What matters

Romans 8:5-11
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law--indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

It's so easy to get caught up in the material things in life--clothes, friends, money... When I study, it's hard for me to keep in mind that what I do is all to glorify God. I often think that these tests, these grades are obstacles keeping me from the future that I want, but they're really tests not just of knowledge but also of faith; faith that I trust God will help me get through the rough patches and stressful times unscathed.

This passage reminded me of something else that happened last night. Recently, I've been pretty content with where I am. I haven't been growing a lot spiritually, but I have gained a lot of friends and I thought that the fellowship was good enough. This weekend, however, was really amazing. PraiSing renewed me a lot spiritually, and I began to thirst for God's word again. Last night, I was talking to some people that I only recently became close to, as well as some that I have fallen out of touch with, both of whom are people who will be leaving. I started to get really emotional because I realized how temporary our stay here is, not just on Earth, but also in North Carolina. God gave me a huge wake up call this weekend, and he reprimanded me for enjoying others' company more than I treasured His; yet by God's grace, I have a really amazing community and a renewed thirst for Christ.

This prayer is from a devotional that Donna subscribed me to, but I really like it:
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to recognize the pitfalls of attractive temptations, and to avoid them by following the Holy Spirit's guidance. Amen.

Late night chats

So I pulled my first all-nighter last/tonight, but it was so totally worth it :)
Lots of really great conversation about love, relationships, our church, leadership, fellowship, cliques, technology, time...

Last night is probably one of my favorite nights of college; thanks you guysss <3

P.S.

I noticed I'm in a very sentimental mood lately, so just deal with it

Studying for Finals: Day 1

After WA Duke (yummy food <3) I went to small group, and Donna, Stephanie, and I spontaneously decided to study in Trinity Cafe/Marketplace Atrium together. Five hours, four bathroom breaks, and a few papers later...

Stephanie and I are very weird together, but God has blessed me with someone I can completely open up with and even though the year is winding down, I know that these friends will be here for many years to come.

Thank you all for being such awesome and amazing friends that love and support me!

Things to do before we graduate!

Climb up the Chapel
Pull an all-nighter
Go to a Duke basketball game
Go on a Spring Break trip
Go on a road trip
Go to Sunrise Service

LDOC

Freshman year is over! except for the four finals I have lined up next week... but that's okay.

This year has not ceased to amaze me. I found God again after so many years, and He has welcomed me back with open arms. I've found this awesome community that has picked me up when I felt so low.

Highlights of Freshman year:

& my first and only party with Angie, Jessica, and Jenn

& first college football game!

& CALL retreat where I found God again <3>

& Holyween when I got to know UNC Freshman, word. & Disney theme was the best :)

& winter break - seeing friends + oovoo = love all of my friends

& Midnight Breakfast with a crazyyy line for some amazing food

& finals and studying in CIEMAS with late nights and lots of food

& Sex Conference and driving home with the caravan! (and getting pulled over by the police twice)

& the showering of love after Valentine's Day

& birthday surprise :)

& Leadership Retreat and getting to know umma <3

& Spring Break with late night oovoo chats with Grace, Kenny, Brian, and Joe

& Freshman FamBam with filming fail and good Bali Hai

& Duke basketballll

& random hang outs at UNC with Grace, Joe, Kenny, Meta, and Brian

& Easter Egg Hunt with cute kids, beautiful weather, fun football, bounce house, and some dirty people

& tennis with Dan and Charles
& Mattaniah's birthday surprise, so sweet

& long nights of Mafia and Catchphrase

& girls sleepover with lots of food, no movie, but lots of love

& small group love <3 & spontaneous studying in random places
& craziness with all of my friends
& finals studying

You guys are just plain awesome, and thank you all for being there for me when I needed y'all the most. I love the girls that I've become close to and the boys that are so much fun to be around; you guys are all some of my favorite people to talk to <3

For the Freshman, three LDOCs from now, I hope that we are only closer and that we'll always be really great friends even after we all separate!