UND Chi Alpha

We hope you're having a great Christmas break so far - stay tuned weekly for some encouragement and wisdom!

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Seeing The Power

This week’s Christmas Break blog is from Pastor Mike!

When I look at scripture, sometimes I wish and dream that all the amazing miracles happened in front of my eyes. The miracle that comes to my mind first is the parting of the Red Sea. How unbelievable would it actually have been to experience that!! Seeing walls of water would change my life forever! We could flip through the pages of the old and new testaments and desire to experience all the miraculous acts of God…

But then it dawned on me, I’m not seeing the whole picture - I’m only seeing the parts I want to.

I want to expand on this thought as we zoom in on a passage of scripture found in Exodus 15. This was right after Moses lead God’s people through the parted Red Sea:

The Waters of Marah and Elim

“Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter (That is why the place is called Marah). So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”

Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”

-Exodus 15:22-26

How incredible is this! The Lord showed Moses a piece of wood and that wood turned bitter water into sweet water. I ask God sometimes if He will do signs and wonders like this through my life. This isn't wrong, but I think there is a hidden motive. I tell myself it’s not for my glory but to promote His glory… but in reality there is a motive in my heart to see the power of God.

And that’s the problem. I’lI just want to see it.

I think to myself that if I see God move in these ways, it will keep my faith strong and healthy. I believe that many may feel that if God isn't moving radically through their lives, that it will begin to effect or weaken their walk with Christ.

I’ve come see that this is a tactic of the crafty enemy that pulls us away from our God. Spending time with Him is what He desires, not just producing miracles. The devil twists this because he convinces us that just spending time with Him is not enough. This leads us to desire the signs and wonders of miracles over quality time with Christ. The devil’s twisting is effective because we desire signs and wonders but not the circumstances. We are blind to the circumstance that is present for the need of a miracle.

If we look at this passage, the Israelites just walked through a scorching desert three days with no water! I can’t imagine actually experiencing what they were experiencing. They had no hope on the horizon in their circumstance. So God made hope through a piece of wood. The Israelites were desperate for a miracle because of the situation they were in and the Father brought it through the simplest of items, wood.

As Christians, sometimes we want the wood without the thirst. I think of many who are in need of a true miracle; struggling with an addiction or sin, no food on the table, dealing with sickness or disease or having no hope in life to list a few.

My eyes were opened that God has truly blessed us with all that we have! We can be thankful that we aren't in need of many miracles because He has blessed us here in America. We want these experiences with God to experience Him, though failing to see that others around us need them so much more! So instead of wanting to see the Lord move radically through my life just because, I want to see Him move so people can have hope in Jesus. I pray we can all be a Moses to the people in the desert around us.

Like it says in the passage, if we listen carefully, do what is right in His eyes and pay attention to His commands, He will move through us! As Pastor Mark wrote two weeks ago (here), if we participate in the great commission to bring hope to lost sheep… we will see the power of God! As we focus on the broken around us and not just the miracles, I believe we will see them!

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet still have believed.”  

- John 20:29

God has promised us blessings as we carry out our faith and believe in His Trust. I hope you all can be encouraged that by living your lives for Christ, you will be blessed! Its not based on seeing the miraculous, but loving His people.

Enjoy the rest of break XA!:)

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Who Turned The Lights Off?

This week’s Christmas Break blog is by Pastor Bryce!

I remember a time I went to a large church of 1,500 people when I was younger. I was washing my hands in the bathroom when all of a sudden I saw this grown man giggle and turn the lights off to the bathroom and walk out. I heard from the stall, “WHO TURNED THE LIGHTS OFF?”. Then not five minutes later I saw the same guy who invoked panic in the bathrooms on stage, he was actually the Lead Pastor of the church!

You have probably heard or used that phrase many times in your life, “who turned the lights off?”, and I believe there are many times in our spiritual life that we wonder the same thing. The reality is we live in a dark place, Colossians 1:13 says this world is a domain of darkness. Yet as Christians we don’t have to live in this spiritual darkness, spiritually blind and barren. We can live in the light and expose the trappings of darkness and the obstacles that make us stumble (aka sin).

When I was in 8th grade I remember I was getting chased by my now wife, Eden during a game of ditch. I couldn’t see even two feet in front of me because it was so dark and you can probably guess what happened. I ran right into a bird house and it didn’t even move an inch, so you can imagine what I felt like (side not that wasn’t the first time I fell for Eden). When we don’t have a light we end up doing the same thing spiritually as I did physically. 

So what is a spiritual light for us as Christians? As elementary as it sounds we have the Word of God (the Bible) as a source of light in the dark world we live in. If you open up to Psalm 119 (and I challenge you to read it), it tells you the value and outcome if you cling to God’s word. It says in Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. So if God’s Word is a lamp for our life how do we use it as a light and turn it on in the darkness?

There are three quick steps I want to pull from Psalm 119: 15-16, “I meditate on your precepts and contemplate your ways. I delight myself in your statues; I will not forget your word.”

PRAY THE WORD: (I will mediate on your precepts...) When a Bible verse jumps out at you, more likely than not it is the Holy Spirit saying I want to speak this to your heart and want you to hide it there. So don’t just highlight it, stop and pray that scripture over your life. Ask Holy Spirit what wisdom, encouragement and/or correction does this bring to my life.

