Baby News and End of Semester Schedule--Wesley E-letter

Hey everyone!  Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.  You have been in my heart and prayers.  I finally finished a couple of weeks ago the prayer ring that has each of the different kind of beaded lanyards on it that we handed out (and I hope you kept) at the beginning of the semester.  I have it at home with me, so even though I’m not there in person, I am there in heart.  I think of all of you often and I have been praying for you as the end of the semester nears. 

 

Just a word about Jeremiah’s arrival.  I go to the hospital tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn.  My c-section is scheduled for 7:30am.  For those of you who have seen me in the mornings you can pray for me.  I’m a night owl for a reason.  J  I was hoping he would be here by now so I could participate in our end of semester activities, but that hasn’t panned out.  BUT I am determined to be there for at least some of our Christmas party a week from this Thursday.  Tim and I have already talked about how we can make that happen.  Don’t know how long I will be able to stay, but I really want to see you all before you leave for the break.  And I will have Christmas presents with me for y’all.  Please be there so I can hug your neck!  J

 

Speaking of which, here is a look at the next two weeks (Tyler will send more details on facebook):

 

Tuesday, Dec. 1^st, 6:30pm—Advent service.  We will have this in our chapel, and it is going to be student led!  Awesome!  This is my favorite worship service of the year.  We do all the advent candles in one night.  It is so cool; you don’t want to miss it.

 

Thursday, Dec. 3^rd, 6:30pm—Hot Chocolate & Christmas Clips.  Will have dinner and drink hot chocolate and maybe decorate and watch Christmas movies.  Woo Hoo!

 

Tuesday, Dec. 8^th, 6:30pm—Christmas Communion Service.  This is going to be great.  Louis from Broadway will be there to lead us in a time of reflection on the special-ness of the season, complete with a candlelight communion.  How cool is that.  Come and finish the semester with a special time of worship.

 

Thursday, Dec. 10^th, 6:30pm—Food & Christmas Party.  This is the one I’m going to try to get to!!!!!!!  Yay!  We will eat as usual and then have our gift exchange, etc.  Hound Tyler on facebook about what to bring for exchange.

 

Finals Lunches—On the Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday of finals week we will have free lunch provided.  Come and relax and be blessed!!!

 

Now a final word…..

 

I can’t tell you how much you all mean to me.  You remain so close to my heart, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of your lives.  Know that I miss and love you, and am praying for you during this crazy time.

 

Blessings,

 

Sami

 

To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Wesley Foundation Weekly E-Letter List go to:

http://lists.wku.edu/mailman/listinfo/wesley

 

Sami Wilson

Campus Minister/Director

WKU Wesley Foundation

United Methodist Campus Ministry

270-842-2880

sami.wilson@wku.edu

 

Throwing a Fit in God's Throne Room--Wesley Foundation E-Letter (Methodist Campus Minstry)

Dear Friends,

 

Hey there!  Isn’t this weather beautiful?  I love that I am wearing short sleeves!  And that I can still fit in to my cute, blue shirt.  And that my jeans are staying up!  Today I do not look like Larry the Cable Guy from behind—Let’s all praise the Lord!!!!

 

This week is a good one.  We have special things going on—

 

Tuesday—6:30pm Worship @ Wesley, David Sparks is coming to share the message with us.  I am really excited to see and hear him.  He truly has a heart for young people and has done tremendous things for youth and young adults in our Kentucky Annual Conference.  He has really put this area of ministry on the map, and I am so grateful for all he does.  Be sure to be there; you will really be blessed!

 

Thursday—6:30pm Free Food & Program, Donna Aros will be coming to talk to us about “Creation Care,” ways that our faith relates to the things we do to preserve our natural resources and our planet for the future.  She is one of the coolest pastors I have ever met.  Here church is the one from Cave City who sponsored our Cereal Buffet the first week of school.  She says that her folks are still talking about how special it was to be with us.  So come and eat free food and be filled!

 

Next week we also have special goings on—(I’ll share now just in case Jeremiah makes an early appearance!)

 

Tuesday, Nov. 17—Marco Ballesteros, Jr. is coming to preach at our worship service.  He is the college and young adult minister at Christ UMC; many of you already know him.  He is a wonderful individual who has a passion for Christ and speaks with the power of God’s Spirit.  I know you will be blessed!

 

Thursday, Nov. 19—Hollow Drive in Concert!!!!  This is going to be awesome!  I am so excited!  This is a young band who will come and share their ministry of music with us.  Look them up on the web: http://www.myspace.com/hollowdrivelive   They rock!  Just so you know, our dinner that night will be a special THANKSGIVING FEAST WITH ALL THE FIXINS!!!!  Don’t miss it, and be sure and bring your friends!!!!

 

Now For Sami’s Ramblings About Jesus:

 

You may have noticed that we have guest speakers and special activities going on this week and next.  As early as my babies tend to arrive, I didn’t want to take any chances.  So it’s nice that I get to just enjoy Tuesday and Thursday being with you.  I’m glad for that.  Since last week was my last week to be “on” I decided to do things that I would particularly enjoy, hands on stuff.  So Thursday night we got to pull out the paint, permanent markers, stickers and glue.  We spent some time talking about what it means to pray “Thine is the kingdom, power, & glory forever.”  What we came up with is that the stuff of God really is God’s stuff.  It is totally amazing, and beyond our capacities to reproduce it.  Whereas our human kingdoms, powers, and glories tend to tear others down as well as break down, God’s Kingdom, Power, & Glory builds others up, has durability, and accomplishes far more than we could ever imagine.  The thing that makes God’s greatness so crazy great is that He chooses to reveal that greatness in and through us, even though we are broken, humble vessels that cannot claim any greatness at all.

 

Specifically the scripture we used was this:  But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us (II Corinthians 4:7).  And so we finished the evening by decorating clay pots, showing how God’s glory is revealed in our lives.  Then everyone got sent home with a contraband candle to place inside.  Woo Hoo!  (Always the rebel campus minister that I am, I just encourage you all to be careful with open flames in your dorm rooms.) 

