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Every CORE 200 class gets to take a trip to Chi-Town! The trip is a mix between a culture experience and a fun weekend in a big city. The weekend before Halloween, my class took the infamous Chicago trip and it was amazing! Our people movers pulled out at 7:45 a.m. that chilly Friday morning. There was an excited buzz in the vans as everyone chattered about what they were excited for, but within about half an hour of being on the road, most everyone was passed out. They stayed in their slumber until we stopped at a truck station that was about half of the way to Chicago. After that the buzz began again as we neared our destination.

Chicago at Night

Once inside the city my people mover had a fun experience as we got separated from the other two! The combination of a driver who was scared to drive in the city and a van full of students who had no idea where we were going caused us to have a crazy, AWESOME adventure! After having many near mishaps in our driving escapades, our people mover finally found the other two and we settled into a Thai restaurant for lunch. The food was SPICY, but very yummy. It was cool to experience cuisine most people do not get a chance to try.

After filling our bellies and settling into our new home, we experienced an event-filled weekend that made us realize that our America is very diverse and we know little about these cultures. My eyes were opened to so many new things that sparked my interest in diversity. From experiencing a service in an Islamic mosque to going on a mural tour in Hispanic Pilson to participating in a church service in Lawndale with energetic Christians, the weekend was an experience that changed my life. If you haven’t already been through CORE 200, just wait! I promise your Chi-Town weekend will be a life-changer!

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Missional Living starts here in our cities.

Over the past month or so the Spring Arbor Free methodist Church across the street from campus has been doing a series called “Missional Living”. Hearing the messages presented every Sunday, God struck something within me. I began to think about how much I have been blessed with and how so many people are no where near as fortunate. It was a humbling thought to think that there are multitudes of God’s children who do not have even the one essential thing to live- salvation. It made me look at myself and think about what I am doing do make a difference in this world.

Christ has called us to be His hands and feet in this world. In addition to the Sunday morning messages at the Free Methodist Church, Ray Bakke’s message a few weeks ago in chapel caused my eyes to be opened even more.  He spoke about how the urban settings of the US are the new grounds for missions. Think about it, we are surrounded by a community that needs to know Christ loves them in both Spring Arbor and Jackson. How can we call ourselves the body of Christ if we are not moving? I believe God is urging this generation to make a difference. So I challenge you, as the body of Christ, let us get out of ourselves and reach our surrounding communities with an endless, selfless love. Let us take a stand to serve our community to give them something they may be in need of.

Thanks for reading,

Miles

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Its been about a month since I have done a blog post, and in all honesty, I have missed it! I have been extremely busy with my classes, work, extracurriculars, and some pretty great things happening in my life! To start off, I had an awesome J-term and learned some really cool things in class and about myself. Second, I became much closer with some of the guys on my floor, that I don’t spend as much time with (a lot of the guys from my floor were on their cross cultural trip in Cambodia). Finally, I have started the new semester with a bang! I have finally began my first video class, and it is great! I have been doing some side projects for myself and others, and in the past three days I have met some really cool people in Jackson. I have also been shooting small, Indie-style music videos of musicians around the Spring Arbor area, and featured on a website from Jackson.

I was all dressed up for one of my many projects so far this month.

So I guess you could say I have been busy. The only way that any of this could have happened is through the power of Christ. God has blessed me so much, and I am so thankful for all of the things He has given to me. My friends, surroundings, talents, thoughts, and actions are all a form of Christ’s love and being. There isn’t a day that I wake up that I don’t thank Him for everything. I will be posting regularly as we continue on with the second part of this wonderful school year! As always, thank you for reading! God Bless.

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It's time to hit the classrooms again.

Here we are, January 26, the first day of spring term. We have pushed through the excruciating J-term of 2012. However, with the trying J-term past, we have come to meet new challenges. The shouts of victory over the extremely crunched class periods must be cut short, for we face a new giant in our college careers. It is time for the most important and long awaited academic home run stretch of the year.

We face our last semester of the 2011-2012 school year here at Spring Arbor University. This is our time to shine, and not to drop the ball on our academics. This semester is the chance for every single student to prove that they have what it takes to accomplish great things. It is easy to get caught up in the “college life,” but this is the one time in our lives that we can choose the future we have always dreamt of. With being so close to the end, why throw it all away for the sake of a “good time?” It is time to step it up and end this school year with a bang.

Spring term, the home run stretch of our academic year. It’s time to step it up and go above and beyond all expectations. We have one life and one opportunity to make something of ourselves. Whether you’re a senior preparing to graduate, or a freshman still trying to get used to living on campus, this semester is your chance to push through and overcome all challenges. I urge you, this semester, set your eyes on the goal ahead and let nothing get in your way of accomplishment.

Thanks for reading,

Miles

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Wow, what a year. From graduating high school to the first semester of college, this year has been full of big life-changing moments. For the freshmen of SAU, the year 2011 has been a year of incredible memories. Some of the biggest moments of our lives have happened in this year, and that in itself is something to remember.

I believe this year there is so much to be thankful for. Yes, it is hard to imagine with all the hardships this year, but there is truly a lot to be thankful for. Maybe you lost someone close, or you had the best year ever. What ever you have experienced this year, stop, reflect and be thankful for what you have. We are heading into a new year where we can put everything behind us, but don’t forget the good. God has blessed us all in one way or the other, and I encourage you to just take in those blessings.

As we count down to the new year please don’t forget the blessings from this past year. Don’t be so caught up in bringing change next year that you forget the good things 2011 gave. I pray that you have a blessed new year and remember the great things of 2011 and look forward to the better things of 2012.

Thanks for reading,

Miles

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You can tell a friend by their willingness stick by you.

Being back home has given me the opportunity to relax, but it also has also given me the chance to ponder on some things. As I have been home for nearly two whole weeks, I couldn’t help but notice a change in how my old friends would interact with me. Being away from someone and then seeing them for the first time in a while can really put a true friendship to the test. With some it seemed like I never was gone, but with others it felt as though we had never met. This made wonder if we are truly aware of who our friends really are, or are we just blinded to believe that the laughs of the moment are signs of intimacy.

When pondering such things, one must begin to wonder the true meaning of a friend. Is a friend someone that  simply makes you feel good? Are they someone that hides things from you in order “protect you?” Is a friend the one that will just listen when you have a bad day? I believe a friend needs to be more than a good laugh, more than a “protector,” and more than a sounding board. Maybe what friend is cannot just be simply explained in words, but by actions of love, kindness, and self-control.

It has been said that there are friends of the road and friends of the heart. I believe this saying is just another way to soften the blow of reality hitting one’s face, waking them to the fact that their “friend” wasn’t who they said they were. Probably the best advice I have been given is to believe in character. This is where the rubber meets the road, where you can tell who is a true friend. It doesn’t matter how much fun you may have with someone, their character will speak volumes about how much of a friend they are. Maybe you are reading this and you understand where I am coming from. Maybe you are reading this and have lost people you thought really cared about you. Wherever you are, whoever you are, I encourage you to, when making friends, look at their character before jumping to believe that you are really close.

Thanks for reading,

Miles

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