I first read it and really caused me to reevaluate myself.

Why? Because I tried to avoid the people of Anderson as hard as I could.

I didn’t want to be involved with them and I didn’t want to become one. They’re mean, trashy and  hopeless people who probably hated everyone for no reason (Or so my over-privileged private Christian school bubbled self-thought).

But back in September, I had the privilege of joining the core team for a revival movement that  was hitting Anderson in November (1st-8th). As we began meeting and planning I got to meet these “Andersonians” who were not only on fire for Jesus, but on fire to tell people about Jesus and I began to hear stories of encounters these people had before the revival had even started.

Side note: Even though I do believe in street evangelizing, that’s not  my focus. If anyone wants to argue that topic with me feel free to contact me. But heads up, I will win the argument.

Ok CJ, you are all over the place. Where are you going with this?

Well, as we began training to go out and minister to people, we had an order of how to talk to someone. Love, Listen, Discern, and Pray. Now I want to focus on the words love and listen because that is the focal point of what we are to do as Christians. When we went out and approached people in the city and just simply asked them, “Hey how are you doing?” they began to break down. Telling us all the pain and hurt they were going through and this is before they even knew we were Christians and we were there to pray for them! (This what I like to call divine appointments). It was unbelievable to hear some of their stories and what I found that week of revival is an unbelievably broken city that just wants to be loved and heard.

Here’s my point.

When was the last time you listen to a complete stranger? Mine was the other day as I listened to the Mcdonald’s employee talk to me about her frustrations at work and how miserable she was. All I did was listen and as I drove away told her I’d be praying for her. She was shocked. Do you know it’s easier for a stranger to talk to a stranger about their problems than to their friends and family? When is the last time you offered that kind of love and care for a complete and random stranger?

Side note again: It’s never random. God places you in those situations.

What if instead of talking about how bad the people in Anderson are and how Anderson is in the top 10 worst cities in America, you instead went out and got to know the city and got to hear stories and show love? What if you left your university and got on your hands and knees with the people that surround it?

Jesus calls us to perfectly love everyone. We may not accomplish that, but that’s why he threw in grace when he died on the cross. But don’t use that as an excuse to get out of going outside the walls of comfortability. As student leaders, be an example of the love Jesus showed the women at the well, the adulteress, and everyone else he came into contact with.

Here’s the best part. Where you can spend a thousand dollars on a Tri-S trip to do this for someone who you can barely communicate with, you can drive two minutes into downtown and not have to worry about cost or language barriers. And honestly, probably even someone who is within 20 feet of you right now.

Love is light and fear is darkness. Light never loses to darkness. Flip the lights on in a dark room, the light wins every time. It’s not even a competition. So don’t let fear stop you from showing God’s love.

I pray God would ignite compassion and eagerness into each and every one of you to go and be an image of God’s love to someone this week. And in the words of Church of the Crossing:

Go. Love.

CJ Lukas

Vision Revision Coordinator 2013-2015

Eyes on Jesus

Meet Samantha Pence! She graduated from AU in 2015 and is currently living in Long Beach, California, just few blocks from the beach. She is a social worker for homeless veterans and families. While serving as a social worker, she is attending graduate school to get her MSW at USC. While at AU, she served as a Morrison RA and was on ULC for two years. She wants us to know, "All of this goodness is because of our good and sweet Father. He deserves all the glory. He turned my wailing into dancing, and He's given me this overwhelming joy. I will spend my life praising Him."

If you want to hear more about Samantha's story or find a connection in California, feel free to contact Samantha at spence@voala.org.

Commentary: On

I have a crazy idea, but we have to define two terms really quickly. Ready?

            The first part of this is a phenomenon called “semantic saturation.” That’s what it’s called when you say a word over and over and over again until it starts to sound weird. You might think you’re saying it wrong, or maybe it just begins to sound meaningless. I remember the first time I experienced this, it was with the word “soldier.” Soldier. Soldier. Soldier. Weird word. That “j” sound doesn’t seem like it belongs.

