Happy New Year!

I know I am a couple of days late but... I want to wish you all a happy new year! How many of you made a couple of New Year resolutions and already broke them? (Lol) It is okay, just start over! It may not feel like a new year because you are faced with the same job, or the same decision about life after graduation, or another tuition bill. Your physical circumstances may not be new, but your mindset and perspective about life and the New Year can be renewed. I am not going to preach, but let this scripture marinate on your mind Romans 12:2 “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Let’s recap!

The last time I blogged I talked about Winter Break and how much you should focus on serving others, reading books, and more. Have I done any of what I said I was going to do? Sort of! No, I have not been to any soup kitchens, or preached fire of brimstone; however I did have the biggest ministry opportunity in my own home.

For those who do not know me, I come from a home where my family members are not saved nor do they attend church. I am considered an odd ball because I am a Christ follower and maybe my personality too, but hey I love me! Lol I do not come from the traditional family where we share meals, and hang out with one another, or show each other affection. In my family it is my mother, two little brothers, and me. When we were growing up, my brothers and I basically decided to just fight or ignore each other. There was no, I love you or I miss you, just fighting. Our family thought it was normal. Since then I came to realize that it is not “normal.” I felt the conviction even more when I gave my life to Christ at 18 years old.  For years, I prayed, fasted, and cried that my family could enjoy each other’s company and maybe even talk about Christianity without the chaos.  In December 2012, the prayer I prayed years ago came to past. When I came home that week, my brother approached me. Now I was a little nervous and put myself in a karate stance to prepare to fight (I do not know anything about martial arts). However he came towards me and said “Come give me a hug!” Surprisingly, we put away our pride and engaged in a deep conversation. I apologized to him for not being a great example of a sister when I was younger and disinterested in having a relationship with him. In my pre-Jesus days, I was a complete mess and my family was the victim of my craziness. For the first time, I told my brother I loved him and I almost cried. It was not that I never loved my family or held things against, but it was hard to express love to a family member when all you knew was anger, hate, and fights.

Another part of my prayers was to one day being able to minister to my family. I believe that the first ministry and the hardest ministry is your family. Indeed, my brother and I had a lengthy conversation about being a Christian, social issues, God, and more. My brother did not give his life to the Lord, but I believe that our talk have planted something in his heart. I also had a conversation with my younger brother and expressed that I loved him. However, we rarely had a chance to talk because he was so busy. I strongly believed that biggest miracle and blessing in 2012 was seeing God help mend broken relationships.

 

Again Happy New Year!

 

-Shani P.

Thoughts on a Monday Morning.

Click, click, click. The sound of my fingers beating down on the keyboard. Click, click, click. The sound of processes being run at work.The sound of homework being typed. The sound of wasting time on facebook. The sound of chatting with friends. The sound of writing this blog post.

I am here early in the office on a Monday, and everyone else seems to have a late day, and so I'm left to think and look back on so many good memories. Sometimes, looking back can really break your neck though, and it's hard to move forward when you're paralyzed.

I'm saying this because I am graduating in a few short months. I am leaving the little home I have made up for myself and venturing out into a completely new, scary, and beautiful world. (Did I emphasize "scary" enough there?)

I often post many pictures that capture my good memories, but today, the pictures speed through my head. And even though I'll be leaving it all behind, I know that I'll always have it with me. I have had an amazing experience at Point, and this semester is still so young so I have plenty more memories to make!

To the reader: if you are in high school, at another college, or at somewhere else in the road of life, let me offer some advice: smile at the good times, but don't forget to look ahead at those to come. I know sometimes your plans fall through, and sometimes you don't even HAVE plans and you wonder, and pray, and maybe mutter under your breath, "what next?"

But never mind that for now. And just live.

People always used to tell me that College would fly by, and when I was in the middle of studying for a Biology test it seemed as if it couldn't fly by fast enough. But it does. And those are the moments that life is made of.

So smile, and enjoy it. And get ready for what is to come. Because even if nothnig else is certain, this one thing is: that the good Lord has a plan in the midst of it all and he won't leave us to fend for ourselves.

- Rebecca

Feastin’ it up!

Hello everyone I hope all is well and as for me last night was a heck of a night! Yesterday Feast had a party, not the kind of party where there is drugs and alcohol, but it was more about community and getting close to one another. The party started early at 9:30 and there was live music, food, and my favorite… coffee! Everyone was enjoying each other and mingling with one another and having a blast because that is what college students do- to have fun. The event went on for two hours and in between those hours we laughed at one another and threw grapes at each other until eventually one of us gets hit in the eye… yes I did hit someone in the eye with a grape I’m not proud of it but the person just laughed it off and so I joined with her I mean what else could I have done? And that was part of the reasons why my night was awesome. I can’t forget about MLK! What a phenomenal man he was. He spoke of non-violent ways to create a society of equality that stirred many people's hearts. My heart was pounding with joy as I heard Martin Luther King’s name being mentioned and yesterday was the day that America did Rise up! Sadly, my Atlanta Falcons did not rise up but that is a different story to tell.

Peace out!

-          - Matias