My head is constantly full of dreams of travel, of holding orphaned children in Africa, of touching the outcastes in India with the story of Jesus, and countless other scenarios. I get it stuck in my head a lot that once I graduate and jump through all the right hoops and go to the mission field that is when I can finally and completely serve God and fulfill the calling on my life. This seems like a fair statement, but in truth it is flawed. Because of this intense focus on the future I have often lost sight of the things that are right in front of me now.

There is this song that says ‘while I’m waiting, I will serve you’ and this is the attitude we must have I life and one I continually strive towards. There are so many ways to love and serve in every stage of life. Doing God’s work looks different in every setting, but it is important to involve yourself in such thing. For me a lot of times when I’m at school that means doing stuff like studying and going to classes and even spending quality time with a friend. And right now as break has started and I spend time at home I get to rest with my family, but also volunteer to help as needed or make connections with old friends. These sometimes can seem pretty basic, but they are important as God calls us to love and serve those around us. At the same time I look forward to the plans God has for me in the future. This means farther off when one day I serve him abroad, and even as I head to another summer working at camp in a few days. I know and trust that God will use me. And, something I believe and hold as a principle in my life is that it does not matter if I am washing dishes or preaching a sermon, I am serving God and that is all that matters. I know that God has an amazing destiny for each one of us, but that destiny starts today. Whether you are a student, a parent, a pastor, a teacher, a librarian, or even a missionary trust and know that God has placed you exactly where you are meant to be. Trust that he is good and know that His hand is in your life wherever life may lead you. God calls us to love and serve so remember to focus and to love the ones who are in front of you right now in this stage of your life.

There are three ways to drive between Nyack and New York City: the Palisades Parkway, the New York Thruway, and the Garden State Parkway. The Palisades Parkway is the shortest route, being about a forty-five minute drive. The Thruway and the Garden State Parkway are both a few minutes more than an hour drive. Which route you choose should depend on traffic; if one route is stopped up because of an accident or rush-hour traffic, you should choose a different route.

The bus is the cheaper of the two public transportation options. Rockland Coaches, a company that operates through Coach USA, offers bus rides into and out of the City and is in place mainly to service commuters. The coaches pick up passengers in Nyack as well as in various other locations throughout Rockland County. A one way trip between Nyack and the George Washington Bridge terminal costs just under nine dollars, and a trip between Nyack and the Port Authority terminal costs ten dollars.

If you would like to take the train, you will need to find a way across the bridge to the train station in Tarrytown, which is about fifteen minutes away from the Rockland campus. A taxi will be your most comfortable option, but taking the Tappan Zee Express from Nyack to Tarrytown will be much cheaper. The Tappan Zee Express is a bus service that runs daily and costs three dollars to ride. Once in Tarrytown, you can take the Metro North train service from the Tarrytown station to Grand Central Station for thirteen dollars one way. With both bus and train fares included, your round trip cost will be about thirty-two dollars.

Traveling between Nyack and New York City can be a hassle, but with proper planning, it should not be an issue. Transporting a lot of luggage may present problems, but as long as you or a loved one have a car that is big enough, one of the three driving routes should serve you well. If you are not carrying a lot with you, the bus or train will serve you better. However you choose to get there, I hope you have safe travels and enjoy your trip.

Me with my boss and role model, Justin Reese.

Since I go to Sunday school as a leader to these teens and pre-teens, the prominent goal in my mind is not to learn. I attend Sunday school to do my job– make relationships with this church’s students. We talk and joke around but when the lesson starts, it’s easy for me to block it all out with the mind set of “this doesn’t apply to me, it’s for the students”. But, this Sunday morning, God taught me quite the opposite.

