This is Nick Milavec. Nick is a friendfrom my hometown that I didn’t know until college, and once again I think we are forever bonded for our love of FayCo.It is clear watching the way Nick lives that he seeks to leave an impact, and in one year I’m convinced he’s already passed that goal with flying colors. Nick loves SO well, he cares deeply and intimately for his people and for Jesus, and he desires for everyone he meets to be fully known.
“This is a weird time for sure. For most of us, I’m sure it feels like we were snatched out of our daily lives and dropped into some alternate reality where we have to distance ourselves from friends and live at home. I struggled with this change a LOT because not only was I snatched out of my daily life, but it all happened so fast. I’m sure everybody lost something in what seems like the blink of an eye. It hurt. I thought about what I was missing constantly and all of the memories and relationships I was missing out on by being separated from the people I love the most. The other night, I was sitting at my desk, being distracted as I was studying for finals (lol) and I was thinking about the things that I wouldn’t be able to experience Freshman year. What I had lost. But in that moment, the thought ran through my head: “Think of everything you’ve kept.”
That was God.
And He’s right. Sure, I may have missed out on some of the best memories of Freshman year. But I also kept so many things. The best friends I could have asked for. Knowledge. Christ-centered community. A new place to call my home. And a God who never fails. My friend Juliana reminded me of something the other week that changed my perspective on this season, and I feel like it is right to close with. She said:
“God doesn’t withhold good things from us.”
That is a GOOD WORD. (It’s also Psalm 84:11 is you want to read more into it haha). It’s okay to be sad over things you lost. Many of us had trips that will never be taken, plans that will never be executed, and memories that will never be made. But in the middle of it all, let there be light, let there be peace, and let God turn it all around and draw your focus to the things you’ve kept, and maybe even gained. He is GOOD.
This is Grace Huff. At the beginning of this year I was convinced Grace and I were destined to be friends because we have basically the same last name. Grace is wise, motivated and driven, and kind. She sees the world in such a beautiful way and it is such an honor to know her!
‘Life’s what you make it.. so let’s make it right’ – this classic Hannah Montana quote has become my life motto over the past couple of years. Through the ups and downs of life, we can’t always control what comes our way; we can only control how we react. I have not always reacted to difficult situations in ways that I am proud of, however, through those times I have learned that the best way to respond is always through love, kindness, and patience. This is not always easy and it is especially hard during this slow and unique time of a global pandemic. But, with all the uncertainty and loss people are experiencing during this time, it is more important than ever that we treat each other with love, kindness, and patience. It is easy to react to bad situations with anger, but reacting with anger does not solve problems. It only makes them worse. By reacting to bad situations with love, kindness, and patience you can make the best out of every situation… this is why I believe that life’s what you make it and we all have to ability to make it right :).
James 1:19-21
This is Gracie Chambers. Gracie is someone who leaves her people feeling well-loved. She is fun and hilarious and brings such a light into any room.She is also intentional and compassionate, and someone who will most certainly change the world one day and most certainly also already has.
In this season of life everyone seems to be affected in some way or another. Understandably so! For me, life in this global pandemic has looked like a lot of loss. A lot of pain, like the gut wrenching kind. And also a lot of restlessness. I consider myself to be someone that is pretty strong-willing and tough, most definitely in a stubborn way. But in the past few months I’ve mourned maybe more than I have in my entire life. I’ve been learning that our humanity is something that the Lord values deeply. That the Father holds in high regard the times when we lay our guard down and cry out to Him. That in those moments when we’re crying and we feel like there’s no chance we could get up, those are the moments when the Lord promises to be our strength. He’s faithful to sit with us and hold us up as long as we need. Faithful to be the provider of joy when we can’t find it. He doesn’t ask us to be perfect, He just wants our heart. He doesn’t want us to clean it up first and get it all together before we seek Him. He wants us to come to Him bleeding and broken and messy. Before Jesus went to the cross he cried out to the Father in agony, blood covering him. And Jesus ultimately went to the cross with joy, but a joy that was deepened by sorrow and recognizing the hurt of humanity. I’ve learned a lot about what it means to be honest with God in this season. That my hurt is something that He desires. That He is gentle with us and has a humble heart and is incredibly willing to carry our burdens, that we might find the most pure rest in Him. Everyone keeps talking about returning to normalcy, but the truth of it is normal will look different than before. The day to day will be different now. We’ve lost people. Good people. We’ve lost time. We’ve lost much. I’m still heart broken for what I lost but eternally thankful for the peace that I’ve found in the comfort of my Fathers arms.
