Sanj, would you rather live the life of a feral cat or a stray dog?

Dog.

Why?

I’m allergic to cats. I never really liked cats because they always didn’t like me, and also caused me allergies, but dogs always showed me affection. Stray dogs are still cute. Feral cats are terrifying. Stray dogs are either rabid or they’re not.

How did you find your way into Agape?

I just kind of dove in and committed. I think when I came to Loyola, I immediately started attending Agape and never really thought I should do anything different. I was transformed through Christ’s work, and I was a part of it from then on. Also, the worship at the first Ecclesia made an impact on me.

Do you remember the first person you met?

Yes. It was Jackson Tenclay. We had Arabic 101 together and then I came to Ecclesia and he was leading worship, and he led “Jesus Paid it All” which was my favorite hymn at the time and it was really beautiful, and then he made Nutella pound cake and the rest is history.

What draws you in to the community?

As someone who’s been raised in a lot of different denominations and cultures, worship in an interdenominational setting like Ecclesia has been something that’s comforting for me. I feel really at home because no one has the same church background. So I feel like Ecclesia is the space to seek God whole-heartedly where you are based on where you’ve grown up, what your past is. We call each other deeper by showing each other different ways to worship. I’m practically Catholic, charismatic, Pentecostal, who knows.

Why are you a Christian?

I think in the beginning, I was a Christian because I was raised Christian, and then as I started deconstructing the world around me, my thoughts and practices, I’ve realized that the Spirit of the living God has been what’s given me life every time I’ve felt alive.

What draws you to Jesus?

I think that my own emptiness and brokenness and my reality of knowing that I need living water, I need a savior to do anything, to be anything, keeps me coming back.

What breaks your heart?

I spent two hours at a bar this weekend talking about everything we hate about millennial culture. It breaks my heart when humans deny care or acknowledgement to other humans, whether it’s based on your own self-absorbed living in this self-serving, capitalist world, or if its because of race or religion or sexual orientation. When humans deny the humanity around them, I could be angry forever.

What gives you hope?

I have a lot of hope. I think people give me hope. I am somehow able, even in people who break my heart, I still see how good God made people and how much love they are capable of. Christ in the people around me and their ability to be living, loving, laughing flesh to the people around them- it gives me a lot of hope.

What did Jesus do on the cross that we couldn’t do for ourselves?

Jesus made us new every single moment and every single morning on the cross. He didn’t just make us new once; He is making us new. We couldn’t do that for ourselves.

How is He making you new?

He is healing me from things that should hurt me through my whole life and teaching me really exciting things. He’s giving forgiveness and mercy and grace where I naturally wouldn’t have it.

Is there a poet, prophet, preacher, teacher that everyone should listen to?

I love all of Andrew Murray’s writings. He wrote Abide in Christ, which was incredible; he wrote a piece called Humility, which changed my life.

Any final words of wisdom?

There is this saying that all of my great aunts and uncles say- please note that they are all from South India so they have an accent, but it goes like this: “kissing a man without a moustache is like eating an egg without pepper.”

Alex, what did you want to be when you grew up?

(burp)

That’s going in the transcript.

Please! Oh my gosh, yes! I wanted to be a doctor, specifically I wanted to work in the ER and eventually do Doctors Without Borders with the long-term goal of eventually moving to Africa.

Why did you want to be a doctor?

I was obsessed with (the tv show) ER and I would record episodes and just watch it for days. I wanted to help people, and I was also intrigued by all the big words like Haldol and Adivan, I would say them to my mom all the time.

How did you find Agape/Ecclesia?

The first couple weeks of school, Sarah Harrington and I had met because we lived on the same floor. We’d both heard of Agape/Ecclesia at FaithFest and so we thought we’d check it out together. We went and we liked it and went again and again and didn’t stop, and now here we are!

What were your first impressions of the church?

I remember thinking “wow! These people talk about God a lot! They keep referring to him like he’s their friend and like they hang out with him.” I remember thinking that was pretty cool.

