“Finals that is!  To tell the truth, I am both nervous and scared.  I keep wondering. “Am I ready?” But, does anyone feel completely ready for finals? I sure don’t.  I just grabbed myself a table in the library and am settling in for a long day of studying.  Looking back over this past year, I can see how Covenant has stretched me academically.
 
My high school did not prepare me academically for college.  I have forced myself to learn how to put my academics at the top of my priority list.  Balancing my social life and my academics has been an uphill battle.  Without Covenant’s help I would never have made it this year.  They have helped me in so many different ways by offering their services.  Covenant has a writing center where they tutor students in writing essays, and it’s a place you can bring your papers and have them edited.  There are tutors for most subjects, who are available to help students in the evenings.  Teachers are always available to answer any questions you might have and give extra help when needed.
 
I never invested much time forming relationships with my high school teachers.  The teachers here pursue their students and build relationships with them.  I have never experienced anything like this before.  Professors invite students into their homes, lead small groups, participate in campus activities, and take time to engage in conversation just to find out how you are doing.  One thing I have appreciated about being at Covenant is that I don’t feel like I am just a number.
 
Another lesson has been learning how to trust God with my academics.  I find myself worrying, feeling the pressure of trying to get everything done, especially with finals around the corner.  It’s so easy to think I need to perform academically for my parents, my teachers, and even my friends.  But really, what I need to remember is that God is my audience, and that should be my motivation to my very best.
 
Yes, this year has not only taught me academics, but it has also taught me how to be a student.  So now, I had better put into practice my good study habits I’ve developed this year and focus on my finals that are coming up :) I’m not going to lie; it’s hard!  Come Monday, I will begin my finals…READY OR NOT!

A drive-in movie, Cary Grant, and friends I enjoy…it can’t get better than that. Every semester each class puts on an event for the entire student body. The freshman class decided to create a “drive-in theatre”. Study break…anything to relieve the stress. Obviously I wasn’t the only one that needed a study break. Cars filled to the max with students who began pouring into the parking lot. The aroma of popcorn coaxed students out of their cars and the refreshment lines began to grow. There was much food, fun, and laughter while set-up was taking place. The sun was setting, the tail-gates were down, and the movie was about to begin. And there he was…in all his glory…CARY GRANT! We all settled down and watched “His Girl Friday” for the next couple of hours and gave our minds a rest.

The other day someone asked me, “Did Covenant meet all your expectations?” What a question! I stood there for a moment reviewing the past year. Having been asked that question in the past, I found it easy to answer it with a quick “yes”. This time, however, the question seemed to sink in.

I reflected back on my first days at Covenant. I had such a stereotypical idea of what college was going to be like. I purposely tried not to form expectations because I didn’t want to set myself up for possible disappointment. I simply had no idea what I was getting myself into. All that I knew for sure was that I was ready to be where God wanted me to be.

With this in mind, I was able to answer the question. Of course Covenant did meet all my expectations. Sure there were surprises that caught me off guard, but that’s life. I cannot have a checklist of expectations for all of my experiences. I need to align my expectations with God’s will for me in that experience. If I continue to do this then all my expectations will be met, because my expectations will be God’s expectations.

YES! Covenant has met my expectations. I know that this is where God wants me to be. So when there are surprises, I am able to see them as perhaps the very reason God has me at Covenant.

I remember my first day I came to Covenant. As we were entering Chattanooga on the freeway, I looked up…way up.  There was Covenant College on the very top of the mountain.   I could see Carter Hall peering through the trees. What a beautiful sight it was! It stood so proud and tall. Then we began to climb the mountain.  What a roller coaster!  We swerved to the right, and then to the left…making sharp rights and then sharp lefts. All of a sudden we came to an opening that displayed the city of Chattanooga to us at a glance.  It was absolutely breathtaking.  But even more so at night!  It is like a box of jewels as you look out over the glowing city lights.  I have now been up and down the mountain many times and that spot never loses its “WOW”.   I would have to say that it is one of my favorite sights on the mountain.

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Today was a rough day. I had a huge paper due this morning at 9 in my New Testament Class. I, of course, being a typical college student waited till the last minute to work on it. I stayed up all night to finish it. I hate doing that. Some people can stay up all night and not be affected, however when I do it I’m all out of sorts the entire next day. All I wanted to do today was put on my sweats and crawl into bed. It was the perfect day for it too because it was cold and rainy outside. This just disappointed me more because it was suppose to warm up by today. So today was hard, I struggled to stay awake in my classes and was very grumpy by the time I headed to work. I worked forever it felt like, and I could just hear my bed calling to me.

Finally, my day seemed to come to a close and I made it home to my dorm. I crawled up in my bunk and began to rearrange myself to make a comfy nest out of the feathered pad on my bed. But, I got distracted when I heard my sweet-mate, Lindsey’s, voice in our ajoining room. I climbed down and thought I would say a quick goodnight before I fell asleep. Surprise…surprise! We ended up talking for two hours. So here I am, finally getting in my bed at 2:00 in the morning, after getting no sleep the night before. All I can say is, “Hey that’s college life for you.”

This weekend was Easter break and I was planning to enjoy a nice relaxing weekend in my room, accompanied by my books, my bed, and a bit of work. However, was I in for a surprise! Thursday afternoon I headed into work to put in a couple of hours before the office closed. It was sad to see my friend’s head home for their breaks, and I knew this meant I would probably have a very lonely birthday which happened to fall on Easter Sunday; I was beginning to feel homesick.

After giving a campus tour, I packed up my bag and headed back to my empty room. When I walked into the lobby I was surprised to see my four roommates. They invited me to go to dinner with them before they headed out. With only 10 minutes before the cafeteria closing, we got some of our guy friends to drive us over. As we hopped into the van I was greeted with several grinning faces.

Heading out of the parking lot, I noticed we turned the opposite direction…we weren’t headed to the dining hall at all. Now I was suspicious that something was up.When I asked what they were doing, my roommates told me they were bringing me camping. “CAMPING!” I yelled. I had wanted to go camping for weeks. I was so excited I was bouncing all over the back seat. We headed off to a camping ground called, Cloudland Canyon, about 30 minutes away from the school. There we met up with another one of my good friends who had been waiting with the equipment.

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Today the Equality Riders came to Covenant. This is a group of homosexual activist who are traveling through the United States and who in their own words stated that they are fighting for, “freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance.” Click to continue »