Tips for starting a new school year

Here we are at the start of a new year!  I'm sure you are all excited, as I am, about a fresh start and a clean slate.  I was thinking about the many things going on right now and thought it might be helpful to share a few tips regarding the start of a new year.  I'm sure you know most of these things, but maybe they'll serve as good reminders.

1.  Walk with God.  This can't be over-emphasized.  As you get into your daily routine, make your time with God a priority.  As Christians, our time with God is our breath, our food, our life-source.  We need to be in the Word, spending time with God and learning more about Him.  Make this a priority.  If you need help, let me know, or find someone else who can help you.  This is crucial!  Check out the benefits of spending time with God from these passages: Psalm 119:11; Hebrews 4:12; Psalm 119:105; Psalm 119:114, 130; Psalm 19:7-14, etc.

2.  Get Organized.  You may not have much homework due these first few days - or maybe you do.  Either way, this is an important time to get organized for the semester.  Use you planners.  Write your assignments in ahead of time.  Try to get ahead in your work.  Schedule carefully, staying aware of all of your responsibilities and guarding against over-commitment.

3.  Reach Out.  There are lots of new people here on campus.  It can be intimidating to be around all of these new faces.  Some people thrive on meeting new people.  Others are terrified by it.  Whichever you are, do what it necessary to get out of your room and meet others.  Maybe you are an upperclassman.  Meet three new freshmen today.  Maybe you are a freshmen.  Get to know three other new students today.  It's easy to sit in your room missing your friends at home, feeling like no one here is reaching out to you.  The question is - are you reaching out to others?  Give it a shot - I think you'll like the results.

4.  Make Careful Friend Choices.  In the past few days, you've met tons of new people.  This is a good thing.  However, not all of these people will be a positive influence on you.  Learn to make wise friend choices.  Just because you get along with someone and have similar interests doesn't mean they are a good friend.  Do they help you love God more?  Will they help you be a good student?  Here's a revealing question - what kinds of things do you laugh about when you are together?  Is it humor at the expense of others or even filthy, foolish, or crude (Ephesians 5:4)?  Have fun as you get to know others, but keep in mind the kind of friends you are making.  Are they building you up or bringing you down.  (Here's another convicting question: What kind of influence are you having on your friends?)

5.  Be Patient.  It takes time to get into the "swing" of things here.  It'll take time to be comfortable with your friends - but it will come.  It takes time to feel unity with your dorm - but it will come.  It takes time to get used to your classes - but it will come.  Trust that God has you here for a purpose and be looking for the ways that He is stretching you and teaching you.

6.  Stay Positive.  From time to time, we all have bad days.  The chances are, you'll find the start of a new year a bit stretching or even discouraging.  The key is keeping the right perspective.  Psalm 43:5 has often been an encouragement to me - "Why so downcast, O my soul?  Put your hope in God!"  As you go through the ups and downs of the first few days of school, stay positive.  Look on the bright side.  Express your gratitude to God and keep putting your hope in Him.  We have so much to be thankful for.

There are so many others things we could say.  What advice do you have for fellow students?

Keeping the "Awe"

Please take a few minutes to listen to this challenging message by Chuck Swindoll, presented in chapel at Dallas Theological Seminary. It is extremely pertinent to those of us in ministry, especially in the Bible College setting!

An Occupational Hazard to All in Ministry by Charles R. Swindoll

Dr. Swindoll does a masterful job connecting the text of 1 Corinthians 10 to our lives today. He ends his sermon with a call to "keep the awe," but doesn't offer any clear direction regarding the means to accomplish this. I think the passage does. What was their problem? They lusted after evil things. And why is their example included in Scripture? That we should not lust after evil things. I think it was this very "lusting" that led to the idolatry, the sexual immorality, the tempting of Christ, and the complaining - the sins listed after the statement about lusting after evil things.

So, how do we keep the awe? We stop lusting after evil things. Or, stated positively, we "lust" after God. To avoid the connotations of the word "lust," let's say "seek," or "desire," or "pursue," or, as the Psalmist, "long for," "yearn for," "pants for," and "thirsts for" God.

Keep your awe of God by choosing to keep your awe of God. Take time to marvel at His glory. Take time to express gratitude for His mighty works. Take time to value His character. Take time to love Him. Choose to love Him.  Seek to love Him more. Make that your daily endeavor.  And, as you do so, take no notice as your "lust" for "evil things" begins to disappear. 

Pursue the Awe.  Pursue God.

Top 10 Ways to Have a Great Break!