What continues to draw you in?

I couldn’t put my finger on it for like six months. Whenever I was with our community, there was something about it that felt special. I couldn’t figure out what it was, but whether I was at Tuesday Night Prayer or Agape or Ecclesia, there was this incredible sense of love, both an immense love for one another, and also this great love and reverence for God. Something about it was so attractive. Looking back, I think that was the Holy Spirit at work in our church. That’s what kept bringing me back.

Why are you a Christian?

One answer I could give is because that’s how I was raised and that’s what I grew up thinking and doing and being. I feel like the other part is that God chose me and called me and brought me out of sin and death, even when I didn’t know what that was and set me on this path and ever since realizing and recognizing that, I’ve wanted to keep going in that direction.

What draws you to Jesus?

I think the fact that I don’t have to be anyone but myself with Jesus- I can be real and who I am and I don’t have to impress him or gain his acceptance or approval, because he already loves me and approves of me, he’s created me, and I don’t have to work towards that; it’s just a relationship that’s already there. He just wants to love me and that’s pretty awesome.

What has God done for you that you couldn’t do for yourself?

I think God opened my eyes to the brokenness and messiness in my life. Whether it be personal struggles or family issues, he didn’t leave me alone to deal with those things. He came alongside of me and redeemed and restored those things. I never could have done that on my own, and I never would have imagined these things could be so reconciled.

What gives you hope?

Jesus.

I’ll take that. Do you have a book that you always tell people that they should read?

Okay people. You should all read KYLO. It is not a book about our apartment, but it’s “Keep Your Love On.” It talks about how to choose love and to keep love alive in relationship, whether it’s with your significant other, your family, or in our case, roommates. It very practically talks about loving each other, addressing conflict, communication. This book was very eye-opening and helpful.

Any parting words?

Don’t be afraid of being wrong. Don’t be afraid of not having it all together. You’re not perfect and you weren’t supposed to be. We are all broken and messy and God has redeemed us in that. We don’t have to figure that out alone, but he’s blessed us with this amazing community. When you come with your walls down and your arms open to receive, it is amazing what God will do for you and what God will show you.

(burp)

I like to burp.

Mary, would you rather have wings or a super long tail that you could pick things up with? Also, you could balance on the tail.

And be like Tigger of sorts? I still feel like I would go with the wings because I’m super into perspective, so being able to fly and be over things would be great. You could travel easier. Could you fly to heaven?

I feel like that’s a dimension thing. Plus you’d have to make it out of the atmosphere, and you don’t get to breathe in outer space- that’s not part of the deal.

Maybe the Lord and I will meet halfway.

How did you first come to Agape/Ecclesia?

It was Ecclesia, I didn’t go to Agape my first year here. I went to faith fest with Ms. Lauren Wells and met Katie Younkie and Mike, started coming on Sundays. I’ve always been a “church” person, always went to church and served in a church, so it felt very natural to me to get plugged into a church here.

What’s kept you here?

I would say one thing that’s been unique about my experience here is that it’s interdenominational- it has stretched me in ways that I didn’t know i needed to be stretched. I grew up in a community with people who were a lot like me and expressed themselves like me, and I came into a community where people had different beliefs or different expressions of those beliefs and that caused me to really dig down deep and ask myself why I had the beliefs I did. It also caused me to honor them and the way they express themselves to the Lord. It’s been really hard but also really good for me.

Why are you a Christian?

I would say…I think following the Lord and having a relationship with Jesus my whole life is the one thing that’s been consistent. Everything in my life (where I’ve lived, family situation) has fluctuated, and the one thing I could count on and the one thing that would always bring me joy was my relationship with the Lord. And I think it’s an adventure, signing up to be a Christian, which is funny because a lot of people nowadays see it as so restricting, but I see it as so freeing because a relationship with Jesus takes you places you never knew were possible.

Where has Jesus taken you that you didn’t know was possible?