STUDY THE WORD: (I will contemplate your ways...) Contemplate in this context means “study” by using your mind and brain. When a Bible verse jumps out at you, don’t just say, “wow that was a great verse.” then move to the next verse. Stop even if it’s for a day or even a week and study that verse. Find other verses that talk along the same line as that verse. Find stories in the Bible that relate to that verse. Even use online resources such as Biblehub and study the original language or scholars thoughts on those verses. 

APPLY THE WORD (I delight in your precepts, I will not forget Your word...) When we delight ourselves in something it means we partake of it and enjoy doing so. Delighting our self in the Word means I am going to partake or apply this to my life and it will bring great satisfaction to me. I think the deepest Christians aren’t the ones who know the greatest theological concepts of the Bible, but are the ones who can live it out on a daily basis.

Save yourself a lot of hurt, shame, mistakes and consequences by not walking a day in the darkness. Simply turn the light on as you pray the Word, study the Word, and then apply the Word.

Love you guys have a great and Happy New Years! 

Pastor Bryce 

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The Great Christmas Commission

This week’s Christmas Break blog is by Pastor Mark.

The scripture below is some of the most often quoted verses I’ve heard preached on, taught on and studied:

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

-Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

But the only way that these verses actually have power is if we do what they say we should do.

Jesus gives us clear empowerment – “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”

Jesus give us clear direction – “Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations…”

Jesus gives us comfort – “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This Christmas season I wanted to remind us all of our mission of the great commission and to take what Jesus has shown us on campus back to our homes.

My freshman year of college I gave my life to Jesus. I experienced His love, His grace, His corrective discipline from time to time, but all in all I experienced God and I knew I didn’t want to go back to my old way of life. Once my life change occurred I began to share what Jesus did in my life. It was a struggle for a while, mustering up the courage to share even though it might be considered controversial or subjective, but with time I began to share more confidently. The more I did share the more I watched God work through obedience to the great commission. The greatest blessing to me was when I was able to share about Jesus with my immediate family.

My first summer home I shared about my transformation with my family. My younger brother was the most interested. For him the life change in me was most evident. I used to think my job of being his older brother was to make his life stink and be hard on him - but after Jesus, things changed. I treated my brother with respect he’d never seen by showing interest in his life and trying…key word trying…to invite him to do things with me. He would see me reading my Bible and intentionally leaving it out for someone to notice God’s Word. Over the course of that summer my brother began to live out his faith in Jesus and over the course of the past 8 years all my immediate family has a relationship with Jesus.

I want to leave us all with three ways that we can reach our families over Christmas Break with the gospel:

1)      Tell Them

The most powerful thing you can ever do is to share your story about Jesus with your family.

As in Revelation 12:11 “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” - when my brother heard about why I changed He wanted the same thing in his life.

2)      Show Them

In Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Before my words shared about Jesus with my brother my actions did. Showing interest in my brother for the first time and inviting him to do things with me and the ‘oh so vague’ word of “hang out” meant the world to him.

3)      Serve Them

Especially for your parents! Nothing speaks louder than love in my family then “I’ll do the dishes.” Jesus washed the feet of His disciples to serve them. Jesus took the cross for all mankind to serve. There is no task to small or too big that a servant will not do to share the love of Jesus.

I still have many members of my extended family that need Jesus. Through prayer, telling, showing, and serving our families we will see them drawn to a relationship with the savior of the world, Jesus.

Love you with a pastor’s heart & praying for your families over this break!

-Mark

 PS: If you’ve any questions on reaching your family or a testimony you’d like to share please email me at [email protected]

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White As Snow

This weeks blog is from Danielle Erickson.

Christmas break is just around the corner and like many of you I'm already dreaming of sipping tea in the soft light of the Christmas tree, releasing my inner child to play in the snow and creating some new joyful memories with friends and family.

As I was day dreaming about Christmas my eyes wandered to the window where huge fluffy snowflakes were gently flurrying down. Being a lover of snow in general, I was captivated. Plus, more snow means more opportunities to snowboard - however bombing hills wasn't on my mind in that moment.  

My thoughts drifted to how incredibly beautiful snow really is. How it covers all the barren trees, browning grass and mucky streets with a soft fluffy blanket of white. My mind jumped to this:

"Come now, let's settle this," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool." -Isaiah 1:18

Through Jesus our stained lives are now white like a fresh snow fall - so beautiful and pure. The great and undeserving thing is even if we mess up and sin, He will keep extending His grace and forgive us. Say our pure snow gets trampled on by the everyday happenings of the world, gets muddied up by sin or turns yellow from the lies that the enemy spits in our faces - a fresh snowfall of grace always comes to replace it.

We wanted to start off the Christmas Break blog series with a reminder to you that no matter what you've done, no matter how many times you've stumbled, Jesus has washed your sins away - you my friend are as white as snow. Do you believe that? Let me say it again:

You are pure.

And that is the true meaning of Christmas - our Heavenly Father loves us all so much that He sent His One True Son as a humble baby, who lived on this earth as we do and then died for our sins. The ultimate sacrifice.

So no matter how much the world tries to ignore and remove Jesus from Christmas and everything else - take heart that they will not win. Jesus is real, He died for our sins and He is coming back.

Meditate on the words of David this week, pray them over your life:

"Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you." -Psalm 51:7-13 (NLT)

Have a wonderful finals week & safe travels!

