Don't Miss It

Sara and some close college friends.

May 10, 2014: Graduation day. All of my experiences, my memories, my friendships and relationships: the culmination of all these memories was happening in one big, celebratory day. As I looked back and reminisced on all the experiences I traveled through during those 4 years, I couldn’t help but take a moment to be thankful. God was so good to me!

But I also felt a pang of sadness; how in the world did it go by so fast? How did I go through such an incredible time of college and still look back wondering if I had done all I could do to make it “worth it”? My time at AU was nothing short of amazing, don’t get me wrong, but it flew by. Everyone told me as a freshman, “Don’t blink, because graduation will be here before you know it.” And they were right.

Wherever you are right now—a freshman or a senior, in your dorm or in Mocha’s, on top of the world or in a deep, lonely valley—this is my challenge to you: don’t miss it.

Life and college goes by so quickly. But that’s not what I’m talking about entirely. You see, in the midst of all of the craziness of college and post-Spring Break stress, there is still a purpose; there is still a reason to keep moving forward. And His name is Jesus.

The crucifixion stands out to me this year. It wasn’t just an act done by a man some 2,000 years ago to somehow cover our sins today, sins that seem so far divided from that moment that often the magnitude of the act is dissolved from our memories. No, Jesus did it for us. For me. For you. 

Don’t miss it. 

Easter is this coming Sunday. We’ll get dressed up, go to church, maybe do some sort of Easter egg/basket celebration, have a big Easter lunch with family, be all jolly and joyful, and then go back to our normal schedule on Monday. But that’s not what it’s about. The celebration of Easter is good, but when we let the message of Easter slip through our fingers, year in and year out, we’re missing the target entirely. 

ULC 2013-2014

Life is crazy. It flies by. It’s stressful. Hard stuff happens. But, Jesus. 

Preparation for finals is chaotic. Finishing papers or presentations in the wee hours of the night is exhausting. But, Jesus. 

But, Jesus. 

This year, don’t miss it. Don’t let Jesus’ cross—His resurrection, His gift of grace—don’t let it slip through the cracks. He did this to cover our sins, today. Hold tight to this truth, because in the middle of life’s most chaotic moments, it is the only unswerving, unchanging thing we have to cling to. But, Jesus. 

Don’t miss it. 

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus…This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness.” (Ephesians 2:1-7, Romans 3:22-25)

Laughter is good for the soul.

Sara Patrick (Eaton)
DC, 2011-2012 
Chapel Intern, 2013-2014
ULC Member, 2013-2014

Check out these videos to focus your heart and mind this Easter:

 

Holding Loosely

Alissa during her time in Uganda

Hey Friends! My name is Alissa Cain and I graduated from AU last May with a degree in nursing and Spanish. I am currently living in San Diego, California and just started my first full time nursing job. My time at AU was so rich with experiences, sorrow and oh so much growth.  I served as an RA in Martin and South, was the president of BOUND the anti-trafficking group on campus, was part of Camarada, helped lead and start the GAP, worked at Health Services (seriously THE best place to work on all of campus) and then to say the least, abused the Tri-S program and went to Tanzania, Australia, Greece, and Uganda. I was an avid fan of hammocking in the campgrounds, running endless laps around the track at Kardatzke, and spending ridiculous hours on the second floor of the library studying.

I have something to share that God has been speaking over my life for years. One of my favorite authors, Shauna Niequist states it so eloquently in titling one of her chapters, “Writing in Pencil”. I am known amongst my friends for saying it this way, “learning to hold loosely” to the things that aren’t mine to cling to. This is an image of living with our hands completely open before us, not with our hands clenched to dreams and hopes and ideals that are not ours to hold on tightly to. So I thought what better way to illustrate this truth than with a recent travel story of mine.

Recently I had quite the planes, trains, and automobiles type story. So much of my life has been spent traveling, exploring, and realizing so many new things about other cultures and the world. Tri-S was a huge part of this for sure. Recently I had yet another missed standby flight. Flying standby is one of the greatest and most stressful gifts of my life right now. If there are open seats, it's the cheapest way to fly. If there are not open seats, anxiety rides high as I determine how to get from point a to point b. In true standby fashion, I didn't get on my international flight back to the states from the Dominican Republic. My perfectly planned trip home wasn't about to happen. I had put stock in this plan for weeks and was let down and disappointed. I quite naturally had a bit of a breakdown as I despaired about how to get home for a new job and gave way to my exhaustion from being in wedding number 12. I let a few frustrated tears fall and utilized my resources at the airport to try and figure out how to get home. Finally a dear friend came to pick me up at the airport while I regrouped and found plan b which consisted of taking a bus to another city, buying an international ticket back to the states, almost getting stranded in New York's giant blizzard, running through customs like a crazy woman, sweating and crying as I found out all the flights for the day had left before New York shut down their airport for two days, miraculously coming up with a plan w and flying to Florida of all places to spend the night in the airport alone, to then catch an early flight to Houston, to then miss another flight to San Diego, to then fly to Orange County area, to then take a train to San Diego. Needless to say, not a single one of my plans came to fruition. Story of my life. Not to mention all the laughable ugly moments along the way.

