Stop Worrying

Hilary is a sophomore majoring in IPHS. She loves the outdoors, especially –hiking, biking, and camping. Watching movies is a past time of hers.  She enjoys exploring, and one day hopes to go kayak.

Worry wart.  I feel like some time or another we have all felt like this—especially now during our college years.  We worry about the littlest things from what our weekend plans are, to how our exam for bio, is going to be on Friday, to big things like what am I going to do with this degree I’m getting from Alma College?  It’s normal to think about these things and prepare in advance.  It is also normal to feel frustrated at times and almost hopeless, because you have no idea what’s in store for you and if there even is anything planned for you.  Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, God doesn’t send down maps from Heaven with cute little pictures of us with our future family, friends, and homes.  He isn’t going to show us what job we will have after school or what car we will be driving (or bike if you’re still in the process of paying off loans). As frustrating as it can be to feel lost in life at times, it can end up being a good thing I think.  It can be God’s way of showing how much He loves us and letting us learn to trust Him allowing our relationship to be that much better—which is a beautiful thing.  I want you to take a look at Matthew 6:25-34 to show you this… 

Read, read, read…

Ok so now that you have read this this passage, let’s sort of talk about it and reflect.  There is a lot to take in and interpret.  What I really love about this is how much attention God pays to the grass, birds, and other things in nature.  He clothes the grass giving it life and beauty.  This is grass that will be grown and then thrown into the fire to heat the clay ovens used at the time.  If God is giving so much attention to the birds and the flowers, imagine how much devotion He is giving you.  (There are 6,994,600,169 people in this world, and God still cares for each blade of grass along with every person; that’s pretty awesome.) He is making sure that every minute, every second, every millisecond, you are attended to.  You may not feel like it at the time, but He is watching you and guiding you to get you on the right path, even when you feel like you’ve reached a dead end.  We just have to do a “trust fall” with God and give up our worries to Him knowing that all will be well; put your faith in him, your doubts, your cares, and your uncertainties.  No one’s holding you back except yourself.  He says in verse 33 to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you.  If you pursue Him and trust God’s design for you, everything else will fall into place.  Focus on your relationship with Him first, and don’t fret over all that you have to do; He has it all taken care of.  What He wants is you and your attention.

So I want to challenge you to pray or talk to God every time that something comes up for you no matter how big or how small.  If you have an interview approaching, pause, pray, and prepare.  Don’t let the stress of it get to you everyday and take over you.  Cast those qualms on Him and have trust knowing that the “big guy” has got your back.  Don’t hassle, focus on what you have to do today, and still prepare for it without the stress.  It’s such a great feeling to know that there is no need to worry about the things that strain us when God is the one in control and taking care of it.  No matter how good or bad the interview goes, it will all work out in the end.  Don’t ever feel like God has left you alone when things don’t turn out as expected. Be calm knowing that He has the wheel.  He attends to the flowers with such great care; He will surely attend to you.   

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34    

What is Faithfulness?

Jessie is a senior English major.  She enjoys cuddling, singing, being sassy, going on fun and exciting adventures, and laughing... a lot.  

Faithfulness

faith·ful [feyth-fuhl] adjective:

1. strict or thorough in the performance of duty: a faithful worker.

2. true to one's word, promises, vows, etc.

3. steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant: faithful friends.

4. reliable, trusted, or believed.

5. adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate: a faithful account; a faithful copy.

Faithfulness is something that we as Christians tend to grapple with at some point or another during our individual walks with Christ.  It is far too simple for us to become discouraged and weak during times of turmoil and in the rage of a life storm.  Often during times of trouble we will find ourselves questioning God and His intentions-- but fear not!  The Lord our God is faithful to us always, as He told Joshua in Joshua 1:5, “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life!  Just as I was with Moses, so will I be with you.  Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Because of this promise, it is wicked important that even during our hard times we turn to God and remain faithful to Him without question... After all, if He can promise us that He will never leave nor forsake us, isn’t it only fair that we should be able to do the same for our Creator?  

Patience

^{Kylie is a bubbly sophomore education major who enjoys hanging out with friends and serving others!}

^“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

Every single day I find myself ‘running out’ of patience, whether I’m waiting in line at Saga or getting frustrated with an assignment. As I go through my day and find myself losing patience for the simplest things, it’s almost as if I need a constant reminder from God to pull everything I need from Him. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us of the Fruit of the Spirit—the visible attributes of living a Christian life with the Holy Spirit. Read on down the list and you’ll soon run across patience. What a great prompt this is for us as Christians. When we find ourselves being impatient, we can use those feelings as a reminder to give it up to God and draw from Him for anything that we need. So today when you find yourself getting frustrated, take a minute to close your eyes and draw your strength from the Lord!

A Devotion of Humility

Hey ya’ll I am Lance Jongekrijg – a Junior and an IPHS major.  I play basketball here at Alma, and enjoy listening to Christian Rap.

