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