We are all excited about Christmas break, and many of us have started setting some goals. We want to get all of our reading done for the Spring Semester. We want to witness to all of our friends, etc. Unfortunately, many of us get home and do nothing.  Laziness ensues. Sometimes students even fall into old sinful habits. Here are some tips and ideas to help you have a successful break:

1.  Sleep! But not too much. You just completed a semester of school on an average of 4-5 hours of sleep per night. By all means, catch up on your sleep! This does not mean, however, that you should become nocturnal and stay up until 3am each night and sleep in past noon each day. Get yourself 8-10 hours of sleep each night. No more, no less. Nothing valuable happens after midnight. Go to bed by 11 and get up around 8. It’s a great schedule. If you need more sleep, go to bed earlier. J

2.  Build a tree-house. You don’t have to build a tree-house, but I do recommend some kind of productive hobby.  Video games are not a productive hobby. Find something active, constructive, instructive, productive, or another “-ive”. Build something with wood. Sew some clothing. Cook food for someone.  Learn to play an instrument. Hike. You want something fun and productive that isn’t homework and isn’t a video game.

3.  Beware of Know-It-All syndrome. You just finished a semester of Bible College. Way to go!  Remember, this does not make you an expert on all-things-Bible. As you return to your homes and churches, be teachable. You may know more “facts” about the Bible than your parents or other church members. But, believe me, they know much more about life.  Much more. Return with a teachable spirit. Listen to your parents. Consider their instruction. If you are having trouble with this, read some Proverbs. 

4.  Talk and share with your family. If you are anything like me, than your general response to your family’s questions about life is, “good.” It’s the easy response when you are tired, and not sure you want to share everything. Instead, open up. Talk with them. Show them pictures and tell them stories of classes and friends and mistakes and joys. Share as much as you can. They care about you and you need to keep them involved in your life. Open up. 

 

5.  Get involved at your church. 4 weeks can be an awkward amount of time. Too long to be just a visit, but too short to make commitments. As you return to your home churches, jump right in. Within the first week you are back, talk to your pastor about how you can get involved. Sing in the Cantata, teach Sunday School, share a testimony, lead music, play the piano, do a Bible study, write notes, etc. Don’t just be there, be all there.

6.  Set achievable goals. It’s great that you want to get all of your homework done for next semester, but that’s not really an achievable goal. Set goals in small amounts so you can chop away at them. Rather than setting a goal to chop down a redwood tree, set a goal to swing the axe at it 4 times each day, and then see how far you get. If your goal is too big, you might be too intimidated to ever get started. If you set achievable goals, you might actually achieve some of them!

7.  Plan to spend time in the Word. When you head home, you get out of your “routine.” You’ll want to sleep in and then do your devotions when you get up. The problem is, when you get up at 11, there’s stuff going on and it’s hard to focus. So, you put it off. Before you know it, the day is spend and you haven’t been in the Word. “I’ll get to it tomorrow,” you’ll tell yourself. But you won’t. Plan now to spend time in the Word then. Figure out a good time and stick to it. Tell someone else who can hold you accountable. You need to be in the Word. Make it happen.

8.  Reflect on the previous semester.  It all happened so fast! Take some time over break to think back over the semester you just finished. Rehearse some of the good memories. Think about regrets you have. Think about the things you really liked? What would you like to do differently next semester? What things would you like to do more next semester?

9.  Develop your knee callouses. The semester gets so busy that it’s hard to spend time in prayer. If you don’t get in the habit of praying when you do have time, you certainly won’t pray when you’re busy. Work on a prayer list. Start a prayer journal. Ask your pastor if you can meet with him for prayer once a week. Pray, pray, pray.

10.  Focus.  In all of these things you do, focus. Focus on the right thing. Your purpose is to bring God glory. This is true even during breaks J. Start each day focused on God’s glory. Ask yourself, “How can I best honor Him today?” “How can I glorify Him as I __________?” In all you do, magnify your God, and it will be a truly great break. 

Top Ten Signs You're a Student at Faith

10. You've gotten up, showered, and put on a shirt and tie (or skirt) - all before 7am - only to find out it's a Saturday.

9. You've experienced that awkward moment when you are holding the door and then decide the next person is too far away for you to wait for them, so you let the door close.
8. Whether or not you need an item, if it's free, you take it.
7. You know how many lights are in the chapel area of the gym.
6. You've experienced that awkward moment when you ask someone a question just as they start praying for their food. You've also answered the question you were asked as you started praying for your food.
5. Caffeine no longer has an effect on your body. In fact, it may actually make you sleepier.
4. The second or third thought to go through your head when you notice that it's snowing is: "Maybe tomorrow will be a snow day!"
3. You've woken up, looked at the clock, and wondered whether it is 6:30 pm and you are waking up from a nap, or it's 6:30 am and it's time to get ready for class.
2. You've sprinted back to your dorm room, in dress clothes, because you have 30 minutes for a nap.
1. You've laid in bed, dog-tired, eyes wide open, unable to fall asleep because you are so excited about the nap you are trying to take.