 

On the following Sunday morning I was feeling very much like clay; my clay-ality seemed to get the best of me, and I found myself weepy in the bathroom.  Tim was just about to send one of our good friends in after me to see if Jeremiah was being born when someone finally knocked on the door and I had to come out.  In reality I wanted to stay in there hiding all morning, but when I emerged it was time for the message to begin.  Imagine my surprise when Pastor Rick began to preach from, you guessed it, II Corinthians 4:7.  But then he also included 4:8-10.  It says this:  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. 

 

I’ve had a little talk with Jesus this morning, about how His power is revealed in my life.  There is that part of me that really wants Him to reveal His power in my way; I want to choose the magnificent over the miniscule, to be blown away by His Spirit rather than seeing His Spirit subtly blow within.  I want fire works rather than to be a work of His fire  I want Him to turn me into a superhero so that this world no longer gets the best of me, instead of having to dig deep (real deep, scrape the bottom of the barrel deep) to give my best to it.  I want Him to come down here and make me feel better when my life is difficult, overwhelming, and I feel like I am out of my league.  In the midst of throwing my tantrum I think I heard Heaven chuckling.  And so He led me back to His words of grace and pointed to exactly how His glory is revealed. 

 

You see, I keep expecting His glory to remove the affliction, perplexion, persecution, and down times in my life.  But His way is different from mine.  Instead, He gives me His strength so that I may continue, even when the affliction, perplexion, persecution, and down times persist.  His glory is revealed in the fact that these difficulties cannot prevent me from living out His calling upon my life.  I can keep going.  I may be tired and worn out, but I am still His; He is still with me; and I can still do the next right thing regardless of how much I complain that it is so hard to do the next right thing.  And somehow His grace helps me get it done.  So even when things seem impossible, we don’t have to be crushed, driven to despair, forsaken, or destroyed.  We may be enduring hard times, but when we are in Christ those hard times are the catalysts that reveal His overcoming victory in our lives.  In conquering the cross He did not approach it and tear it down.  He suffered through it and was resurrected.  There is no hard thing that can keep Him down.  And if He faced His hard thing and was victorious, how much more can He face our hard things and bring victory through us?  We still have to face the hard thing, but the truth is that the hard thing does not own us.  In Christ we have the power to always overcome it.

 

I hope you are encouraged, even as I have been.  It may not have been the message you wanted to hear, but like me, maybe it was the message you most needed.  You are not alone.  The odds you are facing in your life right now are not insurmountable.  He is always tender and compassionate, giving us the respite we need when we are worn out.  But in love, He never removes us from the fire until the fire has done its work.  And I have learned that I would always choose His way over mine any day if I give it enough time.  I love you dear ones.  I wish I had the words to tell you how much.  Just know you are in my heart, and always, without lapse, within His.

 

This is me trusting,

 

Sami

 

 

 

To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Wesley Foundation Weekly E-Letter List go to:

http://lists.wku.edu/mailman/listinfo/wesley

 

Sami Wilson

Campus Minister/Director

WKU Wesley Foundation

United Methodist Campus Ministry

270-842-2880

sami.wilson@wku.edu

 

Chocolate Goodness--A Feast of Love. Wesley E-letter (Methodist Campus Ministry)

Hey you guys!  Hope everyone is doing well.  It’s the week of Halloween and so much is happening!  Here is what’s going on around here:

 

Tonight—Worship @ 6:30pm.  Our message will focus on how we can overcome fear in our lives.  There really is a way to not be ruled by it.  Come and see how God has a plan to give you freedom from every nagging worry, anxiety, and fearful thing in your life.

 

TRUNK OR TREAT!!!! –This is so cool!  I am so excited about it.  We will be on South Lawn handing out candy to everyone passing by tomorrow (Wednesday) from 11am till 4pm.  Come and help us spread the love, the chocolate Jesus love.  Woo Hoo!  Feel free to dress up.  This is our way of being a vessel of God’s grace for our campus, but more about that later.  Come and be blessed by blessing others!

 

Thursday—SPOOK DINNER!!!!  6:30pm @ Wesley.  I have the menu; it will be good.  We will be giving away prizes for best male & female costumes.  We will also have karaoke afterwards.  I even bought a new Kareoke CD that has recent music on it.  No longer are you confined to singing 80’s songs.  This is a great time to bring a friend!

 

Now For Sami’s Ramblings About Jesus:

 

Timing is everything.  And as I get closer to my due date I seem to be even more obsessed with it.  With my belly expanding, I feel like I have to be ready for anything.  And for the most part I am.  I have been preparing like a crazy woman.  It’s also got me thinking, all this preparation stuff.

 

I can’t help but think of when Jesus was born and all the preparations that Mary went through.  I’m sure His timing was a surprise.  It makes me wonder if he came early; certainly it was unexpected.  Who in their right minds would plan on being out of town when their baby was due, with no place to stay, finally winding up in a barn with all the animals?  Those newborn babes just have minds of their own.  They come when they want to, and everyone around them just has to be ready and deal with it.

 

We will soon be in the season of Advent (which means coming), the time of the Christian year that precedes Christmas.  It is when we prepare our hearts once again to celebrate the coming of Christ as a baby.  But one of the more overlooked themes of the season is preparing for the second advent of Christ, when Jesus returns.  He will not return as a baby but in the fullness of His glory.  His majesty will not be hidden in the frailty of human flesh, for we will see Him riding in on the clouds and clothed in the power of His majesty.  This is the part of Advent I have been pondering.  This is the part where my preparations for Jeremiah’s birth ring most true as reminder:  Am I prepared to see the triumphant Christ return to earth in His glory?  And what exactly does glory mean?  And why in this season of Halloween am I thinking about something that is related to Christmas anyway?

