An Open Letter to the President

Dear Mr. President,

First, let me start by saying that I mean you no disrespect. However, as a citizen of the United States of America, I can no longer stand by and watch in silence as your decisions continue to negatively affect my future and the future of those that I love. You see Mr. President, for far too long we have remained silent on these issues. For far too long we have let you have the ultimate authority on political decisions that are going to affect us for years to come. You have failed your country Mr. President; right down to the core beliefs our amazing nation was founded on, "In GOD we trust". Your reactions to the recent tragic events that have taken place are inexcusable. In a recent interview you referred to the horrific acts of terrorism in Paris as "just a setback". Just a setback, really? Over the past few months ISIS has caused destruction in numerous countries: Russia, France, Kenya, and Syria.

 

 

Now, in the midst of this reign of terror, you want to let thousands upon thousands of Syrian refugees into our country? You said in a video released this morning, how dare we turn our backs on the three year old orphans. If the majority of the people wanting to enter this country were three year old orphans, we the people might have a different view on the refugees. But, the truth of the matter is, the majority of the refugees trying to enter our country are middle-aged men. That is a fact. Just this afternoon, 8 people belonging to the ISIS group tried to make their way into Germany posing as refugees. Do you really believe that the thousands you want to open our country's doors to, are all safe? The fact of the matter is, we have no way to thoroughly vet these people. FBI Director James Comey hit the issue on the head at a congressional hearing last month, when he explained, "If someone has never made a ripple in the pond in Syria in a way that would get their identity or their interest reflected in our database, we can query our database until the cows come home, but nothing will show up because we have no record of them." You claim that, I being a Christian, should want to willingly open our doors to these people. The fact that I'm not jumping at the idea to let them in the country makes you throw the word "persecution" around. How about the fact that of the 2,000 refugees you have already let into the country, only 53 of them are Christian? Christians are the ones being targeted by ISIS, and somehow only 53 of them have made it safely to our borders?  In Exodus 12:49 God tells us that "The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you." Are we even sure that these people are willing to follow the laws of our land? Dr. Ben Carson said it best, "Americans must stop viewing Islamic Extremism through the lens of political correctness." Mr. President, it is my generation that is going to reap the repercussions of your actions.

I may only be 23 years old, but my eyes are open to what is coming if we do not get this situation under control. It will be my family, friends, coworkers, and future children that will be in danger if we don't fix this problem. I fear, there will be a day that I will no longer feel safe going to the grocery store. I fear that there will be a day when I am terrified to send my children off to school. ISIS is already here Mr. President. They already have their teeth sunk into the lost and lonely individuals of our population. Do NOT give the others the opportunity to enter into our country. It is not too late Mr. President. I am a Christian and a patriot. It is my job to stand up for God and this country I am lucky to call home. It's your turn Mr. President. God bless you and God bless the United States of America.

     Sincerely,
         a concerned college student

12 Basic Priniciples to Have Spritual Growth In College

 Hi ladies! My name is Paige, and I am currently in the midst of my Senior year of College (where has the time gone). Throughout my four years away from home God has taught me who I am, what my true purpose on this earth is, and the Godly Woman he would like me to be.  I would like to take a few moments of your time to share with you what I feel are the 12 Basic Principles to Have Spiritual Growth in College. So whether you are a Senior about to take that initial step next fall, a freshman in her first year at a university, or maybe you're a few years into the process, this article is for you!

Transitioning from High School to a University is a BIG step, and with a big step comes big choices. Heading off to school can be scary. Maybe you're like me and had a youth group that provided a solid foundation in Christ, or maybe you are looking for closeness with God now. Either way, college is a great time for a fresh start and new beginnings! The following principles have taken me on a spiritual journey with our Savior that has brought me happiness, comfort, and adventure. I hope these principles help you during this awesome chapter of your life!

1.  Have a daily quiet time: I feel like I cannot stress the importance of this enough. Walking daily with our Savior is a crucial element to growing closer to him. He wants to guide us through this beautiful journey he has provided for us. He wants to celebrate with us in the good times, provide wisdom for us during confusing times, and carry us when we can't take that next step on our own. Whether it's just opening your bible and reading a few verses daily, or purchasing a daily devotional to guide your quiet time, starting your day with him is the way to go! Personally, I read Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. Each day it provides me with encouraging words and scripture to read. Also, I would recommend having your quiet time be one of the first things you do to start your day. That way your thoughts and actions will be guided by someone who only wants what's best for you! 
   
