Back to School Tips Part 3

Guess what day it is? Hump day! Yeah! I definitely put a note in my son's lunchbox today that said that! Hope it gives him (and you) a good laugh! Half way through the week today! Hope it has been a great one!

Today is my last post on Back to School Tips. I am going to give you 3 reminders today for Christians. I shared these at our last Chick Chat, but I think they are really good so I wanted to put them on our blog, too!

1. You are not alone.
As you walk into the doors of your school remember the words God gives us, "Never will I leave you never will I forsake you. So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid, What can mere mortals do to me?" Hebrews 13:5,6. Don't be afraid as you walk into school each day! God is with you ALL THE TIME! Enter your school with a holy, humble confidence that God goes with you!

2. "Do your best. Forget the rest."
You are the Lord's representative at your school. So do your best and forget the rest. Remember that the ultimate "teacher" you'll give an account to is Jesus so, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance form the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23,24. Why do your best to get the best grades possible? Because it is the Lord you are serving!

3. You have a mission to accomplish.
You are not just at school to go to school. As a Christian, you are at school to go on a mission trip. Every teen-filled table in the cafeteria is a mission field that needs to be reached with the good news of Christ. Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations..." in Matthew 28:19. This cause, THE cause, applies to you as you seek to reach your friends and new people  you meet with the good news of Jesus. It applies as you seek to make more friends with the hope of introducing them to Jesus. Look around and seek out the lost. Don't stay in your little box! A mission field is not just some foreign country or city outside of Aiken, but right in your own schools!

I pray these tips have helped you with the new school year! I have been praying for you this week! Go tell others about Christ and invite them to church!

Loving Jesus together,
Morgan

"Go make disciples of all nations..." ~Matthew 28:19

Back to School Part 2

Happy Tuesday, ladies! Hope you have had a great two days back at school! Are you loving it? Most importantly, have you told someone about Jesus yet? I sure do hope you can answer yes! Today, I am going to give you 5 Tips on Starting the School Year Right. What a great time to get rid of a few bad habits, start a few good ones, and pledge to do things a little better this time than the year before!

1. Commit to a Daily Quiet Time with God
Maybe you have already set aside time in your daily schedule to spend time in God's Word. This is GREAT! Keep it up! If you struggle to have one daily, don't freak out! Many struggle with finding and setting aside this time with everything else going on in your life! But let me encourage you to really commit to making time each day to spend reading the Bible, praying and LISTENING. This is the most important time of your day no matter what time of day you do it! God will get you through your day!

2. Eat Well
Eating well is not saying have some crazy diet or weight loss plan. It is simply be careful choosing what you eat. You will feel better and are healthier when you choose to eat well. Don't skip breakfast in the mornings, the most important meal of the day!

3. Get out and Exercise
Working out is not really my thing. But if I make it through doing something active a few times a week, I do feel better, have more energy, more productive, and the stress level goes down! Make sure you do something active throughout the week!

4. Create a Routine
Routines can be good when they help us establish good working habits! Try to get on some kind of routine throughout the day and stick with it. Make sure to put spending time with God in that routine too!

5. Procrastinate Later
Don't put off assignments, studying, reading, etc until the last minute! Attack those undesired tasks right out of the box and get them done. It's better to have a few minutes of "pain" instead of a couple of hours of "torture" knowing you still have to get it done!

Praying for a great rest of the week for you! Don't forget to come to REVEAL tomorrow night for our Back 2 School Cookout! Invite someone to come with you!

Loving Jesus together,
Morgan

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Back To School Part 1

Hello Beautiful ladies! Hope you have had a wonderful summer! Hard to believe school is just around the corner. This summer has been filled with lots of fun memories in the Student Ministry. Look for more posts later about some of them.

I wanted to write a few blogs over the next couple days about going Back to School and give you some helpful tips and encouragement as you begin a new school year. Most of you probably have mixed emotions about going back, so my prayer is that these will take away those worries and make you laugh, relax, and rely on God.

