Stargazing with Abraham

All right... I know it's been awhile since I posted anything from my personal experience, but apparently college really does keep you busy! I've just completed my first week of college at Mid-Atlantic Christian University in Elizabeth City, NC. I am a Cross-Cultural Ministries major and I am taking eighteen credit hours this semester... so I am quite busy! I am thoroughly enjoying all my classes, and now that I've had some time to get organized, I should have more time and opportunity to keep up with my blog and let you all know what I am learning, thinking, and doing.

So now I'm going to time travel back to Thursday, August 14th, when I first arrived here at school. My mother and sister and I packed up the Kia and headed for Elizabeth City; we hit terrible traffic in Chesapeake, VA and arrived an hour late for orientation, but that was no big deal; we still arrived in time to enjoy the banquet and get me all unpacked and settled in.

I had Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday to begin to absorb the fact that I was now living away from home, and not just away from home, but away from anything and everything familiar. This is the city instead of the country; it's rainy instead of dry; it's flat instead of hilly--in other words, I was completely removed from my natural environment. However, as I have learned on my numerous trips with Joshua Expeditions and Global Next, being removed from your comfort zone can bring out the best in you. It certainly has in me.

On the Wednesday night before I left for school, I walked outside onto my front porch in Stokesdale with a suitcase to load into the car. As soon as I had shut the door behind me, I stopped dead, in awe of the sight that greeted me. The sky seemed so close; it was crystal clear and deepest blue. Every star stood out like a diamond nestled in blue velvet; I could even see the Milky Way. God compelled me to sit down; it was definitely a 'be still and know that I am God' moment. I could not help but remember another man that God asked to look at the stars...

"Then [God] brought [Abram] outside and said, 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants be.'"

-Genesis 15:5

God brought me out of my comfort zone, just as He brought Abram out of his tent, in order to show him his destiny in the stars. By asking Abram to count the stars, God reminded him of His precious promises and His perfect timing. God did the same for me, the night of August 13th. As I sat there in wonder looking up at the stars (there was also a meteor shower that night), I remembered all the things that God has done for me, and how He has paved the way for me to be here at MACU, and all my worries melted away. If God has brought me safe thus far, certainly He will carry this good work on to completion.

I'm looking forward to expanding my horizons, learning as much as I can, and forming new relationships. Bible college is like a breath of fresh air; chapel two days a week, discipleship group, prayer before classes, and being surrounded by people who are here with the same goal in mind--serving God, in one form or another--has been amazing. It's as though I have stepped into another world.

I know there will be difficulties and challenges, and that I might not be so excited a couple of weeks from now when the drama ensues and the homework starts piling up, but God is faithful. He has great things in store for me.

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

-Jeremiah 29:11