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TASTE THIS WRITINGS FROM PSALM 34

Recently we had some milk that went bad, I had poured it into my cereal and the moment it hit my taste buds a reaction when off inside of my mouth that was similar to what I would imagine a burst water main would be like and out sprayed the milk! I then went onto tell my wife, “This milk is discussing! You should taste it!” The question is did I get her to taste it? I did :). I guess I am a convincing guy!

The thing is I would say many if not all of us give the soured milk of life a taste even though we know eventually we are going to spit it out. Whether it is the false promises society, our friends, or our flesh gives us that this world is going to taste really good it never does. Why is it so difficult to convince ourselves to give God a taste and partake of His goodness?

PSALM 34:8-10 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. David says come on “Taste This”!!! God is so good, you gotta try this.

OUT OF CONTROL What are we tasting, what is so good? I believe it is such an incredible privilege to trust God. Every difficult situation, every time this world wrongs me, or my flesh leads me astray we have the privilege not the burden to trust Jesus. Remember that phrase, “We have the privilege not the burden to trust Jesus!”

David writes you are blessed when you trust God, often times we don’t see it like that though, we see it as a burden because trusting God means us being out of the know and out of the control. How is this a blessing it seems like it would be more stressful leaving my situation or my life for God to figure out. Yet David says the person who trust in God is blessed!

GIVE ME WHAT I WANT Fear the Lord those who believe in Him, says verse 9. Again fear is this thing of reverence and wonder that God can do anything. The is no want for those who fear God. Have you ever been in want? Or even a better question have you ever been in need? David says you will not only experience God taking care of your needs of life but also your wants of life. Not that He will give you everything you want but when we trust in Him our wants begin to conform to His wants for us and we find ourself satisfied with not only our needs taken care of but also our wants!

GIVE ME THE GOOD STUFF Those who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing. This verse ties it all up, have you ever felt like you are lacking things in life? Maybe a significant other, or talents, money, popularity, the list is endless of things we wish for. Yet when we seek God we truly learn what the good things are in God’s mind and we can trust He will provide it. Many times I hope and wish for something that later on I would realize wouldn’t have been a good thing for me. Good things come to those that wait on God.

Rewording David’s words, I dare you, I challenge you try and trust God, give it a taste and you will see how good it will be trusting in God. It is a privilege not a burden to trust God!

Bryce Meyer

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WRITINGS FROM PSALM 34

THE BAILOUT CALL

Have you ever had to bailout one of your friends? Maybe you had to bail them out from that almost unforgivable embarrassing moment in front of that special person they are trying so hard to impress, or maybe you had to bail them out from almost being grounded for months, or maybe you have been the one needing the bailout! I have had those moments in my life where I have made that bailout call, and the person on the other line was Jesus. In fact one of my favorite songs is called, “Rescue”. The main line in the song is, “I need you Jesus to come to my rescue…” I have sung this song multiple times in my life, when I desperately needed Jesus to come to my rescue. The question is did He bail me out?

David writes in Psalm 34:4-7 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The presence of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

This is a truth I will hold unto! The fact that I have some one who is well able and willing to hear when I call, but not just hear me but deliver me. Here is the thing though, the deliverance starts with me not the Lord. WHAT?!? That’s right the deliverance starts with me, I need to call. What does the Bible say, “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” So I am the first one to take action and call, and He is the one that takes the next step to deliver.

Firstly, when making the bailout call you must know His answers come when we seek Him. It’s not just a quick little prayer under our breathe prayer then on with our worrying, but setting aside the situation and seeking God. Seeking implies there has been effort, emotions, hopes put into the situation. If you lose your keys do you quick take a moment to look behind you and if they aren’t there do you give up and go on with worrying about every worse possible out come of not finding your keys? No, you seek for them until you find them and if you still can’t find them you call for a search party to find them. Seeking is the first step to the bailout.

Secondly, hope is the next step to the bailout call. David says, “those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. In the situation where a bailout is needed, the moment you set eyes on Jesus, something begins to happen inside you and it begins to radiate on your face. This is called one word, HOPE. It is a hope that is built on the fact that the one you are looking at is much bigger than the situation have been blinded sided by.  Hope is something that must be protected and built in that time of trouble. It’s a hope that says, “I know my Jesus not only sees me and hears me, but He WILL deliver me!“

The last thing we find about the bailout call is you might not have to make it at all. You see the bailout call requires a Godly reverence and fear. I have never been in jail, there are a lot of reasons I stayed out of big trouble growing up, not saying I was at all perfect. But the biggest thing that kept me from choosing the destructive path was this fear and reverence I had towards my parents. I couldn’t bare thought of disappointing them or what the consequences would be. I would say the same is true toward our God, if we have a healthy fear and reverence for the Lord we hopefully won’t have to make that bail out call, and if we do have to make it He is sure to deliver us. This last promise is one I pray over my family quite frequently. “The presence of the Lord encamps around all those who fear him, and He will deliver them.” God will set up camp around you and protect you when you have a healthy fear of God in your life. And if the storms of life do come your way He has promised to deliver you.

So in that moment of making a bad decision or maybe life throwing you a curveball, or the enemy trying to reek havoc in your life, remember the bail out call is available. Seek Him, hope in Him, and honor Him. Your rescuer will come!

