Back to School

Last week I moved back up to school with the intention of continuing to write semi-consistently. I knew that I wouldn't be able to write every day, but I was hoping for every other day or every third day. Boy, have I been wrong. After moving back in, a whirlwind of activity came up around me and now it has been over a week since I last wrote. This is ridiculous.

Not only that, but when I do find those brief moments where I could write, I don't know what to say. Donald Miller recently posted a blog about that: what to do when the well runs dry. That's what I feel like, that I have nothing good to say. I know God is teaching me things still, but they are harder to see amidst all the craziness of being back to school, with class, homework (yes, I'm doing homework. Who would've thought?), AGO, and CRU. Throw in wanting to see everyone again and catch up, My day gets booked up pretty quickly. But alas, I think one of the ways I can get out of this writers block is if I start writing. Therefore, I'm going to start talking about what has been happening in my life and what God has been teaching me, and we'll see where it goes.

First of all, I cannot believe I'm a senior. I can't believe that I have been at USC for three whole years now. It seems like yesterday I was just moving in to my dorm getting ready for band camp. People always say make the most of college because it goes by too quickly, and oh man how true that is. I think every year of your life it feels like it goes quicker. I'm really hoping against that because if that's true my life is gonna be a complete blur after 30.

It's weird for me to think that I'm the oldest person on campus. That my fellow seniors and I are the ones freshman look up to and think are ancient. Am I living the life I want to show the freshman? Honestly, I don't think so. My friend showed me a blog recently about how we can't store up "spirituality" and then coast for a while. No, it is a constant thing we need to do. We must pursue God every day. And it'll make life better. I know this last week my brief quiet times are some of the best times of my day. They are like God is saying "Nick, come to me and unwind. Let's get you refreshed." There is no one or nothing else that can refresh me like God can, and that is awesome.

That being said, I want more of that. I want more time with God, whether it be in quiet time, reading books, talking to friends, or meeting in a small group. I think why I loved this summer so much is the fact that nearly every time I talked to a friend, God was brought up. It's weird. I feel like God kind of goes out the window when we get back to school and are all together again. So for those of you who are at school, let's change that. We all talk about how we miss the community when we're not at school, but where is the true community AT school? Maybe this is just me, so if it is, just tell me to open my eyes and look around. But if you semi feel this way too, let's do something about it.

Since when did this become "community"and replace real interaction?

Ok, change of topic. last week at Reality LA, there was a guest pastor (whose name I forgot) spoke about peace. There were a couple of points that I really liked. First, he talked about a relational peace, and cites John 14:27:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Then the pastor said something that I had been thinking about recently but couldn't say so eloquently. He said: "we often come to Jesus for the blessings and not for Jesus himself."

Bam!

I wish he had pulled an Emeril and yelled BAM after that line. It is so choice. How often do we come to Jesus with a list of to-dos for Him right before bed? How often do we just sit, reflect on who He is, and let Him talk for a while?

Touche God.

I know where I am in that spectrum. I almost always just go with requests. I know this year I'm going to have a easy time getting stressed out. Maybe instead of going to God and asking to remove the stress once it comes, continually spend time with Him and let Him transform me. That way a) I get to spend time with my creator and b) there's a good chance I won't get stressed. That's a win-win.

Well I think that's enough random thoughts for now. Hopefully this weekend I can pump out a few more posts (and you can keep me accountable to that). But before I'm out, let me ask you this: how have you been doing back at school? What things have you been learning? And if you are able to, let's talk about this in person.