Martin Hall Staff, 2011-2012

The point to all of this story is this: so much of my life has been spent planning and banking on events going a certain way, the way I had planned, the way I had prayed for.  In my time at AU, I thought that I would always have it all together, get perfect grades all throughout nursing school (this is impossible by the way), graduate with my very own ring by spring, and get the perfect job right out of school.  None of these things could have been further from the truth.  And, so often I was unbelievably disappointed that things didn’t go my way. I would get discouraged and this would lead to despair and the cycle would repeat itself.

And oh so often life goes quite the opposite way that I planned. I think I know what is best for myself, I think I have it all together, I think my ideals are perfect. I cling to my well thought out plans. And then low and behold, plans change, disappointment happens, life changes direction, things are not the way I hoped they would be. What then am I to do when the thing, situation or person that I had banked on is ripped from my tight grasp? If this is a reality of day to day life, how does one let go and fully surrender? How do I moment by moment submit to my loving Father and faithful Shepherd and fully lay down my ideals and my hopes and desires and then in the same breath embrace the adventure of not knowing how everything is going to turn out and choosing to simply live in the present? Proverbs 16:19 says, “In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”  What if we were a people that simply submitted to the ways the Lord chooses to establish our next steps?

A friend posted this quote a few months ago and it has been embedded in my mind ever since. Naturally the great C.S. Lewis wrote it and said, “Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” 

South/Tara RA Staff, 2012-2013

The explanation to all the plans that have changed or have gone so differently than the way I expected? It's this. God knows better than I do. He sees the whole house build when I can only see the portion that he is building and working on right now.  I want to take control, I want to decide how the house is going to be constructed and designed, but that’s not my job. My job is to live in the present, to trust him with my day, to rely on His faithful character, never ending promises and to walk in His truth. My role is not to take the building materials from his hand, as I pridefully often do when I think I know what is best.  I have to consciously choose to walk in His ways, to trust that He is for me, and to trust that one day I will see how each part of the house takes shape and turns out. And, I have no doubt as I have seen time and time again in other parts of the house, that the final product will be more glorious, whole, and radiant with honor to Him than anything I could have ever dreamed in the first place. My time at AU is a perfect example of this, so much didn’t go how I planned or expected. But, in all reality the amount of growth, new life, freedom and joy that came from holding loosely to my plans and trusting God with the process is truly a gift that I now value more then anything.

Be encouraged dear friends, write in pencil, not in sharpie. Hold loosely to your well dreamed up plans about what this college season should look like. Don’t forget about them, but do surrender them into the hands of your Faithful God. He knows exactly where you will end up next year when housing draw comes, He knows what student leadership position you will have, He knows what internship would be best for you, He knows why He’s having you redo a class, He is more than aware of the person He has for you to spend the rest of your life with and He knows what meaningful job and work that’s best for you. Trust Him, He is always faithful.

Alissa Cain
Martin Hall RA, 2011-2012
South Campus RA, 2012-2013

Identity in Christ

Hi Student Leaders!

My name is Jessica Hatcher (most know me as J-Hatch) and I graduated last May. I served as a senate rep, ULC member, an RA in Rice Hall & Fair Commons and then as the Assistant Resident Director of Fair Commons. Now, I am a Resident Director at Huntington University and I am pursuing my masters in mental health counseling.

College is a time where you make great relationships and you are on your own for the first time. You learn about who you are away from the home you have always known and you are given freedom to start all over. I took advantage of this opportunity 100%! My years at Anderson were the best of my short life so far. The amount of growth, healthy relationships and maturity that I experienced there will forever mean so much to me. The excitement I had the first few months of college was a great feeling, but, fast-forward 4 years to spring semester of my senior year…

I. Was. Freaking. Out. I had let this community, my experiences, my professors and my leadership positions form me into a different and better person than I was before. I had formed a new identity and was pretty wrapped up in it. I was proud to see how far I had come and felt so fortunate to have the good experience that I did. When I thought about graduating in May, my heart filled with anxiety and my head was bombarded with thoughts, leaving me confused and scared about the future. How will I be happy away from this place? What if I don’t get into grad school? What if I’m not working in reslife? Will I live with my parents forever? What if I never have friends again? etc. As you can tell, most of my thoughts were irrational and lacked faith, but at the time, they were easy to believe. The hard thing to do was trust and rely on God. I couldn’t imagine myself outside of my “role” in the community and it was terrifying. I idolized my job, my relationships, my church, my education and my community. Fitting Christ into that was more of a challenge than a blessing. The busy life of trying to accomplish so much is empty when accomplishing intimacy with Christ isn’t on that list.

