by aubreymacmillan

“And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’” Luke 10:27 (English Standard Version)

Raise your hand if you have heard this before? Every single reader should be raising his or her hand. Next, you should feel silly for sitting at your computer with your hand in the air. No shame, we have all done silly things before.

This verse is a command I have heard repeatedly throughout my life. Generally, things repeated often can easily become dry and lose impact on daily life. On occasion, however, old news can leap out and reach you in a new way. I encountered this almost as soon as I returned to Riverside from Thanksgiving break.

I was sitting in a coffee shop with a friend once again as we swapped thoughts about homework, God and life. At one point in our conversation, I found myself quoting the aforementioned passage with regards to maintaining godly conduct on a college campus. As I spoke, the words dripping from my tongue tasted odd. I paused mid-sentence and stared down at my mug as I pondered the sensation.

“… Um, Aubs?” inquired my friend, snapping me back to reality.

“Sorry. I just realized something,” I replied as I began to talk myself through the idea that was forming in my brain. “I mean, I’ve known that verse since I was like four, but I never actually thought about the implications of it…”

This launched a new topic for us. I am always amazed at how a fact can reach a person’s head, but not always ring clear in the heart. As my friend and I pulled this verse apart, new insights were revealed as our drinks turned cold.

The main thing we noticed was the detailed nature of the commandment. Rather than simply stating “Love God,” the verse lists many ways to love God. This thorough fact led us to examine what these ways to love Him are and how they affect every Christian.

The first portion of the verse is love the Lord with “all your heart.” I read this as an inclusion of our emotions: the happiness, regret, disappointment, elation and everything in between. This part strikes a chord with me, because I have encountered times where I do not understand my own feelings. They can change at the drop of a hat and are so easily swayed between extremes. So how is it that we can love God with everything, good, bad and ugly in our heart? Maybe through a recognition that although our feelings change, God never will. Whatever mood we are in, God loves us anyway. We can turn this realization into praise.

Next is love the Lord with “all your soul.” When I think of the soul, I think of the deepest, most basic and defining aspect of our being. This is everything that we are — our hopes, dreams and all that makes us ourselves. The soul is our most private and vulnerable place from which to give and receive love. The fact that God created us with a soul is a marvel in itself, and He demands that we love Him with all of it. I read this as handing our ambitions to Him in order to serve Him with all that He gave us. We use our talents to give Him the honor rather than ourselves. Loving God with all your soul also requires a level of intimacy. It means letting Him into every corner of your being and allowing Him to shape you, whether it is comfortable or not.

Loving God with “all your strength” immediately causes me to think of physical health as well as endurance in showing affection. He gave us bodies to maintain so that we can use them as a means to advance His kingdom. I believe a part of loving Him with our strength includes physical health. Believe me, this is hard for everyone at times, especially when eating in the CBU cafeteria. That place has EVERYTHING you could ever hope to eat, including waffle machines. It is dangerous. While we can enjoy food, we should remember to honor our health and use it to serve our Creator and show persistent dedication to that cause.

And now for the last, and currently most convicting part of the verse. We are asked to love God “with all our mind.” We have all been given brains, and we should use them. I have been given an amazing opportunity to come to college and use my academic abilities to sharpen my skills and gain insight on how to use them. In order to love my God with my entire mind, I should keep Him at the center of my focus. I should learn all that I can while in school so that I can serve proficiently in a later career. If God gave me the ability to think and to learn, I should not waste it. This conviction should cause me and other students to pay more attention to assignments and strive to perform our best in each class.

Scripture is vastly important, and can affect us in various ways throughout life. Even though I knew this commandment for so long, it took years before I thought to analyze it over coffee and practice it in more precise ways.

I really hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. For all the students out there encountering the fast-approaching end of another semester, keep your hopes up! It’ll be over soon, and this is just another opportunity to love our God in a new way.

Safe sailing, everybody.

It’s that time of the year again. You know what I mean, time for food, family reunions and a lot of words of affirmation. Yes, friends, Thanksgiving time is here!