 

Maybe it’s the “Hell-Fire & Brimstone” connotations related to Christ’s return that have me thinking about it during Halloween.  But one of the things you learn about me really quickly is I’m not exactly a “Hell-Fire & Brimstone” kind of girl.  I am so firmly convinced of the unrelenting, all-consuming, perfectly transforming, jealously pursuing, unquenchably demanding, incomprehensibly penetrating, powerfully equipping, exquisitely encouraging, gently leading, intimately connecting, tenderly correcting, wholly healing power of God’s love, revealed perfectly and indelibly through His incarnate Son Jesus Christ.  So when I think of Jesus returning, I don’t think of gloom and doom, I think of something glorious, unquenchable, and undeniable.  I think of Love fully revealed, as Jesus, shining in the brightness of God’s love, undiluted by the deception of darkness and radiating with Truth and Light.  This is the glory of a glorious return!  Holy?  Oh Yes!  Beyond what you or I can even imagine.  Will we fall on our faces in worship?  Oh Yeah!  Will we see the truth of who we are in the Light of Who He Is?  Of course.  But our trembling for those of us who belong to Him will be filled with joy.  We will be reunited to the One our hearts have been longing for all along.  And none of the powers of darkness will be able to suppress, repress, disguise, or deny Him.  Every knee will bow.  Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  It will be as if Corinthians 13:10 has become real: the partial will end because we will be looking at the Complete face to face.  We will know Him fully, see Him fully, even as we now are fully seen and known. 

 

I believe that when Christ comes in His glory, His glory will gather those wounded hearts to Himself who were so misled and abused by the enemy that they could not embrace Him before.  I believe that He will remove the blinders from their eyes and they will see Him as He is, in the Truth of His love.  Will all of them accept Him?  No.  Will there be those who reject Him?  Yes.  Will there be ones who choose eternal separation over eternal life with Him?  Sure.  Scripture tells us there will be.  But I also believe that there are those who belong to Him who just don’t know it yet, who have been beaten up so badly they have confused the lie of who He is with Truth of who He is.  Of course they don’t want to give their hearts to a lie; none of us do.  Of course they don’t want to give their hearts to an institutional savior who bears no resemblance to the Real Thing.  If we who are in the church have given our hearts to that, then we are just as deluded as those who have never worshiped Him in their lives.  That false Christ is just as much an idol as money or success.  The question that haunts me, that hunts me, that keeps me up at night is this:  For those who don’t know Him, will they recognize Him when He comes?

 

And this is the question that Jesus asks us:  Have you shown Me to those who don’t know Me in a way that they will recognize Me when I come?  Have we shown them Love?  Have we lived it in front of them?  Have we invited them to taste and see that the Lord is good?  Can we even testify to the Lord’s goodness for ourselves because we ourselves have tasted and seen?  Are we willing to jump in whole-heartedly to share His heart with a broken and lost world?  Not to see them as “those others” but to share in their humanity, to experience their vulnerability, to witness their deep pain, and to understand the depth of their doubt?  Are we courageous enough to really listen to why they disbelieve?  To hear the story that brought them to disbelief before we condemn them for not being where we are?  Are we willing to walk a while beside them with undemanding generosity so that they know we genuinely care for them personally, not just as a number in our salvation count that does not see them in the fullness of who they are?

 

This is why Trunk or Treat means the world to me.  It gets me out of my comfort zone, and into a place and space where God’s love already is, working to reveal the Truth of His Glory revealed through His son.  It is the place where love meets need, where I am most likely to encounter someone who is completely different from me, who might think I am from another planet, but who also might be ready and willing to receive His Word of Love.  It is where my own illusions can be shattered and I can experience the broken, funny, quirky, amazing, wonderfully and fearfully made humanity that Jesus died on a cross to bring Home.  And it is where chocolate becomes the feast of love where strangers are invited to taste and know that the Lord is good.  Who are you willing to invite to Goodness?  Come and join me.

 

This is me trusting,

 

Sami

 

 

 

 

To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Wesley Foundation Weekly E-Letter List go to:

http://lists.wku.edu/mailman/listinfo/wesley

 

Sami Wilson

Campus Minister/Director

WKU Wesley Foundation

United Methodist Campus Ministry

270-842-2880

sami.wilson@wku.edu

 

Apple Days--Wesley E-letter (Methodist Campus Ministry)

Yay!  It’s sunny outside!  I am so happy to see the sunshine.  Even though it is still cold, it is just so good to not be surrounded by gray.  So our Fall Retreat didn’t work out.  It’s okay because we will reschedule for Spring.  And after thinking about it, being in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone coverage, late in pregnancy, and engaging in activities like low elements, rappelling, and folk dancing, with no idea how to get to a hospital, while being responsible for other folks as well, was probably a bit ambitious.  I could almost hear God laughing when I booked the retreat and activities, “Yeah, right!”  Anyway, I got to participate in our Kentucky Annual Conference Higher Ed meeting this weekend instead.  Bonus!  We will be able to have a retreat in the spring, and it will be great.  Let’s look forward to it!  J

 

Going on this week:

 

Tuesday we have worship at 6:30pm.  We will be looking at the final part of our messages on “Free + Food = Grace.”  We will look at the promises God’s grace makes us, how they endure over time, and how we can trust that God will bring good things into our lives through our trust in Him.

 

Thursday we will have free food at 6:30pm and our regularly scheduled program.  It will be good to just hang out and open God’s word together.  We will pick up where we left off in our study of “The Lord’s Prayer.”  Come and join us for a great time!

 

Next Week:

 

Coming up we have our special Halloween activities!!!!!!  Yay!  Spooky!!!!

 

Trunk or Treat will be on Wednesday on South Lawn from 11am till 4pm.  Dress up with me and help me hang pumpkins from the Mini Van as we hand out free candy on campus to students walking by DUC.  This is so much fun!  Let me know if you are willing to help!