Bryce Meyer

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WRITINGS FROM PSALM 34

THE MAGNIFYING GLASS

My favorite part about science class was when we got to pull out the microscopes or magnifying glass. It always amazed me that the closer you looked at an object the more details you see. As a believer we can usually put one of two objects under the magnifying glass in our hearts, minds, and thoughts. We usually seem to search into every little detail of our own lives and get caught up in this vicious self focused mindset. And then there is the option to put the Lord under the magnifying glass and search out every little detail of who He is and the intricate ways of who He is.  So what is the correct object to magnify?

David writes an incredible truth to those of us who get so caught up in our own little world. Psalm 34:1-3 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.  

We find David giving us the first action step to magnifying the Lord. At all times I will bless the Lord. Why? Because it is too often that we get caught up in magnifying our own lives. How often do we amplify our goals, blow our problems out of proportion, magnifying every detail about the what if’s of life? It seems harmless and sometimes hidden under the guise of wisdom to, day after day, sift through every detail of our life and try to have every plan down to the “T”. David reminds us, no matter what stresses, problems, busyness that come my way, this world is not about me. So, it doesn’t matter what the issue is I’m not going to magnify myself at any point, but in all times I will bless and magnify Him. At all times, the words that come out of my mouth with speak details of who God is and not the details of who I’m not or what I don’t have or what I did. Next David tells us, “make your boast in the Lord; the humble will hear of it and be glad.” Sometimes we wonder why aren’t my problems, stresses, or storms of life the main headlines in the breaking news. Doesn’t this world revolve around me? Or there are those times in our great accomplishments and successes that we want to magnify ourselves and let everyone know every detail of how “I” accomplished this great thing! We hope our Facebook post, we just put on there, blows up with feedback and commendation.  It doesn’t matter whether it is success or problems for some reason, in either one, we want to boast or talk about ourselves in them. When we find a success we find a way to throw an “I” in there and when we are facing a trial we play the “woe is me” card. David writes this Psalm at one of the points in which he was being threatened and pursued by his best friends father, and he also was experiencing many successes in battle. Yet David isn’t going to boast about how he has the biggest problem or successes but make his boast in the Lord.

Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. So David brings us to this conclusion, let’s sift through every detail of God and magnify how he had His hand in the success. Let’s look closely into the character and promise of God and magnify how He will turn this difficulty into His glory and our good. Together, let us bring attention to Him and stop focusing on ourselves. Let us find ourselves magnifying God in our lives and stop trying to magnify ourselves. Quit that constant mind game of playing through every detail of my world and take on the mindset of focusing on God’s world.

Writings from Psalm 34 Bryce Meyer

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Stop, Drop, and Listen

Finals are next week! Times like these are what can make or break a college career. All of us don’t need to be reminded of that or all the things we have to get done before the semester is done. Its times like these I always NEED to practice what a woman named Mary taught me.

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”                       Luke 10:38-42 NIV

The Mary I’m talking about is the Mary in the story above. Martha and Mary were sisters and Jesus was paying their home a visit. That would be an amazing honor! Martha being the good host that she was saw the huge list of things she needed to do and went to work. Mary decided to stop, drop, and listen to what Jesus had to share with her.

You see the rest of the story above. Martha was too busy to spend time in the presence of Jesus. Mary had chosen what is better and her time with Jesus won’t be taken away from her.

I’ve a feeling that you feel just like Martha during this time of your life. You feel too busy to spend time in prayer, too busy to stop, drop, and listen to what Jesus wants to tell you.

I’d like to encourage you. I survived a total of 10 final weeks so I am speaking from experience. In times of business the ultimate “pick me up” is spending time with Jesus. Take time to stop the studying, the worrying, and the hanging out with friends. Take time to drop and sit in the presence of Jesus. Take time to listen to what He wants to share with you. He is probably going to encourage you and tell you that your finals are going to go well. Everyone needs that kind of encouragement on finals week.

You can even take time right now! Go to your room, car, quite place in the library and spend time with Jesus. You won’t regret it. The song I pasted in below encourages me to be a Mary and just stop, drop, and listen to Jesus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uUwIiBaStE

-Pastor Mark

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Thirst No More

This weeks XA Pick Me Up is brought to you by THE Jesse Gavic!

Did you know that college students are the loneliest people in this nation? That can be hard to grasp since students are surrounded by other students constantly. Their best friends are seconds or minutes away but yet students feel lonely and depressed. This often turns people to alcohol or sex to feel the sense of love or to drown out the feeling of loneliness. They temporarily satisfy a permanent problem. They try to fit the things of the world into the hole in their heart and continue to find that they just won’t fit.

Sometime ago I was with a group of friends and we began talking about our lives and the struggles that we face. To my surprise, almost everyone stated they have anxiety, or depression, or a disease, or a condition. What really made my heart break was we were all trying to fix our problems on our own. Filling our lives with anti-depressants, counseling, drugs, alcohol, sex, and anything the world offers us. The thought was the anti-depressants were going to take away the pain, the counseling would subdue it, the drugs and alcohol would numb it, and the sex would allow the feeling of love in our lives. The real kicker is, we still struggled with our problem and had to carry it after the “solutions” didn’t work. The things the world was saying are fun were not giving us permanent happiness and the things that were suppose to fix our problems only patched it for the time being.

Jesus says, John 4:13-14, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.”

