So it's been a while. Oops.
The end.
Not really.
Here we go:
Semester numero dos of Samuel's adventures in college (also known as the endless roller coaster of the best and worst days of my life). It's not too bad. School it kinda rough...but that's school. It has shown me that I need to rely on God in all things though. We'll talk about that more later. Still living on campus, still loving rolling out of bed 20 minutes before class. Still hating trying to choke down University Dining's poor excuse for "food".
As some of you know, I am involved in RUF (Reformed University Fellowship) which is a campus ministry here at Texas A&M. I am getting involved in their ministry team in the upcoming fall semester.
What has this semester really taught me so far? Well lemme tell ya;
Besides things like NaCl is a balanced compound, Moliere wrote a lot of plays, Thomas Jefferson wanted us all to be farmers, and welding is terrifying, I have learned a lot about myself and about God.
First, I went to the Relentless Men's Conference early in February. The big message of this whole conference was in order to be a man of God, you have to be in the Word. Wow. I was not in the Word. Since then I have been getting more in the Bible as much as possible (not perfectly, I'm human). It has made so much of a difference though, I've grown closer to God personally and been so much less stressed.
Another thing I've had to learn is sometimes you just have to let go. Sometimes there are things in life you can't control and you just have to sit back and let God take you where He will. you can't control it so you have to trust that it's His plan. It's rough at first, but in the end it makes everything in life easier.
As always, I am very thankful for my friends who have really become a family to me over my time here. I can't imagine living college without them and summer is going to suck at times. I'm so thankful that God gave me friends to build me up and hold me close to Him. Without them I would not have made it this far and I would not be where I am. I also would not be where I am without my family. As I grow up and start to take on more on my own I don't drift away from my family, but I rather grow closer to them in a different way. Distance makes the time together sweeter and age makes all that advice from earlier in life make a lot more sense.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013
If I...If I what?
So first, a little background on me as I realize unless you know me personally this may not make as much sense.
I am a 2nd semester freshman (class of 2016) at Texas A&M University. I am majoring in Industrial Distribution and really loving my major and the people in it. I also live on campus so I'm very well connected with campus.
I am a Christian, by which I mean that I believe I am a sinner, but God sent his son, Jesus Christ, who is also a person of the one true God, to live on earth as a man. He lived a perfect life and was crucified as a sacrifice for the sins of all who have called on the name of Jesus for their salvation. I proclaim Christ's name and rely on him for salvation.
I also did Boy Scouts from age 7 to age 18 and earned my eagle scout award.
Alright, that's enough I think.
I recently watch Demetri Martin's "If I" routine on YouTube. I highly recommend it as it was both very funny, but also very thought provoking. Through the course of his "stand-up" he talks about all the different turns his life had taken and how it had shaped him as a person. It was summed up in a "formula" he created which stated that I = (if + if + if + if...) / time. In English who you are is shaped by the choices you make over time.
I thought this to be very interesting. Later that same evening I was talking with a friend who was asking for prayer on a future decision that would have a very large impact on the course of her life. How about that for a coincidence?
But then I realized that we really do make choices that will have a huge impact on our lives every day. For instance, let's say you are deciding whether or not to go to the store, simple enough right? Well what if it is raining outside? Traffic could be bad, drivers could be impaired and the simple decision to go to the store could result in you being involved in an automobile accident. Big impact from a small decision.
So why don't we just stay cooped up inside all day long to avoid any decisions and therefore any change? Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Demetri used this quote to start off his show. By examining our life we see our needs, we see how we can improve, and we want to expand our sphere of influence. We examine our options and make choices. Yes it is raining, but I am a safe driver and I need bread from the store to feed my children. The risk is still there isn't it? Of course it is. How do you know you are safe?
God.
Three letters arranged to form the word we use to define a being greater than ourselves. Defined as "the one Supreme Being, the creator and ruler of the universe."
When I say God I mean GOD, Yahweh, Jehovah, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit in divine trinity.
I trust that God's will for my life is for my ultimate good and therefore I am not afraid of choices. They are difficult to make, but when made I have to trust that God's will is best for my life. This is something that I had to learn over this semester.
During the first full month of my first semester at college, my father was diagnosed with having suffered a heart attack. This came as a shock to myself and my family and even more so when we discovered he would need triple bypass surgery to fix the damage. How was I able to continue with school as best as possible? Because I trusted that God's will was what was right, even if it wasn't what I wanted.
Thankfully the surgery was very successful and my father has made a full recovery, however life is different now as a result of the choices made. I trust God that these changes are for my good and the good of my family. Is it easy? No. Is it what's right? Yes.
"Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us." Psalm 62:8 ESV
The choices we make define who we are, but what defines us most is our choice to have faith in God.
I am a 2nd semester freshman (class of 2016) at Texas A&M University. I am majoring in Industrial Distribution and really loving my major and the people in it. I also live on campus so I'm very well connected with campus.
I am a Christian, by which I mean that I believe I am a sinner, but God sent his son, Jesus Christ, who is also a person of the one true God, to live on earth as a man. He lived a perfect life and was crucified as a sacrifice for the sins of all who have called on the name of Jesus for their salvation. I proclaim Christ's name and rely on him for salvation.
I also did Boy Scouts from age 7 to age 18 and earned my eagle scout award.
Alright, that's enough I think.
I recently watch Demetri Martin's "If I" routine on YouTube. I highly recommend it as it was both very funny, but also very thought provoking. Through the course of his "stand-up" he talks about all the different turns his life had taken and how it had shaped him as a person. It was summed up in a "formula" he created which stated that I = (if + if + if + if...) / time. In English who you are is shaped by the choices you make over time.
I thought this to be very interesting. Later that same evening I was talking with a friend who was asking for prayer on a future decision that would have a very large impact on the course of her life. How about that for a coincidence?
But then I realized that we really do make choices that will have a huge impact on our lives every day. For instance, let's say you are deciding whether or not to go to the store, simple enough right? Well what if it is raining outside? Traffic could be bad, drivers could be impaired and the simple decision to go to the store could result in you being involved in an automobile accident. Big impact from a small decision.
So why don't we just stay cooped up inside all day long to avoid any decisions and therefore any change? Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Demetri used this quote to start off his show. By examining our life we see our needs, we see how we can improve, and we want to expand our sphere of influence. We examine our options and make choices. Yes it is raining, but I am a safe driver and I need bread from the store to feed my children. The risk is still there isn't it? Of course it is. How do you know you are safe?
God.
Three letters arranged to form the word we use to define a being greater than ourselves. Defined as "the one Supreme Being, the creator and ruler of the universe."
When I say God I mean GOD, Yahweh, Jehovah, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit in divine trinity.
I trust that God's will for my life is for my ultimate good and therefore I am not afraid of choices. They are difficult to make, but when made I have to trust that God's will is best for my life. This is something that I had to learn over this semester.
During the first full month of my first semester at college, my father was diagnosed with having suffered a heart attack. This came as a shock to myself and my family and even more so when we discovered he would need triple bypass surgery to fix the damage. How was I able to continue with school as best as possible? Because I trusted that God's will was what was right, even if it wasn't what I wanted.
Thankfully the surgery was very successful and my father has made a full recovery, however life is different now as a result of the choices made. I trust God that these changes are for my good and the good of my family. Is it easy? No. Is it what's right? Yes.
"Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us." Psalm 62:8 ESV
The choices we make define who we are, but what defines us most is our choice to have faith in God.
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