Reflection

Hello friends,

I hope you've enjoyed the colder weather and the changing colors of the leaves. Some days it actually feels like we're moving towards winter!

This month I wanted to share a poem one of the girls I work with wrote. It's a little long, but I promise it's worth the read!

"One God
One God to worship
One God to please
One God I focus on
One who I need
When it calls, I respond
I don't think, I don't stop
Should I wait?
Shouldn't I think?
That God is a God of deception
That God is a God of lies
A fleeting feeling
A moment of satisfaction
The God I worship
The God I use
The God that never satisfies
Me, myself, and I.
This is not a God worthy of praise
This is not a God I desire
This is not a God that fills
The God I want is everything
The God I need is my all
He created and sustained
He creates and sustains
The I want isn't easy
The God I need isn't simple
God is complex and simple
God is close and far
God is good and fair
God is what I need
More than anything, more than me
One God I worship
One God I please
One God I focus on
One God I need
Not the God of pleasure or vanity
The God of truth and eternity
When He calls, I respond
Think and pause
This is a God worth my all
A forever love
A moment on earth
A forever with Him
The that always satisfies
Father, Son, Spirit"

When she sent me this, I was so encouraged. I've been praying for her to really choose God and let him invade every part of her. I've been praying for her to find her identity in God and not in people. It was so cool seeing how God has been working towards those prayers. I also felt like reading this was a challenge to myself. How often do I choose the God of pleasure and vanity? I get way more excited about playing a game or watching tv, than I do about sitting silently with God. I desire to be entertained and distracted, but I need to choose what is best. I need to choose to sit with God and let him satisfy. I hope this poem encourages you in your personal ministry. You never know how God is working to answer your prayers, and I hope it challenges you as well. I think every single one of us can get distracted by entertainment and forget to make time for the things that truly satisfy.

Student Testimony

Joshua Erdmann

Richland College

Mechanical Engineering

Sophomore

"In high school, I was the type of person that went out of my way to avoid people that I considered to be different than me. I was always looking for people that either talked the way I did or took part in the same things I liked. This led to superficial relationships and friendships. When I joined FOCUS, I really think God taught me that meeting people who were different than me - in every way - was a good thing. Through FOCUS, I have come to realize what it's like to have real relationships with people. In real relationships, you can talk to your friends about how you feel that day and not have to hide anything. When I first walked on campus at Richland, I was unsure about who I was or where I belonged. I thank God that I found a group that I feel like I actually belong to. Through FOCUS, God has been showing me that I belong wherever He has called me, and that it’s up to me to show others that they belong, too."