I think that I’ve had a lot of “desperation” prayers where I’ve just got on my face before the Lord and said “I’m giving this to you, Jesus.” And from those moments God has been able to change my life in a way that I never could. In those moments of surrender, God has just really done some amazing things. Even with my giftings and talents, there were things that I didn’t see in myself and Jesus placed people in my life to draw those things out.

What draws you to Jesus?

It sounds cheesy but he’s my best friend. He’s been in the best and worst of times. He’s been through every season- every disappointment, every good and bad day, and he still thinks the best of me. I would also say that in the life of Jesus, he seemed to be someone who was moved to action. In the Church, we seem to have a lot of things to say but not necessarily a response, so I love looking in Scripture and seeing Jesus being moved to do things. He spoke out what he believed and then was able to follow up and in Christian culture, we’re all about “core values” but do we actually do it? I love referring back to the life of Jesus and saying “I want to walk it out like that.”

What breaks your heart?

So many things. This might be an overly spiritual answer, but honestly people who have grown up with Jesus in a box and have grown up with Jesus through the lens of rules and shame and religion and didn’t understand that he actually came and died for you so that he could be in relationship with you. It’s got nothing to with proving yourself to him or making yourself more valuable in his sight. That breaks my heart, but it also makes my heart happy when I see people freed from that. So many times I see people with shame and guilt and I know that’s not the heart of God, and I know that we’ve messed that up as people and as the Church. I feel like Jesus was all about bringing freedom to people, so getting back to that feels restorative and right to me.

What feeds your soul?

I love people. I love stories of hope and hearing that the world isn’t as bad as I think it is some days. When I get together with people who are excited about things that they’re doing and passionate about what they’re moving toward, that feeds my soul. So often I talk to people who feel like they’re drowning in life and have no direction, so to hear that some people are walking in line with the Spirit excites me.

Do you have a favorite book?

One of my favorite books and one I go back to a lot is called “Culture of Honor.” It’s all about living a life of saying “I am powerful and you are powerful. I get to be me and you get to be you in this relationship, and that’s okay.” That whole idea of honor has been really transformative in every area of my life.

Any parting words?
Stay humble in college. Even though it may feel like it some days, never believe the lie that you’ve “made it.” In school, in your job, in relationships I think as people and as spiritual beings molded by Christ, we have to be in a place of humility and hunger for God to change us and others to change us, and we need to be able to give that humility off to people. You need to say “I want your feedback, your input in my life,” and by saying “I’ve already reached capacity in this area,” we aren’t actually giving ourselves room to grow- we’re actually limiting ourselves. As a senior in college, that’s hit me in the face pretty hard. I wish I had been as humble as I am right now throughout my whole college experience. I think it can be really transformative if you stay in that place.

Layne, if you could add one person to Mt Rushmore, who would it be and why?

If I could add one person to Count Rushmore (not a typo. seriously.), it would be Marcus Tyler Ward because I feel that his face would be the best among the five (also not a typo. still serious.) now carved presidents. I feel that his square glasses would make a nice modern addition to the opposing oval ones. His head is a different shape than the other presidents. Abe Lincoln has that whole narrow thing going for him, and Teddy, he’s got the moustache, but Tyler has a beard and a moustache…and sideburns, and this hair thing. That is my answer.

I may have to fact check a few things but I admire your passion. How did you find your way into Agape?

I got an e-mail from Mike when I was just coming in. It just seemed to fit because I knew I wanted to find some sort of non-denominational church; I grew up Lutheran so the e-mail just caught my attention. Then I joined the Facebook group and they started posting things and I got excited.

Do you remember your first event?

I’m not sure if this really counts but I went to Faith Fest and met Mike. I was the first person there, which was really nerdy, but I met Mike other people and I kind of tried to extend the conversation because I didn’t know how long I needed to be there and it eventually got to the point where neither of us knew what to say and Mike awkwardly said something like “well, I guess you don’t want to go to the other tables- they aren’t your religion,” and I was like “yeah, that’s right…didn’t come planning on converting,” and then I left.

