a prayer for bonfire.

Dear God,

Thank you for granting us the opportunity to labor beneath the trees and bare one another’s burdens just as Jesus labored beneath the tree as he ascended the hill and bore the burden of sin for all of us in the ultimate act of love (Galatians 3:13).

 I pray that his example of selflessness is held as a goal in all of our hearts as we work alongside our crews (John 15:13). I pray that our labors, like that of Jesus’, enable us to experience the goodwill of others, understand the separation of Earth and the Kingdom of Heaven, understand the extent of our own physical capacities, challenge our faiths, reveal to us your love and the true nature of others, and, inevitably, allow us to live in communion with one another as well as bring us closer to building a covenant with you.

When we wind ourselves fatigued in the midst of prolonged labor, let us be reminded of Christ’s fatigue and the determination and faith that allowed him to persevere in pursuit of the destiny you set forth for him(Matthew 27:34, Isaiah 53:4-7).

Let us humble ourselves to the assistance of others just as Jesus humbled himself and accepted the help of Simon (Luke 23:26). Let our attention to each log be careful and thorough just as you attention is to each of your children (Zephaniah 3:17). And, as we slam them onto stack, let us take pride in the structure that’s come to represent us as a community just like you take pride every time you invite another one of your children into your Eternal Kingdom (Luke 23:43).

When bonfire is ablaze, let us reflect on the transformative nature of fire in the Bible and search for the ways in which we have been transformed throughout the season (2 Corinthians 5:17). Let us be reminded of the fact that our God is said to be a consuming fire as our attention is consumed by the flames transforming bark and wire into ash (Hebrews 12:29).

As our desire is made manifest and apparent to others, let your love be made likewise in ourselves and in our friends (1 John 4:9). As smoke ascends into the night’s sky, let us refocus our lives that they might be lived in such a way that deems us worthy of ascending into your embrace. And, when all that is left of our season and our labor is ash, let us remember that we are dust and to dust we shall return (Genesis 3:19). Let the memories and stories of where we’ve come from inspire where we hope to go.

I love you forever,

Erin (S.A.S, LL ’16)

(Brian Kim Studio)

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor…” Romans 12:10

beneath the cross.

Beneath the cross one learns to love.

potential.

So often, I think we underestimate the power that resides in our actions. I’m not necessarily saying that we act carelessly, but that we often just fail to see the impact we have.

Lately I’ve been using the word potential in my blog posts a lot, and it’s becoming a word that I think of often throughout the day. It’s a big word. And it’s growing to have a special place in my heart.

Because God loves you and the Holy Spirit resides within you, you have incredible potential.

When we hear of individuals doing amazing things, we are so quick to tell ourselves that that could never be us, but that simply isn’t true. We have the potential to do amazing things. In fact, you’re probably doing amazing things right now without even realizing it. Because God is constantly using us. We are his voice on this earth. He’s always speaking and acting through us. In the end it simply comes down to whether or not we are opening our hearts to him and answering his call.

I’ve heard and given a number of testimonies, and a very consistent theme in them is being helped, strengthened, given hope, etc. by people who were unaware of the impact they were having at the time.

“It takes one true believer to believe you can still beat the odds.”

Would you believe it if I told you that I believed that by this time in your life you have drastically altered the life of another human being without even realizing it?

Would you believe it if I told you that I believed that an action you regarded as small at the time is now an action that someone considers a defining moment of their life?

Would you believe it if I told you that I believed that God is working through you in even the smallest of ways?

Because I think all of those things are true.

Right now I think you have the ability to make manifest the glory of God on earth. I think you have the ability to be a glimpse of his heavenly kingdom to those who lack any kind of concrete understanding of it. I think you have ability to be made a saint despite your sins.

You have potential because of God’s immeasurable love for you, and he is calling you to use it to glorify and exalt his holy name. Jesus gave his life for you on the cross, and one way of displaying your gratefulness it to commit your actions to the Lord.

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us…” Ephesians 3:20

be brave.

