A New (Academic) Year...and My Prayer for This Campus

A few weeks ago, Chi Alpha partnered with eight other campus ministries to host GO Week, a mission trip to Florida State's campus. During those three days, we helped freshmen and transfer students move into their dorms, become acclimated with campus, and work with the university to provide entertainment and pancakes for the new students. Tuesday night, there was a kick-off service for the ministry staff and students that were participating in GO Week. We met at First Baptist Church in Tallahassee for registration, dinner, and a brief service to worship, pray over the rest of the week, and talk about why we were doing this. During the worship service, we sang a worship song named "You'll Come" by Hillsong. I've sang this song several times since I moved to Florida in different services and has become one of my favorites, but this time, the bridge hit me differently. The bridge goes like this:

"Chains be broken
Lives be healed
Eyes be opened
Christ is revealed."

I realized in that moment that this is my prayer for this year...I want this happen in the students at Florida State: chains to be broken, their lives to be healed, eyes to be opened, Christ be revealed to them. Basically, whatever is holding them back from having a personal relationship with Christ to be stripped away and for Him to be revealed in their lives.

Since that service, the bridge has run through my mind several times and each time, I pray, "Yes, Lord, let this happen on your campus." I am also in awe that God has chosen to use me, that as powerful and almighty as God is, he chooses to use me, an imperfect, broken vessel...but that is another post for another time. :)

Our semester has gotten off to a great start, with 70 people coming out to our first Chi Alpha Live service of the semester and nearly half of them being new!! Our small group Bible studies start this week and we are very excited to see God move through both our small groups and weekly service.

*If you would like to hear the song, You'll Come, click here for a link to a YouTube video. I get goosebumps every time I hear this song :) *