For our first one, I thought it would be good to give you some Back 2 School traits that we can learn from no other than Disney Characters!!! You all know how much I love me some Disney so as soon as I saw these, I just knew I had to share with you!

1. Persistence-Russel, Up

Even though he gets the door slammed in his face over and over again, brave Russell never gives up in his quest to earn his final Wilderness Badge. Sometimes assignments or certain concepts may be hard to grasp, but you should learn from Russell that with some hard work and endurance, it can be done. Don't give up!

2. Good Listening-Wardrobe, Beauty and the Beast

Whenever Belle needed to vent while being imprisoned in Beast's Castle, Wardrobe was there listening patiently. Listening skills are essential for any classroom where you are expected to follow directions and pay attention to the teacher. Remember, that God is always there to listen to you, too!

3. Being Helpful-Fix-It Felix, Wreck it Ralph

"I can fix it!" is Felix's motto and though he gets to use his golden hammer to do it, his enthusiasm for helping others can be contagious. Make sure to look out for others in your school or class that may need some help and show the love of Christ to them by helping!

4. Goal Setting-Tiana, The Princess and the Frog

From a very young age, Tiana always knew she wanted to open her own restaurant, and she made sure that nothing ever held her back from achieving her dreams-even being turned into a frog! It's important for you to learn the value of setting a goal and the persistence and hard work it takes to reach that goal. Before the year starts, make one school goal and one spiritual goal and strive everyday to achieve it!

5. Studiousness-Belle, Beauty and the Beast

Belle loved her books and her books loved her. She always was reading! A model of diligence, Belle and her studious habits would make any parent/teacher proud! Make sure you do take the time to study hard each day! That is what you are there for any way!

6. Responsibility-Simba, The Lion King

Even though he may not always want to, Simba eventually steps up to the plate and bears responsibility for the well-being of his pride and his land. Like Simba, you need to take accountability for your actions and make sure you are responsible this school year!

7. Courtesy-Alice, Alice in Wonderland

Despite the often-bizarre happenings around her, Alice always remained kind and courteous to those around her. You can learn from Alice that sometimes a kind word gets you a lot further than an unpleasant confrontation. Look for ways that you can be kind to others.

8. Teamwork and Participation-Woody and Buzz, Toy Story

These two best friends worked together as a team to rescue their friends in Toy Story 3 and exemplify what it means to come together and cooperate to achieve a common goal. Two are better than One! You and your Christian friends can also work together on your school campus to witness to those that need to hear about Christ! 

Hope these traits made you smile, but also reminded you about how you can use these to make this year the best one yet! Check back later to see some more great Back 2 School Tips!

Loving Jesus together,

Morgan

"Clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." ~Colossians 3:12

Senior Spotlight~Celeste Terry

Our Senior Spotlight is...

Celeste Terry

Celeste graduated from Silver Bluff High School.  Her life verse is Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord you God will be with you wherever you go."

1.  If you could have any job, no matter how crazy and no matter the pay, what would it be and why?

If I could have any job, it would be to be the band director of a huge state championship winning marching band!

2. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

If I could go anywhere in the world it would be to Stratford, Ontario, Canada because that's where Justin Bieber is from. (:

3. What is your favorite memory with MB Student Ministry?

There are so many! But my favorite memory with MB Student Ministry would have to be my first year of beach camp because I met a lot of new people that year and grew so much closer to others and it was the first time I really felt like we were all a family. And it's felt that way ever since!

4. What is the biggest lesson God is teaching you right now?

The biggest lesson God is teaching me right now is that the more time I spend with him and intentionally put him in my daily routine, the more blessings he has for me that I would have otherwise missed out on.

5. A Walk to Remember or The Notebook?

I've never seen A Walk to Remember and I've only seen like half of The Notebook... so I guess The Notebook? Haha (:

Thank you, Celeste, for sharing with us! Best of luck next year, as you start college!

Love you girls,

Meredith