School and Commuting

I wanted to give an update on how things are going right now.

I'm taking four classes this semester. They are on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8-5 except on Friday where it is 8-12:30. I am taking Language and Literacy, the After School Health Program, First Aid and CPR, and Experimental Physical Science. They are all pretty fun classes. My hardest one is definitely going to be the Physical Science class. The others should be okay as long as I stay focused. It's easy to get distracted.

I'm also commuting this semester. It's kind of funny. People are asking me, "How do you like Commuting?" I actually have no problem with it. I do have to get up earlier in the mornings, but that's not too bad. That gives me also 40-45 minutes in the morning to just clear my head before I go into my classes. I also listen to new albums I bought, some podcasts, and I listen to the radio program in the mornings. It's nice. Plus, I get Tuesdays and Thursdays off. Which is good because I can do homework, and also prepare for Lifegroups on Wednesday night. Overall, it's a good experience.

I am sad that I can't be at the BCM a whole lot this semester. I have class during Noonday and since I'm home on Thursdays, I go to our College Lifegroup Bible Study. Which is actually really cool, but I do miss Manna on Thursday Nights.

Well, that should be a good update for now. Everything else is going pretty well. I hope that everyone reading this has a great rest of the day!

Thinking back to 7th Grade

We're starting Lifegroups tonight, and I have had to really think about where we are going. I know that 7th grade is a weird time. It was very weird for me. The question I had to ask myself was, "When I was in 7th grade, what would I have wanted to hear more than anything?" I thought about it, prayed about it, and decided to look in the book of John since I have a DVD for that.

What I knew in 7th grade was that the world was a scary place. I saw people being mean to each other, I knew it was hard to be a Christian, and I felt like no one really cared about me and that I was all alone. I gradually got over that, but it took a while. What I really needed to know was that even though the world was like that, I had a God who loved me no matter what. He made me special and for a purpose, and that nothing I could do could ever make him love me less.

My epiphany I had this break seems really obvious to me now, but it didn't for a while. Leading a group is not about me at all. It's not about how good the bible study is, how much knowledge they gain throughout the semester, how many verses they memorize, or even how many come to Lifegroups. Leading a group is about doing whatever you can to help them grow. Even when I think back to my Bible study leaders, I know I learned a lot from them. But learning from the books and learning from the heart are two different things.

I don't know how this semester will go. But I will make a better effort than I have been.