The Sun Comes After the Rain

Classes at Kennesaw State were cancelled for the past several days because of the heavy rains and flash floods all around the Atlanta area. Lower lying areas and areas near creeks and rivers are in several feet of murky water. I don't personally know of anyone who has been affected by the floods, but the newscasts have been very telling. Many people have lost homes and several have died.

As a group, RUF students gathered yesterday to help out at the nearest Red Cross Shelter in Cobb County. Unfortunately, since we are not registered Red Cross volunteers, we were not allowed to help. Situations like this make me feel so helpless. The only way in which I was affected by the flooding was several inconvenient road closures and a couple of hours spent in traffic. I feel guilty that we spent the weekend dancing in the rain and rejoicing over cancelled classes, while some of our neighbors were experiencing devastation from the same rain clouds.

I was six years old when Hurricane Andrew ravaged South Florida. I was spending the summer in Port-au-Prince, Haiti with my grandparents. I remember coming home to the U.S. after the storm had passed. I remember walking in the townhouse and onto soggy carpet. The lake in the back yard had so obviously flooded our home. Everything was wet and dirty and smelly. I also remember going to the storage unit we kept most of our stuff at. The sun was shining through where a wall used to be. I remember finding a few of my toys strewn about. That's about all I remember.

Like Andrew, like Katrina, this will pass. God is sovereign over the weather. As hard as it may be to believe or understand, He has a purpose for allowing this to happen when it did and His purpose is Good. The sun ALWAYS comes out after a season of rain. The sun is shining outside. Thankfully, the rain has died down and the waters are receding in some areas. Some more rain is on its way, but, hopefully, the worst is over. Please, pray for those who have been affected.

Dancing in the Rain

It rained all weekend at Fall Conference, but the lack of thunder and lightning allowed us to play outside on Saturday afternoon. Between frisbee, flag football, and a 100 foot slip-n-slide, the students had a blast in the rain.






---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------




After everyone dried off, we played games inside.

Then we got wet again (this time from sweat) at the 90s themed dance party.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paul Joiner, our main speaker for the weekend, talked a lot about trials and suffering and what it looks like to have your heart set on the Cross. I know a few students in particular who are going through a rough patch and I hope that God spoke to them through Paul. Many good, Gospel-centered conversations came up this weekend. God is at work!

There definitely was a sense of community throughout the weekend, which is an answered prayer! I hope this community continues to grow and seeks to invtie others in as the semester rolls along. Thank you for your prayers and support!

Fall Conference is Here

My week has been restful, which is good in preparation for a busy weekend! We are taking 22 students (10 girls and 12 guys) to Fall Conference on Friday, September 18 through Sunday, September 20. Here all the RUF ministries in the state of Gerogia will congregate for a weekend of worship, seminars, and fun. We will be at Woodland Christian Camp in Temple, Georgia, which is a little over an hour southwest of Kennesaw.

Here are some prayer requests for Fall Conference:

~That the students new to RUF (Heather, Matt, Lessie, Amanda, Robert, Tim, Michael, Jane, Ben) get plugged in to the established community.
~That the older students are welcoming, encouraging, and loving towards their new brothers and sisters
~That everything would run smoothly, without major incidents (last year two students went to the ER)
~That the Lord would be glorified through the messages, seminars, relationships, and worship
~That students who do not know Him would come to do so, that seeds would be planted and others would take an interest in ministering to the lost, confused, and doubtful
~For the speaker, Paul Joiner, who was an RUF campus minister for 10+ years and is now pastoring a church outside of Nashville. He is speaking on "True Discipleship"

"Taken"

About twice a semester, we try to have an RUF movie night. We call it "Dessert and Discussion" because after we watch the movie, we eat some yummy dessert and talk about the movie through the lens of a Biblical world-and-life view.

A few nights ago, about 15 students gathered in Chris Bowen's living room to watch the movie "Taken." In my opinion, the movie was more violent than desirable. However, the violence shows the seriousness of the situation. I''l try not to give too much away if you haven't seen it, but the plot is this. A young girl begs her father, who has recently retired from his secret government job, to allow her to spend the summer overseas with friends. The girl and her friend get taken by a sex trafficking ring and her father is on a mission to find her.

This movie had amazing themes running through it. The father goes to any length to find his daughter who is lost because she disobeyed his rules. We talked about how that is a picture of the Gospel. God gave us seemingly simple rules. We disobeyed. He pursues us to save us from evil's hands, doing whatever is necessary. The pursuit in the movie was violent, but that is not much different than the violent death of Jesus, who conquered death and won us back for our Father.

One of the students asked "What about all the other young victims the dad came across and left behind in pursuit of his daughter?" That's not much different either. God pursues His children. He is certainly able to save everyone, but He doesn't. His heart is for His children. It makes me think how much of a blessing it is that I am a child of God!

Every human metaphor for the Gospel breaks down at some point because we are incapable of God's perfection, but it was still neat to be able to have such discussions involving pop culture. If you have any good movie suggestions for our next movie night, let me know.

All Things Considered

Is it really September? When I consider this past year, I find that I love this job. The most rewarding part of being an intern is seeing how God is at work through the ministry in the lives of the students. The students I met in the fall are not the same students that left school at the end of the spring. They have grown spiritually and emotionally, as well as mentally and physically. It's like watching a tree grow. It's slow and may not even be noticeable from day to day, but after some time, you can certainly see the difference.

As I enter the second year of my internship with RUF, I must begin to consider what my future might look like. Typically, the internship last for two years. Most people take what they have learned from the ministry and begin the next phase of life after college. Some go to seminary. Some go to graduate school. Some get a job. And a few stay and join staff with RUF. Given the opportunity, I would gladly stay for a third year or more. It is a testament to God's faithfulness that I am still here. My RUF account was due to enter into deficit in May. But every month since then, the Lord has provided and continues to provide despite my inconsistencies. How humbling!

The first weeks of being back on campus have been glorious and I simply cannot wait to see and be a part of what God will do at Kennesaw State University this semester.

Random Tandem

I love the days when fall is struggling to overtake summer. It makes some of the most gorgeous weather conditions.