2.  Get plugged in somewhere: When you  move to a new town, finding a community of believers should be one of the first things you do. It may take a few visits to find a place where you feel comfortable and that's okay! You want to get plugged in to a church that is going to be a family, challenge you weekly, and that has a solid college group for you to get involved with. For some of you, this community may not actually be in a church building. Maybe its a small group that meets weekly, or a Christian organization on campus. As long as you are being fed spiritually somewhere, you will be in good shape.
3.  Be fed and feed others: This goes hand in hand with getting plugged in somewhere. I can't tell you how long "being a Christian" was just a statement in my life and not actions. As believers, it is important to be fed spiritually. It is just as and if not MORE important to feed others. Our sole purpose on this earth is to bring other people to God and show them his never-ending love and grace. The bible says in Philippians 2:3-4: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others before yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others. How do you feed others? It's simple. It might be leaving an encouraging note or bible verse on your friends windshield. It could be holding the door open for a random person at Starbucks. It could be sharing your testimony with your peers. For me, it was starting a bible study in my Sorority. If you ask God for opportunities to pour into others, he will show you who he wants  you to bless and when he wants you to do it!  
   
4.  Accountability Partners are awesome: So now that you've found a place or group to get plugged in to, and you are being fed and feeding others, it's time to find some accountability. Being on your own for the first time comes with a new found freedom. With this new freedom comes consequences (good and bad). It is wise to have someone you trust to remind you of who you want to be and the kinds of choices you want to make. For me, I found this person my very first day at school. We just clicked and had one of those "I think we're going to be the best of friends" moments :) Ladies you know what I'm talking about. Since that day, Emily has been a source of encouragement and spiritual support and continues to be that for me daily. We try to meet once a week for coffee, froyo, or lunch and just catch up on how life is going. Although we love being the best of friends we are not afraid to tell each other when a decision or choice we are making is not in our best interest.
5. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle: This includes the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects. Living out a healthy lifestyle will not only make you a happy camper, but it will set an example for your peer groups around you. If you eat more fruits and veggies aka (brain foods) you tend to do better in school. Exercising 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week, has been proven to give you more energy and release endorphins that make you feel invincible. Getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night is crucial!! Trust me, don't skip out on this! When  you lay at the feet of Jesus a certain person or situation that is stressing you out, you can use all that time  you spent worrying on other things. Happy things :) When you walk with Christ daily, you can be an example to others. There are no negative effects to living out a healthy lifestyle. I highly encourage this!        
   
6.  Discover the gifts God has given you: Now we get to the fun stuff! As if God was not awesome enough already, because  he loves us SO much he blesses us each with different gifts. For some of you it might be the gift of speaking. For others it might be the gift of encouragement and comfort. Even more of you might have the gift of leadership. Whoever you are, wherever you are, God has blessed each of you with a gift that he has designed specifically for you to enjoy and bless others with! Some of you might even have more than one gift! I want to encourage each of you to find out what your gift is. After you have done this, I want you to enjoy it, thank God for it, and then use it for God's glory. 
7.  A Mentor is key: This is something I didn't stumble upon until the summer before my senior year. I wish I would have found her sooner! Naomi has been such a blessing in my life and she took me through a summer of healing that I couldn't have accomplished on my own.  Having a mentor who is older than you and has already been where you are is such a good learning opportunity. They can give you advice on situations, serve as support, and encourage your growth further in Christ. Don't make my mistake. Find this person in your life now! It doesn't have to necessarily be someone in your college town. My mentor and I have a long distance relationship and keep in touch through phone conversations. Trust me you don't want to miss out on this awesome opportunity! :)
8.  Meet new people and make lots of friends: College is all about finding out who you are and the type of person you want to be. College is also the time to make lots of new friends and it's suprisingly easy! Freshman year is all about striking up random conversations in the library, bathroom, cafeteria, dorm hall, classroom, etc. The best part is.. everyone is in the exact same boat you are! Take advantage of this opportunity. These friends you make in college will be the friends you carry with you your whole life! I have been blessed with some of the best friends a girl could ask for and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world! <3      
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
9.  Learn to embrace the challenges and struggles you may come to face: College on it's own comes with some challenges. Being a believer in college comes with even more. As Christians we are called to be different. We are called to set an example for others. Being a Christian means taking the high road in a lot of situations. Now don't misunderstand me. If you feel something is important, take a stand for what you believe! What I'm saying is that what sets Christians apart from the rest of this world is our love for God and love for his people. To put it simply: Always respond with love. This world has enough hate. What it needs more of is kindness. Every time you encounter an obstacle, challenge or struggle put on the full armor of God. "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all of this take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:10;14-17
10.  College is NOT just for a MRS Degree: Oh this one's fun. Let's flash back to my freshman year of college here for a minute. I had this grand idea in my head of heading off to college, finding my handsome prince my first year, dating for the next few years, and having a pretty little ring on my finger right before graduation. For those of you who happen to know me personally, you know that this was simply not the case. Instead, I spent my first two and half years of college focusing too much time on dating, and not setting my standards high enough at that. (Ladies it is important to set high standards when it comes to dating) It wasn't until the second semester of my junior year that I realized that God had so much more planned for me than I had planned for myself. You see, this time of singleness is a BLESSING from God. It is the only time in your life that you will have to just focus on you and God. Later on down the road it will be you, God, and your husband. Then it will be you, God, your husband, and your kids. Once I realized this, my whole focus changed. I started looking for plans that God had for me and finding ways to serve him daily. Let me tell you something. When I did this, I started experiencing an intimate love with our Savior that I had never experienced before. Now I am a senior, fully content in our Lord's promises, knowing that he will withhold from me no good thing! (Psalm 84:11) This was my story. Yours, ladies will all be different. I'm not saying don't date in college, I'm simply saying if you date, date with purpose. Dating isn't a bad thing, it just shouldn't be the only thing you are focusing on. God comes first in all situations, even this one. Maybe think about it this way, God knows you better than anyone. He knows your deepest thoughts and desires, and he has someone that he has made specifically for you, and he will bring him to you WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT :) So in the mean time, focus on your education (your primary reason for being at school), your friends, and your relationship with Jesus and you will be good to go!         
    
