1) Working with InterVarsity does not protect me from UV rays: "Oh dear heavens," is my usual response as I glance up at the blazing noonday sun. My Irish/English heritage does not serve me well in any situations pertaining to the sun. My skin is very similar to a mood ring, except the only colors I have are pasty white and lobster red (which corresponds to the mood of frustration). Couple this with my flaw of forgetting sunscreen, and what I have is a recipe for disaster. I've learned that although there are definitely perks of working with InterVarsity, supernatural protection from the sun is not one of them...which is a bummer. I don't know if it exists, but I think I'm going to significantly boost the sales of Banana Boat's SPF 95 sunscreen.
2) The campus really is a mission field with great opportunities: Tuesdays are often our "proxy station" days, where we use a large-and-in-charge tri-fold plywood board with various questions to engage the students and ask how faith relates both personally and with certain topics (war, economy, dating, etc). The interactions and conversations we've had with certain students have been great, and it's been a great way for InterVarsity to have a presence on campus. What I've been discovering (or rediscovering?) is that students of all grades are in need of Jesus, community, and transformation. Don't get me wrong...students at CU are fantastic and have tons of maturity and leadership. But broken families, an insatiable desire to succeed, and emotional brokenness are just a few things that some of the students at Creighton have discussed with me. It's my hope that as the school year continues, InterVarsity can be a place of healing, friendship, and renewal.
3) It really is all about Jesus: As the school year rages on, I am reminded over and over again of the importance of seeking Jesus' renewal in the midst of it all. Going through the motions, trying to pull off different campus events, and hoping that my own strength/energy/personality will last...none of it works for very long. I feel like I've come to multiple points during the first couple of months when I've been restless, almost as if I know that I'm trying too hard. It's in those times where I feel like I know that God doesn't want me to just do things for him...but also with him.
4) I have a limit to the amount of coffee meetings I can have during a day: "Sure, I'd love to grab coffee with you sometime!" is a common statement of mine in conversations with students. 2 wake-up coffees, 3 student-meeting mochas, and 2 staff-meeting espressos later, my hands are usually shaking, the room is spinning, and the student I'm talking to has 4 heads. I love meeting with students, though, as this is really when I get to get to know and care for students on a deeper level. Having 1-on-1 conversations with them is key to caring, advising, and challenging for them...I just need less coffee. Decaf please.
5) "God answers prayers" & "prayer is power" is more than just a saying: I've been realizing that when people in ministry talk about the importance of prayer, they aren't lying. Whether it's a focused prayer, such as wanting a specific person to show up to Bible study, or a more vague prayer of wanting the Spirit to move in our students, I've seen those prayers be answered. My own leadership ability only goes so far
6) 14,000 foot mountains are not as easy as they sound or look: Even if they have rounded tops and look like a hill that I rolled down as a toddler, "14ers" are like porcupines. Real cute to look at, not real cute to mess with. On Friday September 9th, 5 Creighton guys and I traveled with about 30 other men from Nebraska and Iowa InterVarsity chapters to Denver, CO. The quest? Climb all of Quandary Peak's 14,265 feet. Oh, and survive. That too.
After 10 hours of driving, an acclimation hike, a large pizza buffet, and a whopping few hours of sleep, we started the ascent. As the sun rose above the surrounding mountains, we focused on the peak. Is that it? It doesn't seem very high... were words that were uttered in the beginning. Almost in spite, the mountain seemed to get a lot steeper, as if a mountain manager man had pushed the "increase incline" button. But, with thighs, calves, and lungs burning, I victoriously reached the top!
7) I'm not a huge fan of decisions: As I try to decide my next step in my young life, I'm beginning to realize that decisions make me a bit uncomfortable. Choosing one thing means that I'm not choosing something else, which is kind of painful and unnerving. [Example: Yeah, I think I'll have the turkey sandwich. Wait...but what about ham's feelings? Oh my, and chicken is always delicious...gosh. I guess I'll either have all three or won't eat!] Can't I just have all of the options? What about bigger decisions? Is it possible to go to medical school while working on a college campus and performing as a trapeze artist in a traveling circus? Unfortunately, no. (Okay, so I'm mainly focusing on the first two... the last is a pipe dream) The other difficulty with choices is that God wants a part in the decision process, which I usually forget. It should help, but too often I try to reason things out on my own, ending up frustrated and more confused than when I started. So that's my hope for this year: that I can seek the guidance and wisdom of the One who is a much better decision-maker.
8) God is good: And patient... and loving... and powerful... It's something that I hear all the time, but sometimes forget. Seeing God show up in powerful ways through conversations, students, and answered prayers is pretty awesome. I don't think it's a coincidence that when I stray from Him that things start to seem a lot harder, but when I'm clinging to God I begin to see Him at work all around me and on campus. As I open my eyes to the things around me, I begin to see God's hand in everything.
9) Ministry is not all roses and sunshine: I have a tendency to be a bit naive when it comes to future events/plans, and it was not a whole lot different with this year. Part of me expected to walk onto Creighton's campus and experience something very akin to hopping into a hot-air balloon: effortlessly rising (and growing) both as an InterVarsity chapter and personally. But there are growing pains in ministry. As the chapter begins to get larger and I start to experience things that I need to work on in my own life, there's a small freakout in my mind that begins to happen. Am I good enough for this gig? Is it panic time for our chapter? Is anything right in the world!?! When I take a breath and step back from things, though, I can see the bigger picture. The picture that displays God's plan for both the campus and myself. The picture that displays God's faithfulness amidst trouble. The picture that displays God walking with me and our chapter in both the good times and bad.
10) I'm enjoying this year like a mouse enjoys cheese: Through all the happiness and frustration, the blessing and challenge, I'm finding that there's joy in the journey. There's joy in finding ways to put God at the center of my life, joy in seeing students growing into leaders and agents of change, joy in seeing Him breath life into places on campus, joy in finding God in the corners, sides, and middle of life.
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