As Justin got up to speak, and the students started to settle down, he grabbed our attention with the idea of a “God side” and a “people side” of our lives. He asked if, as believers, God will ever reject us. The students shook their heads in a corporate “no” since this answer seemed obvious enough. Next, Justin asked if people will ever reject us. The students nodded their heads “yes” wondering where exactly their youth pastor was going with this. “Is that why we spend most of our time trying to please people, and less time trying to please God? Because we feel like we have to earn people’s respect and love, but God’s will always be there?” This caused silence to fall over the room, because Justin had just brought up a serious truth. People– even believers– have the goal of pleasing people at the forefront of their mind most of the time. Justin then went on to make the point that, as Christians, our goal is to spend 100% of our time pleasing God, and 0% of it pleasing people. This doesn’t mean that we go around hating people and being bitter, but when we strive to please God, and only God, we will strive to please people too. The difference is that we will want to please our brothers and sisters, not to gain their approval, but rather out of our love for our Creator.

As I drove home from church that morning, I thought about how everything that God was trying to get through to me in that simple message. First of all, He made it incredibly clear that I will learn as much, if not more, from this internship than my students will. Beginning this job, I feel as if I am on the cusp of a very formative time in my life, and I need to be willing and ready to learn in all circumstances. Secondly, God also made it incredibly clear that my mission is to love and serve God this summer because that is when I will truly love my students and serve them to the best of my ability.

Bc what He says is always true…

After two crazy, worked filled weeks, I have finally completed my first year as an Alliance Theological Seminary student!!! And in the words of my good friend Sam ” I am no longer a seminary noob.” WOOHOOOOO…

I do apologize for my week-long silence, but in the midst of papers, deadlines, and life, I needed to stay quiet in the blogging world. But I am back, free, refreshed, and with lots on my mind.

 As I witness friends both from the seminary and Nyack College undergrad, wrap up their semesters, leave campus and prepare for graduation, I can’t help but dwell on 1 truth; that no matter what has happened, or what happens next in their lives or in our lives; we are, I am, everything He says I am; if I wasn’t then, why would He say, I am?

As people, we tend to define ourselves by our grades and g.p.a’s, affiliations, past or present situations, the opinions of others and anything else you could think of. We allow so many things and people to speak into our identities, whether good or bad and we receive them as truths, even if they are wrong.

In the last month, as you have journeyed with me, you’ve read as I was hit first hand with the false perceptions I carried of myself and the beginnings of a new, God-given, vision. Well that vision is truly beginning to become the lens through which I view myself and others and in all honesty I have never walked in as much joy and peace as I have been since.

FACT: Everything that GOD says about you and me is absolute truth! YES ABSOLUTE TRUTH. There are no, ifs, ands, or buts, about that.

What He says is that, He has given us the Spirit of Adoption through which we cry out Abba Father, so we are his children!  He says we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation. He says we are his inheritance. He says we are his bride. He says we are his prized possession. He says… I think you get it.

Listen, er I mean read; When God looks at us, he sees our end from the beginning. GET THIS; HE DOES NOT SEE OUR PAST! HE DOES NOT SEE OUR JUNK. HE SEES THE PERFECTION OF HIS SON JESUS CHRIST IN US. 

His perception is eternal. Though the work is not currently finished, he sees you as the finished product. So when you define and identify yourself, do so from an eternal perspective. From the vision that God has of you, as one who is worthy to rule and reign beside him forever and ever and ever.

Because that is WHO He says YOU are, and if you weren’t then why would He say you are…?

( And if you need prayer, or encouragement through scriptures in this, please DO NOT hesitate to contact me…)

Here are some panoramic shots then some general ones that reflect dorm life.

It’s almost time to say goodbye to Broadway.  It’s almost time to pack up the trucks and make the move downtown.

Nyack College is igniting a new beginning in a neighborhood steeped in history.  On an afternoon stroll through Manhattan, our students will be able to visit the Freedom Tower, St. Paul’s Chapel, and even Fraunces Tavern Museum—where George Washington delivered a farewell speech to his generals after the Revolutionary War.

And this will be our new home.

