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!

Friendly Friday!

Name: Annalee Hunter
Major: Theater Arts

Most interesting hobby: I make faith based Jewelry!

Favorite thing about being a student at VT: This might sound strange, but one of my favorite things about VT is ABP in squires, and not because of the food. I love seeing fellow believers (member of BCM or no) sitting down and reading their bibles or talking to friends about Jesus. When I walk into ABP I sense such a great joy about the place, and I know it’s because Jesus dwells strongly in those walls because believers gather there to praise Him. It’s a form of ministry which is inspiring, rare and beautiful.

If you could do anything without the possibility of failure and money wasnt a restraint: what would you do? My mother has never been out of the country and has never had a chance for a vacation. Once she had a chance to go to Europe for a month without paying anything. But because I was going through extreme anxieties among other issues, she chose to stay because of me. So I would take my mother all over the world and experience every kind of culture with her. She has such a thirst for knowledge and seeing my mother talking, laughing, and sharing the gospel with people all over the world and having new adventures would be one of my most treasured gifts in this life.

What is my favorite thing to do to rest and relax? When I have had a long day and I just want to rest I instead clean my room, change my sheets, take a shower, put my favorite night gown on and snuggle up in my bed with my cat next to me and my sleeping music “Tranquil Babbling Brook” playing in the background while I read my favorite book.

Are you reading any books right now? I’m reading Every Woman’s Battle (compliments to Lindsey Skipper), Wild At Heart (Such a good read), and I’m re reading my favorite book as a child called Mara Daughter of the Nile (It’s still as good as I remember!). And of course, I’m reading my all-time favorite book: the Bible!

Favorite place to eat lunch? My mama’s kitchen!

What are you looking forward to about summer? Studying with the Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo Tuscany for 6 weeks. Some of the greatest physical theater actors teach there! God is the one gave me this chance, ALL Him!

How has God encouraged you lately? God has been teaching me to rely completely and totally on him when things couldn’t get worse. I always struggled with getting into His word as much as I should, and recently God has been challenging me to get in the word almost every day. And wow, each time He always teaches me something new, and each time I have to end my “Jesus time” I don’t want to. He’s been showing me patience, endurance and humbleness. Every day my love for Him gets stronger and stronger. He is my everything.

Meditation Monday: Priorities by Ar M.

This week's contributor is Ar. She led the Women's Discussion/Bible Study last week on the topic of vulnerability. She shared some great thoughts and recommended a few books that are helpful for issues of relationships, friendships, communication and vulnerability. Take some time to read her meditation below and I pray it encourages you today!

At times, I can be a mess with my priorities. It shouldn't be hard to put God first, and yet how often do I do it? And then procrastination is an issue, and then all or parts of my day can also be filled with my own desires and plans, rather than God's or having a heart of service.

Proverbs 6:6-8 -- "Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest."

Psalm 46:10 -- "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

The bible doesn't contradict, so how can I be busy like an ant, yet be still? It reminds me of how can I give money to God, yet still have money--God created a design where we give to Him first, yet still have money. God also created life where we honor Him first, yet still have time in the day for rest and productivity. Proverbs 3:9 says, "Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops." As a college student, you may not feel wealthy with your time, but in many ways we still are. If time is in our possession, we must still give God the firstfruits of this wealth. In giving God time, we can be still and know Him. Know that He is the God who loves us; saves us; heals us. 

Matthew 11:28 says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." It can be burdensome to have work and responsibilities, yet God gives me rest and I can go forth like the ant and move, rather than being lazy or being consumed by worry and stress.

Friendly Friday!

Pictured on the right!

Name: Renée Chaney
Major: Biology

Favorite thing to cook or bake: Peanut butter cookies, definitely.

Favorite thing about being a student at VT: All the awesome people I've met, the food (particularly Moe's), the beautiful scenery, and maroon and orange!

If you could do anything without the possibility of failure and money wasnt a restraint: what would you do? I would definitely want to study abroad/travel!

What is my favorite thing to do to rest and relax? Take a nap or watch movies.

Are you reading any books right now? I'm going to start Mocking Jay this weekend! (After my tests are over.)

Favorite place to eat lunch? Moe's or Pita Vera.

What are you looking forward to about summer? Depending on what I'll be doing (I've applied for a lot of internships) I might be going to the beach with my family to celebrate my sister's high school graduation. I'm also looking forward to the possibility of living in Blacksburg this summer!

How has God encouraged you lately? I've really been encouraged by the fact that God is completely in control. I get stressed really easily about being on time or about things that aren't in my control (such as what I'll be doing this summer), and lately I've been learning to just give it all up to God and I've been a lot happier because of it!

Renée is typing ...

Meditation Monday: Being courageous by Annalee H.

Here's this week's meditation from Annalee. 

God has directed me to my mission field, He has confirmed in scripture, through words, and through other people that theater is my mission field. Yeah, you heard that right. Theater. It’s not every day that you hear someone say that God has led them to minister to people in a theater environment.  In theater - and acting in general - people tend to look up to actors, especially if they become famous. Actors become role models to people, and how great would it be to minister to actors that reach to a large audience. Even though I have done theater for many years, I went through a time where I wanted to do other things such as be a doctor or a reporter, but just this January God confirmed that theater is where I’m supposed to be.