What would you say draws you into the community?

I think that the student participation aspect, not just participation, but “student-run” is a better term, is a new thing for me. I know that we say that Mike and Tyler are the pastors, but they aren’t the church- we are the church. There are so many people who do so many things that make that up, whether Agape or Ecclesia or otherwise. That was something very intriguing to me right from the get-go. When they said they needed snacks, I said “I like snacks!” and then I signed up for every other week. Sarah (Carillo) asked me why I didn’t sign up every week, and I said “I wanted to give other people a chance.” No one else signed up, though. So I just really loved serving others and having a say in the church.

Why are you a Christian?

I guess the textbook answer would be that I was raised Christian- you go as a child and learn it from the beginning. I feel like a lot of people go through middle school and high school and that’s when they really start questioning “is this my faith?” I had that time period of my life but I eventually returned and realized this was what I wanted to do. I think I was a senior in high school, applying for schools, going through a lot of changes, and I realized I couldn’t do it without Jesus. I’d say looking back, looking at the times that Jesus was absent in my life, they were just so much darker. Not to say that I was super sad, but there was always just something missing. I look back on the places where Jesus was present and those memories are just so much lighter and joyful, even when I was going through a lot of hardships, I still had someone to look to.

What draws you to Jesus?

The story of Jesus is one where you learn something new every time. What draws me to Jesus is how he leads and how we should strive to be like him. It’s easy to say “What would Jesus do?” but really sometimes you do have to ask yourself that- how did he live? How should I walk in his footsteps?

What has God done for you that you couldn’t do for yourself?

I think he picks me up in times I never thought I could be picked up. I’m a very self-motivated person, and I often ask myself “is it really God? Is it just my personality? Am I just really driven?” and when I go through that thought process, I always get back to God because that may be my personality, but that would be nothing without God. He’s the hand that created you. He’s not just an aspect of your life, just a piece; He’s the one who reigns over you and drives you at all time. He picks me up and has driven me to do things I never thought I could do.

What breaks your heart?

I’d say war. It’s easy to say “I want world peace” and I don’t have the answers. There’s obviously lots of things that I don’t understand that go into the political systems, but when I see a world that would be the closest thing to heaven, where everyone listened to each other and got along, despite religious or philosophical differences, we just understood one another and respected one another, that we can’t be there breaks my heart. It’s impossible for everyone to have the same viewpoint, but I think that “us vs. them” mentality is what gets us in trouble. Anytime you see people die over these things and see sacrifice, its just terrible and heartbreaking. Another thing that breaks my heart is the guilt of the privilege I have. Those inequalities, that lack of respect is what breaks my heart.

What gives you hope?

Definitely Jesus. I’m eager to see the way that heaven and earth collide when the time comes. Eventually they’re gonna merge as one- we’re not gonna lose who we are; we’re still gonna have to love and respect one another. I don’t know if there will be a day when God will say who is right and who is wrong, but the vision of people living together peacefully is what gives me hope.

What would you say to those reading this?

I would say that there’s always room to grow. You have to work towards it- if you’re dedicated to this church, this community, you’ll have a vision of what you want it to be like, whether it’s in a couple of days or in a year. I feel each of us brings talent to the table, and there is always room for these different talents- think about Leah’s love for baking. Leah loves to cook and loves to feed people, so you can ask her to cook and bake for Ecclesia or something, but she can also take that on herself. She can have people into her home. And sense we bounce around from Palm Court to the IC to Damen, we see that when we gather as the church, whether it’s in homes or in class rooms, Jesus is Lord there.

