Truth.

Hello, my lovely friends! Sarah Graninger here to share some truth that God has been impressing upon my heart!

So recently God has been challenging me as to what I am thinking; both in regards to myself and in regards to others. And the question I keep coming back to is: "Is it true?"

In Philippians 4:8, Paul challenges us to think on only that which is true.

And in Psalm 51:6, David, in his plea for repentance unto God, cries: “Surely You desire truth in my inner parts; You teach me wisdom in my inmost being.”

So truth in the depths of what we are thinking and feeling is critical to the heart of God.

Truth in our thoughts of ourselves:

So this past summer, I came to learn that I was an absolutely terrible thinker. It’s not that I can’t think. But it is that I think too much on what is not true. I thought about, rather I dwelled in, lies that Satan would whisper into my soul as to who I was; I was weak, hopelessly broken, beyond restoration.

And when I wasn’t dwelling in those untrue thoughts stemming from my past, I was dwelling in thoughts of what could be; thoughts of what someone could have meant by saying this or that; thoughts of what a future romance could be like. However, all that too was futile thinking as it was not truth; instead, it was vain hoping and essentially falsehood.

Thus, this summer, God began the work of washing my mind in His Gospel. And in this He showed me that my identity was not found in mere perceptions; neither the perceptions of others as to who I was nor even my own perceptions as to who I was.

Rather, my identity was found in what God as my Creator had spoken over my existence and thus the way He saw me.

And how does He see us as His children? He sees us through the truth of the Gospel. He looks upon us and sees the righteousness of Jesus. For we are now called children of God and co-heirs with Christ, inheriting the all the fullness of God! Say what?

And that’s the truth of who we are; nothing more, nothing less.

But this truthful thinking doesn’t only apply to how we think about ourselves but how we think about our Christian community as well.

Truth in our thoughts beyond ourselves:

Truth is also central to the Body of Christ. 1 John 1:6-7 urges us:

If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.

By truth alone do we have fellowship. We cannot have fellowship within the Body of Christ without the truth of the Gospel binding us together. Only through the Gospel is a group of utterly depraved sinners made able to love and walk in the bond of peace.

For truth alone do we have fellowship. 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes about this idea in his book, Life Together, saying:

“He [man] lives wholly by God’s Word pronounced upon him, whether that Word declares him guilty or innocent… Because he daily desires and thirsts for righteousness, he daily desires the redeeming Word. And it can come only from the outside. In himself he is destitute and dead… But God has put His Word into the mouth of men in order that it may be communicated to other men… God has willed that we should seek and find His living Word in the witness of a brother, in the mouth of man.”

Thus, community is purposed for speaking the truth of the Gospel and God’s Word one to another; nothing more, nothing less.

Similarly, through truth alone do we have fellowship. 

In this fellowship, we are also called to look upon one another through the truth of the Gospel. Not selfishly looking upon our community, the Church, with lofty expectations of what it should be or hopes of what it could be. But instead looking upon the Church as it is through the truth of the Gospel. That is as His redeemed Bride, holy in His sight, being without blemish (Colossians 1:22).

Therefore, sisters, may we purge our hearts and minds of any falsehood regarding ourselves and the community in which we live. That the Gospel might be the ultimate truth consuming our minds and dictating our lives. And in walking in this glorious light of truth, that we may have true fellowship with one another!

Amen and amen!

Testimony and wisdom from Kristie

Marvelous Monday ladies!

Thank you for letting join you on Friday afternoons.  I am impressed by your spiritual maturity and your deep desire to search our God’s direction and will for your lives.  It is inspiring to sit with so many young women who are devoted to the Lord.

I wanted to take this opportunity to share a little about myself because I do not cross paths enough with you to really get to know you right now.   And how timely that Shannon discussed insecurity, one of my “life” topics! 

