Getting Into You

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me..."

-Mark 8:34

Greetings and God Bless,

My roommate (and wonderful sister in Christ!) and I were up talking until a fuzzy time between three and four o'clock in the morning last night. Her concluding sentence after a very long thought was, "And I just don't want to be me anymore." About 2 minutes later, I roll over and say, "That is so cool!" Roommate's response, "Yea, because I just want to be more Christ-like..."

Christ is the most incredible Creator. He crafted each and every one of us to be His Masterpieces. With that, however, we have places where we are strong, and places where we are weak. When we're going through a trial, our weaknesses are made known. We realize things that we hold onto: nervous habits, physical objects that become idols, personality traits that we conform to because it's "easier" to act a certain way in society, etc. When we come to understand that these things are only temporary, it makes sense to cry out to the Lord, that you no longer want to be "yourself." You want to be more like Christ! 

The only person we should be trying to become, the only person who we should be seeking isn't "ourselves," as society demands of us--we should desire to be more like Him, and Him alone!

There are so many times that we forget that we find out more about our Plan, our personalities, etc. through falling more in love with Christ. Being Christ-like should be our only focus. Who are we without Him? I encourage you to stop looking for yourself in this life. For if you look for yourself in this world, you will find faults and temporary traits that will not suit you for eternity. Look for Christ. There, you will find yourself--your true Identity. 

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.  And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.

-1 John 3:1-3

White Lights

Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 

-Matthew 8:25, 26

Even in the midst of what appears to be a somber, or scary occasion, Christ is there. No only is He there, loving you, calling out your name, He is beside you, that you may Have all confidence in Him, that He will never leave you. Even when the things that tempt us the most, appear to be extremely present in our lives; when we see and hear the waves come crashing, when we feel the winds start to blow us over, Christ is there to calm the storm. 

I was put in a similar situation this morning at breakfast. After a lovely morning at the most amazing church in the capital district (not that I'm biased or anything..!), a text message from a dear friend of mine caused a great tempest to arise on the sea. However, Christ's message this morning in  church was to love one another no matter what. Not to love in order to avoid sin (actions from anger, jealousy, depression, etc.), but in order to truly love them. Just as Christ put on my heart last night with the previous blog, He was calling me to live out His Message today.

so we, though many, are one body in Christ,

and individually members one of another.

-Romans 12:5

I told him I love him. That he will forever be my brother, and that no matter what he may do, I love him. 

Most importantly, Christ loves Him. I pray that my reminder of humanly, brotherly/sisterly love, was a great reminder of True Love. (Amen.)

I pray for those who are following after Christ's heart, for you to not be disgruntled when a brother or sister falls, but that you stay strong, and truly love your brother and sisters---no matter what. 

Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the res of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles--when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you...

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins." Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

-1 Peter 4:1-4, 7-10

Undercover

If indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worth to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

-Romans 8:17b, 18

Greetings and God Bless,

Men and women: I would like to let you know, that no matter what you are doing this Halloween night, Christ loves you. I think that far too many times, we don't let each other know how much we truly love one another. I challenge you, whether it's tonight or any other night, let someone know how much you love them. 

Christ's love is undefinable. Christ loves with no conditions. We love saying "I will love you, but if you do this...or if you thought this way about this...if you have ever done this...well, then I don't know if I could love you." Christ says, "I have loved you with an ever lasting love (Jer 31:3)... But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear... (Matt 10:30, 31a) Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends (John 15:13)." 

Christ knows every single thing you have ever thought, He has seen every single thing that you have ever done, and Christ will love you forever, no matter what. Under all circumstances, all appearances, all predicaments.

About an hour ago, I was out trying to find my friend here on campus. I didn't end up finding him, but instead, I found my Best Friend. Everyone got dressed up for tonight's celebrations, which at first made me cringe. However, I realized that everyone gets dressed up, puts on a mask, or paints over his or her face when they feel they need to cover a part of their life, in order to be adored. We get so lost in finding love, that we become foolish. Whether it's dressing up for Halloween, hiding behind our knowledge, or hiding behind our attitudes, we hide because we're afraid. What if just one person reached out, and showed their love for you? Would you stop hiding, and realize that no matter what, Goodness exists? Not only that It exists, but that It wants to love you just as much as you want to love It?