 

Spook Dinner & Karaoke is next Thursday night.  We will meet for our regular time at 6:30pm.  Dress up in costumes (best male & female prizes will be awarded).  We will in engage in our traditional spook dinner; your only hint about the menu is that I will be cooking.  It means so much to me to be able to cook for you, so bring a friend.  Woo Hoo!  Afterwards we will have a karaoke contest.  I will work on getting some updated CD’s with 90’s music.  J

 

Now For Sami’s Ramblings About Jesus:

 

Today was a really cool day.  I got to spend the morning with Noah, my oldest son, at his school field trip to Jackson’s Orchard.  I am so thankful for the flexibility to be able to do this.  My parents were never so blessed during my grade school years to do that sort of thing.  It really meant a lot to me.  It reminded me of the old Mastercard commercials:  Cost of field trip: $5; cost of bag lunch packed by school: $1.65; cost of making sure little brother got to do everything big brother did: $3:  Cost of being with my little boy in the crisp Autumn air on a hay wagon, covered in smiles, holding baby pumpkins: priceless.  My heart just seemed to be bursting with gratitude.  All I could think was, “Thank You God, for these precious moments.”

 

At one point we got to go out to the apple trees and pick an apple off the branches.  Once we found Noah’s apple he held on to it with the greatest of care; he watched over it; he made sure he didn’t drop it.  And when it was time to get on the bus and his teacher asked the students to put their apples in the plastic bag, he was more than reluctant to give it up.  As I ponder this it brings to mind David’s words from Psalm 17:7-8: “Wondrously show your steadfast love, O savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.  Guard me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. . . .”

 

As I was driving to the Wesley from the Orchard, I recalled worship last Tuesday night.  In the middle of our closing song I had the strangest sensation of God’s heart just bursting through mine.  In my mind’s eye I could see each face gathered there and love for each person just surged through my heart.  We were singing the phrase, “O God let us be a generation that seeks, that seeks your face O God of Jacob.”  And I was struck by the realization that God seeks us, seek our faces, and beholds each of our faces with such love that we barely comprehend.  It was all I could do not to go around the room and hold each face there in my hands.  I somehow just wanted to communicate to those gathered what God was showing me about how He loves them personally, with intricate detail and appreciation, with wonder too awesome to tell.  But because I didn’t want to freak anyone out, I just tried to explain it in words.  Maybe I chose wrong.  But here is what I am certain I am not wrong about:  Just as Noah held on to his apple with the greatest of care, watched over it without letting it leave his sight, making sure he didn’t drop it, so God watches over each of us, guarding each of us as the apple of His eye.  But unlike Noah, at the end of the day He does not have to surrender us to the grocery bag; He will not ever surrender us; we always belong to Him. 

 

When it was time to go this morning, it kind of caught us off guard.  I tried to give my big boy hugs and kisses as he got on the bus. It didn’t work much.  Noah is more of a high five kind of guy.  Always has been.  I told him that I had to go back to work.  He seemed to be upset.  He wanted his grandparents and cousin to be able to go to the park and eat lunch with him.  I was confused about whether they would be able to or not.  And so I watched him climb the steps to the big yellow bus and find a seat next to the window.  As I walked around to see him through the window on the other side, I saw his teacher come and sit with him, the disappointment registered on his face, tears pooling in his eyes.  I know that in the grand scheme of things, some disappointment and confusion about the end of a field trip is not a big deal, but seeing my tender hearted boy with tears in his eyes broke my heart.  Luckily grandparents, cousin, and little brother were all able to join him for lunch and the moment passed, yet I can’t help but still feel that same ache I felt when I remember watching him through that window.  Again it brings to mind words of scripture, from Psalm 103:13:  “As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.  For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust.”

 

Nothing going on in your life is too insignificant for God’s attention.  His love for you encompasses even what you believe is the most meaningless detail.  And if it is something that affects you deeply, you can be assured that it also affects Him.  He may have a different perspective than you do; He may have wisdom that you need to hear and you may not want to.  But you can rest assured that God’s heart is moved with compassion for you, the same way my heart is moved with compassion for my children.  If I can be moved with tender love for my little boy Noah, when I am an imperfect woman who loses my patience with him way too often, then you can trust that God who is perfect, and never loses patience, is moved with tender love for you.  So when you are stressed beyond belief, your perfect internship has just gone by the wayside, your best friend hurt your feelings over some stupid misunderstanding, your parents don’t get what you want to do with your life or why it will take an extra semester to get the degree to do it, your significant other forgot your anniversary and has been writing more on someone else’s Facebook page instead of yours, you can know that God is with you and loves you even in the midst of all your craziness.  When your heart hurts, He hurts for you and with you.  And He longs to wondrously show His steadfast love to you.  So be encouraged.  You are an apple in His eye too.

 

This is me trusting,

 

Sami

 

To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Wesley Foundation Weekly E-Letter List go to:

http://lists.wku.edu/mailman/listinfo/wesley

 

Sami Wilson

Campus Minister/Director

WKU Wesley Foundation

United Methodist Campus Ministry

270-842-2880

sami.wilson@wku.edu

 

Missteps & Meanderings--Wesley Foundation Eletter (Methodist Campus Ministry)

Dear Friends,

 

Hope you all had a great Fall Break.  It was so good to get away and be frivolous for a little while.  Our family visited Atlanta for the weekend.  The big thing for us was the indoor swimming pool. Woo Hoo!  Anyway, my prayer is that you each made it home safely and found yourself refreshed for the second half of the semester.  Just think, in two months it will be finals!

 

Worship tonight @ 6:30pm!  We will continue our time looking at Isaiah 55.  Our message will focus on the providence of grace.  Exactly how is it that God provides for us?  What is the connection between God’s plan for our lives and free food?  It there a process to the way His gift makes it to our table?

 

Thursday night free meal and District Wide Worship!  Come and hang out as usual @ Wesley about 6:30pm.  We will order pizza and eat around 7pm and then head over to State St. UMC around 8pm.  I am so excited to gather with other college students and young adults from around the city!  And DG Hollums is going to be awesome.  Quite honestly, he may be the best preacher I’ve ever heard under the age of 35!  You will definitely be blessed.

