How I Go About Doing College

I have quite the reputation around here when it comes to homework. Rumor has it that I don't really study. Ever. At all. And it's kind of true.

A wise man once told me that studying is overrated. Okay - so it was a fellow college student, and I'm pretty sure he was joking. But I chose to take him seriously, and I haven't studied much since then.

Liz studies. She comes in here every night before we have an Anatomy quiz and I test her on diagrams of bones. Then, I always let her test me. But I don't really study it - I'm normally all over the room, cleaning up, making my bed, etc. while she's trying to get me to pay attention.

Laurel studies. We have "study" parties rather frequently - in fact, we're having one right now. Note that I am blogging during this designated "study party."

Blair studies. Boy, does she ever. I think Blair spends more time studying than she does doing anything else, except maybe sleeping. She makes me look bad, she really does.

I sure feel like I study and do homework a lot. However, I'm afraid that most of the time I think I'm spending on homework, I'm actually taking a nap, or e-mailing people, or talking to friends (and distracting them from studying). I know I studied a lot last semester, especially for math. I think I probably spent at least 2 days studying for my final in that class. I know it was probably 3 hours or more of time total, and that was just exhausting!

But I'm scared, guys - scared that one of these days this semester, I'm going to have to study! And then. . . well, then I will see that I probably should have been studying all along. But until that day comes, I plan to continue blindly upon my present course. So cheers, to those of you who study! Someday, I'll learn from you. . .

Intimacy

"Once we get intimate with Jesus we are never lonely and we never lack for understanding or compassion. We can continually pour out our hearts to Him without being perceived as overly emotional or pitiful. The Christian who is truly intimate with Jesus will never draw attention to himself but will only show the evidence of a life where Jesus is completely in control. This is the outcome of allowing Jesus to satisfy every area of life to its depth. The picture resulting from such a life is that of the strong, calm balance that our Lord gives to those who are intimate with Him."
-My Utmost for His Highest, January 7th

"The strong, calm balance" . . . when I read this devotion back in January, I had no idea that this concept of intimacy and quiet before our Lord would be such a hard lesson to learn. I didn't set out to learn it by any means - in fact, I've actually been running away from it for the past several weeks. When I returned to Truman from Christmas break at home, life quickly picked up and started moving at it's usual break-neck speed. SAB, CCF, spending time with friends, small groups, Howdys, planning events, meetings, homework, classes, keeping in touch with friends back home. . . I was overwhelmed. Each night, when I finally gave in to my desperate need for sleep, I would lie awake for hours, exhausted physically and emotionally, but with my mind rushing with everything that still had yet to be done. And every morning, the alarm came far too quickly, for I never woke up feeling any more rested than I had when I went to bed.

One night a week or so ago, in the midst of all this chaos, a friend asked how they could pray for me. I decided to be honest and said, "Pray that I would start taking time for my own relationship with God, and not constantly focusing on my relationship with others, and on their issues in life and their relationships with God." Our conversation moved on from there, and I would have forgotten entirely about it had, God not inserted Himself into the situation.

This past week has been almost frightening. My daily e-mail devotions, the sermon on Sunday, conversations with 3 of my friends, my small group meeting this Monday, and all the other spiritual inputs into my life have all had one focus -- Slow down. Cut back on your schedule. Make time for God. Learn to be a "Mary" and not a "Martha." Place God as your first priority, not just another item on the to-do list. Develop intimacy with Him and don't be content with a casual acquaintance. And through it all, the recurring theme that if I were to do this and pursue God, this "strong, calm balance" would be the result, replacing my usual exhaustion and stress.

This isn't one of those stories about how I made a 180 degree turn-around and my life is suddenly perfect - far from it! I am still in the very beginning stages of learning how to apply these truths to my busy college life. But God knows what He's up to, and He has placed people in my life this semester who are there to help me out. So I just wanted to write this in order to encourage you to also make your pursuit of God first priority in your life, no matter who you are. We are all busy, but somehow, that ceases to be a good excuse when you think of the Cross, doesn't it? Let's learn together how to slow down and be still and quiet before our God, developing that intimacy with Him that He asks us for.