We can take the things of the world but we will never be fully satisfied and will continue to desire something more. Once we take the free gift Jesus has given us, we desire and thirst no more. Sitting there I knew I didn’t have the solution, but I knew Jesus did. I knew that if we experienced Gods love in our lives then we would never thirst again. If we would be able to feel Gods love and accept it with open arms then we would find the permanent solution to our problems. There has been so many times in my life when I feel beat down and exhausted by my circumstances and just through spending time in His Word and prayer, I felt the greatest joy and love in my life. Every time I come to Him, He continually fills me and heals me. Every feeling of loneliness and hopelessness was gone and all of that came from a relationship with Jesus!

After receiving that relationship, it turns into maintaining a constant wave of communication. Years ago, I would get home from a tough day of school and work and spend the majority of my time watching TV shows. I would watch so many I had to keep a list on my phone so I would not forget to watch it. I was so consumed with all of this I never really spent any quality time with God.

I had a relationship with Jesus, but what kind of relationship was it? I would be reminded of his love for me and the blessings that are on my life at church once a week but that was not enough. Our relationship with Jesus should be number one in our lives and how can we do that when we are not fully engaged in community, prayer, and spending time in His Word. We often fill our time with the things of the world that distract us and though they might not be ‘bad’, they are not pushing us toward God’s presence.

Now I challenge all of us to look at these two areas in our lives. 1. Who are those people in your life trying to find a solution to their problem but continue to thirst? Are you calling out to them? Inviting them to small group or Chi Alpha? Loving on them and praying for them? 2. Are there things God is calling you to give you up in your life that are putting you in a place of complacency in your relationship with Jesus?

P.S. – Here is a great song to listen to which reassures us of the love that God has for us! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfveawSAHJA

-Jesse Gavic

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Revealing an Insecure Self-Image

This week’s blog is from fellow student, Alec Herb!

A few weeks ago at Freedom Church, Kwame Eagleton said something that I realized was hindering my relationship with God. Kwame said, “You can tell a person’s heart by two things:

How they spend their time

How they spend their money

After hearing this, I evaluated my life in these two aspects. I felt like I was honoring God with the time I spent serving in Chi Alpha and Freedom church, but God revealed to me that I was not honoring Him with how I spent my money. Throughout my life I have always been faithful in tithing and giving since my first paycheck in seventh grade and I was good at saving my money all through high school. However, this past year I spent too much money on clothing, shoes, and other things to improve my image. I realized that I was insecure with how other people viewed me and I was always trying to look my best to make people like me more.

In my past, there was a lot of encouragement spoken over me, but there were moments in my life where people spoke terrible things about how I looked and dressed.  I tried to ignore it, but over time I let the enemy convince me they were true. So during the alter time that service, I laid my insecurity of my self-image down before the cross and received prayer from Myz (Chi Alpha Intern) about it. Total relief came over me and I lived in the healing God gave me because I know my self-image is rooted in Him.  

So I want to challenge you all to evaluate your lives with how you spend your time and how you spend your money. God might reveal something totally different to you than what He showed me, but that is the awesome part about God. He speaks to us through His Word and reveals different things to us while we spend quiet time with Him. I’m going to just leave you guys with some questions to ask yourselves on these two topics.

Time

At Chi Alpha, is your time being spent by searching for your future spouse or is it focusing on loving others and getting people plugged into a Christ-centered community?

Are you honoring God with how you serve at your Church or Chi Alpha?

Is your time rooted in only school and the worries of life that can take away from quiet time with the Lord?*

*If this is a problem in your life, you should surrender it to Him because God will always come through with school work. That is something I laid down in my life this past year and I can’t tell you how good it feels to trust God in that area of my life. I would tell you an engineering story of mine, but I think Bryce wants this blog to be shorter than longer, so you can just ask me about it in person if you are really interested☺.

Money

Are you honoring God with how and where you spend your money?

Are you spending your money on things that make you look better because you are insecure with your image and haven’t surrendered it to God?

Are you being faithful to God with giving Him 10% of everything you earn (tithing)?*

*This is something I am really passionate about because I can’t tell you how much God has blessed my life in finances because I have been faithful to Him since the very start.

Luke 16:10 says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with very much.”

This verse just goes to show that if you are not already being faithful with the money you have right now, more than likely, it’s going to be very hard for you to be faithful in the future when you have more.

God has amazing plans for all you guys and it’s so evident in Chi Alpha that God is changing different things in all of your lives to honor Him more!

Love you guys,

Alec Herb

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Three Way Battle

I have this funny picture in my head of three high school boys trying to prove who is better in the weight room. Who can lift more who looks the most impressive. This battle for glory! Since the beginning of time there has been a “Three-Way Battle” that’s been going on.  Not in a sport, not for the job promotion, not even for the last opening in Grad School.  It has been a “Three-Way Battle” for who gets the glory.

The first one in this battle, and rightfully so, is our God and Lord Jesus Christ.  He is the one that created all things into existence and holds all power in His hands.  Isaiah 48:9 talks about how God is zealous for His glory, “For my name’s sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it.” God is thinking about His glory; what affects it and what will take away from it.  God is so passionate about His glory being made known, but sadly there are two others who are passionate about making their own glory known.

The second one is Satan.  Isaiah 14:14 says, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” Satan was cast out of heaven because of his fight to receive glory that wasn’t rightfully his.  He has this disgusting pride that causes him to make claims that he is better than God.  So how does Satan battle for glory today? We just have to look around at the power of darkness and the destruction that it’s creating, Satan is loving it.  He also convinced mankind to join in this battle starting in the Garden of Eden when he deceived Adam and Eve.