 

Friday we leave for Fall Retreat!  There are still spaces available for our Fall Retreat at Camp Loucon.  Cost is only $40, and that covers your lodging, meals, and activities.  We will meet at Wesley Friday afternoon at 3:30pm and car pool.  They will have dinner for us about 5:30pm that evening with hayride and campfire (with smores!) later on.  On Saturday we will do low elements, rappelling, and folk dancing!  And feel free to bring lots of movies!  Here is what you will need to bring with you:  toiletries, towel/washcloth, bedding, warm clothes, and comfortable shoes.  On Sunday we will leave Loucon around 11am.  We will eat breakfast there, but not lunch.  It is supposed to be really cold this weekend!  I find dressing in layers is helpful.  And also be prepared to get dirty.  We will be outside quite a bit.  If you have questions, let me know.

 

Now For Sami’s Ramblings About Jesus:

 

When I first came to Wesley in fall of 2002, Geoffrey would often say to me, “Sami, you’re definitely a 90’s Christian.”  I’m not sure what that means exactly, but I think it has a lot to do with my favorite worship songs and the fact that they all have hand motions.  Oh, and that I get very excited when I get to sing them (and do the hand motions too).  Let’s just say I never lack enthusiasm.  One of my favorite songs from my youth group era went something like this:  “Oh God You are my God, and I will ever praise You. Oh God You are my God, and I will ever praise You.  And I will seek You in the morning; and I will learn to walk in Your ways; and step by step You lead me; and I will follow You all of my days.” 

 

I love that line “step by step You lead me.”  Lately my prayer has been, Lord, just order my steps.  Boy do I need it!  I’ve shared with many of you my misstep a few weeks ago.  I was at Panera’s having some quiet Jesus time when I felt the urge to go pee (happens a lot lately).  So I got up and went to the Ladies Room.  When I got inside I stared incredulously at the urinal on the wall.  I thought Panera’s had become some sort of freak of nature restaurant for putting a urinal in the Ladies bathroom.  Yes, I really did think that.  Luckily I realized where I was before any men came in. 

 

My Panera’s incident is a good metaphor for the missteps we take in life.  Missteps often fall into two scenarios:  wrong paths and wrong perceptions. Often times we are convinced that we are headed in the right direction, and then believe the whole world is wrong when things don’t measure up, look unfamiliar and weird, or are just plain wrong.  We start off on the wrong trajectory and wonder why we didn’t end up where we wanted.  We assume the problem lies with the place we stumbled onto, instead of considering the possibility that maybe our steps headed us to the wrong place.  Or sometimes there is nothing wrong with the place we end up.  In this scenario we actually followed the right path, and we are coming to a place along the road that isn’t what we thought it would be.  The problem isn’t so much the place we are as much as it is our perception of where we are and why we are there.   We assume we are capable of assessing our circumstances ourselves, instead of listening for direction that comes from a source much wiser than our own stores of wisdom.  It’s like we do the right thing and don’t understand why it’s not getting us where we want to go fast enough.  It’s like we do the right thing then take a look around at our situation and think to ourselves, “This sure is a crummy place to be.”  Then we look around at others who are doing really well doing their own thing (instead of the God thing) and we think, “I should have joined them.  If I hadn’t followed You God, I would be in a much better position.  Gee thanks.” 

 

I’ve taken both missteps in my life.  It is so easy to not do the God thing, or to put off doing the God thing until life is less stressed, I have more free time, or things get easier.  I mean really, it is a hassle to give God the first portion of everything I am; that means the first and best part of my day, the first and best part of my paycheck, the first best part of my energy, the first and best part of my heart.  It’s so easy to “do the Christian thing” but not to put Him first in my life, to just offer Him the leftovers.  It’s so easy to think, “I can’t have quiet time today, I have to study; I can’t spend time in worship, I have too much reading; I can’t do that thing that keeps nudging me, I have too many tests.”  What I have found is that when I give Him the best of who I am, He multiplies what is left in a way I never could have done.  Only then is there really enough of me to go around.

 

On the other hand, I have often not put my faith in the process of faith.  I wanted a quick fix and easy answers to my problems and dilemmas.  I have often forgotten that God is working from the perspective of eternity, not the immediacy of my small moment.  I forget that God has a way of working out the really big deals in my life in His time and His way.  I want to see His hand move now, minute by minute.  It’s like I do the right things and get so exasperated that I am not seeing the differences I want to see when I want to see them.  My perception is focused on my own desires and not on Him.  It’s like I’ve allowed my head to be so full of my own thoughts and opinions that I have not allowed God any room to speak Eternity into my now moment.  So it’s not that I have arrived at a wrong place as much as I’ve allowed my thoughts and my emotions to settle in a wrong space, a self-centered and selfish one, instead of that space of trust and peace.  The question that matters most is “Am I allowing God the space to interpret my circumstances to me, or am I demanding that I get to interpret my circumstances to God?”  As if I could know better than Him.  J

 

And so my prayer is, “Lord, just order my steps.”  Sometimes I feel like all I have to offer God is my weakness.  I look around and there isn’t any real grand accomplishment from my efforts.  I can honestly say I feel deeply and love with abandon, but both things have gotten me in trouble.  And so it’s like, okay God, all I can offer is the trouble I seem to get myself in:  Trouble, here she comes.  But I believe that God is glad to have our weaknesses, because it is there that He reveals His strength.  And out of our missteps freely surrendered to His loving hands we discover the beautiful gift of His gentle leading, teaching us to walk in His ways.  So my prayer for you and for me is that we will be courageous enough to do the God thing first, and patient enough to wait on His revelation of why that is a good thing in our lives.

