God, I feel useless…

Is a statement, and certainly a feeling I know many of my friends, anyone college-age, and even myself can feel or say sometimes.  Please understand me, trying to “figure out life” is something that there seems to be so much pressure put on by parents, teachers, and even random people that strangely pop into your life that have no investment in you, but feel the need to tell you to “get the ball rolling and get your life together.”  The great question “what are you going to do with your life” is a huge one; and strangely becomes overwhelming after highschool.  I hope this post gives someone struggling with a job, school, or life that doesn’t seem to be going as planned.  One man said, “Life isnt about a title or position, but about who you are at the end of life.”  I know that life for me hasn’t always turned out as planned, and no dream is always as sweet as it is when it is in your head, but when life gets hard please remember to “look to the Author and Finisher of our faith,” Jesus, and be reminded that he is writing your story..our story… and the story of the world… Check out this post from Relevant, it deals with this discussion….

Also, be reminded, God isn’t “upstairs” trying to make life harder for you for no reason, neither did He create you to live a life to seek money, big houses, multiple cars, and fancy clothes.  He didn’t create us to meet a certain quota, or pray a certain amount of time a day to fill some sort of ”spiritual time sheet” as if to appease him.  Jesus came to set us free from living lives that live up to other’s standards, and freedom from feeling like we have to “do it all” and keep up with the Jones’.  Jesus-life is about peace, grace, humility, and realizing that its ok to be yourself, without apology.  So if it is a hard time, be patient, because Jesus is working on you, to make you more life him.. and that is always beautiful.  Even in the midst of job hunting, college, school work, and simply life.

Check out “To Build a Home” from The Cinematic Orchestra as well..

 

College.Church.&.Thoughts

So I have been in a certain college in KY since yesterday, and have had the prievelage to skip the power outage back home (Madisonville, KY check it out it is pretty crazy) and spend time with some friends all the while staying warm. Although I go to Community College back home, I have always wondered what it would be like to go to a larger college or university. My experience has surely been a great one and I have enjoyed it fairly well.   I am currently sitting at a coffee shop, watching the snow fall, and they played some Coldplay this morning!  And of course I have come away some thoughts already after one night of staying. Here they are:

-The grass isn’t always greener. Although this is a very large campus and close to 20,000 students attend here, it all seems to boil down to the same thing, like back in Madisonville, spending time with friends. The great American-teenage past time.  The time spent with friends can’t be traded and I certainly have enjoyed it.

-College Church. The thought there are so many churches around this campus kills me. My friends told me about some of the Christian affiliate programs on the campus and we drew the conclusion that with all the people that attend each of them put together wouldn’t equal 10% of the student population. That is startling. I wonder how empty the churches are around here. There is so much potential of free thinkers here to be changed. There is so much opportunity for a pseudo-church to be established on campuses everywhere but for some reason, college town churches seem to build buildings instead of infiltrating the colleges themselves. Just saying. I’m not trying to shoot off from my mouth, I just see so much potential for a positive change here. There are tribes here, but with the right leadership they could know Christ.

-Refreshment. It is refreshing to see people, young people, that like to wrestle. That don’t take everything sitting down, but want to poke, prod, and test: beliefs, ideas, and those things supposed as “truths.” Anytime people are searching or are honest with not knowing “it all,” that is refreshing.

Grace and Peace.