Saturday, October 6 – City Experience
Meet at BCM at 11:00am
Will head to CNN Center for lunch then to Centennial Park then to World of Coke (get your World of Coke ticket at the Student Center for a discount)
Saturday, October 13 – Picnic
At Lilburn Rec area then on to Stone Mountain to hike and see the Laser Show
Meet at BCM at noon to head to Lilburn.
Cost is $5.00.
Students from all over Ga. will be there!
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)
We change our minds sometimes, don’t we? Just today I had a change of mind. I was heading out to run with Bob in my running shorts. When I walked out the door, I realized it was cooler than I thought, so I changed my mind about the shorts attire and put on long pants.
Right now I am reading a book called The Good and Beautiful God; Falling in Love with the God Jesus Knows by James Bryan Smith. He gave me some great insight on spiritual transformation and the need to change some of the thoughts in my mind. I want to live more and more in the likeness of Jesus, but there seem to be patterns in my life that hinder some of the joy and peace that I know Christ wants for me. One of the things that hinders me is my propensity for overload and over commitment. When I get in this state, I feel stressed, hurried, and exhausted. When I read about the life of Jesus, I never get a sense that he felt overloaded or frenzied. So, I do not think this should characterize my life.
In his book, Smith says that to create change in our lives, we need four elements:
1. Change the stories in our minds
2. Engage in new practices
3. Be in reflection and dialogue with others on the same path
4. Be under the leading of the Holy Spirit
Romans 12:2 confirms Smith’s first point by emphasizing that transformation involves renewing our minds (changing the stories we are believing). I realize that some stories I have believed which affect my propensity for overload is: I am indispensable; I must help with every need presented to me. These stories (beliefs in my mind) have to change in order for me to see transformation happen.
What stories do you have in your minds that are preventing transformation? Maybe you believe you are not worthy of God’s love. Maybe you believe that God cannot help you overcome addiction. Maybe you believe you are undeserving of good relationships with others. Maybe you believe you cannot be forgiven of past sins.
I read a verse this week that shows the overwhelming and steadfast love of God:
“For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:10 (ESV)
I believe that God’s love for us is constant and powerful. God can help us change the stories in our minds that keep us from having the joy and peace he wants to give us. God can help us serve Him as He desires.
I agree with Smiths encouragement that we need to develop the practices that follow from a renewed mind, that we need Christian community to help us process and support our transformation in Christ, and that we have to rely on the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We cannot develop Christ-likeness on our own accord, rather we need God’s power and fellow followers of Christ to journey with us as we seek to live like Christ.
Dr. Teresa Royall
One thing I love about Christmas time is the lights. Our neighborhood is ablaze with lights this year—many more than last year! And it seems that with each passing day, more and more lights are added – either at new houses or by already lit houses adding new lights in their yards. I think neighbors see lights of others and want to shine their own. Bob and I enjoy walking the neighborhood with our dog Mandy and noting the brightness and glow. The lights add warmth and give direction as we walk. They penetrate the darkness.
Seeing the lights have made me think of one of my favorite verses:
Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life. Philippians 2:14-16 (NLT)
The Message version words this passage in this way:
Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night .
As I ponder these verses, these takeaways strike me:
How I live my life matters and influences others, either in a positive or a negative way. I want to light the way so others will experience the love of Christ.
How I treat others does matter. If I am cheerful, I shine for Christ. If I argue and complain, I am not shining brightly for Christ.
I need to exemplify the message of life to others – that of Christ’s sacrificial, unconditional, lavish love for us! Many times we do good things but do not connect that to the power of Christ within us. I want to make sure that people get the message of Christ through my life and my words, not just think I am a “good’ person. That means I have to verbally talk about Christ and His work in my life.
As we shine for Christ, I think we will find our world will be more like my neighborhood—increasingly filled with light. Our light will be a catalyst, causing other people to want to shine as well.
I am evaluating my “brightness” and I encourage you to do the same. Let’s shine our lights for Christ this Christmas season and each day thereafter!
Teresa Royall
Christmas is nearing and I can tell by the Christmas music on the radio stations, the decorations at people’s houses, the multitude of ads urging me to shop, and the cards that are beginning to arrive at my house. I love Christmas! I love the music, the lights, the cards, the well wishes. However, it is easy to fall prey to the commercialism that abounds and forget what Christmas is really about – the Good News of Jesus Christ!
My Sunday School class is studying the book of Philippians and I am reminded again of how encouraging this book is for living a life focused on Christ. The apostle Paul urges us in Philippians to get beyond ourselves and our circumstances and challenges us to live a life dedicated to Christ.
Here is a verse in Philippians (1:27) that impressed me this week:
Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.
I had to ask myself – “Do I conduct myself in a manner worthy of the Good News of Christ?”
Christmas is the perfect time to share the Good News with others – both verbally and with our actions. I am seeking ways to do that through God’s empowerment, direction, and love – with my family, with my neighbors, with college students, with friends, with church members. I encourage you to do the same.