 

This is me trusting,

 

Sami

 

 

 

 

 

To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Wesley Foundation Weekly E-Letter List go to:

http://lists.wku.edu/mailman/listinfo/wesley

 

Sami Wilson

Campus Minister/Director

WKU Wesley Foundation

United Methodist Campus Ministry

270-842-2880

sami.wilson@wku.edu

 

The Perspective of Heaven--Wesley Foundation E-letter (Methodist Campus Ministry)

Dear Friends,

 

Hope everyone is doing well.  It looks like Fall has officially begun.  I am actually cold as I sit here in my office, and I even have long sleeves and jeans on!  But it is nice to have a change of season.  It’s good to enjoy the crispness of autumn.

 

This is what we have going on this week.  Tonight at worship (6:30pm) we will focus on God’s mercy:  What does God’s mercy look like?  How does it impact our lives?  And then on Thursday night, after we eat (6:30pm) we will discuss the next part of the Lord’s Prayer—Give us this day our daily bread.  Come and see how God’s provision extends to your life.

 

Just FYI—Our city-wide worship for college students and young adults is on Thursday October 15^th, the next Thursday after Fall Break.  We will meet here as usually for dinner and a brief program, then we will head to State Street UMC to join other college ministries from our local churches for an AWESOME time of worship.  I am so pumped!  DG Hollums is coming to preach!  He is an awesome communicator who really is on the cutting edge of what God is doing in the lives of this generation.  He has a heart for Jesus that translates into a powerful message to change lives.  And he has cool tatoos.  Maybe after this baby is born I might get some too!  J  We’ll see—

 

Now For Sami’s Ramblings About Jesus:

 

Last night I watched a PBS special on the founding of America’s National Parks.  Ever since Tim and I visited Yellowstone several years ago, I watch everything I can on the great parks.  I was incredibly moved to be in the vastness of nature and see first hand the wonders of God’s creation.  My dream is to return someday and share the experience with my children.  Even though they are still too small for such a grand adventure, it is enough to go on less dramatic excursions.  We spent time over the summer in the Smokies, taking in the mist covered mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee.  And before Noah’s first day of school we went on a day trip to Mammoth Cave and walked two small trails.  Our little hike around a pond was the most successful venture.  For a few brief moments our lives were transfixed by the sound of bull frogs calling to each other over the water.  Simple miracles—we had never heard those before.

 

I feel close to God when I am in nature.  Its silence and simplicity have a way of revealing to my heart all of the ways I make life more complicated than it has to be.  I love Jesus’ words that admonish us to consider the lilies of the field, to forsake worry because God clothes them in glory and they are but grass.  How much greater is His love for us.  But how many of us ever take the time to actually walk in a field?  When do our lives in this fast paced world intersect with things only God made?  Everything around us is man-made.  If you take your shoes off you can probably find a spot that says “man-made materials.”  I believe this is why last night’s special resonated so much with me.  It told the story of how ordinary people fought to reserve the natural wonders of our country for everyone to enjoy and experience, to not allow unthinking and unhindered “progress” to rob us of the natural treasures that can never be replaced if destroyed.

 

Interwoven through the show was the story of John Muir, the European born conservationist who founded the Sierra Club.  Largely because of his efforts Yosemite National Park was created, and later Yosemite Valley was later added.  The friendship and influence he had upon President Theodore Roosevelt resulted in the preservation and conservation of many sites that otherwise would not have been spared.  The end of his life is rather sad though.  He spent his last years trying to save another valley from the influence of progress and lost.  The city of San Francisco eventually won the right to damn up the Tuolumne River (which originates and runs through Yosemite National Park) and turn Hetch Hetchy Valley into a reservoir for the city’s use.  Heart broken, Muir died in despair. 

 

But that’s not the end of the story.   After seeing how the construction of the damn impacted the valley and surrounding area, many conservationists began to work to arduously to strengthen and shore up the protection offered by federal authorities for National Parks.  Because of their efforts, the existing lands that have been preserved through the national park system are far safer than they were in the fledgling years of the project.  His efforts to save Hetch Hetchy Valley were not in vain.  Others noticed and were inspired.  What did not work for him eventually worked for them in ways he could not have imagined, with affects far more reaching than his efforts alone.  Yet without his humble gift of passion to ignite theirs, their efforts would not have even existed.

 

And that’s the thing.  I’m sitting here stunned by the power of this realization, the power of the faithful effort humbly given.  Often our efforts seem small and inconsequential.  Often they are thankless and menial.  Often they are unnoticed and dismissed.  And often at the end of the day, we throw in our towel defeated, sometimes even in despair because we don’t believe we made any difference at all.  Yet Heaven has a different perspective.  It touched my heart tremendously to hear one of our new students talk about how she received one of our small care packages last year.  Even though she never made it up the hill for any of our meetings or events, that gift was a huge encouragement to her.  For years putting those bags together has felt like wasted effort, yet in that one moment it seemed God pulled back the clouds and gave me the perspective of Heaven. 

 

We cannot judge the viability of our lives.  We are too immersed in the earthly dimension to clearly see how we impact those around us.  Yet we may be comforted with this thought:  God honors our faithfulness.  As we keep giving ourselves into God’s hands, trying our best to live right, each day seeking His guidance for the little things, and then by faith (because often we don’t have a clue) just going with what we got, we can trust that God will lead us into paths of righteousness.  We can also trust that God will take that daily offering and transform it into something that leaves an indelible mark on history, something that is beautiful and lasting:  “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people” (Galatians 6:9-10).

 

This is me trusting,

 

Sami

 

To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Wesley Foundation Weekly E-Letter List go to:

http://lists.wku.edu/mailman/listinfo/wesley

 

Sami Wilson

Campus Minister/Director

WKU Wesley Foundation

United Methodist Campus Ministry

270-842-2880

sami.wilson@wku.edu

 

What Season Is It? Wesley Foundation E-letter (Methodist Campus Ministry)

Hey everyone!  Hope you are all doing well!  I so enjoy the times I get to spend with you, just hanging out during the day between classes, or at worship in our chapel, or in our very spirited discussions on Thursday nights.  Please know that each one of you are so precious, in God’s eyes and in mine.  And if you are reading this and haven’t been over to check us out yet, come on down!  We would love to see you.  I promise you will find folks who are glad you came.  Find out what you’ve been missing!

