Service, Missions, Leadership

We had our last Chapel for the year last Tuesday. This chapel is dedicated to Class Day, a day where new Class officers, SGA officers, and Honor Council members are sworn in.

Why was this day so bittersweet for me?

It's also the day where a new Campus Ministries President is appointed.

 I passed my Campus Ministries President robe to Paula Fendley- a symbol of passing the responsibility of leading Campus Ministries from me to her for the coming year.

I am really excited that God is allowing Paula to be the President next year and I know she will follow God in whatever happens.

From what I hear, many new things and things that need a face lift will be happening all for God's glory next year.

The bittersweet part:

I won't be on Campus Ministries council anymore to experience it from the beginning. Yes, I had a chance of re-applying for council next year, but God told me not to.

I will be finishing up classes and preparing for my student internship next year and I won't have time to adequately do a good job on council.

It's not that I want the title or anything because I will still participate in CM activities. It's that a have found who I am in Christ so far through following Him by completely submerging myself in this ministry.

I have become a little more confident in my walk, a little more confident in the Word, and a little more confident in my God-given abilities because of Campus Ministries.

And, so much of my Judson career has been centered on this ministry. It's going to be hard to fill my time slots that once had "Campus Ministries" written on them with something else.

But one of the many lessons I have learned from serving on the council is that God will use His people whenever and wherever He wants to.

He isn't finished with me yet and I don't want Him to be.

So, I will gather my lessons learned and say adios and above all thank you God for allowing me to serve on the Campus Ministries Council-a soul changing experience.

Until then.

1.  WORK ON TIME MANAGEMENT!

  Yep, time. One of my friends told me a couple of months ago that I am a great scheduler, I just stink at executing what I schedule. Either something comes up and it detours me from my plans or when I am on schedule I don't want to do it. This is a problem and I am slowly learning to work on my time management. I HAVE TO! My GPA is not acceptable right now.

2.   FIND QUIET TIME!

 When the day is DONE and you only have one thing left to give, let that gift be quiet time. For those of us who have forgotten what that is, let me try to remember for all of us. It's that time where you and Jesus reflect on the day, collect your lessons learned, and rejuvenate your spirit. I sure wish I would have done this more this semester. I don't know how many times I bit someone's head off for stupid stuff because I was so on edge. There is no excuse for it and I'm sorry.

3.  LEAVE ROOM FOR FUN!

 In the midst of every good dead, planned or not planned, that fills our lives with business, make time to just have fun! I've forgot how to for a minute, then realized that life was too short for all work and no play. Not to contradict what I said earlier, but after you have worked to the best of your capabilities and your brain is fried in the realm of academia, call up some friends and have some fun! Grab a board game, take a midnight run to Selma for a Sonic Creamslush (preferably  not before a major exam or when a paper is due), or drink a cup o' joe with some friends. You never know what a little bit of laughter does for the soul.

4.  LAUGH AT YOURSELF!

   Let me tell ya, I have laughed more at myself this semester than I have at any other point in my life. Why? College? Taking a chance? Falling out of a raft? Asking stupid questions? Falling down, period? Like I posted in a previous blog, laughing at yourself can be very therapeutic.  

5.   MAKE MORE FRIENDS!

Before I started college, my realm of friends was small. Living in a small town, not traveling a lot, and hanging out in the library all the time really limits the possibities of meeting people. Once I went to college, I realized that people were cool. It's amazing the stories I have heard from incredible people over the past 2 ½ years. I have learned so much from them and they from me, the good and the bad. Branch out and never be comfortable with where you are. There is always someone to meet and a story to hear.

6.    GO!

One of my very close friends tells me all the time that I have Goitis (Go-eye-tis). It sounds like a really gross disease, I know, but to her it's a disease that keeps me constantly on the go. I hate staying in one place for too long. Traveling is one of my favorite things to do.  It helps with that whole meeting new people and hearing new stories thing.

We are also supposed to GO because Jesus commands us to do so. Most of my goitis is from mission opportunities and chances to see people that I met on the mission field.  I am glad that I was designed to be bored with my surrounding after a while. There is always a new adventure to be had and goitis helps me find one.

7.   HAVE FAITH!                     

 When I applied to Judson, I had NO idea what I was getting into.When I read the rules on  our website, I truly thought I was stepping into a black and white T.V. show from the sixties. Fortunately, when I arrived everything was in color. I was new to this whole idea of being by myself, fending for myself, and truly being a grown up (sorta). I just told God that  I might question what was going on; however, ultimatley He's got my life in his hands and I trust Him. That was hard, but it's worked so far. Judson's been a blessing and I wouldn't trade it for...well, there might be a few things. Haha.

I hope you have learned something. Merry Christmas! God bless!

With Love,

Ryan Dowling

²⁵On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

²⁶"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

²⁷He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'^[c]; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'^[d]"

²⁸"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

²⁹But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

³⁰In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³²So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵The next day he took out two silver coins^[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

³⁶"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

³⁷The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
      Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Luke 10:25-37

This passage seems to be the passage of my semester. And, oh, what a hard one it is.