            The second cog in our wheel here is the idea of “muscle confusion.” Since I work at AU, I still get to take advantage of the campus facilities, and I took that opportunity last year to start learning what to do in a gym. I am not an athlete. At all. But I wanted to be well! So I watched someone do a workout on whatever muscle group and copied what they were doing, and then I would repeat this every visit. It wasn’t until I went with a friend that I encountered this aforementioned muscle confusion. We did a bicep lift like usual, but he showed me a different method. I didn’t lift any higher weights, but I found myself so much sorer than usual! Just a little adjustment hit tissue I’d been missing before and “confused” my muscle to develop differently, helping me get stronger.

            Okay, so there are two concepts here on the table, a sweet little blend of linguistics and exercise science. What do they have to do with each other? Not much actually; but both ideas have helped refresh my spiritual framework this year.

            Most of us in the AU community have been Christians for a long time. There are super deep roots in the CHOG tradition. We all know the story of Christ. We all know the story of church. Heck, we all know the story of Anderson University from Dr. Strege’s LART textbook. Our experience with this faith system is so engrained in our lives, at times, it begins to become semantically saturated. Christ. Christ. Christ. Am I saying that right? I’ve literally been on stage before singing, playing, and leading a congregation in worship and simultaneously been actively thinking about Chipotle. We do this stuff so much and so frequently, sometimes it ceases to mean anything at all to us.

            If this resonates with you, here’s my humble advice: confuse your spiritual muscles. Forget about getting whipped up into a hand-raising spirit fervor when the bridge of “With Everything” drops just because that’s the emotional cue. Stop using a rote prayer before lunch. When you reach out to engage the Spirit, think about what you’re doing. Even in the banal parts of your day. Question why exactly you’re making that move anyway. Is it because that’s how you were raised? Cut it out. Your relationship with God is between you two. If we can squelch these automatic tendencies, we can actually find communion with Jesus in slightly new, ever-so-subtly different ways and hit tissue we never even knew existed before. It just takes a little introspective effort.

            One last thought: Star Wars is awesome. I’ve seen those movies more than any other single franchise. I knew that story backwards and forwards. Have you ever watched a movie you love with the director commentary on though? It’s a wildly different experience. I already knew the narrative arc of the Skywalker family, but suddenly, I was learning why it was the way it was. It gave a whole new dimension to my understanding of the story, of the characters, of the thought processes that brought everything into motion. I was hearing from the story’s creator why he wrote the story that way.

            Consider approaching your spiritual life with the director commentary on, even if only for a little while. Let the author tell you about why he wrote the story the way he did. Don’t allow your spirituality to feel weird in your mouth. Confuse it. It’s the kind of confusion that actually helps things make sense.

Joshua Powell

Dunn Hall RA, 2010-2012

Dativus President, 2012-2013

10:07 Coordinator

God's Will

Meet Sarah Hatfield! She graduated from AU in 2014 and now lives in New Hampshire. She currently is working as a nurse at Concord Hospital and is enjoying learning and growing in her job. While at AU, Sarah served as a peer mentor and as the New Student Coordinator on the Student Leadership Team. She is the proud owner of a blind cat named Fahy, two Siamese cats named Cleopatra and Cairo, a dog (and her hiking partner) named Ike, and a loud chicken named Roxanne. Sarah has learned more about Christ and herself in the past two years than in her lifetime and expects that the learning has just begun.

Celebrate the Small Things

Meet Clay and Bailey Orander! Clay and Bailey graduated from AU last year and are now living in Broad Ripple. Clay currently serves as the worship pastor at the Vineyard Community Church in Greenwood. While at AU, Bailey was a DC in Morrison, Clay was an RA in Dunn and both were on ULC. They were married in August and are loving figuring out life now alongside their cat Thatcher.

You Have What It Takes

Meet Nancy Hendrickson. She may be known to some of you as Nancy Furness. She graduated from Anderson University in 2013 and is now an admissions counselor here at AU.  While at Anderson, she served in Campus Ministries as Vision ReVision coordinator. Nancy loves to dance with or without music. She prefers eating ice cream with a fork and since being married, has gained a sweet husband and a full time barista! Logan solely represents the Denver Nuggets fan base in Indiana. He will rock some dress shoes or crocs. And since being married, he has already forgotten how to do his own laundry. 