    
            
11.  Be yourself!! A wise person once told me, "The only thing you have full control over in this world is yourself and your actions." I couldn't agree more. We live in a world that is constantly trying to get us to do the next big thing, and let's face it, the ways of the world hardly ever match up with what Jesus would want us to do. That's why he loves for us to find our identity in him. He has created each of us in a beautiful, unique way that is unlike any other human being. We are so special in his eyes. "So God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27 The most beautiful thing a person can do is simply be themselves!        
    
    
    
12.  Dream BIG :) Like I stated previously, God knows our every thought and desire and he loves to see us happy. He knows our dreams and he wants to make them come true! Having dreams in college is huge! It's not fun just to go through the motions everyday. Know that God has so much planned for you, and you can truly accomplish anything with him. So hold your head up high, allow your thoughts to grow, and DREAM BIG!

As we come to a close I want to thank you for taking the time to read what I truly believe are the 12 Basic Principles to Have Spiritual Growth in college. I hope they help you along this wonderful adventure and that they serve as a foundation for your college experience! If you have any further questions please feel free to comment below or send me an email at Paige.scheu@gmail.com

Thanks and God Bless!! <3 

Where I've been, Where I am, Where I'm headed!

Intro:

Happy Monday y'all! Ever wondered to yourself: What am I doing here? Did that just happen? What is my purpose? Where should I go from here? Do I need a fresh start? If you answered yes to any of the previous questions, you're at the right place. Every person has a story, a reason they are the way they are, a past. Today I'm going to share mine.

Where I've been: 

Looking back on my first 20 years of life, I can't help but laugh a little. Did I really say those things? Did I really act that way? And in some cases: What was I thinking?? We've all been there.  I had the normal, average, run-of-the-mill childhood. I grew up in church, I did well in academics, and as a whole I was pretty well-rounded in activities. I first accepted Jesus "into my heart" when I was seven years old. I spent all of junior high and high school attending church, getting involved in our youth group, going on mission trips, etc... I had a pretty sheltered life, and I am still thankful to this day for that. When 8th grade came around, my focus on different aspects of my life started to change. I started caring less about God's opinion of me and more about people's opinions of me (particularly boys). I spent the next four years of my life in a constant battle of wanting to live for God, and wanting to live for myself. On the one hand I had God saying, "Come  to me, live for me, let me love you, be my hands and feet", and I had the world saying, "This life is all about you, you need to enjoy it while you can, live it up." High school is still a blur to this day. I had a serious relationship, I was a cheerleader and involved in choir, I made memories with friends, and before I knew it, graduation was upon me. Then came college: (This is where things start to get a bit interesting). For me, college was a WHOLE new ball game. I had a very sheltered childhood.. remember? Needless to say, when I got to college my eyes were opened. My freshman and sophomore years consisted of trying to find out the type of person I wanted to be, experiencing new things, forming new friendships, going on dates, and furthering my education. TALK ABOUT A FULL SCHEDULE. Notice, I didn't mention God in the previous statement. During my freshman year, I felt myself start to distance from him. The world was starting to win the epic battle going on in my life. I continued the next year or so confused about what I stood for, what my purpose was, and who I was living for. I put up walls, distanced myself from the people who truly cared, and as a result, ended up in a very dark and bitter place.  But then out of nowhere it happened.. my heart started to change, and for the first time in a long time I had a new found sense of hope. 