 

This week here’s the scoop:

 

Tomorrow night at 6:30pm in the chapel, we continue our look at Grace.  Tomorrow’s message focuses on the durability of Grace.  It’s not a word we are used to in this day and age, but its implications for your life will astound you.

 

And then what we’ve all been waiting for……

 

PROGRESSIVE DINNER!!!!!!!!!!

 

This Thursday night we will meet at the Wesley Foundation at 5PM to begin our tour of all the United Methodist congregations in town.  I am so excited about this!!!! We will have such a great time.  Here is a run-down of the schedule:

 

5:30PM STATE ST. UMC—APPETIZERS

 

6:15PM ST. JAMES UMC—SOUP & SALAD

 

7PM  BROADWAY UMC—MAIN COURSE

 

7:45PM  CHRIST UMC—DESSERT

 

8:30PM  FAITH UMC—COFFEE & TEA

 

Why are we doing this?  You may not realize that each one of these churches (as well as many others who are not in our immediate area) provide for our ministry in some way.  All of them help feed us on Thursday nights or during finals week providing a home cooked meal.  They help us out with worship, sending praise teams to lead us once a month, giving a chance for our student worship leaders to rest and be refueled.  They also volunteer for our work days, painting, mulching, cleaning, whatever needs to be done to help us out.  Many of them have members that serve on our Board of Directors, making sure we are financially healthy and sound in our business workings.  Each one of these congregations loves you, and shows that love of Christ in tangible ways.  This is an opportunity for us to see where they are and get to know them as well!  And many of you stay in town on weekends and need a place to worship, to connect with a church family where your gifts can be used in great ways too. 

 

So I look forward to seeing you soon.  If you have any questions, just give me a call, e-mail, or we always have FACEBOOK! 

 

If you need DIRECTIONS let me know!  J

 

 

Now For Sami’s Ramblings About Jesus:

 

Time continues to be a topic on my mind.  This morning I spent time preparing to teach my University Experience class.  We are focusing on the subject of time management, and I have asked all my students to complete a time management chart that has a block for every hour of every day.  They have to fill in the chart by activity, color coding each different kind and labeling each block of time according to how it is being spent.  Afterwards they are to write a paper on what they learned.  In my preparation, I made a time management chart for myself. 

 

It would be so easy to just keep the same one hanging on my wall as last year’s, but there is something about the discipline of creating a new chart each year that is good for me.  I guess it has a way of holding me accountable for the choices I am making, or at least it forces me to be aware of the choices I am making.  That awareness is a gift; with it I am empowered to make different, wiser choices.  Unawareness robs me of the power to choose the kind of life I really want to live. 

 

Here is what I learned this morning.  I have been allowing stuff to creep into the time in my schedule that belongs to God.  It’s not that I don’t think about God a lot during my day.  I do.  It’s not that prayer isn’t a regular part of how I spend my time.  I talk to God a lot!  But what I have not been doing is just being, allowing a fallow time in my schedule where God can just show up and do what He wants to.  I have not created space where I have an opportunity to “lie down in green pastures,” to sit “beside the still waters,” to “restore my soul.”  God hasn’t had the room to shepherd me because I have been so busy shepherding everyone else.  Even my prayer time has been about praying for someone instead of just being replenished.  No wonder God keeps waking me up in my bed at 3 am.  I’m preoccupied with other stuff every where else.  How’s that for confessional!

 

As I finished coloring my chart this morning, a verse of scripture came to mind, and I wrote it in brown across the top:  “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).  Beside it I wrote last week’s verse of inspiration:  “My times are in Your hand” (Psalm 31:15).  I wrote them in brown to remind me that I am only dust after all.  All the grandiose ideas I have about being everything to everybody, and accomplishing everything that lives inside my head, are after all unrealistic.  But if I never take time to slow down, and simply be a sheep led by The Good Shepherd, I will never have the insight or wisdom I need to know the season I am in, to decipher which things are most important, and to have that special awareness of God’s Holy Spirit within me that gives life to my days and always directs my steps right to where they need to be. 

 

I share this because old habits die hard.  I remember that it’s not just “out of college” schedules that need a heavy dose of heavenly overhaul.  I remember that the craziness of my life started way back in the good ole days, when higher education began to demand more of me than I thought I could give.  I know many of you live that reality every day.  Just know you are not alone.  God knows you have responsibilities and obligations.  He also knows better than you and I what our deepest and truest needs are as well.  When we live each day from the palm of His hand, everything finds its rightful place in the grand scheme of things.  It all has a way of working out.  My challenge to you is to make sure you have given God time in your life to tend to the needs of your soul.  You could do it yourself, but quite honestly, like me, you are only dust.  We have no way of knowing what it is that really breathes life into our fallible bodies.  We need to allow Someone better able than us to lead us into green pastures, so that eventually we will also walk in right paths.  Notice the right paths, those paths of righteousness (right way-ness) only follow the moment spent lying in green pastures and reclining by still waters.  Don’t be afraid to let Him restore your soul.  It is the best time-management choice you will ever make.

 

This is me trusting,

 

Sami

 

To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Wesley Foundation Weekly E-Letter List go to:

http://lists.wku.edu/mailman/listinfo/wesley

 

Sami Wilson

Campus Minister/Director

WKU Wesley Foundation

United Methodist Campus Ministry

270-842-2880

sami.wilson@wku.edu

 

All Will Be Well--Wesley Foundation E-Letter (Methodist Campus Ministry)

Hey everyone!  Did you have a good weekend?  I did—and I’m so glad to be back on campus with you.  I feel so blessed that I get paid to walk this journey with each of you.  If I’ve forgotten to tell you lately, YOU ROCK!  And you have a special place in my heart.  So how about all the cool stuff we have going on this week?

