His Beloved! 

It was a joy to attend my second “Fall Retreat” with Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship this past weekend. Thirty six students, double the amount of last year, carpooled  all the way up to the Blue Ridge Mountains for a Jesus filled and focused weekend. It was a true wonder to see with my own eyes! Thirty six students all wanting to accompany each other in their pursuits to know more about God. The students enjoyed planned devotional guides (Themed being Quiet to hear the Lord), white water rafting in the Ocoee River, Hiking along the Aska Mountain Trails, as well as visiting the famous Blue Ridge Apple Orchards. In addition to the weekend fun the trip was topped off with Worship and Praise around a campfire out by a beautiful lake.  It was an honor to accompany the students as well as help serve them in sharing what the Lord has taught me throughout my walk.

Annual retreat for College students provided by Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship
Cost: $20 (Includes food, Cabin stay and/or camp materials) (Bring own Sleeping Bag and other essentials)
White Water Rafting: $25
Activities: Bonfire Camping Hiking Shopping (Outlet malls) Whitewater Rafting Group Games, (EATING)
Where: Blue Ridge Mountains

Fall Retreat

Facebook Event

Take an awesome short vacation from classes and school work. Fall Retreat is a cheap, fun, and relaxing trip for college students. Any student can come–
Sign-ups can be found at “The Plug” welcome table or you can pay online via :
ChiAlphagsu.blogspot.com .

–Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship
Connecting students to God, to each other, and to the world

It is through working with Chi Alpha that I find my passion to be aiding college students in coming to know Jesus! There is nothing more gratifying than to be apart of God’s awesome plan for his sons and daughters.  After two amazing Chi Alpha “Plug” services God has moved in such a spectacular way.

This story was written Sept 1st 2011 by a freshman student who attended “The Plug” for the first time. This students experience is one of those encouraging and heart melting moments I hope and wish all students at Georgia Southern University experience.

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“My First Campus Ministry”

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My first week, I focused on surviving. I was at Georgia Southern University by myself for the first time, I mean truly by myself. So my first week instead of looking for ministries I was getting a crash course in time management, memorizing key dates, not to mention being told what to do at 4:30a.m. (I’m used to telling cadets what to do at about 4:30pm.)

This week, my second week, I dedicated time to finding a campus ministry where I can be connected to followers of Christ here at southern. I found a couple online on the Student Organizations page and lined up the schedule so that I could check out a few. All around campus, and I mean literally ALL AROUND CAMPUS, I saw advertisements for Chi Alpha, a Christian ministry that always starts its ad with; “We are not a fraternity or sorority” just a group of students finding out what it means to follow Jesus.” So do to the great marketing of Chi Alpha I decided I would try there first.

I was embarrassed. For the first time, I think in years, I was embarrassed to say that I as going to a ministry meeting. I mean who does that? This is college; we’re supposed to leave those “childish” religious beliefs at home. Instead we should live and believe how and what we want. Only holding on to our religion as something that we are born with, something that has no purpose something that is just there… almost like a birthmark. So walking sheepishly out the door, one of my roommates asked me where I was heading to, “to see Jessica,” I quickly replied. Knowing this was a blatant lie and a violation of Matthew 10:33. I could almost hear the rooster crow as I got on my bike and went to the IT building where the meeting was to be held. I passed a small mostly African American ministry group doing devotion under a gazebo looking thing on my right, that was a little encouraging, but still doubt crept into my mind. I wondered if there wasn’t really any meeting, what if I just walked into an empty room, what if it was just me and the preacher-guy, what if there all crazy, what if there’s nothing but overwhelmingly southern rural white people, what if, what if, what if… you get the idea my mind went on a full sprint down interstate what if and it was hard to see the upcoming exit.