The last contender is this battle is you and I.  I know you have probably experienced this before when someone else got the credit for the work that you had done.  When that happens, we have this desire to let everyone one know that you are the one who is supposed to receive credit.  We accomplish something great and have this eagerness to tell everyone about our feat!  We get trapped in this cycle of striving for our own glory whenever we accomplish something.

In the end Satan is going to be put to shame.  His end is already decided and it will come to nothing.  But you and I, our end is dependent on how we respond to our desire for glory.  If our life can bring constant glory to Jesus Christ, then our reward will be great in the end.  How do I know if I am living for my glory or God’s glory?  It’s easy; your motives will point to who you are trying to bring glory to.  Here are some questions to ask yourself what your motives are:

1. Do I do the things I do as a way to bring God glory and draw people closer to Christ or myself?

2. What is my reason for success in school or goal in attaining my degree?  Is it to accomplish my dreams or God’s dreams?

3. Is my work ethic God glorifying?  Do I work hard or not work hard for my own desires?

4. When I accomplish something great, can I refrain from telling anybody about it?

5. When telling of victories or accomplishments, do I leave my name out of the story and put God’s name in it?

Let’s live for the Glory of God! He is worthy of it all!

Love you 

Pastor Bryce

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Divine Discipline

This week’s blog is straight from Katie Anderson’s heart:

Have you ever laid a gift or talent at God’s feet and then trusted that He will give you an opportunity to use it in His time? Do you have a dream that you’ve given to Him and you are waiting for Him to bring it into fullness? I know that I have. Lately I have been asking myself if I truly believe in God’s sovereignty, knowledge and special care with something that is so precious and dear to my heart.

A while back I gave God something that I needed to give up to pursue God’s will for my life. There have been many times over the past months that I expected to receive and use again what I had once laid at His feet. But instead of “getting back” what I had given Him, He saw that my attitude of entitlement and pride needed to decrease and that humility and my trust in Him to be increased. He wanted to do some work on my heart and transform the fleshly character inside me.

To be honest, I was very angry and hurt; I was so confused at what He wanted to do. Have you ever felt that way? I knew deep down that He was calling me to a greater trust in His plan. The attitude of my heart needed to change. I was prideful in thinking that I knew what was best for my life and my gifts, but His desire for our hearts and actions to show our humility and trust in His timing. In Hebrews 12:5-6 it says,

“My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when He corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as His child.”

He does all that He does out of love, even discipline. But there is hope, later on in Hebrews 12:11 the writer says,

“No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.“  

In this verse there is a promise that there will be a harvest! We will bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The fullness of our investment into Him and our obedience will be made manifest and known!

Hebrews 12:12-13 gives us the key. It says,

“So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.”

I LOVE this verse. Misty Edwards says it best in one of her songs, “Don’t give up, don’t give in. If you don’t quit, you win.” Don’t give up in the midst of correction and discipline, instead choose to start again. Submit yourself to the correction of the Holy Spirit and make a plan to follow through and then we will become strong and victorious.

I realized that what He wanted to teach me along the way was much more important than my end goal of using the gifts that I had entrusted to Him. His glory and will is much more sovereign than mine. He is a kind Father and He is worthy to be trusted.

“That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the day of his return.”  - 2 Timothy 1:12

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The Promise of the Secret Place

Have you ever encountered those moments when your roommate or someone close to you asks if your quiet time with Jesus was good, and the response you give is ‘Ohhh, it was alright, I didn’t really hear him speak or anything, but I mean it was good,’…?

 Holy Spirit does not change you more or less if you meet with him in the morning or night, he does not sometimes put effort into his relationship with you and sometimes not, he is ALWAYS doing something in our hearts as we spend time with him to transform our hearts to reflect Christ more and more (2 Corinthians 3:18.) Sometimes I need a gentle reminder that his ability to change my heart isn’t based on my feelings or whether or not I ‘hear’ him speak each time.

 God is a man of his word, he is faithful to the promises he speaks. Sometimes we get so discouraged when we walk away from the secret place; feeling like God must have missed us in his duty rounds. The Truth is, his word already promised us that he will listen to us, we will find him when we seek him, and he will be found by us (Jeremiah 29:12-14)! So we can take heart in knowing this promise as we spend time with him!

 Sometimes we want to hear him so badly, but we don’t always listen to the way Holy Spirit wants to speak. There are many times when I think we are waiting for that ‘Moses moment,’ for a burning bush and an audible voice speaking so loudly that the things on our shelves start to shake. I’m not saying that those moments don’t, or couldn’t happen...but, I do believe God has a way of speaking, a voice, that we can ever so slightly forget to listen to.

 “Sometimes when I lean in to listen to what the Lord is saying, I hear it in the voice of a lullaby…” - Amanda Cook

 It can be easy to forget that we are God’s children in a literal sense. When I see a parent trying to calm their child down or tell them something important, they make soft noises or speak in a soft tone that brings the child’s attention towards their parent’s face as they gain more interest in what the parent has to say. Yes, sometimes a louder approach is taken, a different take to get the attention of a child, but even if a louder voice is used, it is usually always followed with a gentle or more ‘normal’ leveled voice.

 I encourage you this week to remember the promises God spoke over your quiet time with him! We get to meet with the King of kings! I challenge us to speak life over the quiet time we had, to remember that we are always being changed from the inside out, and to remember that the gentle voice of Holy Spirit is just as powerful as an audible voice.