Being huge into words of affirmation myself, I have been giving and receiving a lot of encouragement over the past week. On my way to class, I have done that thing that only annoying kids do where they see a friend off in the distance and promptly scream their name and run to catch up with them to let them know how important they are. In a less extreme and annoying way, I have made an effort to make each and every conversation intentional. Over lunch with a group, I have taken the time to ask each person what they are looking forward to over the break and how I can be praying for them. The amazing conversations that this has led to has stood as a challenge for me to love people in this way every day, and not just during the holidays. After all, Christ calls us to love others in this way.

Being so close to Thanksgiving, I have practiced my usual tradition of listing all the things I have to be thankful for. While I try to do this on a regular basis, I take the time around Thanksgiving to do this more in depth and sincerely thank God for all that I have. Here is what I have so far:

I am thankful for the life I have at CBU. Being so far from home has brought about its difficulties, but it has also given me so many opportunities to reestablish myself and grow further into the person God wants me to be. I have been able to learn so much in the subject I am passionate about and become better prepared to pursue a career where I can serve best. I have also developed some of the most influential friendships of my life and been able to enjoy a supportive and Christ-centered community.

I’m also thankful for the fact that I am returning to an amazing home. Not to brag or anything, but my family is awesome and my small town is charming. I am so proud of my background and grateful for that part of my life.

I’m so thankful for my ability to think, feel deeply, and have a relationship with the Creator of all things. This, above all, is the most defining aspect of my being and is what inspires me to love and serve others each day. For that, I am most definitely grateful.

Every year, the Residence Life office puts on a themed Halloween event. This year’s theme was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I went to this night of wonderment with a large group of friends all dressed for success. I dressed as a gypsy, which made me more excited than I can adequately describe. As long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a gypsy. As a child, I would dress up in my best gypsy outfit and take my pet goat for a walk. So this Halloween, I got to relive those days by putting on all my gypsy getup and going to the Willy Wonka event. Not only did this include Oopa Loompas, costumes, and candy, we had a legitimate chocolate slip ‘n slide. I know, right?! Basically so many dreams came true that night. Thank you, CBU. Thank you.

With all things, fun or difficult, that happen in my life, I find the need to stop and look for the significance in each occurrence. The changes that my friends and I underwent for Halloween by simply donning a costume remind me of real transformations in life, community and relationships. Some are fun to go through, while others confuse us and bring pain. I’m fully convinced, however, that all are good so long as they produce growth.

Beyond the Halloween celebration, this has been an eventful and crazy week. While I did get to have some fun, I also struggled to meet deadlines and saw my relationships change. Over the past week, some of my relationships have developed while others have ended. I have been confronted with emotional difficulties on several levels and have been reminded of my need to constantly rely on Christ. He is my energy, security and my enthusiasm, and I am so blessed that He sees me worthy enough to challenge and shape into a better servant. I know that whether people walk in or out of my life, my God never changes, and He loves me more than I will ever understand. Each relationship serves its purpose, and there is growth to be had in each situation.

Over the course of a semester, your major might change, you grow closer to Christ, and your relationships may continually develop while others end. I believe that we are meant to notice and fully live through each and every change in our lives. It’s okay to feel the hurt and disappointment that comes from a difficult goodbye. It is also so important to embrace the moments when you feel most alive. Love the good times. Laugh and love other people hard. Constantly give thanks to God for all moments, easy or not, because it is a privilege to live for Him. Don’t see any situation as an excuse to complain and whine your way through a day. Take notice of change, and really live through it. Feel all there is to feel and search for ways to glorify God in every situation.

I’ll leave you with a profound quote I found in a not-so-profound 80’s movie:

“Life moves fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Thank you, Ferris Bueller. Enjoy the rest of your day off.

When I first moved to California Baptist University from northern California, I remember being determined to find a church as soon as possible. Becoming part of a church family and getting involved in small groups is a huge part of accumulating to life in a new town. It is basically as important as morning coffee. Or, you know, spiritual growth. I wanted to grow as I began my life in college, and I believed that finding a church was an important way to make that happen.

This was going to be an entirely new experience for me since I had gone to my home church since birth. That church and its members had always been a part of my family and a crucial aspect of my spiritual growth. I knew that I would not be able to instantly find a church where I felt as comfortable as I would at home, but I was willing to spend time searching. I was not prepared for exactly how enlightening of an experience this search would be, though.

Well into my second year, I know several friends who are still searching for a church to be involved with. This has led me to think back on all the things I wish someone had told me as I began the “Church Search.”