I saw a sign in front of the IT building advertising the event. I finally left interstate what if as I confirmed that there was actually a meeting. As I walked in God answered a whole lot of what ifs and then some. I was greeted by a director-like lady, who was a senior at the university, and she told me about Chi Alpha being an abbreviation of the Greek “Christou apostoloi” written by Paul meaning literally “Christ’s sent ones.” I love languages and stuff (international studies major/ history nerd!) like that, so it was a great way to start a conversation with me.

Then the doors opened. As we walked in I looked around and just kind of observed what was going on, and I as truly amazed by what I saw. I saw a group of college students, larger than my congregation in Augusta, gathered talking, laughing, and when the time came praising God, reading Bibles, taking notes, etc, etc. Here’s the craziest part, you ready? It was on their own time. Like me they were all college students who just came, not because of parents, or grandparents made them, not because their friends or roommates would think its cool (I KNOW it was not that one lol), but simply because they loved the Lord. They could have been studying, a lot were over 21 and could have been chilling at the bar, to be honest even the ones under 21 could have been chilling at the bar (that’s for another reflection though). They could have been literally anywhere but they wanted to be here. There are universities where students are required to go to chapel and stuff like that, I promise I don’t mean to bash these schools, but to me this was way more beautiful.

This was very much different. The next thing I noticed was just how diverse college Christianity is. By diverse I could have simply meant there was a good mix of both black and white students, and there were. As a matter of fact the band played a mix of music. Some was contemporary stuff that you would hear on 88.3 others are the gospel stuff that you would hear on BET Sunday mornings. This is good, different, but good. Let me remind you though that this is still not the diverse that I am talking about. Alongside the blacks and whites, there were Hispanics, Asians, and a ton of other cultures! Behind me sat a VERY middle eastern looking guy who if I would have saw anywhere else on campus I would have pushed off as Islamic (but I have a stereotyping problem to be honest lol). Here at there’s Georgia Southern even a Japanese’s foreign exchange student that believes in Christ, a country that is “Proud of their secular society, most Japanese aren’t religious in the way Americans are” according to Dan Gillgolf, religion editor for CNN. Some didn’t like certain songs, I personally HAT, excuse me STRONGLY DISLIKE southern gospel, but we all seemed to put that aside to embrace unity in diversity. I liked that though because I my mind as the Church we should truly be the epitome of the Latin phrase E pluribus unum, meaning “Out of many, one.” I saw this amongst Christ’s sent ones Tuesday night.

People doubt all the time the ability of God to do his work, especially in the United States, and I don’t judge them because I think that too, a lot more that I would like to admit. I expected to see Christianity at a stand still here, on the ropes in a fight against postmodernism, atheism, and simple apathy. Instead I saw a group of believes still running the race that Paul tells us about in 1st Corinthians 9:24. I saw them doing it in a place that I personally consider more hostile to Christianity than the famous “10-40 window.” Audrey Assad, a Catholic singer, wrote her most famous single “It’s You I’m chasing after cause I am captivated by who You are and how You move I’ll follow You forever.” (Italics are mines). Like Mrs. Assad I am truly captivated to see Christ move especially as I remember that this is only the first ministry I’ve looked at. I hope that my optimism last as I go through the years (I like to live in terms of semesters now actually).

-written Sept. 1, 2011
by: Jonathan Quintyne

—No extension Cords needed!—

As Christians we often speak about the things we would do for Christ. Out of all the things we would do for Christ we seldom think about supporting missionaries. In some of our cases this subject tends to slip our minds.  One would think that if God wants every aspect of our life, money would be considered. I agree with the saying “talk is cheap”, but I also feel that action is expensive. When we put our money where our mouth is, it tends to be an expensive venture. God calls us to put full faith into him by surrendering all we have to Him. We are to trust him with every aspect of our life. With him at the head of our lives, we live in success not ruin. If we put faith in God by giving him control of our finances let that this is an expensive venture? God has asked for a large sum of our lives, namely ALL of it. Now we know that in loving God we are to follow his instruction and the results of this are blessings beyond compare.  When speaking of giving God our finances and following his instructions on what to do with them, we must know that we receive the same promise of blessings.

“Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” Malachi 3:10

The above verse is God’s words about giving to the body of Christ. This verse is the ONLY verse we can clearly see that God is asking us to Test him. With God being who he is, and in the fact that he is asking us to test him, finances must be a big deal to him.

So when Gods asks us to make an expensive venture by putting our money where are mouths are, shouldn’t we jump to supporting the Body of Christ?

Scripture shows us that God supports the Church for it is his bride where he is the head. One thing we must realize is that the money we have been given is a gift that God has blessed us with so we may bless others, especially the body of Christ. It is through this blessing that God provides for his bride through us! Even Jesus, whom was given the world and the heavens, our savior  was supported by believers.

“ Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples.” Luke 8:3

Jesus is the example of how we as the body should act from day to day. In his example the Apostles and Disciples acted accordingly as well. Let us then think of Paul who was one of the greatest Teachers/Evangelists of the Gospel who built tents for support raising and then instructed the churches and believers to give God the first fruits of their finances. In addition to this we can further see in 3 John that we are called to support our traveling teachers.

“Dear friend, you are being faithful to God when you care for the traveling teachers who pass through, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church here of your loving friendship. Please continue providing for such teachers in a manner that pleases God.” 3 John 5-6

In loving God by following his instruction and placing full faith in him through the surrendering of all aspects of our life to him, we participate in the inheritance God has promised us. We step into a personal relationship with God and we are given life and blessings beyond our imagination. When looking at the scripture it is easy to see that God is an expensive venture for we have to put our money where our mouths are. It is plain to see that in this expense we are actually losing nothing but gaining everything.

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Verses on Finances

Proverbs 3:9-10
Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; So your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.

Deuteronomy 15:10
Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.

Luke 6:30
Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.

Matthew 5:42
Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

Proverbs 3:27-28
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it,” when you have it with you.

Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.

(Status of Questions)-

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?

Then he is not omnipotent?

Is he able, but not willing?

Then he is malevolent.

Is he both able and willing?

Then whence cometh evil?

Is he neither able nor willing?

Then why call him God?

-God is God-

God is sovereign over all. He himself is above evil for he is perfect. He does not commit evil but nor is he oblivious to it. Anything that is against God’s moral law is evil. For it falls short of the perfect law he has decreed. He will not ignore the evil acts of the world either. He has said he will do away with all evil. That is why he sent his son to die so that we, as a human race, may be reconciled for our evil acts.

If we believe in Jesus then we are proclaiming our acceptance of God’s mercy. For he loves us so much he created this perfect way for us to become like him, righteous.

He is God no matter how much we try to convince ourselves he is not. It is our imperfect minds that allow us to think we are smarter than our creator. He has accounted for this sinful way of thinking we have. He has given us a choice. I pray that those whose eyes are opened to the real truth reach out and believe. I pray for those who rebel once again like Adam did in the Garden of Eden, that they do not continue to make the same mistake!

Fresh brightly laid crystals of ice

stretching for miles in each direction

Confusion is everywhere I turn,

for this beauty rises and I am caught in between

The moon’s light is reflecting and rebounding off

 what looks like an endless sea of jewels

Something in the still air looks so warm

Cold nights I remember but this

is no memory of mine

Never have I seen black look so light

Never have I felt my insides swell

and my thoughts so chaotic

What is it? What is it I ask?

Why does my heart feel so foreign

Almost like it is not my own

Where are my footprints?

I feel as though I’ve walked for hours

These words,

Someone put these words on this slim page

What is it about this book?

Why is it when I’m close to the answer

thoughts come and steal the fruit from

which was being grown?

Is it I that is so hungry?

Fresh brightly laid crystals of ice

stretching for miles in each direction

Confusion is everywhere I turn,

for this beauty rises and I am caught in between

The moon’s light is reflecting and rebounding off

what looks like an endless sea of jewels

My heart is throbbing for in these words

I see him; My Father