#acaciat

[insideazusapacific]

Sunny Days Are Here Again

Winter seems to have left hot and sunny Southern California, and it’s finally time to go to the beach! Although the rain has made the foothills green, and the weather encouraged students to stay in and study we are all excited to see the sun again. Mid-semester break has just passed, which allowed for APU students to run to the nearest beaches like Huntington, Corona Del Mar,  and Newport.

The world-renowned SoCal sunsets are easily viewed every day from campus, but are much more enjoyed when you’re sitting with your toes in the sand with the waves rolling up the shore. These sunsets are also a favorite of mine to capture, and they never cease to make me stop for a moment and just stare in awe.

They are also an excellent reminder of God’s promises that are new every morning, and that no matter what season of life you are going through at the moment He makes beautiful things every single day.

Blessings,

- Acacia T.

[insideazusapacific]

What a Year!

When every year ends I like to reflect on the memories that were made, and the lessons learned.

Here are some memories that stuck out to me:

Going to San Francisco for the second time in my life with my roommates.

All the “studying” and good times in the library.

All the food I ate.

Changing my major.

Here are some things I learned:

Coffee is good.

The time that your phone says the sun rises, is the actual time the sun is up in the sky...not when you should leave your house to go see it.

Always go to the 626 night market (a night market that sells asian foods, products, and has live music) when it’s in town.

Take a moment to reflect on your favorite memories and what you are thankful you learned!

Blessings,

Acacia T.

[insideazusapacific]

Just a Whisper

We are taught to bring our requests to God through prayer and petition, and though he is all powerful, most times his answers come in a way that we do not expect. Most times when things in our lives get turned upside down we hope for indisputable signs that tell us what we should do. I know that there are times when I have no idea what I should, and when I bring my prayers to God I hope for writing in the sky or a booming voice that thunders from the heavens. The reality of our relationship with God is that he doesn’t operate like that, he does the unexpected.

Like Elijah in the book of 1 Kings, while he was hiding in a cave, he felt like God had abandoned him, and that his prayers were not being heard. Right now you many feel like you have a lot of prayers that may have been unanswered or that God has left you out to dry. The story of Elijah in the cave continues with a great wind blowing through the forest, followed by a massive earthquake, and then a great fire, but God was not in any of those things. God came as a whisper in the silence that fell after the fire. God does not abandon us, and he hears every one of our prayers. He has a plan for your life and an answer to your prayers.

All you have to do is listen for the whisper.

Blessings,

Acacia T.

[insideazusapacific]

Gather.

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

                                            //Hebrews 10:24-25//

I believe that one of the greatest things is gathering together, and I particularly enjoy gathering around a table that is covered in food like the one that you see above. The people who I shared this meal with are comprised of friends who I hold most dear to me. In this time of the year, the holiday season encourages people to gather together with loved ones and reflect on the year that is coming to a close. Here at APU, we never stop encouraging people to gather together, because we believe that there is power in community.

Of course, as I reflect on this past semester, I can see all the times that I was impacted by a gathering that I went to, whether it was a chapel, a campus event, or even just something as simple as a Friendsgiving with 8 people. When we get together we stir up love and good works, because we all need encouragement from time to time, and the community that you build is where you will find it.

I challenge you to be intentional in getting together with the people in your community, and to appreciate them even if it is hard to gather. Never stop gathering.

Peace,

Acacia T.

[insideazusapacific]

                                     W      O       R      T      H       Y

Last week Friday I had the amazing opportunity to attend a Women’s Night of Worship at Fellowship Monrovia, a local church that is located only 20 minutes from campus! It was my first time at this event, but the theme was “Women are Worthy.” From the songs to the fellowship to the speakers who shared what this word means to them in their lives, I felt the Holy Spirit throughout the auditorium.

The truth about worthiness is that we are all chosen by God, and so our worthiness is already applied to our lives. We don’t have to prove anything, and there is nothing that we can do to earn it, because we already have it. The lies that were are told about our worthiness is that it is found in what others think of us, and that we must earn it, because we lack it.

As God’s children, we are reassured by the sacrifice Christ made with his life to give us life. There is a constant struggle to either fight against the lies that are whispered to us every day or, listen to them. As one of the speakers shared, the moment we start listening is the moment we stop fighting. If you feel yourself beginning to listen, remember that you are God’s chosen one. No questions, no explanations. You are worthy.

With Love,

-Acacia T.

[insideazusapacific]

                Go                                     For                                     It

Initiative is going for it. Taking that step towards what you want, because it won’t come to you. You take steps because sprinting to them burns you out before they’re even in sight. Step by step you overcome those challenging obstacles that make your goals all the more satisfying to achieve. You can’t overcome each step on your own. God is walking beside you the whole way.

A quote from Oswald Chambers stirred a great passion in my heart during one of the hardest seasons of my life, and it lingers in my thoughts when hope is bleak.

“God does not give us overcoming life, He gives us life as we overcome.”

With that I realized that I had been waiting for God to reach down and pick me up from where I had fallen, instead of reaching out to Him first. I had to take the initiative to do something to help myself before I could actually be helped. Sometimes the hardest things to conquer are things that you try to fight alone, when you have back up waiting for the call to swoop in for victory.

Initiative it calling your back up. Show God that you are committed to winning by doing your part to reach your goals, and trusting Him to be your back up. Take the initiative and you will overcome.

Sincerely Yours,

-Acacia T