Even on the days we feel incredibly small, we have an infinitely large God. He’s so amazing. I want you to meet him; I want you to know him. Because he seeks to shelter and heal you. He is constantly thinking about you.

You are always on his mind. You wouldn’t believe the places you’ve gone with him in thought. Jesus bore your sins upon his shoulders as he trudged up the hill, and your pain was made his pain when he was nailed to the cross. He became acquainted with your humanity as his wounds began to bleed. All your transgressions ran down his cheeks in the form of tears and drops of crimson. But his love for you was incredible. It still is. Because, though he rescued humanity from sin, he’s still walking with you. Every moment of every day he recalls those moments on the cross and looks at your beautiful face. And you know what he thinks to himself? It was worth it.

Jesus gave his life for you because he knew you were someone worth dying for. He knew that you would get hurt and go through hardships. But he had faith in you just like he hoped you would one day have faith in him.

He believes in you. He foresaw the battles you would fight in life and created you with the strength to win them. You have the potential to overcome every hardship that comes to you. It’s true. You may not do it in the way that seems obvious to you at the moment, but I promise that when you look back on it you will realize it worked out for the best. Because God is on your side.

So be brave. You have every reason to be brave in the face of adversity. Not only do you have the potential to make it through, but you have God walking with you every step of the way. And I have to be honest with you, it is an absolutely incredible journey.

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13

you are uniquely loved.

“Each relationship between two persons is absolutely unique. That is why you cannot love two people the same. It simply is not possible. You love each person differently because of who they are and the uniqueness that they draw out of you.”

― Wm. Paul Young, The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity

I often have friends who have just ended long romantic relationships ask me why it’s so hard to feel the same as they did about a different person, and this quote explains exactly why. You cannot love two people the same. It’s just not possible. Each person we build a relationship with is so different that they appeal to different aspects of us and draw a new and unique kind of admiration out of us. We love different things about each person we meet, and because no two people are the same, we are constantly learning to love in new ways. That’s why we often experience periods of dissatisfaction with those individuals we may be pursuing after ending a particularly meaningful relationship- we are so stuck on the last love, that we compare our current relationship to the one that existed prior to it. We feel as if our current infatuation or admiration is lacking or incomplete because it does not match up to what we experienced before.

Sometimes, I think that God has a similar unique love for each of his children. Seeing as he created each of us in very different manners, it only seems appropriate that his love for us should vary. Naturally, we have a just and compassionate God so it should not vary in magnitude, but I do believe that his love for each of us is as unique as we are.

God loves you different than he loves me. He knows that we have different weaknesses, and, as a result, becomes our strength in different ways. He calls us to different places and people because he knows that we serve him in different manners. He uses us in different ways because he knows that our talents flourish in different situations. He speaks to us in different manners because he knows we have our own ways of communicating with him and hearing his voice.

While God’s love for use is very unique as are the ways he demonstrates it, one aspect of it is common for us all. God sent his only son to die for us. God knew that would serve us all the same. He knew that while all our sins were different, the solution to them was static. He knew that the cross would come to be the ultimate demonstration of Christ’s love for each of us though our faith would not be approached in the same fashion.

true to each other as aggies can be. true to each other to eternity.

Here at Texas A&M, we have a tradition called Silver Taps to honor those graduate and undergraduate students who have passed away during the past month. On the first Tuesday of every month, thousands students gather in Academic Plaza at 10:15 pm. All lights on campus are asked to be extinguished, and students solemnly line the sidewalks in their Sunday’s best. The clock tower chimes Amazing Grace as all the students stand in silence and stillness. A small slip of paper is placed at the base of the flag pole that lists the student’s name, class, major, and date of birth. A special firing squad made up of university students marches eerily through academic plaza until they eventually come to a stop at which time they fire three rifle volleys. A special version of taps is played from the dome of the academic building in all directions except for east (because the sun will not rise on this individual again). After all of this, students silently return to their homes.