Yours, from the chilly northern climate,
Rebekah

A Cast of Characters

Truman has brought such a variety of new people into my life! I've been amazed to see the many relationships God has built in the few months that I've been here. Let me introduce you to a few of the main characters in the story of my life these days:

This is Liz Hoffman. She plays the role of the Person I Spend the Most Time With. We’re planning on rooming together next year. Liz is also a nursing student, and is actively involved in the Newman Center (the Catholic student org. on campus). My favorite things about her are how honest and loyal she is. And, she’s the only one of my friends who gives as much as she gets from me when it comes to “mothering.” :)

 

Here, we have Virginia Hiendelmayr. She plays the role of Diversity in my life, because life is always different and fresh and new with VA around. She’s studied abroad and worked in both Austria and Spain, and is taking 3 foreign languages this semester alone! I love her cheerful spirit – she always makes me laugh. I’m hoping to bring her to CCF with me sometime soon. She used to be part of the Christian Science church, but is looking for something else right now. . . and I just so happen to think I know One who can satisfy that search. :)

 

This is the lovely Laurel Bellamy.  Her role in this story is Adventure Buddy – just yesterday we braved the cold for a shopping trip to downtown Kirksville! Laurel also comes to CCF with me on a regular basis, and has just joined the nursing program this semester. I love how goofy Laurel can be, and also how much she honestly desires to pursue God in the way she lives her life here at Truman.

 

This lady is Gretchen Smiles. She’s a grad student here, and although I don’t really hang out with her very often, she’s been a big part of my life here. I cast her as The Encourager. She was my small group leader last semester, and it was so great to spend time talking with her about our faith. I’m going to miss her when she moves back to Chicago and starts teaching next year! She’s going to be a Special Ed. teacher too, which is very near to my heart.

 

This is Amanda Schaffner. I find her to be the Constant in my life. She’s always good for a laugh, someone to talk with, hanging out. . . really just whatever I need. She’s a Bio major, and  is athletic and beautiful and fun to be with. I started the year out going to CCF and she started out at Campus Crusade (CRU), but now we both go to both. :) I love her SO much and I’m looking forward to having 3 more years around here.

 

It is quite natural to follow Amanda with this young lady, Shandra Sheaffer. They are rarely seen apart, and I suspect that Shandra spends over 90% of her time in Amanda’s room. She is undoubtedly the Princess in this tale. What a sweetheart! We have a lot of fun watching her in the many boy-chasing escapades she gets into. I can’t wait to see which of these guys she actually ends up with. :) Shandra is a Linguistics major, and just enjoys life and the fact that she’s a girl. She comes to CCF and CRU as well, and lights up everything with her cute comments. You should have seen her trying to give Liz a makeover last weekend. It was a sight. ;)

 

Here we have Katherine Kennison. She is the Twin, or so we’ve been told. Apparently, if we’re both wearing our glasses, we look quite similar. I am about 3 or 4 inches taller, and she has red hair, but those are just small details in the grand scheme of things. Katherine is Amanda’s best friend from back home, and just transferred here this spring semester. She and I have connected really well, and enjoy working out together. I’m looking forward to getting to know her a lot better in the coming years!

 

Isn’t she gorgeous? This is my friend, Audrey Adams. She takes the role of Spiritual Partner here at school. We met early on at a CCF event, and have enjoyed spending one-on-one time together every since. She’s also a nursing major, so we talk about that sometimes. . . but more importantly, she’s someone who I’ve found I can be completely open with about all things faith-related. What a blessing she is to me!

 

This is Blair Ballard aka The Best Roommate in the World. She quite literally rocks my socks. She was gone all last semester due to an unfortunate accident, but she has moved back into our room on the fourth floor this semester, and I couldn’t be happier to have her here. We don’t hang out much outside the room, but in the room it’s never tense or uncomfortable. She is understanding, and lovable and we mother each other a whole lot.

 

If you know me personally, you might be confused about the fact that I have not yet featured any guys friends. In high school, I seemed to spend most of my time around guys, and trust me, coming to college and developing mostly girl relationships has been weird! A good weird, but still weird. However, there are a few guys who hang around every once in a while, and here they are all together. This picture is pretty accurate depiction of these kids and how I see them (okay, not the shirtless part) – ridiculous! From L to R, we have Greg, Alexander, Joey, and Joseph. They are all CRU guys, and each one of them unique and fun-loving. They aren’t like the guys I’m used to (engineers), but I still have greatly enjoyed spending many early mornings(8:00 am breakfasts in Ryle) and late nights(when they drag me out of bed at 10:30 or 11:00 pm to watch a movie) with them. :) They keep me from being lame, and provide me with people to mother and make food for. A win-win situation.