Outside the administrative offices, a faux wall separates sidewalk traffic from the buzz saw commotion inside.  It’s hard to imagine new offices while watching this current hum of construction.  But with a few weeks left, the furniture and fixtures are almost ready for placement.

Inside the main building, men at work lay colored tiles according to the bright schematic that our new New York City classrooms will have.  I visited the orange floor where the tangerine pop of color accented doorways and hallways.  On the red floor, carpenter tools stand by freshly laid textile carpeting while workers measure and check the quality of work.

In Fall 2013, undergraduate and graduate classes will be held in these rooms.  But for now, the space is maximized for organization.  Artwork and breakables are designated to their own classrooms while “the command center” resembles a gallery walk through a beautiful mind.

Maps, plans, and checklists line the walls.  Sketches lean against each other in the corner.  Meanwhile staff and administrative personnel from our Rockland campus flip through charts and check details on laptop computers.

It’s happening!

Winter is ended and spring comes with many blessings including our city campus’s move to 17 Battery Place.  The days are ticking away and a small army of workers continue to hammer, paint, and solder their way toward our big move!

In a few months, students will climb out of subway stairwells and zip up elevators.  Fall classes will commence and in the backdrop through the windows, we’ll have this view!!

1. Work! When you want to go to the movies, bowl, eat at a restaurant, or do anything else that isn’t free, having a steady job makes these activities hurt your wallet less. Many employers will take on college students for a few months while they are home from school. Outdoor jobs that are only available during the spring and summer will often look for college students as employees. I have life-guarded for almost five years, and I have always had a job waiting for me when I come home from Nyack College. Even year-round jobs will sometimes hire seasonal workers. Stay persistent and consistent during your job search. My dad always tells me that once you apply somewhere, you should call the place regularly until they give you a definite answer. This may seem like you are being a nuisance, but it is showing the employer that you are persistent and consistent. It never hurts to ask if an employer will take you on for May through August. Even if you get a few “no’s,” keep searching and applying until you find a good job.

2. Volunteer! Find time to give back to your community while you are on break. Soup kitchens, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and other organizations are usually looking for more volunteers to lend a hand, even if it is only for a few months. Getting active in your community helps to improve the place where you live, and it will be a rewarding experience for you. Plus it looks great on a resume for all those future job hunts!

3. Educate yourself! I know that the burdens of education are the very things that you are trying to escape during summer break, but it is good to keep your mind active even when you are away from school. When there are no tests to study for, no papers to write, and no professors to please, you are at liberty to choose the subject that you want to learn about. Your local library has hundreds of subjects to choose from; you can learn about something without having to worry about getting a bad grade in a class. This summer I plan on reading up on theological topics that I have not learned about in the classroom, but I would also like to take in a few good fictions for fun. You do not have to stick to educational topics; even leisurely reading fiction will give your brain some much-needed exercise.

4. Enjoy friends and family! When it comes time to have fun, have it with your loved ones that you don’t get to see during the school year. Your parents, siblings, and friends from home are available to spend time with and enjoy. There are countless activities that you can do with your family and friends, so take advantage of them. Don’t seclude yourself this summer; be sociable! Getting to relax and have fun with the people you love is the best, most fulfilling part of summer vacation.

My family.

Upon arriving home, however, I can’t say that I really feel like I live here anymore. Because my past 8 and a half months have been occupied by school work, the Hudson, the big NYC, and friends from all over the country– for that matter, all over the world– who have become my family. On the other hand, my hometown is my favorite place on earth, and I wouldn’t trade my family for the world.

My Nyack “family”

It’s a very complicated feeling to have, this living in two places thing. It feels like two completely different worlds each filled with their own sets of people, places, things and memories, unique to each. The lyrics in a song by the band Relient K say, “If home is where the heart is, my home is where you are”. Though this song was probably written with a female in mind, it is none the less applicable.