So without further ado, here are my two cents for any college student currently still on the hunt for a home-away-from-home church:

1) Go into the search with a healthy mentality. It is never a good idea to attend churches asking yourself what they have to offer you. As a member of the body of Christ, we should go to church looking for ways to serve. How can you invest in the local church and improve upon it? We need to be exhorting each other, and this includes some work on our part. We should not look solely to be served, but to serve others.

2) No church is perfect. It is hard not to compare each church to home. Once we get used to certain parts of a service, like preaching style or worship, it becomes really easy to pick apart every little thing we might not like about a new church. It is okay to stretch your comfort zone a little. For example, even if the worship is not exactly what you prefer or are accustomed to, focus on whether or not God is still glorified in it. Evaluate yourself and give the Creator praise even if it is not your favorite style of music. All churches have flaws, but rather than focus on these, we should seek sound doctrine and accomplishing the work of Christ.

3) Remember that developing relationships takes time. I do not think I am alone when I say that the “greeting” portion of every church service can be painfully awkward. For visitors especially, this time seems to highlight how disconnected you might feel from other members. While you may be able to introduce yourself to people, it is difficult to strike up a conversation or develop a friendship with someone in a few short minutes. Keeping this in mind, I think it is vital to stick around after the service and make a connection with at least one person who regularly attends. Ask about small groups to get involved in. These are where friendships are further developed and you are able to encourage others and be encouraged as you journey through this stage in life.

4) Don’t break the habit. Yes, Cal Baptist offers chapel services on campus, but it is also important to invest in the local church community. Chapel should by no means replace church. As Christians, our willingness to serve should lead to a desire to share the love of Christ with others outside the CBU bubble. It is really easy to sleep in on Sunday mornings and tell yourself you’ll make it to church next week. If finding rides to church is an issue, find groups of people who will help to you get there. Find those glorious people with cars and begin the “Church Search” together. In that way, you can hold each other accountable to going consistently.

I cannot emphasize enough how attending my new church has led to my growth over the past two semesters. Once I stepped out of my comfort zone and committed to service, I met other Christians who spur me closer to Christ. Serving the Lord in a local community is a beautiful thing, and God is glorified through that. Go into the search for a church with a healthy dose of prayer, a heart of service and see how God will bless you through your willingness to grow closer to Him.

Let’s talk about Batman for a minute.

I regard Batman as the most hardcore of all superheroes. I’m a fan of Christopher Nolan’s trilogy for two main reasons: One, because the story of the Dark Knight is told in a truly astounding way. Two, Christian Bale plays Batman. That is great, too. I actually had a dream once that I married him. The colors were black and white, he wore his Batman getup, and our ceremony was held in the Batcave. It was one of the greatest (and weirdest) dreams I’ve ever had.

Okay, here’s where I’m going with this. As much as I love this movie series, I discovered that being involved with on-screen actors cannot replace my need for contact with people. I spent last Friday night snuggled up on my couch with food and the TV, and for the most part, I enjoyed it. The only thing that bothered me was the fact that I felt like I should have been hanging out with someone. There are always random adventures happening around campus, and I wanted to go be a part of something.

I have always assumed that I am an extreme introvert because I prefer not to be the center of attention, I have always maintained a smaller group of friends, and I prefer to hang out in a low-key setting. I will gladly watch movies all day long or spend hours in a coffee shop. After looking up the actual definitions of these terms, however, I discovered the extrovert outweighs the introvert in me. Here’s what I found after looking into this a bit:

Introverts gather their energy from solitude. They recharge their batteries by spending time alone with their thoughts and their own favorite activities. They solve problems by spending a lot of time processing events internally and eventually reaching a conclusion.

Extroverts receive energy through interaction with other people. They feel refreshed after spending time with those they care about. When solving problems, they tend to talk to the people they trust in order to gather opinions and reach the best possible conclusion through processing things using several points of view.

After my evening with Batman and entirely too much junk food, I found myself craving a real person to talk to. I wanted to go on a hike, play board games, basically anything as long as there were people involved. I called as many people from my hometown as I could to try and catch up with them, only to realize that it was midnight and no one was awake. It was then that the restlessness really set in. I paced around the apartment for a bit and eventually decided to clean things. I have a rule against cleaning things on a Friday night, so let the weight of that sink in for a moment.

