Saying Thank You

As my time away from home is nearing an end (I'll in Ripon for the summer!), I am excited to share a recent experience that provoked classic, college kid introspection. Last week at my sophomore women's Bible Study, my minister invited a student from "Ask Big Questions UW-Madison" to facilitate a special discussion with my group. "Ask Big Questions" is an international organization whose mission is to engage college students in asking "big questions," in an effort to promote conversations that help us understand ourselves and others. Through these conversations that goal is to ignite positive change in the world.

http://askbigquestions.org/

UW-Madison began its own "Ask Big Questions" organization this year. The student representative from the group began our session by asking us what this quote mean to us: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond imagination. It is our light more than our darkness which scares us." --Marianne Williamson. This quote got us thinking about the tremendous power we possess and how we can use this power to impact our community and world.

Next the leader showed us this "Ted Talks"video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVCBrkrFrBE

In summary the video highlights the impact each of use can have in one another's lives in ways we do not realize. We can all think of people who have shaped who we are or who have positively impacted us at some point. But, we all too often do not bother to let these people know they are appreciated. The take home message from the clip was the importance of acknowledging those people who have positively changed us by thanking them. They may very well not realize what an impact they have had in our lives and a simple thank you may, in turn, change their life. 

Earlier in the day, I was carbon copied in an email my dad sent to a friend who was soon to retire. He had heard that she was retiring from another friend and simply wanted to thank her for the profound impact she had had on our community and let her know her work over the years was greatly valued by him. His message was short and nothing spectacular was written. However, I am sure the woman found it meaningful that he would go out of his way to say thank you for her hard work.

I hope that I can embody the example my dad set last week by reaching out to those who have impacted my life and letting them know how much they mean to me. I say thank you often for small things people do for me, but seldom do I take time to reach out to those people who have radically changed my life. I think part of God's hope for us as a community of Christians is to share the deep gratitude we have with one another. If we are the body of Christ, shouldn't we strengthen ourself by forming stronger bonds through gratitude? The act of saying thank you can feel uncomfortable, but the difference it can make in the life of the recipient is extraordinary.

The message from that night had a strong impact on me, and I hope you can consider ways to reach out to others in thanks as well.

Stress!

Though Spring break has only been over for three days, already I feel like I'm being eaten alive by my academic work. I find myself forcing my brain into a daily marathon with very limited time to recover. While, I try to frequently remind myself of the extreme privilege of a college education, it is all too easy to grumble about the stress I place upon myself daily in college.

My hope for this blog post is to remind myself (and hopefully others) that God is an active presence in our lives. When my brain is being pulled in 100 directions during the week, I have go to remember that God hasn't forgotten about me. Some of my biggest stresses right now are whether I'll receive a summer job I've applied for and whether I'll one day be accepted to a medical school. What I often forget is that, though these two goals seem vitally important right now, God has an entire world of possibilities for my and your future. If I don't reach these goals, it will only mean that God is planning to take me down another, equally as fulfilling path. With this thought, I can let go of much of the stress and can fully consume myself in God's love and care. This does not mean that I have to stop working hard, but rather, I can go through each week knowing that God is pushing me to be my best.

I hope that during any week when we feel like busyness will drive us to insanity, we can have renewed energy knowing that God is with us.

Pres House: My Home away from Home

Though I dearly miss Sunday mornings at First Congregational Church of Ripon, I excitedly report that I have become part of a second church community: Pres House, a student-focused Presbyterian Church located at the heart of UW-Madison's campus. Admittedly, I was initially a little skeptical to dive into a new church environment; First Congo and its members have been my home and family my entire life. However, after a few weeks of attending worship services and church events, I finally released my anxieties and let God fully immerse me in the next stage of my faith journey.

I would like to share some of my experiences at Pres House, which could perhaps ignite new ideas for fellowship events at First Congo.

Pres House holds a "Documentary and Dessert" each semester where church members gather together to view a documentary about a social issue, enjoy a dessert and conclude the event with a discussion about how we, as Christians, can respond to that particular issue. This semester the documentary examined the poverty line in the United States.

Last weekend we hosted an open mic night where singers, saxophone players, guitarists and even a kazoo player shared their talents, accompanied by board games, hot cocoa and cookies. This event was also held to raise money for "World Vision" a Christian organization aimed at providing basic needs to poverty stricken countries and those in need of disaster relief.

To extend our fundraising efforts for World Vision, Pres House is holding a 30-hour Famine in a few weeks. Those who wish to participate are asked to make a $30 donation and fast for 30 hours. The church will be hosting another fellowship event during the time of the fast as a way to increase community with one another and learn more about fasting from a biblical and spiritual perspective.

Over the summer members of the church formed a marathon team, which involved raising thousands of dollars for World Vision. The team members trained together throughout the summer in Madison and eventually ran the Chicago marathon in the fall. Some church members who are not runners came along with the team to cheer them on.

In a few weeks, 3 to 4 students are each preaching for about five minutes on one Bible passage. In this way, members of the congregation have the opportunity to think critically for themselves about scripture and share their thoughts with the rest of the church.

Finally each spring break, members of Pres House have the opportunity to go on a service trip elsewhere in the county. Last spring, a group traveled to Joplin, MO to help a man rebuild his home after the devastating tornado. The year before that, students traveled to Washington D.C. to learn more about homelessness, ways to appease the problem and how to think about the living conditions of citizens in Madison. In a few months members of the church will drive to Alabama in honor of the 50th anniversary of the start of the civil rights movement in Birmingham. The group will also visit Montgomery and Mobile in hopes to learn more about race in 2013.

Pres House continuously offers events, but many of them are only feasible with the help of many individuals and their talents. The student body of the church is smaller than First Congo, in fact. I encourage members of First Congregational Church of Ripon's congregation to foster an even stronger community through film, athletics, music, travel and other activities.