I have found that both Nyack and Macungie are now home to me. I’ve spent many days wondering why this could be, and I think I’ve realized the answer. It’s not because of the long periods of time I’ve spent at each place or even how well I know the area, but rather the relationships synonymous with the locations. In both places I can now say I have incredibly close friends, and though my parents are in PA, adults at Nyack have taken parental roles in my life. And most importantly, I have experienced my relationship with God fully and intimately during my time in New York as well as in Pennsylvania.

This life style of living in two places has been incredibly hard to adjust to, but I have gained a lot from it. Overall, God has brought be closer to Him. I have always known that God is omnipresent and will be with me where ever I go, but in this somewhat mobile lifestyle, I have had intimate encounters with God regardless of my location. This has made my relationship with God a part of me more than any church, school, or home ever could.

To any incoming freshman, I would like to warn you that learning to live in two places is challenging, but it is so worth any heartache you may experience. The past 8 months have stretched me, and torn me; molded me, and broken me, but I can say that am more whole now than I have ever been.

There is one teacher imparticular who I believe was a wonderful teacher inside of the classroom as well as a person who I knew I could talk to even once I finished his class. Barry Jordan was the missionary in residence this year at Nyack College and was the teacher of my Culture and Communication’s class. He, his wife Patty, and their family have been serving in Indonesia as missionaries for many years now, but have spent their last year on furlough at Nyack. Barry has become a sort of father-figure on campus through his open-door policy and continuing friendly gestures towards all students as well as the name by which myself and many other students call him. His name on campus is ‘Bapak’ which is the word for father in the country which he serves. When I was in Bapak’s class I learned much about culture and specifically about the people of Indonesia as one can quickly see his love for these people. I learned much from his personally stories of different situations which he had encountered on the mission field. It was truly a wonderful class to be a part of as I gained knowledge, but also made lasting friendships with my classmates and my teacher. Even though the class ended in December I still carry on a relationship with Bapak as well as many friendships that were born and nurtured in that class. Even now I have made many visits to Bapak’s house, nestled in the center of campus, for dinner, parties, or just to show up on his front lawn to be invited in for cake and ice cream. Bapak and his family’s hospitality and love was a huge gift to this campus for the past year and he will surely be missed as he heads back to do God’s work again in Indonesia.

Whenever I go into my professors’ offices I am amazed by and envious of their massive personal libraries. Each of them owns shelves and shelves of books filled with information that they have read or referenced. Many of them have also saved many of their notebooks from when they were in school so that they can look back at what they have learned over the years and re-familiarize themselves with old but relevant course material. To me, amassing a collection like this seems like a valuable thing to do. I would advise saving textbooks and notes that have something to do with the field in which you plan on having a career so that you can start making your own collection. Since I intend to become a theology professor I have started saving my theology textbooks instead of selling them, and I began filing away the notes from my theology classes instead of throwing them away. I hope to have a personal library as large as the ones that my professors have one day.

Many classes will have nothing to do with your projected career path, so the notes and textbooks from those classes will lose relevance after the classes are over. For classes such as these, you may want to consider renting the required texts. If you do end up buying the textbooks, selling them will probably be the best thing for you to do. You can make a quick and effortless few dollars by selling your books back to the school store, but this option will bring in the least amount of money. If you are willing to put some extra effort into it, you can make more money by selling the books to students that will take the classes in future semesters.  You will have to do more asking around, but it is worth the extra profit. I would advise charging a little less than the asking price on Amazon or Ebay. I have had some success with this, but there are still some books that I have not been able to find buyers for. If finding student buyers fails, selling the books back to the school store always remains as an option. As for notes, instead of trashing them, you can save them and give them to friends that take the class later on to help them study, especially during finals.

There are a lot of factors to consider both before and after buying textbooks and taking notes. Because of the large sums of money that are spent on textbooks and the huge amount of time spent on taking notes, what to do with these things is an important decision. With some planning, some effort, and some common sense, you can make the most out of your old textbooks and notes.