So there you go! Those are the people who have blessed my life these months at Truman, and helped me make a home away from home for myself. I love them all, and feel like my heart has expanded greatly to make room for them among the many friends that I still cherish from back home.

The College Life: A Tale of Poor Decisions and Great Fun

This is sun. In Kirksville. In the winter! It's really a miracle. And, on a Sunday afternoon, there is no way a group of crazy college kids wouldn't take advantage of such a miracle. The idea to play ultimate frisbee was had. So we did.

This sun was very deceptive though. . .

Because (although you see Alexander wearing shorts here),
it was a cold, cold, cold day. Very cold.

Liz and Shandra were ready! Which lasted about 5 minutes.

I was official photographer and guardian of the stuff.
Cell phones, ID cards, and keys are the staples of a college student.

Unfortunately, this official photographer discovered that

her hands stayed much warmer inside her pockets.
So there aren't many action shots. :)

Yes. Yes, he is wet and muddy. Fun, huh?

This is Jason. Poor guy - he was so close!

Jason after the fact.

So yes. This is how we, as college students in Kirksville, spend our January afternoons. As they say, "Make hay while they sun shines (even if it's still freezing cold)."

Oh Dear.

As I faithfully check my blogger "dashboard" each day, I find myself often disappointed that there are no new blog posts by any of the bloggers that I follow.

Then, I pause and recall my own negligence of blogging. And I sigh deeply, then get started on homework.

Consider this formal apology, for not keeping up with things. I said a few weeks ago that I would, and have (as is typical with me) failed miserably at that. I'm not going to make another promise of the like. . . but I will try harder. I just need to pick one night a week that I devote to blogging. Maybe Tuesday nights would be good. Yeah. . . I think we can to this.

So for the rest of this semester, I do believe my blog will be transformed into a "Tuesday Blog."

Love,
me

First Love - Jeremy Horn

Although I am changing, You’re unchangeable, oh God
You will be my first love, be my first love
And for all the changes that You lead me through, oh God
You will be my first love, be my first love

Every morning when the sun comes up
And every evening when the day is done
You will be my first love, be my first love
Even when You fill my heart’s desires
Even when You are consuming fire
You will be my first love, be my first love

Although I am shaken, You’re unshakable, oh God
You will be my first love, be my first love
So let my idols crumble, You’re unshakable, oh God
You will be my first love, be my first love

May every day and every way I live bring glory to You Lord.
Be my first love

Christmas in Georgia

Q: What do you get when you combine 2 large families and 2 grandparents, a small farm house in Georgia, a horse, and countless small motorized vehicles?

A: 21 people and a heck of a good time!

This was our Christmas adventure for the year. Our family road tripped down to Georgia on December 22nd, in two vehicles, and were able to spend 5 days reconnecting with our family and having a splendid time all around. Thank you, Dave Halls, for hosting us for so long! Here are some pictures of our fun:

Small cousin fun - make believe!

Ever heard of the Red-Green Show?
These goons got videos of them for Christmas, hence the costumes.

Andy was excited about Christmas.

This is Annie. She is a life-saver, folks. You see, although Annie is 21, she is the only cousin on both sides who has ever been "my" cousin. Besides being "my" cousin, she is just a fantastic girl - SO much fun, and also a very godly example to all the little kiddos running around, and to me. I love you girl! Thanks for a great Christmas together!

My darling grandparents. They truly are wonderful, and I SO enjoyed my time with them! Aren't they precious? We even got to have "story time" one night, when they told funny stories about their high school years.

Best. Reaction. To. A. Christmas. Gift. Ever.
Grandpa and Grandma got Isaac this musket for Christmas.
Needless to say, boy + gun = ecstatic!

Beautiful girls! This is Eva, and my sister Abby.

Silly girls. :)

They decided to drive the go-kart in the mud. Go figure.

Little girls getting in on the action!

Talking time - always gotta have that!

More play-time

Pie Making! Grandma is a kitchen queen, and I think she loves watching her granddaughters go crazy in the kitchen. Eva and I had fun with that!

So there you go! That was our Christmas holiday this year.