Growing up, I lived on a small farm with my parents, a younger brother, a herd of beef cattle, dogs, and various horses and ponies.  On Sundays and Wednesdays we were in church for Sunday school, youth group and AWANAS. (Any previous Pals out there?)  On some Wednesday night, after AWANAS, I gave my life to Jesus Christ while home alone in my bedroom.  Being young and alone when I accepted the great Gift, I questioned my salvation for years.  I would hear an invitation to accept Christ and in my ear a small ugly voice would say, “Should you go? Did it really count before? Are you really saved?”  My constant questioning of the surety of my salvation also crept into other parts of my life.  I was not trusting God.  A small foothold I granted then helped freeze me into inactivity, into non-growth, and into ineffectiveness. 

Insecurity haunted me everywhere, especially during my high school and college years.  Every time I passed people chatting in the halls, the ‘her” they discussed was me.  Every effort I made was insufficient.  Nothing I had was good “enough”.  My deepest valley happened during veterinary school when my good friends from undergrad moved on and I was still in Blacksburg, now alone.  (I thought.)

--Here is when I found 2 Timothy 1:7. (For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.)   

--Here was when I began to grab truth and hold so tightly that the fog began to lift.  I was beautifully made by Christ, a great craftsman with a masterpiece. (Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.) 

--But that didn’t sink in until May 2007 when my daughter was born and my husband fell ill.  Yes…of course…at the same time.  Here I learned of the strength Christ provides when we are weak.  (2 Corinthians 12:9 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 rest on me). 

--Here I learned firsthand that He will never leave me or forsake even if someone else would.  (Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.) 

--Here I poured the last corner of foundation from which a house could be built.  (Luke 6:48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.)

Today I still face battles, but I want to share with other young women my lessons.  If that saves anyone a day of trouble or doubt then the transparency was worth it.   Overcoming an obstacle like insecurity, or offering forgiveness, or establishing boundaries, or controlling emotions and our reactions/responses, or….  None of these are overcome in a day.  No light switch is flicked for a final change but instead throughout life we reach out daily to the dimmer switch and make slow “imperfect progress”.  (Than you Lysa Terquerst)  But the most awesome realization is that no matter where I am in a battle my Lord, Jesus Christ, is with me and with you every step of the way. 

Thank you all for being a blessing in my life, Kristie

Friendly Friday

Name Kayla Hoover

Major Biology

Coffee, Tea, or Neither? Neither... but I do love some hot chocolate

What do you like most about VT? I really love the campus.  I feel like every season I say “Spring is my favorite time to see the campus!” But then 8 months later I’m saying that winter is my favorite time to be here.  I think it’s absolutely perfect year around.

If you could do anything without the possibility of failure and money wasn't a restraint: what would you do? I would travel around the world.  I would hit all 7 continents and as many countries as I could. I would love to see historical places, major cities, but also just the places that have been as untouched by people as possible.  God’s beauty is all around us and it would be amazing to see as much of it as I can.

What is your favorite thing to do to rest and/or relax? I love to run. I do it as many days of the week as I can and I love to challenge myself and go past what I think are my limits.  But when running isn’t an option, I enjoy just lounging with a good book.

Are you reading any books right now? I wish I was reading a book right now! I love a wide range of books and I’m always open to suggestions

Favorite place to eat lunch? I’m obsessed with buffalo chicken wraps right now so anywhere I can get one of those!

How has God encouraged you lately? God has really just been encouraging me to show my passion for him in every day life.  He’s definitely been challenging me to spread the gospel; especially in areas of my life I’ve found it uncomfortable in the past.  He’s really encouraged me to live in a way that reflects Him and show those around me the pure joy He gives me. 

Friendly Friday

Hope your Friday is off to a great start and you're ready to watch the Hokies take on the UC Bearcats tomorrow.  Meet today's friendly face, Kaylee!

 

Name: Kaylee Marie Waldrop

Major: Human Nutrition, Food and Exercise 

Coffee, Tea, or Neither? Coffee all the way! Starbucks is one of my favorite places to be!

What do you like most about VT? I enjoy the community here at Virginia Tech! Coming from a small town, I was a little nervous about living on a big campus but I still feel that small town community here at Virginia Tech.  Not to mention the people are absolutely a blessing!

If you could do anything without the possibility of failure and money wasn't a restraint: what would you do? I think that I would be a teacher and live overseas as a missionary.  I love children and the chance to spend time teaching and guiding them would be amazing!  I also think I would open a bakery! I love, love, LOVE baking and decorating and would enjoy doing that all day long!

