Taking Jesus to College

College is tough. You move away from home, away from what you know, the people you know, and the church you know. You're on a whole new schedule and don't have your parents to remind you when its time to go to church, Younglife, or bible study. It is so easy to stray away from God during this huge change. I went from living in a small town where most people went to church on Sunday to a huge city where church is not in most people's agendas for their busy weeks. For me it was really hard to find the time and where to go to church in Atlanta. The start of the school year meant new classes (with people other than the same 25 people I'd had class with for the past 2 years), going through sorority recruitment, and getting used to being on my own without my parents. For the first few months of college I didn't really go to church. I still prayed and went to a small group with my sorority weekly but I didn't really spend much time with Jesus. I wish it was as easy as packing Jesus in your book bag and taking him to college with you, but its not. I wanted to find time and a place to spend time with Jesus but I didn't really know how.

Luckily for me, some of my very best friends also felt this way so we began to search for a new church home. We went to a few different churches in order to find the one that best fits our wants and needs. After Christmas one of my friends and I decided to go to Buckhead Church. Let me tell you, Jesus is alive in this place. The music sounds like you are at a concert and Andy Stanley's messages always leave you wanting more. The first week we went, he was in the middle of a series called "How to Get What You Really Want." The purpose of this message was to set your goals for 2017. Not your fitness goals or your academic goals but your spiritual goals with Christ. This message really pushed me to try and put God first in my life again and grow even closer to him. One way I wanted to do this was get on a regular schedule of going to church and setting out time just to talk with God. Recently Lillie Tate, Sarah, Ann, and I started going to Buckhead Church's College Ministry, The Living Room. Honestly, this has become my favorite part of the week. This is a time to just let it all go and give it all to Him. GaTech/Atlanta people: let me know if you want to go with us, I promise you won't regret it!!

The cool thing about God is that he is always there for you, even when you are not completely focused on him. Even when you are lost or feeling alone, God knows exactly where you are and what you are doing. He has a plan for you. He is always there for you. This is such a comforting thing. Even when I wasn't talking to Him everyday, He was thinking about me. And know that I have found him again, it's not like we just had to pick up right where we left off because He never left. You constantly have the opportunity to grow closer to God. He understands that we all mess up, and he still loves us just the same.

“... and when I wake up you are still with me." Psalm 139:18