Tomorrow evening, I will be participating in this tradition once again, and I can’t help but remember the first time I was blessed with the opportunity to attend. One of A&M’s core values is respect, and Silver Taps is a proper representation of this.  The first time you go, you can’t help but be struck by the stillness of it all. With all the lights off, the heavens bear down on you as if all the angels are standing right there with the student body. The stars twinkle, and I often find myself searching for the deceased within them. Like that one little twinkle of a star will tell me that they are with us. I tend to get really choked up because I think about how wonderful my school is. I think that it may, honestly, be the best place on earth. The traditions, the core values, and the opportunities it provides us each to grow in more than one way make it the most captivating environment. And I think about how if they couldn’t be in this wonderful place, then I would want them to be in heaven. Because it’s like going from one beautiful place to another. I always ask God to grant them one last walk through campus because while I recognize they are going to paradise, I can’t help but put myself in their shoes and think how much I would miss this place.

As a Christian, I also love the symbolism within it. I love thinking about how it connects to the love of Christ. Christ put himself in our place. He literally took our sins upon his back in the form of a cross. He died that we might be forgiven. He paid the ultimate price, and found praise in the heart of Our Lord because of it.

While Silver Taps obviously doesn’t supply us with the same opportunities and suffering as the cross did, it does draw us together. Just as Christ sacrificed on the cross, the small amount of time that we offer up at Silver Taps is the sacrifice we are happy to pay in the name of our deceased peers. And, just as Christ suffered, we are granted the opportunity to share in our sufferings as a community. I imagine that while experiencing Silver Taps in the name of a friend rather than just a faceless student must be crushing, it must also bear some sort of healing. Being surrounded by that many people that are standing with you to bear some of your pain, being surrounded by the 12^th Man– that’s where Christ-like love is really made manifest in this time-honored tradition. Just as Christ carried our sins upon his back, we- the student body of Texas A&M- are given the chance to do the same with the sufferings of our fellow students. We don’t stand as individuals, but as the 12^th Man.

True to each other as Aggies can be. True to each other to eternity.

he thought of you.

As Jesus hung on the cross, did you ever wonder what he thought about? The pain and suffering were excruciating,  so much so that he even called out to his father and asked why he had forsaken him. But I don’t think he was thinking about the pain… I think he thought of you.

I think he saw you at this moment.

I think he saw past your human form and into your heart.

I think he saw your struggles.

I think he saw the times you would fail him.

I think he saw you when you felt as if you were at your lowest.

I think he saw you weep.

I think he saw you when you were at a loss for words.

I think he saw you when you wondered if it was all worth it.

I think he saw you when you wondered if anyone cared.

I think he saw you, and I think he said yes. He said yes to his Father. To our Father.

He saw you at this moment, and hoped for eternity.

He saw your heart, and yearned for your soul.

He saw your struggles, and committed to being your strength.

He saw the times you would fail him, and promised he would never do the same.

He saw you at your lowest, and desired for you to live with the highest.

He saw you weep, and wept alongside you.

He saw when you were at a loss for words, and prayed that his word would guide you.

He saw you wonder if it was all worth is, and decided to prove that it was.

He saw you when you wondered if anyone cared, and, with his dying breath whispered, “I do.”

entering the lion’s den.

God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.

Time and time again, I find this to be true. I am an average person. I struggle with school and boys and friends just like other girls my age. But God calls me to be more. And he’s calling you in a similar way.

God’s call is scary. He often calls us towards situations we may not understand or be comfortable with, but life begins at the end of our comfort zone. It’s true. Our faith isn’t comfortable. And if it is, then maybe we need to reevaluate it. Jesus healed the blind. He touched the leper. He befriended the prostitute. He consistently challenged what society accepted as normality. He turned water into wine. He carried the sins of the world upon his back in the form of a cross. He, a sinless man, hung on that cross and died to save the world from its own sin. And on the third day, HE ROSE AGAIN! He conquered death! He turned what was once the ultimate end into the most beautiful beginning!

He showed us that faith isn’t comfortable, but its worth it.

You may not feel worthy of God’s call, but he wants you anyway.

Trust in him.

God’s never going to let you stand alone in the lion’s den. He will always be by your side. He loves you. And he is challenging you to actively participate in his plan. You can do it. And you don’t ever have to do it alone.