What is your favorite thing to do to rest and/or relax? I love the beach!  I always feel relaxed at the beach. I always lay in my beach chair with my headphones in jamming to Jesus music.

Are you reading any books right now? When I am not reading textbooks, I read Francis Chan’s “Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit.”

Favorite place to eat lunch? A Mexican restaurant called El Caporal back home! Our family friends own it and the people there are always a delight to see.

How has God encouraged you lately? This past week my heart has been really heavy on the topic of grace.  I guess it is in response to Big Weekend.  When reading my bible, I came across Romans 5:1-3. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this GRACE in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”  These verses reminded me of how much grace God has for me, grace that I am so unworthy of but yet He still pours out on me.  I encourage each of you to reflect on this topic when you find spare time. 

Meditation Monday: "God's will...with love" Donna

I am fired up! While studying John 4:1-42 with the DL Ladies on Sunday I got super pumped! John 4 is the story of the Samaritan woman at the well and I cannot tell you how many times I have heard/read this story. (It’s a lot.) But this time was different; I began to focus less on the desperation of the Samaritan woman and more on how Jesus handles this ministry opportunity. Honestly, Jesus is the perfect mix of grace and truth, of which we model our personal ministries after.

What can we learn?

• We are called to take an interest in every person’s life that we meet. This doesn’t mean hanging out with them in all of your free time because that would literally be impossible. It means genuinely caring about someone that you meet. When you ask how they are, listen and care about the answer. Remember their name and show them God’s love no matter which side of the tracks they are from. These actions will be pleasing to the Lord because it is His will for you. Who knows how that random person will end up blessing and encouraging you! Phillipians 2:13
• Check your intensions. Don’t take an interest in someone to boost your own “gospel-spreading” numbers. Jesus didn’t talk to the Samaritan woman to tell his disciples that He saved another person. The only thing we have to boast in is Jesus and our own personal weaknesses, so what better way to do that than to love every person sincerely.  2 Corinthians 1:12, Psalms 32:2
• If it is the will of God, the outcome does not matter! Because of the urgency of the Gospel we often judge our ministry by the outcome of situations. “Does that girl I got lunch with want to come to BCM now? Oh, she doesn’t… I must have failed.” NO! If it is God’s will for you to love every other person, which it is, the outcome does not matter. Do not quantify the Kingdom of God. It is one of the biggest things I struggle with but when we quantify the Kingdom, we quantify God and his will. 1 Thessalonians 2:3-5

This topic has been on my heart recently because I would always have expectations of God in regards to my personal ministry. This was volatile to my faith and everything I knew about God. Once I earnestly set out to please God in my ministry, He began to give me gaps in my schedule for fellowship with nonbelievers. Pour out the love God gives you for other people so His will can be done.

Honestly, this is something I am still really working on and praying about. But the hope is that we don’t have to prove our worth to God, He already did that for us. Also, if you don’t know where to start with any of this information, check out 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

Let me know if you want to discuss this topic further. I love you ladies very much!

- Donna

Donna is a sophomore and Discipleship Leader at BCM. She loves acting goofy and spiking people in the face with volleyballs.

Friendly Friday

It's back...Friendly Fridays that is!  Hopefully you'll enjoy meeting our first face of the semester, Kelly Crider.  Be sure to check your inboxes because you might just be the next face of Fridays around here :).

Name: Kelly Crider

Major: Marketing Management

Coffee, Tea, or Neither?: Coffee 

What do you like most about VT?:  Well, I love a lot about Virginia Tech and am beyond blessed to be here, but I think one of my very favorite things about the place is the true feeling of community.  I also just adore the laid back feeling of the Town of Blacksburg.

If you could do anything without the possibility of failure and money wasn't a restraint: what would you do? I think I would want to do international mission trips!  See all of God’s creation while ministering to his people!  I would also love to do some more work in Inner City ministries, and maybe expand UrbanPromise!  Maybe also get coffee with just about everyone in the world and hear their stories and encourage one another, that could be cool!  Or make brownies for the whole world. I would also totally throw something crazy in there like ride over Niagra Falls or fly a plane!

