The Noise. Life is noisy! Whether it’s scheduling noise, social noise, cultural noise or mental noise, our days are loud and cluttered with activity, demands, stress and distractions. Often, our focus drifts from the Main Thing. Our souls get off-center and our spirits becomes frayed. We may even spend daily time with Jesus, but are
Read moreCollege culture has created “norms” of staying up late to cram and pulling “all-nighters.” The average college student gets only six hours of sleep per night (and thinks nothing of it) though experts recommend at least seven to nine for optimal functioning. Science has shown that long term sleep deprivation has a negative effect on:
Read moreBenjamin Franklin once said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” By the time you’re a freshman in high school you’ve most likely encountered excellent teachers who have inspired you to learn. Hopefully you have tapped into the joy of discovery, felt the exhilaration of accomplishment and experienced the rich pay-off of...
Read moreSometime college gets a bad rap. Movies and media enhance our negative college stereotypes of wild frat house initiations, partying, sorority clicks and co-ed dorm life with blurred lines of moral decency. In reality, some of this may be substantiated. 60% of college students report binge drinking at least monthly. About the same number...
Read moreWe don’t talk much about holiness. The word itself carries an almost archaic feeling. For some reason, the concept has lost appeal, gotten pushed aside and been intentionally (or at best, unintentionally) ignored. Perhaps “holiness” reminds us of the Puritans, or of the kind of Christians we never want to be—those repugnant with...
Read moreIt’s that time of year when New Years’ resolutions fade… the mid-winter crunch where a full class load may cause your spirits to drag. With a full calendar and late nights of study, it’s possible your commitment to exercise may feel negotiable and be getting lost in the shuffle of college life. How can
Read moreTraditionally, college visits have been one of the anticipated “high points” of a high schooler’s experience. Nothing compares with checking out college campuses and beginning to dream in living color: how the food smells and tastes, how the dorms feel, how the professors and students interact and the general atmosphere of the college...
Read moreAuthor L. M. Montgomery wrote the now well-known line, “Tomorrow is a new day, with no mistakes in it…yet.” God is kind in giving us fresh new mornings, as well as brand new years and the chance to hit a proverbial “Refresh” button! We are all on a trajectory—moving in a direction, becoming who we
Read moreWe see it in the images of Christmas: putting up tree lights, magical starlight, the soft glow of candlelight, the cracking of warm firelight. It’s portrayed in Star Wars, “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Chronicles of Narnia.” But as I’ve been preparing my heart for Christmas this season, I’ve been struck with the
Read moreThe holidays are a time of year typically associated with stress, hurry, busyness and consumerism. In college, this season is often filled with other pressures…finishing off the semester in one last push of projects, papers and final exams. If you’re feeling mounting tension and anxiety, there is an often-untapped mental health resource...
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