Mercy loves singing and spending time with friends as well as volunteering her time!

Haggai 1:9

 ‘You expected much, but it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.’

Reflect on this passage and allow it to speak to you. I encourage you to read Haggai 1:1-9 in order to gain a better understanding of the importance of what is happening.

In this passage, the Israelites had returned from captivity in Babylon (538 B.C.) to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. However, they were delayed because of hostile neighbors who challenged them. Because of this opposition, the work on the temple was left untouched for over 15 years. Haggai delivered this message to encourage the Israelites not to give up, but to continue rebuilding.

In our own lives, how often do we allow the tide of opposition sweep us away from the work God has assigned us in building up His temple? Today, our “hostile neighbors” may appear as positive aspects of our lives. Sometimes the things we hold close enough to be called our neighbors are the very things that hinder us. Who are your neighbors? Good works, busy-ness, a desire to excel? Perhaps complacency, envy, bitterness, and the desire for worldly acclaim? Do we work to advance God’s Kingdom on earth, or do we become passive, overwhelmed by how draining the opposition can be, distracted from our purpose?

In Haggai’s day, the temple was a building in which the very Spirit of God dwelt. Now, the Bible says our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19), and that we all belong to the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27).  Until we connect our actions and convictions with the purpose for which God called us as children, our deeds and goals in life will never reach their full potential to bless others and we may find ourselves feeling empty and unfinished. How is God calling you to rebuild His temple?

“You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.” – C.S. Lewis

Gifts from God

Edward "Ted" Webb is a New Media Studies Major focusing in Documentary Video and an SMC. His videos can be seen in chapel on Sunday, and is currently working on two documentaries, one to be finished this semester, and one for his Senior Thesis. Keep an eye out for his work in and out of Chapel.

Scripture Referenced:

1 Samuel 20

Galatians 5:22-23

After reading 1 Samuel 20, it is apparent that David and Jonathan are best friends. What qualities do they both posses that cause them to be such good friends? The answer is not one single quality but several. All of these are gifts from God, as he wanted them to be there for each other so they could grow in themselves and the Lord. Now after reading Galatians 5:22-23, it states that: "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Think of the fruits of the spirit as every child of God, we were given life from Him, just like fruit on trees. Now look at all the fruits of our spirits, these are all qualities that every child of God posses. This means that David and Jonathan are possessed of these qualities, and through their similarities in them, they become great friends. Now instead of thinking about your best friend, think about your enemies. They are also a child of God, even if they are not a Christian, thus they posses all of these fruits of the spirit as well. And through that, you can extent your love to them, just like a tree would extend it's roots. Don't think about it as conforming them to the Christian way, but being a loving Christian and connecting with them, and hopefully creating a new friend through these new found qualities that you may not have thought about before.

"I am the I AM"

Phil is a sophomore/junior majoring in Music.  He really enjoys studying the word and working with YFC on Thursdays.

        Of all the "I am" statements in the Gospel of John it is perhaps the line in John 8:58, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM" that reveals the most to us as believers. In one breath Christ claims both pre-existence and exclusive divinity with the Father. He provocatively proclaims the mystery of His unity with the Father and His glorious supremacy in all things. This holds monumental implications for us. Jesus continues to reinforce Himself by saying " I and the Father are one," (John 10:30) and "He has seen Me you has seen the Father" (John 14:9). This truth is a great blessing because it enables us to see the Father through the Son. Yet, it also presents us a challenge because that truth requires seeing the Father to be seeing Jesus. Just as when we see the love, mercy, and boldness of Jesus we then see the same in the Father. But, this means that when we see the righteousness, holiness, justice, and glory of the Father they necessarily reflect on our understanding of Jesus. Simply the beauty of the Father in the Old Testament teaches us with the Gospels about our Lord and Savior. The challenge then during this season of Lent is to look back and reflect on the Father in the Old Testament in order to cherish more completely the Son we embrace.

Alissa is a senior and a future doctor!  She majored in IPHS and has spent time as an SMC, a member of the IPHS Honorary and many other on campus organizations.  She is learning to love Chinese food and is awesome at making yummy cakes and desserts!

Pray.

 Then read James 5:13-18.

 I love that this passage reminds us to pray at all times and promises us that our prayers will be heard and answered. When I recently reread this passage, however, two things stood out to me: verse 16 where James says, “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” and vs 17 where he compares us to Elijah. I was confused as to how James could tell us that Elijah was the righteous man verse 16 talks about and then tell us that he was just like you and I. I am quite certain that I am nothing like Elijah seeing as I have never performed any miracles. This really frustrated me. If James is telling us that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective and then saying that Elijah (!) is a good example of this, do I even have a chance? How can I become this righteous person that James speaks of so that all of my prayers and become powerful and effective?