As I’ve reflected on that experience, I realize that a huge part of living life in college involves personal discovery. You learn more about yourself and try to grow as an individual by trying new things and meeting new people. I knew that I would learn a lot from the random adventures that occur at CBU, but I’m learning to appreciate the down time as well. When I have time to myself, I should take advantage of it by making sure I am caught up on homework. I could especially use that time to go over my experiences that week and think about how they affected me. I think it is good to maintain a balance between introversion and extroversion. We can learn from time alone as well as from time spent with friends.

On another, completely unrelated note, I feel the need to address the coming of autumn (FINALLY!!!) As a Northern California girl, I eagerly await the chillier weather here in the usually sunny SoCal. Praise God for ground covered in crunchy leaves!

Happy Fall, everyone!

I love taking tests so much. It is my sixth favorite thing in the world, right behind chocolate, Doctor Who, rainy days, sliding across hardwood floor with socks on, and kittens. I just adore cramming as much information into my head as I possibly can and testing how well I actually retained everything I learned.

Okay, that might be a little bit of a lie. I’m not a huge fan of taking tests. I’d rather write a paper. However, in the middle of a busy semester, taking tests is exactly what I find myself doing often these days.

In the midst of my work this week, I found myself seated across from a wonderful friend of mine in a coffee shop. We were laughing our bellies sore as we relived our favorite scenes from the movie we had just seen and marveling at how little stress matters once you take a break and enjoy simple gifts in life. At one point she stopped me and said how amazed she was at how stressed she had been just hours previously, and how quickly that had dissolved. I pondered this for a minute to realize that I had experienced the exact same thing. I had been feeling the pressure of multiple deadlines, yet once the work was completed, the worry had lost all of its power.

Take that, stress!

People of the online community, our parents were right. Worrying does not help us accomplish anything in life. While it is important to learn how to budget our time and accomplish as much as we can with the time we are given, allowing stress into our lives is a useless waste of energy. It dissipates so quickly once the event is over, and we find that the worry was no help at all. In fact, it has only as much power as we give to it.

That fact moves beyond the pressure of school. There are situations in life that catch us off guard and leave our heads spinning. However, in my 19 years of living, I have found that life has a way of working things out in the end. God is an active God, and He will not leave us hanging.

In college, we experience highs and lows and learn how to deal with them. Stressing about tests, deadlines, a disagreement with a classmate, or anything else that comes our way will not help us to accomplish anything. Our focus needs to remain on growing closer to our Creator and bringing Him glory in all things, including our studies and the times we need to laugh it out.

I’d encourage anyone reading this to figure out ways to keep yourself from getting to the point where you’re blinded by stress. When you feel it coming on, walk away for a moment. Belt out your favorite song, eat Oreos (not the whole box!), call your mom, or watch a hilarious movie. Figure out how you relieve stress best, and make it a habit. Trust me, it helps to keep your focus on your goals, relationships, and relationship with Christ.

In the midst of this crazy semester, know that it will pass soon enough. Safe sailing, everyone!

Remember playing Red Rover on the playground as a kid? We would all squeal with glee as we swarmed the field to pick our teams. Then there was the excitement and ecstasy felt when the other team called your name. You would light up and run toward the other line while gathering enough speed to break right through the other kids’ arms. Unfortunately, there were also those times when you overestimated the power of your momentum and got clotheslined. You would find yourself on the ground, clutching your gut and gasping for air while trying to maintain a small shred of childhood dignity.

With midterms quickly approaching, I imagine most students at California Baptist University feel that way right now — floored by the weight of our academic ambitions.

Other people I have talked to were kind of like this:

MAKE IT STOP!!!

(They made those exact faces, too. Don’t ask me how.)

Last week was personally a busy one for me. I was hit by exams and papers, some of which were postponed (thanks, Lord). Not surprisingly, this business seems to have reached just about everyone on campus, as well.

However, it is great how academic crunch time serves as an equalizer for everyone at school — professors included since they will have a ton of assignments to grade. Even though it has been a little crazy for most of us lately, we should stop and remember the fact that this is exactly what we are all here to do. It is a privilege to be able to learn about your preferred area of study every day. I don’t know about you, but I adore sitting in a classroom. I am “that” English major who wants nothing more than to read the classics and participate in discussions each day of the week. It is wonderful, productive, and allows me to experience literature that teaches me more about humankind. Okay, okay — I’ll stop being a nerd now.