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, 

since love covers a multitude of sins.

-1 Peter 4:8

The Person who sees your every action, your every thought, and knows when you're trying to lie to Him, is He who loves you the most. He tries to talk to you, romance you, embrace you, and inform you everyday. Why refrain from a love so Pure?

We need to remind our brothers and sisters of His perfect love. How? By loving everyone as Christ has loved us. Though our bodies and our minds may fail in understanding and celebrating His true grace, God is the strength of our hearts and our portions forever. (paraphrase of Psalm 73:26) 

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,

-1 Peter 1:22, 23

Candlelight

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge.

 -1 Cor 1:4,5

Greetings and God Bless,

My name is Ai Valley and I am a missionary at Siena College (NY). This blog is being established to bring Christians together from campuses around the world. May we come together to worship the Lord, to love Him with our fully, sweetly surrendered hearts. 

Siena College is a small liberal arts college, that is rooted in the Franciscan tradition (for more information, search Francis of Assisi). Even though Siena may be more popular for its current success in athletics (basketball more specifically), there is so much more going with these Siena Saints! 

Most recently, the TOMS shoes Club at Siena College is being developed. TOMS is a company that combats a disease called podo(coniosis), which is a disease that can be obtained by people who walk barefoot amongst soils that have a high percentage of silica particles (volcanic soils). With the increase of absorption of silica into the pores, their lymphatics fibrose, and swelling occurs. Shoes alone can prevent such a disease. That's where TOMS steps in. For every pair of shoes (or clothing item) that you buy, TOMS donates a free pair of shoes to those who are susceptible to podo. Find out more information at www.TOMSshoes.com.

Along with TOMS, Siena College's non-denominational Bible Study (now deemed Real Life Fellowship) has grown immensely. Christ is doing so much through all of His people on campus! It has been so amazing to see all that He can truly do, just on one college campus out of thousands in the US! We are currently reading through the book of Ephesians. Other literature that is being read by Siena RLF students include "Crazy Love," by Francis Chan, "when God writes your love story," by Leslie and Eric Ludy, "The Unlikely Disciple," by Kevin Roose, "Irresistible Revolution," by Shane Claiborne, and "In the Eye of the Storm," by Max Lucado. Other Christian media involvement brings us to the title of today's blog, "Candlelight." Christian band, Relient K, has recently released a CD entitled, Forget and Not Slow Down, where one can find the new hit song "Candlelight." Said CD has been a hot topic this week amongst the Christians on campus. Comments such as "Where did Jesus go?" and "I pray that God uses Matt [lead singer] through all that he has experienced recently [referring to his break up] in his future work." Overall, the new sound of Relient K is seemingly controversial, and is responsible for a decent amount of discussion at Siena. Also, due to our new memberships with www.tangle.com, we have found the new artist, Jason Waller. I encourage you to explore his work if you are a fan of Shane & Shane or Shawn McDonald. The faith that both him and his wife share has been a blessing to us at Siena!

Other developments within RLF is our commitment to Christ during this Halloween holiday "season" (it is now deemed a season amongst students, for it lasts for almost a week at most nearby colleges). Most members have been eagerly awaiting "Harvest Fusion," a Christian celebration that will be held during the evening hours of Halloween, where Christian bands, skits, and prayer sessions will be offered for Christian students to enjoy October 31st. This provides opportunities to celebrate Christ, rather than to succumb to the pressure and temptation of what the majority of college students are involving themselves in/with! Christ has truly blessed us with such an opportunity! 

My prayers go out to students at Wheaton College, Loudonville Christian School, College of Charleston, Albany College of Pharmacy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, SUNY Buffalo, and Bluefield Bible College, who we are in connection with! The Wheaton men's baseball team has been heavily involved in several missions, including a homeless mission and Blood:Water mission. LCS students are worshipping Christ with their whole hearts during their chapel services, bringing modesty into their lives, and keeping "back pack" Christianity (faith which you bring with you to school, but leave there while at home) out. God Bless all of the students that have given their lives to Christ. Thank you for being a living sacrifice, and a set-apart adult!

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

 -Romans 12:1