Some people would say that it is easy to love people, but are we in love with people?  

Well, let's think about this.

Sure it's easy to "love" people, but what about loving unconditionally like Jesus Christ loves us? To surrender everything we have when we don't have anything to give. To pray for our enemies when we think they deserve the wrath of God and we hate them. To love our neighbor when it would take up our time and resources.

 To love as if we were in love.

That's a little harder, huh?

              Over a span of about two weeks, three God-driven people spoke at Campus Ministries events. They were Jess Jennings, Paula Fendley, and Laura Lee. And each time one of them spoke God taught me how to fall in love a little bit more.

         On October 11, Jess Jennings spoke at the CORE. He is a founding partner of the Nehemiah Teams. He along with several other people with the IMB have come together to create ways for people with a passion to follow God's Word to mission in the Philippines. He, along with his wife and kids, has dedicated 17 years to God and the children, parents, and people in general of the Philippines. The ministry that God has given him has impacted malnourished children, spread the Gospel to indigenous mountain people, and, even, helped young college students see firsthand the need of God's people to be in places like the Philippines.

      One of these college students is Paula Fendley. Campus Ministries sponsored the first ever Mission Night on October 14. This Mission Night was designed to highlight Judson girls who sacrificed their time over the summer, Christmas, or spring break.

Paula spent 2 months

 in the Philippines

 this past summer

nursing malnourished children

 through Nehemiah Teams.

                   She told me a story over the summer of how she held a dying baby in her arms. All she could do was hold her and let the baby know it was loved. I write, "all she could do", but isn't that enough in itself? To forget the pain of having a dying child in your arms and knowing that there is nothing you can do, but love, unconditionally.

She was in love with this child. She felt the child's pains and

she loved when it hurt the most to love.

       Laura Lee spoke at that CORE on  Ocotber 18 and does similar things with her life. She has spent the past 7 years in a place that is stricken with HIV/AIDS, poverty that Americans can't understand unless seen, devotes her time to Kingdom Work, and is concerned with spreading the Gospel.

   She is in love with the people she works with so much that it brings her to tears to be away from them. These people aren't her biological family or people that she has known for the majority of her life. They are people that God has told her to love, unconditionally. And she does. I have seen her pray for these people, cried for these people, and wished that she were around these people. Laura Lee is an example of self-sacrificing, in love,  love.

All three of these people have followed Luke 10:37. They have shown mercy and followed Jesus' command to love their neighbors as themselves.

It's going to be hard for me to be in love with complete strangers, people I don't want to love, or deny my self in order to follow God's commandment.

This is a process and I am falling in love, slowly.

 Another Lesson Learned,

Psalm 40:1

I waited patiently for the LORD;
  he turned to me and heard my cry.

Most people need a suitcase to get from point A to point B.

                                          I need a moving van.

When I wrote about Selah Vie earlier this semester, I neglected to do one thing in the process-

Pack.

If you read Bethany Rush's Chapter 3: Keys, Hearts, and Suitcases, it explains what I am talking about. Basically, I needed to have more time to reflect on my summer and to have alone time with God. I needed to know what memories, teachings, and relationships to pack away in storage for later use and what to keep in my carry on for day to day purposes.

It didn't happen.

I went from summer missions at my backdoor to RA training for a freshmen dorm, then from Rose Sunday to the first day of school for my junior year. No rest. This was a huge mistake.

Psalm 40:7-8

⁷ Then I said, "Here I am, I have come-
       it is written about me in the scroll. ^[d]

⁸ I desire to do your will, O my God;
       your law is within my heart."

Two months later, I am up to my eyeballs in class work. I have had no desire to do anything related to classes and my sanity, normal sleep routine, and professor's mercy is wearing thin. My passions were focused on something other than God's immediate work for my life. I felt selfish for thinking about devoting so much of my time on me and my studies. I was also drained spiritually, mentally, and physically. My constant complaining and lack of interest showed it. Then, I was reminded earlier this week that God is training me for something right now, AT THIS VERY MOMENT. I might not be doing "church ministry" 24/7, but I still have to glorify God in everything I do, including school work. It was time to put my big girl panties on, brush my pride aside, and get back to work.

It's been 4 days since this revelation and I am still sifting through everything that has happened these past 5 months. It's hard. I am a person of action and I have felt action less; even with 17 hours of course work, teaching GED classes, and being the Campus Ministries President.  My priorities have been seriously misconstrued.

God has, like always, changed my perspective. I am recently at home, by my lonesome, while my family is camping. They are enjoying God's creation and having family bonding time while I am, for the next 72 hours, obeying one of God's commands:

I Corinthians 10:31

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,

do it all to the glory of God"

by devoting all of my time in between basic hygiene practices, sleep, and eating to papers and studying for midterms. Yep, it's going to be a great weekend.

Pray for me.

I still have a lot of praying, packing, and prioritizing.

Psalm 40: 2-3

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
       out of the mud and mire;
       he set my feet on a rock
       and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,
       a hymn of praise to our God.
       Many will see and fear
       and put their trust in the LORD.