Where I am now:

I now find myself finishing up my junior year of college, on the verge of my 21st birthday, with a whole new perspective on life. You see I am a firm believer in the fact that:

 "If God brings you to it, he will help you through it."  

Over the past few months or so, I have seen God work wonders in every aspect of my life. He took a young woman, completely broken in every way, and restored me with the love that only HE can give! 

"But you, O god, are both tender and kind, not easily angered, immense in love, and you never quit."- Psalm 86:15 

"I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me!"-Proverbs 8:17 

"Come, let us return to the Lord; he has torn us, so that he can heal us, he has struck us down, so that he can bind us up."- Hosea 6:1

God uses our every day situations to teach us, to challenge us, and to guide us along the path he has provided. It simply is not enough anymore just to "have him in my heart". As followers of Christ we should be striving daily to live for him, and ONLY him. Too often as believers we sprinkle a little "God" in our day, well I'm here to tell you that, for me at least, that's not enough! God should control every aspect of our lives, not just the parts we want to give him. Do you have something that you need to hand over to God today?? For me, I can sum it all up in one word, the future. I was so worried about what was coming next. When was I going to find my prince? Where am I going to live after graduation? What is tomorrow going to bring? In the bible, God reassures us that he has every beautiful moment of our life planned out and our job as believers is to simply trust in him and his word. 

  

"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

1. When am I going to find my prince? I really want to take time to address this specific question because I believe that 99.9% of us single women have struggled with this at some point in our lives. Well I'm here to tell you, as a former worrier, that no you aren't going to end up alone with 30 cats, or on a couch with Ben and Jerry's, or the old maid sitting in her rocking chair in her unused wedding dress!  In the bible God specifically tells us, "I will withhold from you no good thing!" All we have to do as believers, is seek him daily, trust him, and let our wonderful love story play out when it should, because it will. :) I'm also hear to tell you that hole in your heart, that space that needs to be filled, that longing for love, will not I repeat WILL NOT AND CANNOT ever be filled by anything or anyone besides God. It is only through reckless abandonment in him that we truly find our happiness. So I'm asking you today to breathe, relax, and realize that these single years, this precious time we have been given, is a Gift from God to grow closer to him with less distractions. This is the only time in our lives that we have when we are only responsible for ourselves! So I encourage you today to simply change the way you look at your situation. I challenge you to view your single years as a gift of precious time with  God, and not a burden! I can tell you from personal experience, that when you do, when you finally give even this part of your life over to our creator, he will bless and use you in ways that you were too busy to find in the first place. He will place opportunities for you to serve, that you didn't want anything to do with before, and he will shift your focus from what's ahead, to "What can I do today for God?"

Where I'm headed:

This is the part I am most excited to share with you. :) I see God working in wonderful ways in my life. He is the potter, I am the clay. I see him slowing getting rid of all the "yucky" parts of me and molding me into a woman of God whose ONLY purpose on this is earth is to love him and love his people....yes ALL of his people, but that is a whole other topic that will be discussed in the posts to come.  I will tell you that it is a process and it takes effort, but I couldn't be more excited to see what the future holds! 

Where to go from here: 

At this point you're probably telling yourself, "that was a good story" or "what was her point" and here it is: Lately God has just been breaking my heart for the young women on this earth. Whether you are in high school, college, or a young adult this blog is meant to strengthen you,simply give you a little bit of extra encouragement for the week, and let you know that there is a God who loves you very much!

Challenge for the Week:

For each post there will be a challenge for the week that follows. This week's challenge is to simply search your heart and ask yourself, "What is something that I need to hand over to God this week?" It could be a person, a situation, a big decision you have coming up, etc. Once you figure this out, my challenge for you is to spend some extra time in prayer this week about it, and really listen for God and his reassurance. Thank you all for taking the time to read this blog, have a wonderful week and God Bless!

P.S. I would love to hear how God is moving in your lives. Also, if you have any questions about anything feel free to email me at axosouthernbelle92@gmail.com