Take Risks

Meet Wesley Curton! Wes is a recent graduate from AU. He served as an RA in Dunn Hall for two years and was the ARD of South/Tara his senior year. He's currently in Brownwood, Texas as an RD at Howard Payne University. Wesley loves coffee, hammocking, and laughter. He recently adopted a dog named Atlas, who has become his adventure buddy. Wes would also like to add that Jesus is the best.

If any of you would like to hear more about Wesley's story, feel free to reach out to him and shoot him an email at wcurton@hputx.edu.

Acceptance is the first step

Here's our first blog of the year!

For those of you who don't know me... My name is Megan Maloney and I'm a senior Family Science major. I'm originally from Carmel, IN and I have no idea where I'm going to end up after I graduate. I'm a lover of Jesus, chocolate, elephants, and laughter. I sing all the time and love getting to know other people's stories. I was an RA for the last two years and have the privilege of serving as ULC director this year.

To whoever watches this video, I pray that you can take something away out of the mess that was my life these last few months. I adore you all and pray for you daily!

Senior-Spotlight

Nicole Boyle

 

Major: Family Science/Minor: Early Childhood

Leadership Positions: Peer Mentor (2012- 2014), Peer Mentor Coordinator (2014-2015)

Plans after graduation: Mini vacation where I just sleep and sleep some more! Get a cool job and get married in August!

What I learned about myself during my time in leadership: Being a Peer Mentor and the Peer Mentor Coordinator made me realize I love to help people and watch them grow. It also made me realize I wanted to take a new direction career wise and therefore changed my major to Family Science. 

Watson George

Major: Bible and Religion/ Minors: Non-profit Leadership/Teaching English As Second Language (TESL)

Leadership Positions: Student Peace Initiative (2014-2015), Beyond Me Haiti Director (2012-2015)

Plans after graduation: I am doing seminary through Heartland Church in Indianapolis and working part-time; Directing my non-profit organization, Beyond Me.

Favorite memory from being in leadership: My favorite memory I have about the student leadership position is our campus ministry meetings. They were so meaningful to me. We shared our hearts for each other, God, and the people were so genuine and welcoming!

Hilary Hughel

Major: Business Management/Minor: Public Relations

Leadership Positions: Discipleship Coordinator (2012-2013), ULC (2014-2015)

Plans after graduation: I plan to take some time off this summer, rest, spend time with friends and family. I am also hopefully going to do some traveling this summer as well as look for a Public Relations or Marketing Job.

Something you have learned about yourself or leading through your time in leadership: I have learned in my four year of college, that life does not always go as planned, but that does not mean God will not use your situation for his Glory. My time in leadership has taught me a lot about myself and helped me explore what kind of leader I wanted to be. It has also taught me, that I can't be everything to everyone and I first and foremost need to allow time for myself and extend grace to myself. I am so thankful for the leadership that is on this campus and their active pursuit to walk along side the students to help them grow. This has been a great four years!!

Julia Kittle

Major: Sociology/Minors: Business Management and Spanish

Leadership Positions: Campus Ministries- Generation to Generation Coordinator (2012-2015)

Plans after graduation: I will be an intern in the Development department at Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and continuing to look for full-time jobs in the area.

Something you have learned about yourself or leading through your time in leadership: One of the many things being a part of student leadership for three years has taught me is how to let go. When I first started leading Generation to Generation my sophomore year, I had high hopes everything would go as I had planned, but that was simply not the case. Being a part of campus ministries staff allowed me to realize this about myself. I always thought that “control-freak” nature belonged to others; but not me. As a staff, we each share out stories and this is when I realized a common theme throughout my life and experiences: the inability to let go. Even though I shared my story each year for three years, I noticed new parts of my story each time I shared. I couldn’t let go of that poor test grade, that broken friendship, allowing others to step up in group projects, and many other things. I wasn’t allowing myself to rest in the peace that comes from letting go and letting God take control over difficult situations. While things didn’t go as I had planned, awesome things still happened, just not what I had planned prior to taking the position and still during my time  as a leader! I knew I had to “let go” and let God jump into the driver’s seat; far too often I find myself reaching over for the wheel and fighting with God for control. With encouragement from my mentors, other leaders on campus ministries staff, and my friends, I came to realize I didn’t have to always be the one calling the shots. If one of my volunteers wanted to plan an event for the residents, then I needed to happily delegate that over to them and watch how their vision for the ministry could also be incorporated into mine. Beautiful things and new relationships followed. Whether you’re stepping into leadership for the first time or this is your third year as a leader, I urge you to be flexible and allow the vision for your ministry to change: because it will. While change is hard, sometimes it is so necessary and can bring beautiful things to life. Thanks for listening, guys! Have a wonderful and restful summer!