 Flip to Romans 3:21-24. Verse 22: “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” When we believe in Christ as our Savior, God doesn’t just declare us to be not guilty, but rather declares us to be righteous. Christ died so that we can be called righteous; we can pray as Elijah did and the Lord will answer. As you go out into this day I challenge you to pray with purpose; remember that you are praying not just to some unknown power lurking somewhere beyond the sky but rather to God. Elohim, our Everlasting Father, Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. A God so much bigger than our comprehension and understanding and yet someone who loves each of us so much, who has covered us in His mercy, grace, and love, who has declared us as righteous, and who truly hears our prayers. (Go ahead, pray to Him!)

Smoothies of Life

Teresa Larson is a junior at Alma majoring in elementary education and working to get her early      childhood endorsement. She likes music, working with kids, and playing in sun-showers. 

Of all of the great improvements that are going on around campus, I must say that my favorite by far is addition of Stucchi’s. I personally think it’s one of the highlights of our campus, and the perfect place for a lunch or dinner date or meeting spot for your group to work on a project. All of the delicious coffees, snacks, and of course ice cream have made a perfect haven for us to step outside of the cafeteria and spend time with other college students and members of the community. My personal favorite thing to get when I go to Stucchi’s is some kind of smoothie…the perfect blend of all of the delicious fruits and flavors can make this simple treat the highlight of my day.

One of my all-time favorite bible passages is Galatians 5:22-23, also known as the Fruits of the Spirit (quick, how quickly you can name them all!!)…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I sat looking at that list one day, thinking about those fruits of the spirits that I think I do alright with, and those that I really need to seek God’s direction and guidance with. As I’m sure many of us can relate, the second list was much longer than the first.

Like most people, I think best with analogies. So let’s say that I’m a smoothie…I prefer something passion peach-like. I’ve got a mango of peace, a little bit of pineapple of patience, and nice  healthy serving of a peach of gentleness. Ta-da, that’s my smoothie and I’m delicious!

But what about the strawberries of love, or the grapefruits of faithfulness, or the kiwis of faithfulness (the list goes on, but you get the idea)? What about all those delicious flavors? Sure, I’m a decent smoothie with my own fruits of the spirit, but why wouldn’t I want to be the best smoothie ever and have all of the fruits of the spirits? When we look to the perfect smoothie, we look to one with all of the flavors, not just three or four.

In the same way, when we look for the perfect example of how to lead our lives, we look to the one with all of the fruits of the spirit. Jesus was a real, living human being that walked among us and who’s sprit dwells with us now that was the best example of how to live our lives…full of love, joy, and peace, embracing patience, kindness, and goodness, and demonstrating faithfulness and gentleness, and showing us how to live a life of self-control…the perfect fruit smoothie.

Always There

Alex Sprague is a  freshmen at Alma College.  Double majoring in Political Science and Religious, he aspires to be a minister as he has since 3^rd grade. He loves hanging out with friends both in chapel and outside of chapel.  You might find him reading Harry Potter or enjoying  Baseball. He loves Mercy Me, especially the song I can Only Imagine.

Isaiah 43:1-4

            But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lore you God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.

            This passage means a lot to me, I discovered this passage right after my cousin died from cancer and my pastor died in a drowning accident. It brought me closer to God after reading this and helped me get through the pain that I was feeling during that time. To me this passage reminds me that God is with you no matter what goes on in your life, in the good times and the bad times. It also reminds me that God loves us even when we screw up and do crappy things and also when we do great and awesome things. As we go through out this Lenten season, it may be a rough time for you but just remember that even though you may go through a crappy time God is always there ready to hear the problems that you are going through. As Jesus went through 40 days of fasting, he knew that God was right there, and even as he knew he was going to die, he knew God was there.

Closing Prayer: Dear God, Thanks for always being there and walking with us through our             crappy times and through our good times. It means a lot to know that you would save us from a flood or a fire and that you love us so much. In your name, Amen

Shine On

Annie Bourbonais is a senior this year who loves to dance and be a part of community theater. Phi Sigma Sigma is where it’s at, she is so proud to be a part of the greek life on Alma College’s campus. Next year she hopes to possibly go to grad school for school counseling! 

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’” John 8:12 (NIV).

Christ is our light and our way. We know this to be true, but often times we forget that this light is not only something to follow, but also something that dwells within us. Not only is Christ our light, but we also can be light unto others and be a light unto the world. In John 3:20-21 Jesus says, “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God” (NIV). As we continue to live in the light we are able to show others our understanding of Christ and all that He has done for us. We are to live as examples of Christ and as we do that we are able to have the light of Christ shine from within us. We are here to help and support one another and when we are showing this light we are able to help lead others to know of God’s love for them. Through all that we go through we must remember that with this light we are able to glorify the Lord and He will be pleased with us. This life is not ours to live, but His, and by shinning His light through us we are able live a life centered on God. He wants for us to be like Him and we truly can when the light of Christ resides within us. We must remember that although darkness may surround us there is no need to be engulfed in it. We can always see the light if we are living our lives in accordance to Jesus’ example because His light will shine from inside us.

Check out this song by MercyMe called “Shine On” http://youtu.be/josDitZChCk