JMU As A Sophomore

First Sunday back at Aletheia Church was amazing.

God is such a perfect timer :) While walking with my roommate and one of my suitemates this morning to my car to head to Aletheia we passed a freshman guy, bible in hand, walking toward the bus stop. So I asked where he was going, and before I could realize what sweet work God had just done, there we all were. All FOUR of us were heading to Aletheia. This past week during my quiet times I've asked God to use me in every single possible way He can this semester to reach out to freshman - making them welcome, loving on them, and witnessing. Well He clearly showed me He was listening this morning.

My blog hasn't been updated in a while, sorry for that. Being back at JMU has been quite an exciting experience. Actually, almost too exciting. I have been focusing on so many other things and sort of put God in the back of my mind the first few days.

Helping freshman move in Tuesday and Wednesday was a great experience. All the "thank you's" I got made it all worth it. Everyone was so thankful that we were there and willing to help them. The backache and the sore calves were so worth that :)

So as I said, God wasn't getting the attention He deserved from me the first few days. Friday is when He showed me that I needed to take Him out of my pocket and put Him back in my heart. I went with a group of friends up to a place called Reddish Knob to watch the sunset. Sitting there watching the sun go down, looking down on the beautiful Shenandoah Valley made me realize how unimportant I am. I was looking out over this beautiful creation, this vast stretch of mountains and there I was worrying more about myself all week rather than thanking God for everything He has done for me.


Watching the sun go down, praising God was probably one of the most joyful things I have done in a really long time. Don't get me wrong, worshiping God every Sunday at church is amazing as well, but this was something more. I was there. Looking out at His wondrous creation, realizing how small I was, but knowing that He loves me enough to sacrifice His only Son in order for me to have eternal life is just so incomprehensible.

It was so reassuring. Knowing that I'm loved, I'm saved, I'm free and nothing can take that away from me was the best thing God could've showed me before this semester starts. No matter what happens this semester, I know He is with me, holding my hand the whole way. I've learned to trust Him no matter the trial or the outcome. I've been clinging to this passage for some time now...and regardless of what I read during my quiet time, I somehow always end up flipping to it.

"Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."
-Jeremiah 17:5-8

Trusting God is vital when it comes to strengthening a relationship with Him.

Seizing the Opportunities

Looking back on a conversation or situation, 75% of the time I wish I had said/done something differently. Not because I handled it wrong, but because it could have opened up an opportunity.

Working at a roadside cafe, you wouldn't think many opportunities to share the gospel would reveal themselves. That was my mindset at least, and to the naked eye, it for the most part is true. But then when one does show itself and I do see it and act on it...it's like God slapped me in the face and said, "See Casey, you could be doing this every day. You just need to look for the open opportunities."

Over the past few days I've gotten into a spiritual conversation with at least one customer (now I know you're thinking, just one? But hence..."roadside" cafe, business isn't "hoppin"). So God, thanks for opening my eyes...even if it did take a slap in the face. I do want to add that the point of this blog is to 1) keep my friends up-to-date with important insights God is showing me in my life, 2) possibly witnessing to friends that don't know God on a personal level, and 3) to show that God is complete control and He knows what is best for us :)

-and yes, the picture above is in fact my place of employment.

Compassion Fatigue

My current read is The Hole In Our Gospel by Richard Stearns. Ah-mazz-ing.
It has heightened an emotion in me that as a Christian should be constantly burning, but instead, mine was barely lit.

"Love your neighbor as yourself." - Part 2 to God's greatest commandment, right?

I often find myself applying this commandment in a way that isn't necessarily how God intended it to be practiced. Yes, we are supposed to love our neighbors (fence-sharing, dog-barking). And I even take it a step further and apply the title "neighbor" to those around me (friends and strangers). But these "neighbors" of mine are all within eyesight and even reaching distance. I'm not saying that this is an incorrect view, because until I started reading Richard Stearns amazing testimony I had this exact view.

In Luke 10:25-37 you will find the well-known parable of the Good Samaritan. The rejection from the priest and the Levite are painting a picture of how I was acting and looking at my "neighbors." The point of this is not to convict, but its to bring awareness - just as this book did to me.

There are so many of God's children that are suffering in this world. Even though they may not be in our town, or even our country...they are still our "neighbors." They need the love and support from us just as much as our best friend that lives down the street does.

This is where the priest and Levite messed up. They saw this helpless man on the side of the road, but because he wasn't of their culture, race, etc. (He wasn't like them more or less) then they didn't want/see the need to help him. Pretty convicting I would say...we, as Christians (just like they were) should be the ones willing and jumping on any and every opportunity to help. But just as the priest and Levite kept walking down the road....we do the same thing when we throw that brochure away we get in the mail to help with AIDs or when we turn the channel because we're sick of seeing that same commercial for those starving children.

And the worst part is, we have no excuse for not helping. We know what's going on and there are means for which we can help. But somehow, I slipped into compassion fatigue. Just because I don't know the starving children in Zimbabwe like the children that are in my life doesn't mean I can't love them. I should love them the SAME.

Reading this book has not only opened my heart, but it's broken it just the same. I want to help, I know God needs me to. So now I'm just praying for Him to show me what to do next. Give? Sponsor? Support missionaries? Be a missionary?

We shall see.

A Little Bit of Romans from Myrtle Beach

Vacation in Myrtle Beach has been wonderful these past few days. Having absolutely nothing to do or worry about allows me to so easily clear my head and enjoy all of God's creation. My quiet times these past fews days have been quite amazing. God is clearly using my calm, quite mind and peaceful surroundings to His advantage and allowing me to absorb so much of His word.

I decided to read Romans during my quiet times while I am here and I'm beyond glad that I did. Sunday morning I woke up and opened up to chapter 1 and started reading. Verse 16 hit me pretty hard as I was sitting on the balcony at 7:30am.

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes."

I asked myself, "Is this true of me?" Of course my initial answer is yes. And it is. But then a second question came to mind, "Do others believe this is true about me?" Thinking about that for a minute, I answered by saying that my friends and family see that about me. But then it hit me. What about strangers, people who don't know me?

That's the moment God put it on my heart to use every opportunity given to me this week to try to share the gospel with those I don't know. I'm at the beach for goodness sake, there are millions of people here that I could talk to. Sunday's quiet time was more than a reality check saying "Casey, are you really being the disciple God wants you to be and are you taking advantage of every opportunity?" but it also was a nice big wake up call.

Pray for me this week as my friend Emma Dollings and I stroll down the beach and tell others about this amazing God of ours.