In the midst of the papers and exams, I am reminded that breaks are good, as well. I received a wise reminder once again from my grandpa this week: “You need to make time to smell the flowers, not just grow them.”

I had the opportunity to “smell the flowers” one night this week while taking a study break during a worship event for Seek Week, an annual week of events organized to set students’ minds on the Creator. I found myself in need of the time to separate myself from the agenda I had planned out in my mind and refocus on why I am actually here at CBU. I spent the time reflecting on the sheer goodness of our God and how much He continues to love us. He deserves glory, and we are here to learn to live up to our full potential in order to serve Him more.

Yes, we may occasionally find ourselves unexpectedly clotheslined by the weight of our assignments, the challenging of our ideas or a surprising turn of events. However, that should not stop us from playing the “Red Rover” of life all through our lives. I realize that I am blessed way beyond what I deserve. Throughout the blessings and stresses that come with being in college, I feel constantly thankful for the community I find at CBU. I cannot rave enough about the genuine, godly people I have met and about the opportunities we have to serve God at this university. We all occasionally need to remind ourselves of how loved we are.

So for all of us who are becoming overwhelmed, let’s take a break. Drink coffee. Invest in a friend you have not seen all week. Learn to dance Oppa Gangnam Style. Do whatever it is you have to do to remember that God is good, laughter is healthy and life is gorgeous.

I’ll leave you with the words that have been replaying in my mind over the past two weeks: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33, ESV).

I have a confession to make. Before chapel this week, rather than spending most of that time taking on an attitude of worship I spent my time telling a friend about my distaste for insects.

To say I dislike bugs would be a big fat understatement. I hate bugs. To be more accurate I hate bugs like Jesus hates sin. I know creation is good and all, but I seriously am not a fan of the creepy crawlies.

So what brought this angry rant on?

Upon my return to the fantastical land of Riverside I feel as though I have fallen down the rabbit hole and into the land of bugville. Now, let me say that Riverside is actually a really nice place, and I normally do not have close encounters with bugs. Lately, though, these things seem to know I hate them and so they must plague me and make me as uncomfortable as possible.

Let’s start with Plague Number One. I spent an evening in Downtown Riverside over the weekend. This place that should have been crawling with people in reality turned out to be crawling with cockroaches. Okay, I actually don’t know if they were cockroaches, but I know they were REALLY BIG DISGUSTING BUGS. Not only were they ugly, they were not shy. They seemed to just mosey right alongside me as I walked past. I almost felt as if nuclear war occurred and the roaches were just making themselves right at home. What deep, dark hole these things crawled out of, I have no idea. I’ve been downtown many times before and have not seen them there, but they apparently decided to follow me that night. This is definitely not okay with me.

Plague Number Two struck me in the comfort of my own home. I sat in my apartment doing homework when I received a call. I stepped out onto our porch so as not to disturb my roommates. Now, normally I would say that our apartment contains too much coolness due to the amazing people I room with, but I will not say that now. As I sat on the porch a HUGE thing flew in front of my face. I let out a slightly dramatic scream as the beast landed on the railing directly across from me. As I stood in the company of the gigantic cricket-Godzilla thing, I discovered to my horror that my roommates had locked me out in an attempt to be funny. Those scoundrels… Now, I’m all for practical jokes and all, but this was not a joke. This was a matter of life and death. I was caught in a sort of standoff with this bug that gazed coolly at me with its demon-eyes while I stood as tall as I could and tried to look intimidating. Fortunately, I was let inside in time to escape a brutal death by monster.

I hope I’ve given a clear picture now of how I feel about insects. They are vile and disgusting to me, and I can never seem to find anything appealing about them.

This disgust brings to mind a conversation I held with a dear friend of mine. We sat outside once listening to crickets that were being obnoxiously loud when I made my comment about my disliking for the things. After stopping to think for a moment, my friend then brought up Psalm 96. In verses 11 and 12 it says, “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall the forest sing for joy.” So, nature and all things in it are designed to praise God. The crickets, annoying as they were, could not help but sing the Creator’s praises. In fact, that is all they can do. The bugs that fly around looking all scary and gross do so because that is what they are designed for, and in that act they are living out lives proclaiming the goodness of God.