I’m gonna open with a line that I stole from a guy named Eugene Peterson. Peterson, in turn, stole the line from noted German sadsack, Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche claimed that “the essential thing in heaven and earth” is that there should be a “long obedience in the same direction.” Nietzsche believed that it was this sort of commitment that made a life worth living. Peterson, a pastor, most likely had very little in common with Nietzsche (himself an almost evangelical atheist). What Peterson found in this statement, though, was a truth that seemed to characterize the life of faith. Peterson’s own understanding of “true religion” was this long obedience.

This image of the “long obedience” has often been one of my favorite metaphors for my own faith journey. Direct. Consistent. Doggedly unromantic. Just my style. I tend to tire quickly of language that speaks of “big moments,” of the extremes of peaks and valleys. With no ill will intended towards such moments in the spiritual journeys of others, my own story has simply felt a great deal more ordinary.

So I attach myself to this picture: Tyler, on a road, walking toward Jesus. Hopefully He’ll see how hard I’m trying. If I’m lucky, He’ll be proud of me. I say to Jesus, in the incomparable words of the great Kris Kristofferson, “Tell me Lord if you think there’s a way I could try to repay all I’ve taken from you.” In short, I want to work. I want my faith to be on my shoulders, and maybe Jesus will take pity if he sees how much I’ve done.

Maybe some of you are here. Maybe you’ve seen Jesus as one testing you; as one who is waiting to see how much time you’ve spent with the poor before he doles out his blessings; as one who is waiting to see how you control your anger or your bitterness before he decides to make his face shine upon you.

But the problem with this whole enterprise is the Bible.

This morning I was reading the last bit of Psalm 139. Psalm 139 functions essentially as a treatise on God’s consistent presence and care in the lives of God’s children. David writes it this way:

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me,

It’s made clear from the beginning that, rather than our pursuit of God, the crux of the story seems to be God’s pursuit of us. In fact, the work required of us even rests upon this initiating work, this grace from God:

23 Search me, God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.

There is work to be done. There is a same direction in which we ought to practice a long obedience. But that road is marked first with surrender; with a daily acknowledgement that our thoughts are anxious; that within each of us lie offensive ways; that it is God who is leading us into the way everlasting.

Maybe you’re already there. Maybe grace is something that comes rather easily to you. If that is you, thank Jesus because that is beautiful. But for me, and I suspect for some of you, it’s a tough pill to swallow- that Jesus has been the initiator; that Jesus has chosen, before anything I may have done or left undone, to be for me.

See, I still believe deeply in a “long obedience in the same direction.” What I’ve been learning lately, though, is that Jesus is on the road with me. Jesus isn’t waiting at the end of the road; Jesus is the road. The way of Jesus is marked by the presence of Jesus. Jesus makes me able to forgive; Jesus makes me able to have an open heart instead of a closed one; Jesus makes me who I’m called to be. See, Jesus has come to find you and come to lead you in the way everlasting. If you’re worried about disappointing him, don’t be; he sees what you’ve done and what we’ve left undone and it doesn’t freak him out- in fact, he wants to carry it for you.
I pray that Jesus finds you today.

M. Tyler Ward, 1/8/16

To be honest, I couldn’t quite figure out what to write about for you guys. At first I started writing about Star Wars, but the further I got into it, the more it became just my opinion on the movie and it had nothing to do with anything. So instead I thought about what most of us have in common right now: we’re at home.

I’ve been home for 10 days now, which is longer than I’ve been home in over a year, and it’s been everything I hoped it would be: I’ve been eating free food, I’ve spent time with my brothers and sister, I went on walks with my dog, I read until ran out of books, I watched at least a million movies, and boy did I sleep. I’m on a break and I’m doing all of the things I love, probably like you guys are doing right now, too. I’m finding though as I reflect on my time home, that I’m leaving unfulfilled. I’m leaving sad, and anxious, and distant from myself, which is how I felt when I left the city.

