Do you ever just take a some time to just think about or mull over an idea?

There are times I sit and just wonder what it must have been like in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve would walk with God in the cool of the day in paradise. Or I wonder how chaotic and terrifying it must have been like when God confused the language of the people building the Tower of Babel. I think about how amazing it would be to witness the fire from heaven coming down on Elijah’s alter in answer to his prayers. I wonder what Jesus and the disciples talked about in the times not recorded in the New Testament...and I try to imagine the nights around the fire with the stars overhead and what jokes or questions would have been tossed around as their bond of friendship became stronger and stronger. I wonder if I were alive at that time, would I have believed that the Messiah had truly come? I try to imagine what it would be like to see Jesus’ face.

Do you ever just take some time and ponder questions like these? I think we can get so caught up with life, that we forget to just take time and wonder. What do you wonder about?

We have all heard the Paul’s words to Timothy, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young.” We like that don’t we? Because Paul is saying that we can do things even when we are young, and if anyone has a problem with the fact we are college age or in our 20’s we can just point them to Paul’s words and make them quiet down.

But do you know the rest of that verse? The other half of 1 Timothy 4:12 reads... “but set an example for all believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” I was reading this the other day and I will admit, I had forgotten this part of the verse and it stopped me in my tracks. This seems to be a pretty tall order when you really think about it. Timothy was young, I do not know how young, but we can see from Paul’s 2 letters to Timothy, that Paul expected a lot out of him. And here he expects him to be an example to ALL of the believers, young and old alike. Reading this verse again really made me question whether I was modeling Paul’s words to Timothy in my own life. Are the words that I choose to speak an example to all believers, whether they are older, younger, mature, or immature? Is the way that I conduct myself an example? Is the love that I have for God and other people an example? Is the faith and trust that I have in God an example? Is the purity in my life an example? Or is there too much immaturity in those areas in my life? Even though I am young, I want to strive to be able to say to another person, “follow after me as I follow Christ” and be confident that they will see this example that Paul is talking about. What about you?

We are getting so close to Thanksgiving break, it has been hard to concentrate on things here! I keep thinking about going home to see family, playing with my nephews, and getting a start on my Christmas shopping. And I am sure that many of you are feeling the same way too--just ready to be home!

But we have to remember that there are still a few weeks of school left, and that means a few weeks of ministry on this campus! A break from homework is great, but don’t let that completely distract you from the task at hand. The people on this campus who need God should not become less important to us as the semester draws to a close.

Are there ideas that you come up with and think “I’m too busy right now, that will have to wait until next semester”? I have a challenge for you...Never put off til tomorrow what you can do today! Yes, that is an old saying, but I think it still rings true. Don’t put off inviting that person to church until next semester when you can invite them right now. Don’t put off getting involved in some sort of community service if you can get involved today. Don’t put off sharing your faith with a friend when you can do it now. And the list goes on...don’t let the end of the semester take away from what we are here to do. Let’s be just as excited about reaching this campus in December as we were in August!

When I came to EIU in the Fall of 2006 as a Freshman, I was determined to be a Journalism Major. “All The President’s Men” was my favorite movie and I wanted to be just like Woodward and Bernstein and get to the truth behind all of the corruption. But that was before I actually started working with the DEN and taking a couple Journalism classes. I quickly realized that most news writing was extremely boring and tedious to write (at least in my opinion). I found myself dreading interviews and completely uninterested in the topics I wrote about.

Now, I realized that being a freshman meant I was not going to get assigned anything “hard-hitting” like Watergate. But halfway through my first semester and four published stories later, I knew this is not what I wanted to do with my life. I found no enjoyment in it.

I was confused and scared. I had been so sure that I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I had a plan. So one Monday evening I took my Bible and went to the benches between the Science building and Buzzard. It was quiet and no one was around, so I just cried out to God.

“What am I supposed to do? Why am I here? Where am I going?” It became pretty clear to me that I had never taken the time before this moment to talk with God about my future. It had always been “my plans”...and those obviously did not work out too well. After lots of prayer over the next couple days and some tears, I called my parents to break the news...I was changing my major. I knew I liked writing and I had always loved reading, so English seemed like the natural route to take. And this later led to me taking on a Professional Writing minor which I really enjoyed and learned so much from.

God did a lot of work in me over my four years as a student. My plans never involved ministry. My plans involved staying safe and doing my own thing. I liked the idea of being a Woodward, but I never expected to break open a huge political scheme. I don’t have my whole life planned out anymore.

So do you make your plans? Or do you allow God to direct you and change you? God never audibly told me what major to switch too, but the more time I spent in prayer, the more my eyes were open to the possibilities each choice gave. But a huge part was just letting go of control and learning what it means to trust my Creator. Are you ready to trust Him?

I recently taught on Colossians 3:18-4:1, and one of the main points Paul talks about is not working towards men, but working unto the Lord. In this passage Paul is speaking to slaves working for their masters. But how does that apply to us today? Well, it gives us a model for how we should work, and not even on the job, but at everything that we do, because Paul says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” (vs23)

One thing I noticed while studying this passage was that Paul keeps trying to get the slave to put their focus heavenward, not on earthly things...which I think is the key to working at everything for the Lord. We have to changed our perspective of things. We aren’t working to get a paycheck or whatever else it may be; we are working for the Lord. It is not man that we are serving.

I think too often we separate our Spiritual life and work life, when really it should be brought together because we are serving Christ through our work. For many of you who might be reading this the work that you do is school work...and that should be done unto the Lord as well, Paul said “everything”! And even if it is a subject you hate or a job you don’t like, you are not exempt. Take a look at Colossians 3:18-4:1 and start changing your perspective. And it isn’t just when people are looking... “not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.” (Vs 22)

Cast your gaze heavenward and do not work for man or earthly things. Work at everything for the Lord, doing your best for your Lord and Savior!