 

J-Hatch and Rice 2AB, 2012-2013.

This past season of transition has challenged me to think through where I am rooted and that is the message I feel called to share with you today. In life, it is easy to find your identity in your job, relationships and your community. When someone meets you, the first questions usually asked are, “What do you do for a living?” “Where are you from?” In our world, it is natural that these aspects of our life would be the main interest of others. I am thankful that the body of Christ is called to be in the world, but not of the world. If our identity is found in our leadership positions, sports, our talents or even our community, we will be lead to glorify ourselves instead of glorifying our Creator. We must be firmly rooted in God’s love in order to fulfill the opportunities he has presented to us. God uses seasons in our life to prepare us for what He has designed as our purpose in this world. In order to jump into those new opportunities, our identity has to be rooted in something more than just our present circumstances. Jumping into a new community was hard for me, but gave me a wonderful opportunity to solidify my identity in who Christ is and who he has called me to be. I was constantly risking myself in my job, new relationships, and new classes. I had to rely on Jesus to be with me in my risk.

Whether you are graduating this year, trying a new summer job, starting a new leadership position or continuing in one you already have, a new season is ahead. I challenge you to constantly be in the word and being reminded of who God has created you to be. Rely on his words for affirmation and create an identity in Christ that is greater than any part of you.  Confidence in who Christ is will lead you farther than any confidence from this world. “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:13 

Fair Commons Staff, 2014-2015

Walk boldly in faith and follow him closely in whatever season lies ahead. He is faithful and He provides.

-J-Hatch
2014-2015, Fair Commons ARD
2013-2014, Fair Commons RA, ULC Member
2012-2013 - Rice Hall RA

The Promised Land

So it’s that time of year! You have a new and promising year in your sights. You are getting excited for your future and all the new changes. You may have new positions and jobs, new housing arrangements, and new roommates! There will be new mentees, new residents, new students to lead! Or you may be stepping down from leadership and are looking forward to a little less stress and chaos :) For some, it will soon be your senior year and for others, graduation is just around the corner! Change and the hope for something better is so refreshing and exciting.

But I am here to say be careful.

Don't get too awe-struck and enamored by your “bright” future because what you are doing now will eventually be over.

When it’s done, it’s done. When it’s gone, it’s gone. When it’s time to move on, there really isn’t any way to stick around. Even though you may try, you cannot make things the same as they once were. This is the only time where you will get opportunities like this.

There are still those who are relying on you to be a shoulder to cry on, to vent frustrations, to share in their excitements, and hear their burdens. There are still those willing to ask for advice, to discuss their ups and downs, to be reached out to. There still are those who need to be served, to be cared about, and to be loved well.

We all can get stuck in the thrill and excitement, or even the anxiety and worry of the future. I get stuck in the trap all the time. It’s natural. I have been reading through Exodus and Numbers and it has provided a perfect example. The Israelites, from the time they left Egypt to finally making it the Promised Land, got to witness a lot of crazy cool acts of God. Things that would make our jaws drop and say “Did you see that?!?!” Unfortunately, a lot of the time they were more worried about their present problems, wanting to go back to the “better days” in Egypt, and even (you guessed it) their future in the Promised Land. They missed so many lessons, opportunities, and

God’s splendor because they were so focused on other things.

Dunn Hall Staff, 2012-2013

You may say "but that’s what we are supposed to do, Logan!" To think, plan, and execute to get us where we need to go. Right? There is truth in that, the future is for planning. And the past is for remembering, but the present is for living. You can try to live in the past and future but the only thing you are going to do is miss living in the present. God tells us in Ephesians 5:15-16, "So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.” This can be interpreted in a variety of ways for a variety of situations but I do believe this verse can speak into your situation now with thinking about the future, yet struggling to stay focused and motivated in the present.

God has called you to be where you are going, but he has also called you to be where you are at. And until you are actually moving on to your next adventure, you are called to serve faithfully and whole-heartedly in the moment.

You only get so much time to be doing what you are doing now. To be leading AU in a special way. Do not let it pass too quickly or with no thought. Enjoy the time and moments that you have now. Psalm 118:24 (ESV) says “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Let us rejoice and live fully in these present days.

Instead of looking longingly to the “promised land” of your future plans, look at the days and moments that you have in front of you with extra zeal and fervor. “Rejoice and be glad in it” and live faithfully and fully in the time you still have left.

Dunn Hall Staff, 2013-2014

Logan Hansen

Peer Mentor, 2011-2012

3rd Floor Dunn RA, 2012-2013

3rd Floor Dunn RA, 2013-2014