I keep wondering why being home, a place I associate with my family, my childhood best friend, and sleep, is leaving me feeling so unhappy and so estranged from myself. When I came home I think I expected life to miraculously get better, and having time away to rest would solve all of my issues. Home to me feels like this magical place where I can escape almost everything, and I knew all along that that was incorrect, but now I’m feeling the weight of it. When I was trying to figure out what to write about Mike directed me to Revelation 21 for God’s version of “being home”, and it reads this:

3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”

-Revelation 21: 3-5

I don’t know about you, but this is not what I think about when I think about home. God makes it pretty clear though that the definition of home is not necessarily family, or childhood friends, or sleep. Home is God in all his glory. We go home the day God makes all things new. Home is being with God fully. The quote is right, there really is no place like home. And while we’re not going to be with God fully until Jesus comes back, there’s still a way to feel at home here on Earth, which I think is where we hold a great deal of responsibility. I think the only way we can start to feel anything close to our heavenly home is by spending time with God.

Even though I love being home, I’m not leaving feeling refreshed and new, because this time I failed to spend time with God. To be perfectly honest, I had 10 days of nothing to do, and I spent it on doing everything except spending it with God. I wasted my break, and I’m sure some of you are, too. While you’re home spend time with your family, eat, sleep, read, but do it all after you spend time getting to know God and your eternal home.

You have an entire month to get to know God and feel at home, so please use it. I don’t have anything profound to end, but I will tell you to not be like me when you’re home (I feel like most of my advice to you guys is to not be like me, but as long as we’re learning, I’ll take it).

-Rachel

This week I have been blessed to spend time with my friends and family.  One story that was shared with me this week I would also like to share with you:

The week I was born, an announcement was made at church that Linda and Doug were at home with newly born twin boys.  Patt Spidel – a fellow member of this congregation – could barely contain her excitement when she heard the news!  Given Patt’s excitement, her husband Norm drove straight to our house after church to stop by and see us.

In retrospect, what follows is just too funny!  Patt was so upset with Norm for driving to our house that day.  Patt told me, “You don’t just drop by unannounced on a woman who just had a baby (let alone two babies)!”  Patt was angry and embarrassed but there wasn’t much she could do.  Norm was determined to stop by our house, and before she knew it, Norm had gotten out of the car and rang our doorbell.  My mother came to the door and invited Norm and Patt to come inside.

None of us knew at that moment, but all of our lives would significantly change from that day forward.  Beginning that week, Patt watched over me and my brother while my parents worked until my first day of kindergarten.   Once we stated school, Patt would take care of us every summer.  When our family moved to Michigan, Patt would travel with us to help our family move in and get settled.  Currently, Patt helps take care of my grandparents daily in their old age.  Patt even continues to support me individually as the second largest financial supporter of my ministry here at Loyola.  If I could bestow the title of superwoman to a single individual, that person would hands down be Patt Spidel.

Patt has been such a blessing to me and my entire family and I am so grateful to God for her constant love and support.  I am so grateful that even though it may not have been polite just to drop by our house unannounced that Patt and Norm stopped by anyhow.  This is encouraging to me because I can always come up with excuses not to do something.  There are reasons why I haven’t asked the young woman I admire out on a date, reasons why I haven’t yet applied to seminary, reasons why I haven’t read my Bible as often as I should, and the list goes on…

I think that sometimes (maybe most all the time) God is waiting on us to be bold and chase after the desires of our heart.  If you really want to take care of twin boys, go and ring their doorbell before somebody else does.  Maybe that’s rude, maybe that’s crazy, but maybe God will answer your prayer because of your boldness (See Matthew 8:5-13)?   And maybe if you struggle being bold, God will send a friend, a stranger, or an angel that will go ahead of you and ring that doorbell anyhow?  Regardless of who rings the doorbell, I believe it’s up to all of us to decide whether or not we walk through the door that God has called us to walk through.   I’m thankful for Norm who rang my parent’s doorbell and also for Patt who walked through our door.  I pray that I would have the boldness to walk through the doors that God has placed before me.  I pray that you would have the courage to step through the doors that God has placed before you.  And I also pray for boldness in knocking on doors on behalf of our neighbors; that we would come and walk alongside them, and that we might witness to them as they unlock the doors that God has called them to open.