 

Austin Lyon

Major: Psychology

Leadership Positions: Dunn Hall RA (2012-2013), SGA President (2013-2015)

Plans after graduation: Only thing set in stone is my master's program at IWU in student development counseling and administration. Other than that I am hopeful for a position in residence life anywhere.

Favorite memory from being in leadership: Definitely one of my favorite memories was starting a new 4th floor Dunn tradition that only true 4th floor Dunn boys know about.

S. Katie Miller

Major: Visual Communication Design/Minor: Writing
Leadership Positions: Advertising Coordinator / CAB (2013-14), Student Director / CAB (2014-15)
Favorite memory from being in leadership: One thing I really love about CAB is how unafraid we are to be silly, and sometimes even downright stupid. I was reminded of this at 9:02pm at the Rooftop Dance this past weekend. At 9:03 there was a total of four people there and they were not dancing. My options were:

• Make another s'more (I'd already had four).
• Drink that Chartwell pop in the corner and maybe prop one leg up to look cool.
• Go dance like an idiot by myself.

So a few other Cabbies and I did. We discoed down the stairs and boogied our butts off in the broad 9 o'clock daylight—and it was so fun! Soon enough people were moovin and groovin and soon enough Katy Perry was asking a crowd if they ever felt like a plastic bag and sparklers were spritzing all over the library courtyard. It was a complete blast, but I have to say my favorite part was dancing like and idiot with some great people who didn't care.
I love being part of a team that loves and serves campus.
And I love being part of a team that loves to be stupid so everyone else can be cool.

Samantha Pence ​

Major: Social Work ​

Leadership Positions: Morrison Hall RA (2012-2013), ULC staff member (2013-2015)

Plans after graduation: Moving to San Diego, California and obtaining a job in Military Social Work.​

Favorite memory from being in leadership: My favorite memory about leadership is when I was an RA my hall and I went to Dove Harbor and made Christmas crafts with the kids. This was just one rewarding and joyful experience, along with the pancake dinners, movie nights, and endless late nights talks I had with my hall as an RA. 

Courtney Rice

Major: Bible and Religion/Minors: Family Science and Peace and Conflict Transformation

Leadership Positions: RA in Morrison Hall (2013-2014), ULC Director (2014-2015), Admissions Crew Student Manager (2014-2015)

Plans after graduation: I will be working as a Camp Director for TEAMeffort this summer (location still TBD). After the summer I plan to embark on the journey of figuring out my next adventure in life.

Something you have learned about leading through your time in leadership: One of the lessons I have continually learned throughout my time in leadership is that there is a difference between perfection and excellence. Perfection is not attainable, and if you spend your time trying to be perfect, you are just going to end up burning out and losing focus of why you are in your position to begin with. However, serving and leading with excellence is attainable. Leading with excellence does not mean that you will never mess up or have to apologize. Rather, leading with excellence means being mindful that you are going to make mistakes (we are all human), and then instead of hiding them, you humbly admit those mistakes, and get back up and try again. Do not strive to be a perfect leader --> Be an excellent leader.

Kiersten Town

Major: Sociology

Leadership Positions: Rice Hall RA (2013-2014), Rice Hall ARD (2014-2015)

Plans after graduation: After graduation I plan on finding full time employment near my hometown and making lots of new friends!

Advice for those continuing in leadership: Leaders, if there was one piece of advice I could share with you, it would be to invest in a mentor relationship. We are never too old to have someone share wisdom with us. Allowing that to happen in a trusting and close relationship is even more valuable. I have grown so much by God teaching me, and that was largely through my individuals with my RD, Maggie. Although we are leaders, we still have the opportunity to be led in other parts of our lives. There is always space to learn and grow.