What is your favorite thing to do to rest and/or relax? I like to put some Tenth Avenue/Chris Tomlin Pandora on and crawl in my bed, fuzzy socks on and covers all bundled J  Also, as of recently, go hammocking!

Are you reading any books right now? Well, outside of the Bible I got some nice textbooks I’m working on…but also I am reading Captivating and My Life is Not My Own.

Favorite place to eat lunch? On-campus probably West End…a hot chicken tender salad to be exact!

How has God encouraged you lately?  Well looking at John 4 this week in the studies God has really comforted my heart with the woman at the well.  Especially verses 17-19 how Jesus just lays the woman’s “baggage” right out there yet still pursues her, and SHE is the one who changes the subject.  That paired with Jackie saying at Big Weekend that Christ “has already loved me completely” have been encouraging to me in that I am broken, and the Lord knows yet still loves and accepts me and I can lay my burdens down with him at the cross instead of trying to run or hide with them!

Grace H. responds to Victoria's Secret at VT

Virginia Tech won Victoria’s Secret PINK Party Collegiate Showdown (the actual name is probably a lot shorter and catchier than that), so on Thursday night my friends and I went to watch the free concert hosted by VS.

Gym Class Heroes performed, but they went on stage last, and we ended up sitting through some of the worst opening acts I’ve ever heard in my life.

For a company that’s supposed to be centered around women, Victoria Secret really shocked me with their choice of performers. A rapper and a DJ opened the concert, and I can’t even repeat their lyrics here. It wasn’t just the emphatic, non-stop cursing, it was the vulgar, detailed descriptions of what these rappers would do to a woman if they got her alone that disgusted me.

Really, Victoria’s Secret? I should listen to a man tell me to meet him in the bathroom of a club, where he’s going to “make my cheeks jiggle” - and I should be wearing your underwear at the same time? What demographic are you trying to market to? Obviously not independent, self-respecting, highly intelligent Virginia Tech women. We have some of the top engineering and research programs in the country, several headed by women. We are confident in our own sexuality - confident enough that we’d laugh at a man if his pick-up line involved a filthy club bathroom. 

At least, I’d like to hope so.

Thankfully, Gym Class Heroes came on stage and redeemed the evening. Still, I left with a semi-bad taste in my mouth and a lot of cognitive dissonance. A night devoted to women’s underwear had rapidly become a lesson in objectification - and we were sitting there, just taking it. That disconnect was driven home even further when I read in Ephesians the morning after, particularly where Paul writes about the relationship between husbands and wives. 

Ephesians 5:25-27 says:

“Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church – a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness.”

  Talk about extreme contrasts to having a man cuss you out and tell you he’s going to “make your cheeks jiggle.” This isn’t about whether you are sexually active or not - this is about respect. Ladies, we are worth so much more than what we were told last night. Regardless of whatever brand of underwear you wear. 

Grace Hayes is a Communication major and InnovationSpace Lab Assistant. She serves on the Creativity at BCM and owns a photography business.

Where are you finding your joy?

I remember the first time I was excited about joy (if that makes sense). The David Crowder Band was crucial to my heart for worship in high school. Their music was executed so well, and saturated with Jesus. So, when I heard their song "You are my Joy" I was pumped up about God being my joy. I think what happened was I never saw Jesus as my source for joy. Joy was just another churchy word that I had become numb to with the many years of being involved in a church (which I am definitely thankful for). 

What's crazy is, just like in high school, I have to be reminded of the source of my joy. 

This summer I was wallowing in so much self pity, narrow-minded to my own world and problems. In the midst of my wallowing I was seeking out happiness, forgetting the beauty and satisfaction found only in the joy of Christ. Praise God, I had a breaking point a couple of weekends ago. Like a brick wall, “the JOY of the LORD is my STRENGTH” came barging at me. Once I realized how much I had allowed myself to become numb and ignorant to this blessing of Christ, I knew why my spirit was so perpetually heavy. As simple as changing my mindset and focusing on this joy has already made the biggest difference.