-Alec Kenny

12/21/15

Sarah, say you write a Thanksgiving Carol. What would it be called, and why?

It’d be called Merry Turk ‘n’ Holidays because it embodies everything I love about the holidays: food, being merry, and…the holidays.

How did you find Agape/Ecclesia?

I feel like there were all these infamous e-mails that summer (before freshman year) and I never got them.

Did you register as Catholic?

Maybe! I probably did to increase my chances of getting in, so I probably would have used that to my advantage since I didn’t have a lot else going for me as a white girl. White girls at Loyola are pretty rare…Oh! But I was coming off of a summer at a Baptist Christian camp and I knew I wanted to find a community so I searched and searched for one and I visited and went up to Mike and was like “Mike! What do I have to do to serve in this ministry?” and ever since then I’ve been here. Alex and I used to go together. It’s a very cute story.

Did y’all start going together?

I think I found Agape but we lived on Regis’ fourth floor together, and Agape used to be in the Galvin auditorium. So we’d sit in the back, and whenever they’d count us off for groups, without fail for at least the first semester, Alex and I would go into Kelly’s group. We never went with our numbers, we always went to Kelly’s group!

Kelly Clark?

Mm-hmm. She claims she never noticed.

What draws you into the community?

I just feel the presence of God in our community. This is the first church that I’ve actually been a part of and led in where I feel and see the presence of God more than talk about the presence of God. That’s what keeps me coming back first and foremost, but now all my favorite people are there so that helps.

Why are you a Christian?

I’m a Christian because I’ve experienced and felt the love of God, and after knowing that- feeling the love and forgiveness, I can’t go back to not believing that or not having that. I stay a Christian because I know that my life is better with God in it.

What draws you to Jesus?

My inability to make any sort of decisions and the fact that it’s not my decision and it’s not my plan; no matter what I say or do, God’s plan is gonna happen so I’d rather stay on the bandwagon.

What does the church need?

I’m really appreciating our re-focus on God. As freshmen, we were very insular-focused, and especially last year, but I do really feel the switch and I appreciate it. I didn’t even realized we needed it until we started it! Right now, I I think we say that we wanna have a presence on campus and I think that’s the first step, but I don’t think we’ve achieved that yet. We need to really push ourselves out of our comfort zones and have a presence on campus. I was thinking that for one night in Agape, we should just go to a Loyola basketball game. Imagine the presence of 80 extra students with a positive impact being at that game- the students would appreciate it; the faculty would appreciate it. Or going to other events when people actually post about them- how many of us actually go to those events? I know a lot of it is because we’re busy, but we can be known on campus, and seen.

What breaks your heart?

I think first and foremost what breaks my heart is people not willing to listen- I’m definitely guilty of that. I think we create our own reality and our own truth and its really easy to stick with that. Even if its not right, even if it’s not what God is telling us. Because of that, Syrian refugees are not allowed into countries and people are racially profiled and we close our eyes to the poor on the corners in Chicago, and all because we assume a truth that isn’t there. I think we as a culture have a really hard time listening to each other, and that breaks my heart.

What feeds your soul?

Worship; time with Jesus alone where it’s quiet; time with my friends, my family; coffee, food, good conversation.

Do you have a favorite book?

My all-time favorite series is Harry Potter because I grew up with it- it was my childhood. Recently I read “And the Mountains Echoed,”- it’s like a generational book and I really liked it.

What did you like about it?

It went through a few generations of a family and outlined their entire lives, but did it in a way that connected with lots of other families and it was very dramatic, very tragic, so it drew me in.

What would you say to the person reading this?

So my little brother told me yesterday on the phone, when I told him I was graduating and didn’t know what to do with my life, he just says “Sarah! Just live the life you want to live!” which is great advice, but I would change that to “live the life that God wants you to live.”