I have yet to buy my school supplies ...

I always hope when I title things with a name such as that, even though I am a 20 year old adult, my mother will refrain from reading such a post as this! (Just kidding - love you, Mom!!!) As much as I would like to say, "Yeah this is just a catchy title that I'm using to attract more readers!" I would then in fact be lying to you because that is the honest truth - I HAVE YET TO BUY ANY SORT OF SCHOOL MATERIAL (and classes start on Tuesday)!!!

For starters, I'm a procrastinator.  I always like to think that will change but I have learned that I work pretty well under pressure and I'm good at meeting deadlines.  Therefore, I'm still feeling pretty good about starting my third year at college.

I do remember my first year of college, although it usually seems like decades ago!  I was a terrified freshman wondering what I had gotten myself into as I committed to being a student-athlete at college three hours away from my family where I knew no one.

I remember wondering before classes even started if I was going to fail; like maybe I would get lost trying to find a class.  I did.

I was afraid to struggle in math.  That happened.

I was worried there might be people who didn't like me.  There are always those people in life.

I was concerned about the three point line being farther back and missing a shot.  Well, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.


And among all of the worry and anxiety and even, for lack of a softer term, failure I survived my freshman year of college.  I even came back and lived through a great sophomore year.  Round three of college begins in less than two days, I don't have any school supplies, AND I am stress free.

College isn't always going to be easy.  Life isn't always going to be easy.  But it will be worth it.

So, to those beginning a new chapter in your life (here at Bethel or wherever you are), here's to a great year (aka virtual cheers).  Celebrate the day - tomorrow will be too late to enjoy what you can today!

******

Check out the link below which shows off an

 incredible Welcome Week crew at Bethel University.

http://vimeo.com/104712986 -BU 2014 Welcome Week 

-Courage, dear heart. C.S. Lewis

Lexi

Ubuntu

I have recently returned from camping in Ironwood, Michigan. I went with other students who are going to be RA's along side of me this school year and our boss.

At one point while camping we each went out and took three hours of alone time.  That is a lot of time to be alone, with no technology, to process a lot of thoughts, especially for an extreme extrovert like myself!  Sometimes it's hard for me to go be alone and then once I am alone, I can feel a little bit antsy!

So, there I was sitting on a beach along Lake Superior. 

It was cold. It was raining. I was running out of clothes that were dry so I only had on a sweatshirt, rain jacket, and these half-capri yoga pants things.  My tennis shoes were soaked from the day before (but lets be honest, who really wants to wear tennis shoes to the beach anyway when you will only get sand in them!) so I didn't have any socks on and I was wearing sandals.  

When I finally pulled my thoughts together to quit thinking about how cold my legs were, I was in awe of the beauty.  (I took pictures on the first day we arrived camping when it was sunny and warm, the water was glistening, it felt like perfect camping weather! That was the only nice day we actually had!)

There I was, two days later, sitting in fog and I shall repeat myself so you know that I did in fact type correctly - I was in awe of the beauty.  How could the same place have two different types of weather and blow me away with beautiful expectations?!

But that's the beauty in something like that - the idea that I don't have to have any expectations.  The idea that I don't have to have any expectations on this year, on my job as an RA, on my basketball team, and the list goes on.  The idea that, while there aren't expectations, I can always expect God to do great and marvelous things through this new school year, through my job as an RA, through my basketball team, and the list goes on.  

There's more, though.

While camping, the phrase "Ubuntu" got brought up.  I don't know about you, but I have never heard that word before in my life.  

Ubuntu.

I am

because

We are

I don't know about whoever is reading this, but I consider myself to be a pretty independent person.  I don't like having to deal with depending on others.  I like to fix my own problems.  I like to rely on my own strength; mentally, physically, and spiritually.

But that's not the way any of us were designed.

We were designed to be a part of a community; a community that can laugh and encourage one another in joyful times and later call upon one another in the darkest of hours.  While this year, and even this life, may not always be easy we have one another.

In the attempt of being honest and authentic, I will be the first to admit that I fail on my own on a regular basis aka every single day.  I even fail at being there for others when they need a friend most!  

Which brings me to this beautiful passage in scripture:

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may res on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.

When I am weak, then I am strong; because of CHRIST, I am strong!  WOW! Now that is a beautiful picture – more beautiful than any sunny day or foggy day on the beach of Lake Superior.

Once again, I repeat:

Ubuntu.

I am

because

We are

-Courage, dear heart. C.S. Lewis

Lexi

The Gospel, Basketball, & Belize: The Finale

The best is yet to come.

As I think about this past week that is the one line that keeps running through my head.  I never knew Buddy Hardy, one of the founders of the Fisher’s of Men organization that recently passed away.  I never saw the Baptist Training Center being built.  I have not seen the health of the Belizean people change as some of my other team members have from being on many medical and dental trips.  I never saw the unroofed and wooden floors of the dorms at the Cayo Deaf Institute.  I had never even been to the country of Belize before a week ago!!!

I do know a few things though.

I know that God is always moving.  I know that there were some kids who had never heard the gospel until this week.  I know that lives were changed, and if not the kids, than at least mine was changed.  I know that I met some of the most amazing people who were on my team and I had the greatest privilege to work with them, to watch their passion shine, and to watch Christ’s love flow from within them whether it was playing basketball or tiling floors.

I know that I am no longer in Belize or with the rest of our basketball and construction team, and speaking for myself, I know I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to go back. 

That doesn’t matter though – what matter’s is, the best is yet to come, whether I am in Belize, in the cornfields of Iowa, or downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota and I am more than certain that God will continue to work through each person on this trip because they are ALL IN for Him and He is always ALL IN for us.

Whatever each of us do,

Wherever each of us go,

Our story is about God’s story.

********

Here is a video capturing some of our great moments this week.

-Courage, dear heart. C.S. Lewis
Lexi