Isn’t that what we’re supposed to be doing?

I’m immediately humbled by the fact that insects and all of nature are more proficient at worship than I am. We as Christians are also a part of creation and our purpose is to glorify God, and yet we tend to only do so when we make a conscious or even painful effort. Worship for us takes sacrifice, whether it is of time, pride or commitment. Christianity is by no means a segmented portion of one’s life, but a holistic, daily choice to put God before ourselves.

With this understanding, the time we are given at CBU to sing to the Creator in chapel every week becomes so much more precious. That is the time for students and faculty to come together and stand before God, using our time and our voices to praise Him for who He is. Our thoughts should be always directed toward Him. After all, if the world, its bugs included, can’t cease to praise Him, why should we?

Hello friends and strangers! Welcome to the first installment of a blog that follows my life as a second-year student at Cal Baptist, the second happiest place on earth.

Over the past few weeks upon my return to campus, I’ve realized exactly how much I have missed life at CBU. The beginning of the semester has already brought late night conversations with marvelous people, engaging class discussions, and delicious meals at the caf. While the season of homework and careful scheduling has begun once again, so has the season of last minute road trips and stress-burning Roommate Dance Sessions. My friends, it’s going to be a wonderful year.

With the start of the new semester, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on my goals for this year in college. A lot of these goals include growing my faith in the Creator, meeting new people and doing the best I can to share love with everyone I encounter. As I have thought about these goals I have also considered what might inhibit me from achieving them. The main reason that I came up with is my tendency to get stuck in my head and miss a lot of what happens around me. Let’s be honest, it’s too easy to be selfish and spend all day thinking about what I have to finish and what I want to do in my spare time. This reminds me of one of my slightly unpleasant childhood escapades.

Gather ‘round people, it’s story time!

When I was in preschool, I was overly imaginative. By this I mean I was that creepy little kid who sat alone with a crayon and a penny and was entertained for hours on end. Everyday I looked forward to arts and crafts when I could be left alone with all kinds of fun knick-knacks to create things with. On one particular instance I became so engulfed in my project that I was driven into a brief period of solemn silence. I was so absorbed in the task at hand that I didn’t notice when the silence had fallen across the whole classroom. Eventually, I noticed this fact and looked up from the art table to discover that my entire class had disappeared. You see, it was field trip day, yet my intense artistic endeavors had caused me to miss the exodus of my class.

What happened next is actually quite epic. I had decided that the only explanation for the disappearance of my classmates was that the end of the world was at hand, and I was the last human on earth. I distinctly remember planning what I must do to get to Wal-Mart and gather up supplies for my later journey to Kansas where I could peacefully live out my days. After all, that’s what Dorothy and Toto would have done. I gathered up my gumption and approached the classroom door. Intimidating as it was, I somehow managed to open the door and wander down the hall, cautiously checking for flying monkeys all the way. I eventually made it to the Principal’s Office and discovered that I was not the last person alive in the world, and I was quickly reunited with my parents.

Although this venture unnerves me to this day and causes me to have serious misgivings about modern daycare, I find connections between the occurrence and my struggles today. I missed the field trip as a child and this is exactly what happens to many of us when we get too involved in our own lives to notice the changes around us. Although it’s easy to only focus on one’s own priorities, it becomes all too possible to miss out on the action that God sends our way. When I actually open my eyes to the world around me and focus on the things that happen in the lives of other people, I experience life so much more fully. I discover more about the nature of my God and become more deeply aware of the work He’s doing in my life to shape me into a reflection of Him. This is far more gorgeous than placing my full focus on homework assignments, personal complaints, or the things I would rather do than take the time to serve another person.

As this semester continues, I think it is relevant to search for ways to become actively involved in something that benefits others, and not just ourselves. In everything we do, from attending a new church to cheering along with the Crazies, we should remember our identity in Christ first. So go ahead; talk to people in your 8 a.m. class. Say hello to that person you pass multiple times but have never actually met. Look for ways to serve your school and your community. I’m convinced that God has amazing plans for this university and its students, and I don’t want anyone to miss the field trip.