I know sometimes its not so easy to just switch your mindset. Sometimes we like wallowing (let's be honest). But, I pray that today you will meditate on where you are finding your joy (or are you seeking fleeting happiness?). Is this pursuit productive to your spirit and walk with Christ, or causing you to wallow in your own troubles, or to indulge in your flesh's desires? 

Remember ultimate satisfaction (joy) is found in our LORD, and only Him. 

Here's a few verses after my quick Biblegateway search for "joy":

• Psalm 4:7
• Psalm 63:6-8
• Psalm 51:11-12
• Psalm 84:1-3
• Isaiah 29:18-19
• Romans 15:13
• Galatians 5:22
• 1 Thess 1:5-6
• James 1:2

Have a joyful day, ladies!

Love,

Katy

Katy Martin is a senior graphic design major at Radford University. She is a key leader at BCM, helping with the Creativity Team and Women's Group. She loves coffee, photography, and Africa.

Be available, be aware, be obedient

Hello beautiful women! It is so good to be back in Blacksburg with all of you. You don’t know how much of an encouragement it is to have so many women in my life who are passionately pursuing our Heavenly Father. I don’t know about you, but I can feel that we have an amazing year ahead of us. I expect God to move in incredible ways! However, it takes some action on our parts as well.  Our faithfulness and obedience to what the Lord lays before us is crucial for his glory to be revealed through our lives. 

This is something that God grew me in a lot over the summer, and I know that it is going to be tested in my life this year. Join me as we take a look into what I learned about being available, being aware, and being obedient.

Be available. This can be interpreted in several ways, and it really depends on where you are in life. But it can deal with your heart, your mind, your time, your priorities, your focus, your energy, etc. I feel like being available with your time is more obvious than the other ones I listed, so let’s look at some others. Another way to put “be available” is “be present.” In whatever situations you find yourself in, however routine or spontaneous or exciting or mundane they might be, be present. Be all there.  What I mean by this is try to focus fully on the present moment in which God has placed you. For me, I have to remind myself of this when I may be worried or stressed out about something that doesn’t have to do with my present situation, and especially if I am feeling insecure. These things can easily keep my heart and my mind from being available for the Spirit to work through me, or from being available to people around me. The first step in being faithful to the Lord with the opportunities that He puts in front of you is to make sure your heart is available for him to begin moving.

Be aware. It’s almost difficult to separate being available and being aware, but I notice in my heart that I can’t be aware without first being available. Being aware means once you are focused on the present moment, keep your eyes open to the opportunities that might come up in which God wants you to be faithful. When you are at work, in class, or at the grocery store, try to be fully there – in thought and in action. Once you are, how can you see God at work? Can the surface level conversation with a coworker, a classmate, or the cashier turn into an opportunity to share God’s love with them? I believe that we have opportunities to bring Christ into conversations all the time, because I have experienced this a lot more this summer than I ever have before. I think it’s all about perspective. If you’re focusing on, “I can’t wait to get off work” or “I’d rather be hanging out with someone than in class” or “I have so much homework to do tonight” when you’re at the grocery store, you might not be as aware of the Spirit prompting you to ask how the person beside you is doing and really caring about them. Be fully there, and be aware.

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” – Colossians 4:5-6 

Be obedient. The most important step comes after you have focused your mind, heart, and priorities, and you are intentional about being aware of your surroundings. That is obedience. We can prepare all we want for an opportunity to share God’s love and to share the Gospel, but it is sometimes intimidating to follow through with the Lord’s promptings. Over the past couple years, the Lord has challenged me a lot in this. Before, I never knew what it meant to be prompted by the Spirit to do something so I certainly never obeyed Him. However, once I became more aware of the fact that God does lead us in every day moments, not just on mission trips, I realized I had a choice. That choice was to either ignore the feeling I had that was from the Lord, or to take a step of faith and obey. It started out with very small tasks, like to smile at someone walking across the Drillfield or go say hi to a neighbor. But the more frequently I followed through with the things that the Lord led me to do, the more I began to hear Him and to know His voice. As I grow in obedience, I am also growing in boldness. Be obedient with the tasks that God puts before you, no matter how big or small they are. I think it is very important to be faithful with the little things. Yes, we might have grand callings in life or extravagant opportunities, but sometimes it is even harder to be faithful and obedient with the day in, day out routine situations.  A verse that this makes me think of is:

“One who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much…” –Luke 16:10.