I don’t know how many of you have listened to Lecrae before, but he has some good music if you are into hip-hop with a Christian spin.  So, I wanted to give you a little preview.  This song is called Background and it focuses on the role we should play in our relationship with God.  It explains how we should not be the ones thinking we know everything in our life, but rather to follow God and his plan – to play a background with Him at the lead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZosXYJYV8c

I also want to think of this song with a sense of Humility.  Our pride can account for many problems with our relationship with God and with others.  It is important to humble ourselves before others – Jesus showed us exactly what this means with his disciples when he washed their feet.

Read John 13: 1-17.

Pride and self-righteousness are common problems we run into being human, but we must remember that we are all created in God’s image and although we all may have different roles within school, society, etc. we are all equal.  Sometimes the best thing for us to do is to take a step back and play the background once and awhile – don’t let our pride get the best of us.

Come to the Well

Marissa is a senior and an education major.   Did you know that she is a twin?  Not only that but she really loves hugs and serving others.

Check out John 4: 7-15 and James 4:8.

When you feel empty where do you turn? Do you turn to your best friend or significant other to fill those holes but still feel empty when done talking with them? There are plenty of times in my life when I have turned to other people to help me through whatever it is I am going through. This fills me up but when I go back to my room or am alone again I still have that empty feeling, and I start to wonder what it is I need to do to not feel drained. I heard this song from Casting Crowns and also heard Mark Hall the lead singer of Casting Crowns give a “behind the song” talk and was smacked in the face with what I had been missing. I had been turning to the world to help solve my problems when God was right there just waiting for me to come to Him because He is the One who can fill me up and completely erase those empty feelings. God has put people in our lives to lean on and go to for support but ultimately it is Him that we have to go to be filled up so that we can pour out our lives for other people. Humans will never be able to fill that empty void. Jesus is the only one who can do that! I encourage you to listen to this song and turn to God the next time you are feeling lonely about something and see how He is able to fill you up so that the empty feeling goes away.

The Song is titled “The Well” and comes from their newest album, Come to the Well

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo0Bf7Ebbu8

Hope and Blessings

Sarah is a freshmen who rocks out the keyboard and piano at chapel on Sunday nights!!

The Beatitudes shown in Matthew are meant to be a sort comfort for those who feel unworthy to be welcomed into the Christian faith and also feel that they are being criticized for their faith. I personally will often have times when I feel weak and beaten from daily life. In attempts to keep the people around me happy and not cause issues, I often run myself down in exhaustion. Sometimes there seems to be no end in sight to the barrage of chaos and unhappiness.

But that's exactly the point of these Beatitudes: to provide hope when things look bleak. Not only for those who are being persecuted for their faith, but simply for those who often feel discouraged by life itself. I am one of many people who feels like I must constantly try to step down from an argument to keep things peaceful, or that I have to be the one who says "I'm sorry" first. I try to keep the peace and I try to be as generous and merciful as I possibly can. After awhile, I begin to feel beaten down and hurt from this borderline subservience. Despite this, however, I feel blessed. He has not waited to bless me when I pass on, He has blessed me now with comfort and support from the most unlikely of places during times when I feel that I am giving myself up for everything and everyone else.

Yet He also blesses me when I do finally decide to stand up for myself—namely for my belief in him. I'm not a very loud person when it comes to opinions, but through His strength I am not afraid to calmly and openly explain to others what Jesus's love means to me. And if people unfairly criticize me for my beliefs, I know in the end it will not matter because He is always there to comfort me.  The word "Christian," like any other religious label, has developed its own connotation that is not always positive, and I am more than willing to correct the meaning, and God has blessed me with strength to do so and also with people who will support me or people who will hear what I have to say.

Never forget that He will always be your strength and guide when you feel at your weakest. You will always be blessed, because even though it can be discouraging to be the one who apologizes or always forgives, He will never leave your side. He knows what you did and you will be rewarded the Kingdom of Heaven for it.

All that Stuff

 Linsey is a senior EHS major and generally always has a smile on her face. She loves hiking and being outdoors as well as just unwinding and watching movies with friends.

Since I was a little girl I have always been taught to praise God for all of the good things he has done in my life before I ask him for anything. This always seemed so easy when I was younger, when life was much simpler. I have discovered though that as my To-Do lists get longer, my days get busier, and time just seems to fly by that I get caught up in all of the little things in life that don’t go right. Things like forgetting to set my alarm, spilling coffee, misplacing something end up ruining my day. I forget how blessed I truly am and end up just asking God to make my day better. I didn’t realize how often this happened until I heard a song called “This is the Stuff” by Francesca Battistelli. I like to call this song my anthem now because I have come to realize that God has truly blessed me and that he knows what he is doing in my life. God really might use the tiny things that annoy me in life to shape and mold me into who I am supposed to be. The truth is that I may never really know what events he is planning on using in my life but I need to remember that I shouldn’t worry about what will happen that day or the next because God knows what he is doing. I challenge you to reflect on this song and a verse in Mathew that tells us to not worry about what will happen in our Life because God has blessed us and he will always take care of us.

Scripture: Mathew 6: 25-34

Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqqdA8LHN7I&ob=av2e

Favorite part of lyrics:

In the middle of my little mess

I forget how big I’m blessed

This is the stuff that gets under my skin

But I gotta trust You know exactly what You’re doing

It might not be what I would choose

But this is the stuff You use