This is Luke Turpin. Luke Turpin is the kind of guy whose first and last name you say together. He’s just that important.Luke is someone who can have everyone laughing in a matter of minutes while also seeking to know the real and authentic versions of people. He is caring and a fighter for his people, and he livens up any room he walks into.
In this strange season of life we are currently in, it’s easy to slip out of good habits you have been in for a while and into old ones that you thought you’d finally conquered. This is a time without as much accountability as we are used to, when self motivation is sometimes the only driving force to be productive. Productivity is something I struggled greatly with after returning from Jamaica over spring break. I had told myself that I would use the next two weeks to better myself instead of simply binging a tv show or thinking about what could have been if all this never happened. I would like to say I used those two weeks to do that and more importantly to further my relationship with God, but that would just not be true. In fact, I fell out of my daily reading of the Bible and adopted the philosophy of, ‘I’ll catch up tomorrow,’ which never actually happened. At the end of the second week we all found out that school would be online the rest of the semester. This was bad news to me since this time away from school had also somehow taken away from my daily time with God. I had to make a simple choice of if I wanted to continue to make excuses and set new deadlines or if I was going to get serious about this and truly commit to growing my relationship with God. I chose to deepen my relationship with Him by starting my day off with reading His word and a prayer for the day. This one simple tweak in my schedule has made all the difference in my happiness. To know that I started my day asking the Lord who sent His Son Jesus to save me from my sins for blessings and peace through the day is one of the most comforting feelings you can have. My advice to you is that if you don’t already, please take the time out of your day to tell God thank you and read from His word. I promise you won’t regret it!
This is Olivia Ellington. Olivia is someone I’ve wanted to know for a while because I’ve witnessed the impact her presence has on her people. Olivia is constantly joyful and deeply cares for those around her. She is also so alive in her pursuit of God and it is clearly reflective in the way she lives. She seeks to make others feel known and loved, and she does it beautifully.
Man oh man am I glad to have a friend like Jesus. He has blessed me with so many new friends that I not only laugh with but also get to walk with in Christ. Being apart from them during this craziness has been tough because I am a HUGE over thinker. Whether it be about school or missing friends, this time of isolation has really taken a toll on me. It’s so so so easy to get weighed down, sometimes you forget what a comfort Jesus is. He is my comfort, our refuge. I’ve been praying Psalm 23 over myself and my family daily, and now I’m realizing I should’ve been praying it over everyone I know! We lack nothing if we are walking with God! He’s got us, the Spirit is within us, Jesus is holding our hands, and come on, how much more could we ask for? Have confidence in the Lord and his plans!
This is Alyssa Hooper. Alyssa is a wonderful friend to her people, a compassionate and gentle soul, and a wise follower of Jesus! She cares so well for others in a way that clearly reflects the Lord’s character, and is such a light to those around her!
Recently I have been wrestling with the truth that my identity is not found in my productivity. As a college student, we are used to juggling 98437 things at once. During this crazy time we went from being very busy to now struggling with what to fill our time with (or at least I did). I like when I have plans. I like when I am busy. I like being around people 24/7. They give me energy and joy. I did not realize how much of my identity I found in my productivity until I was given all this time and did not know what to fill it with. Your identity might be found in something different. It might be your athletics. Or academics. Maybe a sorority. Or that job or internship. It is OKAY that you find joy and comfort in these things. The Lord has given us the freedom to work towards our goals and fill our time with what lights us up. Just remember that your identity IS NOT found in these things. Your identity is found in Jesus. Genesis 1:27 says “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” You are a child of God. Go into the world spreading his light!