Thanks for joining me in this reflection. I pray that all the women of the BCM will look for every opportunity to share the redeeming love of Christ with the people in our every day lives. We are blessed with a mission field right at our fingertips here at Virginia Tech and in the community. “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Luke 10:2)

Remembering the Past but Living in the Present and for the Future

This week's post reflects on the tragic events April 16, 2007. Allyson is one of the faithful attenders of our Friday women's Bible study/discussion group so we're excited to finally have a post from her. Please comment or share what aspects of her Meditation most touched you.

I can’t help but think about, reflect, and meditate on the fact that it has now been 5 years since the tragedy that occurred at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007. Even though I wasn’t a student here yet, and I was actually in the midst of working towards acceptance literally in the very weeks that followed April 16th, I still experience a lot of feelings surrounding that day.

I think this year is actually the year the tragedy has affected me the most, the year that I’ve done the most reflection on, and the first year that I’ve approached the whole situation from a Christian perspective. I’ve also thought about where I was 5 years ago today and where I am now. I remember sitting on the couch watching it all unfold on CNN because I was up much earlier than usual because I was mad at my mom for taking my cell phone away as punishment for “sneaking out” the previous day. Yes. I was at a very low point back then. I was not a Christian, had no idea what it meant to be a Christian in fact. Yet, God provided the means for me to come here, and though I wasn’t aware of it at the time, He called me to come to this campus through the sense of community I felt in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Over the last 5 years, as a Hokie, I have grown so much, and felt the sense of community on this campus, in the town of Blacksburg as a whole, and especially within the BCM. God put me here for a reason and He placed people in my life whom I would have never met if it weren’t for Virginia Tech. These Christian friends from the BCM, who live their lives according to God’s will, embodying our university’s motto “Ut Prosim”, That I May Serve, to the level of what we’re called to do as Christians - to share Christ’s love with others- have forever changed my life.

I want to share a verse that I’ve often heard Darrell and others mention as being the life verse of Brian Bluhm, our brother in Christ who was taken on that fateful day:

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”- Jeremiah 29:11

To me this verse points us all towards our faith in Jesus Christ, and to God as our provider; when the future seems unknown or rocky, or seems like it has been wrongfully cheated out of us through a tragic, violent act, we still are saved by grace through our faith in Jesus and we still have HOPE for a FUTURE.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”-Ephesians 2:8

When we think about the fact that the grace we receive through our faith is truly a gift from God, from the same God who CREATED us:

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them,” –Genesis 1:27

And when we think of God as the creator of all the world, over heaven and earth, that everything comes from Him, it can be challenging to accept how bad things in this world can happen. It can be difficult to remember that God as omnipotent ruler of the world allowed April 16, 2007 to happen. Many who are not believers question and doubt God, for why He could let something so evil occur to His people; these are not easily answerable questions, but we need to rest in the fact that those 32 victims, who were all exemplary students and faculties, at the tops of their classes, strong Christians, leaders in their community, whose lives were all sacrificed that day, that these people were the perfect example of Virginia Tech students and faculty. I can’t help but think that these victims, while they were yet sinners, were used by God to awaken this campus and to draw this community together and to bring about love from the Father in the healing of the aftermath.

I know that the number of deaths that occurred on April 16th, 2007 is always a touchy subject. I believe that there were 32 innocent victims who were shot viciously by one student. But I can’t help to think about that other student too, the shooter. He also lost his life, and he was so broken and so driven into desperation that he saw no solution other than to take the lives of strangers and himself. He was an unreached member of our campus; he was lost. Although it’s hard to think of remembering 33, I know as Christians that we are called to love the broken and the non-believers in addition to the saved. I know that we should pray for his family; when I think about how we are called to respond to this situation as Christians, I think about the fact that we are called to love our enemies as well.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”-Matthew 5:43-48