Love ya Chi Alpha fam!

Courtney Wrolson

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To Compete We Have To Train

This week’s blog is from our Chi Alpha Pastor, Mark Erickson!

I often will watch a sports clip on the internet or television and get inspired by the athletes that I watch. They have such amazing talent and determination to compete! Especially around the time of year we are in, with high school state tournaments coming to a close and NCAA tournaments beginning. The world of amateur sports is in its most exciting time of the year. I start to think back to my days of competing, “Man, I would love that thrill to compete again. I should go sign up for a half-marathon.”

What I have noticed about my “competitive passionate spurts” is that I still desire the rush of competition. However, I do not desire the early mornings, late nights, sore body, and lack of down time.

I heard it once said that, “The desire to compete is no good without the desire to prepare.” That quote has a lot of truth to it. The average college athlete physically trains 3 hours a day, 5 days a week for 4-5 years of their life. In 1 year that totals to 780 hours of practice, and in five years that would be 3,900 hours or 162.5 days of practice. Wow! That is a lot of physical training for a sport. That physical training portion isn’t even taking into account the time spent watching film, learning knew technique, or competing. The bottom line is that “The desire to compete is no good without the desire to prepare.”

The truth of that quote goes beyond the realm of athletics, work, and studies. The apostle Paul wrote something similar:

“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” -1 Corinthians 9:25

Being Paul was around people that highly valued sports and studies (sound familiar?) understood that athletes and students had to undergo strict training to achieve all that they could be for their school or sport. He also understood that the Christian life needed strict training as well. Training in this realm has similarities to the athletes and students, but in this competition we compete to get a crown that will last forever. The state and national championships are forgotten, the 4.0 GPA is nothing but a memory of hard work and a lot of school. Why not put the most training into something that won’t ever be forgotten?

This spring break, enjoy your time off! Get refreshed! Enjoy your friends and make memories. If you’ve never put time into strict training with Jesus start it now over this break when you have time! If you’ve let your strict training slide then commit this break to getting it back on track. This is the training that counts! Open up the Bible and read until a portion of Scripture grabs your heart and demands your attention, then apply that scripture in your life. Pray that scripture over yourself and experience the transformation to a champion for Jesus. Become a person that will get a crown that will last forever.

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God's Orchestra

Have you ever felt unnoticed, like all your efforts didn't count? Or that somehow you were passed up again for that position you think you could be just right for?  In this world, being chosen always comes with an exclusion.  One person was chosen for something, so automatically three people were not chosen for that same position.  Yet, in God's sight being chosen is the absolute opposite of being excluded.  The Father draws us into his favor without exception, and all of his children play a valuable and important part in his plan and heart.

To picture this, think of an orchestra.  Many people play during a song, and at some point there is a soloist who stands up to play for a time.  Their part of the song is often the most memorable to the audience, because it is so different from the rest of the piece.  People in the audience recognize them as the chose one, someone who had unusual and special ability from the rest.   However, it was not the player that was given special recognition during a piece of music, it was in the planning of the song, before the soloist ever first picked up an instrument.  That song called for a certain part to be played at that point in the song.  the musician was simply trained for the role.

This is also how God's plan works.  The Great Conductor wrote the plans of our lives before we were born and kept us in mind.  We are trained for the part we would play in the song He wrote for us.  He does not choose one person to "be better" than another, instead He loves us all equally and with incredible passion. The plan's He has for the world sometimes calls for a flute solo and sometimes calls for a trombone solo.  Neither event means that He has any less joy and attention for the French horn players who may or may never "stand out" from the crowd.

Every season of our life in the years that God gives to us represents a different song to be played in our Lord's orchestra concert.  Each of the songs have certain roles that need to be highlighted and filled, and God selects those who would be just right for each song.   The rest of the orchestra waits or plays their piece according to the messages they receive from The Conductor.  Each role they play, whether it is waiting at attention or playing a piece of the melody, has a vital and purposeful role in the development of the song.

God sees us.  His attention is towards us. His face shines on us.  He is attentive to everything we do.  So the next time you are tempted to despair and consider yourself worthless when you are aware of a choice that was made, remember what God thinks about you.  He sees you as special, worth creating, worth making plans or, worth loving and worth thinking about.  Just as a conductor sees and knows every member of the orchestra and directs them from the sheet music with great love and focus, God our Father knows the events of all our days, that past present and future.  He will lead us through till the end with great care and wisdom.

Psalm 139:16-18 "You saw me before I was born.  Everyday of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.  How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.  They cannot be numbered!  I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!"

This week's blog post is from Corrie Anderson!

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Light Therapy

This week's blog is from Danielle Erickson:

Did you know that approximately one half million people in the U.S. suffer from winter seasonal depression? It's no surprise when the endless cold rages on outside, preventing you from receiving the vitamin D of the sun, outdoor activities (unless you're on the ice or shredding slopes). Plus if you're a college student you're weighed down with the extra stress of midterms, work and other personal issues that may arise.

How do we overcome these seasons? Jesus says it best:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

-Matthew 11:28-30

It's so wonderful that all we need to do is run to Him and He will give us peace. We only need to spend time with Him everyday in the "Secret Place". (Daily alone time spent with God - in prayer, journaling, worshiping, Bible reading, etc.)