 

WORSHIP is tomorrow night, 6:30pm as usual in the chapel.  We will begin looking at our theme for the year:  FREE FOOD.  What are we really saying when we offer people Grace that is best demonstrated in free food?  What does it mean for us?  How does it change our lives forever?

 

Also beginning on Wednesday @ 3pm LADIES SMALL GROUP!  Yay!  It’s time to start up again.  I know the time may not work for everyone, but we might be able to have some student led groups at another time as well.  I’m so excited about what we will be doing!

 

THURSDAY is free meal and program.  We will be looking at what does it mean to pray, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done.”  Wow, what does it mean?  Come and find out. 

 

Anyone up for stuffing bags with me?  Our project for the week is to get our grab bags out to campus!  Yay!  I have more to put in them, but just need help dropping candy in. 

 

Now For Sami’s Ramblings About Jesus:

 

Time is a big deal for me lately.  I am constantly seeking to know what time it is.  It is time to walk up the hill to teach my University Experience Class?  Do I have time to prepare my lesson?  Was the time I gave it adequate?  Is it time to lead worship?  Is it time for students to start arriving for our weekly meal?   Do I have time to make an extra trip to Walmart to get last minute groceries to make sure we have enough to go around?  Will all the projects for the beginning of school that fit in my head fit into the actual hours and days I have allotted to fulfilling them?  These are the time questions that I wrestle with every fall.  However, this fall my time questions are punctuated with more down to earth, basic concerns (for those of you who don’t know, I’m 27 weeks pregnant):  Is it time to eat?  My stomach is growling.  Can I wait the extra half hour at the nice restaurant or do I need to just get something fast because I am SOOOOO hungry?  Do I have time to pee?  Where is the nearest bathroom?  When will I go poop?  I sure don’t want to miss that important time each day!  If I don’t go, does that mean something is wrong and I’m in for another painful episode where I spend the afternoon in the hospital?  Then where does my time go?  Did I take the time to rest like I’m supposed to?  Did I remember that rest time right now is the most important time, that it’s no longer wasted time but healing time?  What if I don’t take time to rest, will my body crash?  Will I have enough time to devote to those I love so much-- my three precious boys at home, my dear students at my Wesley home?  Did I take the time to make sure that this baby growing in my belly is safe and nourished and healthy?  Where does all my time go?

 

It seems like such an insignificant question, but it’s one of the most important questions I struggle with each day.  I realize now that the decisions I make regarding my time affect not only me, but others. I want to honor the time God has given me in a way that honors Him, and especially those He has placed in my care:  my students, my children, my husband . . . as well as this Jeremiah boy who will be born in a couple of months, and this body that must keep him safe and well until he arrives.  How I spend my time does matter.

 

It didn’t used to seem like how I spent my time was such a big deal, but even as a young person I struggled with time, as I see many of you doing.  I see you struggling to adjust to the demands of your professors, each of whom believes that his or her class is the most important one you will ever take in your college career and levies assignments to match that expectation.  I see you struggling to find the time to work, knowing that if you don’t work, you won’t eat, or be able to pay your tuition, or even buy your books.  (btw, if you are worried about eating, please come see me.  I don’t want any of you to be hungry.)  I see you struggling to make sure you have time for friendships and Wesley activities, needing that precious time to unwind and laugh, and just be.  I see you struggling to juggle time commitments to family members, who are still important in your life, but not necessarily a part of your everyday life.  I know that like me you ask yourselves often, “Where does all my time go?”  And the pressing demands of each day also tend to stretch into worries for the future:  Will I be able to graduate on time?  Did I lose too much time with that bad semester?  What happens when it is time to declare a major?  I still don’t know what I want to do.  What if the time I am spending in college, working so hard for, turns out to be wasted time, and I can’t get a job when I get out?  What if the time I have invested in this relationship turns out to be a dead end, and I end up without a life-long companion?  As it turns out, time questions are not just big deal questions for me, they are big deal questions for us all.

 

I spent some time today going through a box in my office.  In it I found some odds and ends and a few forgotten pictures chronicling forgotten moments in my life.  The one in particular that caught my attention was a picture of me and Tim, sitting in a swing at Camp Loucon.  We had just started dating and were at the Wesley Foundation’s fall retreat.  It was the beginning a relationship that would stretch 16 years and would eventually produce three children (almost).  Sitting there with my brand new sweetheart, I had no idea that one day I would be leading Wesley Foundation retreats at Camp Loucon, or that the man I was sitting next to would be the anchor that would keep me strong, grounded and tied securely to God’s grace for rest of my life.  I had no idea then that I would end up where I am now, joyful, crazy, and finally at home in the craziness that I am.  Like many of you, I was a college student filled with apprehension and even some fears of what my life would be like, what would lie ahead.  But what I have learned since is that God is in the details.  Every moment life is held in His hands, and He has no intention of ever letting go.  As Psalm 31 says, “But I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’  My times are in Your hand.”  God is constantly guiding, shielding, nudging, PUSHING, pulling, encouraging, molding, helping, holding, hoping, building, and pruning us.  Every moment that He is active in our lives (and that would be EVERY one of them) is an act of love.  We cannot get away from Him, and when we entrust ourselves to Him (instead of fighting Him), just letting ourselves be held by the Strength that shapes the universe, we can rest in knowing that all will be well.  I can confidently say to that young woman (and young man) sitting in a wooden swing at Camp Loucon, “All will be well. You will see; all will be well.”  And I confidently say it to all of you, whom I see each day giving it your all, doing your best, and struggling to make the most of your time, “All will be well.  You will see; all will be well.”  And because I most often need to hear the sermons I preach, I say to my self even now, “All will be well.  You will see.  All will be well.”

 

This is me trusting,

 

Sami

 

 

To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Wesley Foundation Weekly E-Letter List go to:

http://lists.wku.edu/mailman/listinfo/wesley

 

Sami Wilson

Campus Minister/Director

WKU Wesley Foundation

United Methodist Campus Ministry

270-842-2880

sami.wilson@wku.edu