I stand here today, saved and a follower of Jesus Christ, able and ready to serve and love the world as He calls us to, in part because I’m a Hokie, and I’m a Hokie in part because I felt connected to come here after April 16th. I have learned that the people we come across in our daily lives, in the BCM and within our classes are so incredibly important. I have thought and reflected all semester over the memory verse that Darrell had us look at back in January:

“So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share not only the gospel of God, but also our own selves, because you have become so dear to us.”-1 Thessalonians 2:8

I know this seems like a simple verse, or maybe I’ve blown it way out of proportion in my own life, but I feel like we all need to reflect on this and live our lives in a way with the people around us that we are both witnessing/sharing the gospel, but also just sharing our lives. As a wise BCM North member shared in a video shown at Senior Bible study this past week, we need to conduct ourselves around the people in a way such that they will DESIRE to know Christ-this doesn’t translate to Bible beating, but rather building relationships.

So to close this out, my meditation has centered on reflection of the past, on knowing what our identity is through Christ, and on living our lives according to what He has called us to, to become disciples to others, even in the midst of trial. Because, as April 16, 2007 is a reminder, we can be called to leave this earth at anytime, so we need to act now.

Meditation Monday: Waiting by Jen S.

This week's post is from Jen S. Thanks for your thoughts and the Scriptures you shared!

STOP! Before you read, I encourage you to pray. Place your worries, your doubts, your troubles, you anxieties, or whatever is holding you down and leave it before the feet of the Father. Truly, I ask you to cast all of those things before the Father.

One word. Waiting. Whatever the reaction may be when this word is said, we all are very familiar with this. This semester has been an incredibly challenging season of my life. A couple areas of my life that the Lord has been refining and growing are trust and waiting. Specifically, I want to touch on waiting a bit and how it could relate to what you ladies may be encountering.

This semester has been filled with sitting before the feet of the Father and surrendering my anxious heart, racing thoughts, and the desire to become impatient. It's been a hard thing to surrender. I've been realizing that my need for control and for an even bigger problem, the compulsion for the "unseen or unknown" areas of my life to be answered. I've been searching for answers and solutions, but my understanding is limited. Because of this, I've been trying to create my own vision of what the future looks like and in turn, God has reminded me how I am never in control. I may try. I may fight. I may resist, but I am fighting against Him. Are there things in your life that require you to walk by faith? Are you resisting God's perfect plan of the things that lay ahead of you? Right now, I challenge you to thank Him for His unfailing love and how he guides our paths. Something that could be intertwined to this idea: trust. Who do you trust? This seems like a silly, simple question, but I challenge you to ponder on this. Are you rooted and established in the truth of God's promises within His word or do lies fill your hearts and minds with doubt?

Marinate in these truths:

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

   whose confidence is in him.

He will be like a tree planted by the water

   that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

   its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

   and never fails to bear fruit.”

-Jeremiah 17:7-8

For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.

-Psalm 33:4

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

-Romans 5:3-5

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

-Romans 12:12

For great is your love, higher than the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

-Psalm 108:4

The world is noisy and the sphere of influence and its voices are all around us. Sometimes, it could get hard to hear the Lord's whisper when the things of this world are shouting contradicting statements. More specifically, a word that we are all too familiar with seems to model the season of my life perfectly. Waiting. There is beauty in this idea of waiting and yielding to the Lord's will that I have been missing out on. My hope is that inexpressible joy would be filled in all of your hearts right now. See, waiting is a daily occurrence. With patience and endurance, some are able to handle mustering through this and others, struggle and feel defeated. We begin to grow weary, anxious, fearful, and letdown. Whether you are waiting in line at a dining hall, checking your watch in the hope you didn't miss your bus, or counting down the seconds until lecture is over, we find ourselves in the sea of waiting. In this time period, it is crucial to continue to gaze upon the Father and acknowledge that in His time, he makes things beautiful. (Ecc. 3)

Lastly, I encourage you all to listen to this song. While you are waiting, praise and thank the Father! Because His design is perfect and the intentions are for our good, we can rest in knowing that He who is faithful to begin a good work in us is good to finish it to completion. Therefore, it will not be lacking anything! Love you sisters!