I wanted to highlight a form of treatment for seasonal depression called "Light Therapy". During light therapy sessions you sit or work near a light box, exposing your skin and eyes to the light (similar to sunlight). According to the Mayo Clinic website:

"Light therapy is thought to affect brain chemicals linked to mood, easing SAD symptoms. Using a light therapy box may also help with other types of depression, sleep disorders and other conditions."

As I was reading more into light therapy - I laughed when I read the "Three key elements for effective light therapy". Now before I reveal the three key elements they listed I want you to notice how similar these three elements are to having a successful time in the Secret Place with the Lord.

Duration. When you first start light therapy, your doctor may recommend treatment for shorter blocks of time, such as 15 minutes. You gradually work up to longer periods. Eventually, light therapy typically involves daily sessions ranging from 30 minutes to two hours.

Timing. For most people, light therapy is most effective when it's done early in the morning, after you first wake up.

Intensity. The intensity of the light box is recorded in lux, which is a measure of the amount of light you receive at a specific distance from a light source. Light therapy boxes usually produce between 2,500 lux and 10,000 lux. The intensity of your light box affects how far you sit from it and the length of time you need to use it. A 10,000-lux light box usually requires 30-minute sessions, while a 2,500-lux light box may require two-hour sessions.

Whoa whoa whoa...did that just explain how to have an effective Secret Place?! You see, I believe we have our own source of "light therapy" since Jesus said:

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."                   -John 8:12

If you're in a season of darkness, sadness, anxiety, bitterness, depression or brokenness, whatever it is I believe spending time in the light of our Father will bring you a peace and joy that's unfathomable.

If you've never had a "light therapy" session or an effective one with Jesus before let me break down again those three elements from before only in perspective of the Secret Place:

Duration. If you're just starting, don't stress if you can only journal, read or talk with God for a short time. Start small with 15 minutes a day and gradually increase from there. You'll soon find you crave the time spent with Him.

Timing. Like they recommend I too believe that spending time with Jesus in the morning is most effective. God is able to equip you for the day with His truth, His armor. You're more able to deflect the lies the enemy throws at you throughout the day and have His comfort with you always.

Intensity. This one's a little confusing and varies from person to person. Maybe you'll dance in praise for a short amount of time, others you have an hour prayer walk. Maybe it's journaling a novel letter to God instead of just a short note of praise. Maybe you'll shout your prayers, other times speak softly. These could all be different intensities. Your time with Jesus need not be the same every time, spending time with Him is never boring! (Keep in mind this is my interpretation and you could have a different one - if so I'd love to hear it!)

So friends if you're feeling defeated I encourage you to spend time in the light radiation of His presence. Retreat to the Secret Place where your King is waiting to heal your wounds and give you fresh light to your darkness. Never give up hope when seeking Him and know that you are loved.

Now I wanted to note that if you are suffering from seasonal depression please do not keep it a secret, reach out to the UND Counseling Center, here, where they can provide professional help for your needs. 

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Life Is Worse Than A Roller Coaster

This week's pick me up blog is from our intern Mike Myslinski! 

Life is like a roller coaster… do you ever hear this and then feel like life is more than a roller coaster. Hearing this phrase sometimes leads my emotions to the launch pad in preparation for liftoff, because it doesn't fit my circumstance! Life is more like a roller coaster that, after you drop down the steep grade and into a twisting corkscrew… the rail breaks and you’re screaming for your life as you realize you might not make it till tomorrow! That’s what life is more like if you’re going to compare it.

No matter what season or circumstance we find ourselves in, we have all been there. What is happening in these dry and hard seasons is that when you reach a certain amount of pain, you cannot focus on anything but the pain itself. For example, if you break a bone because you crashed your bike, you physically cannot think about anything else accept your broke a bone. Well, our minds react similarly when we are in the midst of a dry season or crisis. Our perspective shrinks to the size of our own world and we can’t see out of it in reaction to the pain we are feeling.

So what do we do???? We need to realize 3 things:

Every Season Has A Struggle

Every Season Is Shaped By What You Say About It

Every Season Has Strengths You Can Seize

When we look at others lives, whether on Facebook or just hearing how wonderful everything is for them, we don't actually know the struggle it took for them to get there! We don't know the giants they are facing currently! And we don't know what demons they are dealing with right now! Before we are quick to say I'm in a season of struggle, know that every season has a struggle, even if we can’t see it.

Did you know that God has given you the power to label your life by the words you say about it? This is a powerful truth that has brought me through many trials. What am I speaking over myself in my season? If I'm speaking negative thoughts to myself when I wake up you can guarantee it will be a bad day. Instead, we need to speak opportunistically about our lives and seasons. No more of the crashing roller coaster chatter but rather, life-giving words! What you say about yourself will determine how you feel, because every season is shaped by what you say about it. So let’s begin speaking joy, love and positivity over ourselves.

There is hidden gold in every season… just like a prospector needs to dig for it, so do we! Our current life situation can look like nothing but dirt and rock.. but if we look in the right place and sift the earth a bit, we find strength. This is where we need to focus when we are struggling! What is the good thing I can seize from this moment? Then we can focus on it and bring that perspective even if its surrounded by pain.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me… my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”                                                                                           ~Psalm 23:4-6

We have the King of Kings and Lord of Lords on our side, He is never too small for our season. He put us in it in the first place to grow closer to Him and rely on His vine. All things are possible!!