I said, “Alright Lord, I’m yours” and I went head first into theater opportunities. But the thing is, after I gave my future to God I never got one call back out of five auditions.  I didn’t understand what God was doing, before I knew theater was my calling I got plenty of call backs.  Anyone who has no idea what an audition consists of, it’s basically one person going in front of three people (usually a director or producer or anyone else of power) and saying memorized lines and singing a song. It doesn’t sound that scary, but it’s literally terrifying. They are judging you on your talent and your worth as an artist.

Before I go on auditions I read the bible verse John 14: 27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” It gives me peace to know that what I’m about to do and however it ends, God is greater than my fears. Just like He is greater than any embarrassment, shame or slight we can imagine.

Well, on my fifth audition I was headed to a conservatory that I had already been accepted to two years previously.  I only had a week to prepare and I didn’t feel ready at all. I went in the room with my head held high, my side of my dress ripped (yes the side of my dress ripped in the car), my resume and a picture of Jesus on my heart (literally, I keep a picture of Jesus close to my heart when I audition).  My mother read to me Psalm 45: 1 for comfort: “My heart is stirring with a noble song; let me recite what I have fashioned for the king; my tongue shall be the pen of a skilled writer.” I read this verse over and over before the audition because I do sing, act, breathe for my King.

But when I got into this huge audition they ridiculed my resume, made fun of my head shot, mocked my accent, and made jokes about how I sang off key.  I was mortified; I refused to sing for weeks (and I sing all the time). I would cringe in the shower thinking about the words they said; I was losing sleep because their words rang in my ears night and day. I felt worthless like I was no longer talented. I didn’t want to act, sing or dance ever again. I was at the end my rope, I yelled to God saying “I’m doing Your will! Help me to understand!” Through this I got more into God’s word, He taught me humility, courage,  patience and to rely on Him and Him alone for endurance. But the embarrassment and shame still clung to my heart.

Almost a month to the date of that painful audition, one of my acting professors brought in a surprise guest teacher. Little did the students know that she was a scouting agent for a school in Tuscany. After the class was over the guest teacher pulled me aside and said. “We at the Accademia dell’Arte would love to have you for the summer. We see great talent and would like to see you nurtured at our institution, we’ll assist you as much as we can financially so that you will be able to study with us.”

Wow, isn’t God good? He was saving me for the best. And that’s exactly what God is doing for you; He’s preparing you for the best! You might think God is neglecting you and trying you time after time. He’s teaching you as He reveals His intentions to you.

Even though I had this wonderful God-send, I was still in bondage by the embarrassment of the previous audition. But today, as I was listening to the radio on my way to school the song called History By Matthew West came on. The lyrics go like this:

It’s been a bad day, you've been looking back
And all you can see is everything you wish you could take back
All your mistakes, a world of regrets
All of those moments you would rather forget
I know it's hard to believe
Let me refresh your memory
Yesterday is history
And history is miles away
So leave it all behind you
Let it always remind you of the day
The day that love made history

I cried when I heard this song, even though embarrassment is taken lightly and is told as a joke, it can put chains on you. We all have those moments where we cringe in the shower or in the car when we remember something embarrassing or painful. That’s Satan holding chains on you, God calls us to be courageous (For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power [courage]… -2 Tim 1:7). Anything we do in God’s name is something to never be ashamed or embarrassed about, but honored and blessed.  God taught be today to never be embarrassed about the courage you showed to others.

So this Meditation Monday, I challenge you to ponder all those embarrassing moments you’ve had that still have holds on you. Whether you spoke up in class, did an audition, confronted a friend, sang off key, gave your testimony, waved to the wrong person or any other embarrassing things you can think of. Contemplate them and know that yesterday is history and history is miles away.

Don't start your Tuesday with the broken pieces of yesterday for God made yesterday in the past for a reason, so you can move forward tomorrow. 

Friendly Friday!

Welcome back to Friendly Friday! Today we have featured our lovely Allison (pictured on right of photograph)


Name: Allison Leigh Wingfield
Major: Environmental Policy and Planning, with a minor in Public and Urban Affairs

Favorite cartoon: I’m sort of indecisive, so I’ll go with Arthur and Scooby Doo. They were the staples of my childhood and I remember coming home from elementary school every day and watching them with my mom and little brother. It was always the highlight of my day :)

Favorite thing about being a student at VT: When the weather actually cooperates, I just love how beautiful this campus is, especially with all the spring flowers and buds. The beauty and renewal of this season reminds me of how awesome and caring our God is.

If you could do anything without the possibility of failure and money wasn’t a restraint: what would you do? I have a pretty long bucket list going, so it would be amazing to cross everything off of it someday.
What is my favorite thing to do to rest and relax? I love coffee, so whenever a cup of Joe is involved, good things happen. I also love to cook for people (just not in the yucky dorm kitchen…). But really, anytime I can just hang out with people and laugh I am a happy camper!

Are you reading any books right now? Hopefully I won’t lose any friends with this admission, but I have been reading The Hunger Games since Christmas...I promise to finish it before I see the movie though!!! Other than that, I’ve been reading through Exodus for Lent (since it has 40 chapters!).

Favorite place to eat lunch? I love the Greek salads from West End, especially when they are made by Chelsea Goodsell ♥

What are you looking forward to about summer? I still don’t have a job or anything planned so far, so I’m really just excited to see what adventures God will take me on. I am also SUPER excited to see what happens as far as the BCM summer mission trips!

How has God encouraged you lately? I have several close friends who are either not Christians, or have been struggling with their faith recently, and God has just provided so many opportunities for me to share His love with them. I struggle with “evangelism” sometimes, so God showing me how to be a light for Him through these close relationships has been such a blessing and a joy.