Thoughts by Hannah Michelle

Summer This quarter has seemed to drag on forever, probably because I decided to take too many classes, but it is finally over!  I am SO excited to have a break from textbooks for awhile.  I'm only taking one last gen-ed online this summer, and I am ready for that much-needed break.   I'm so ready for this summer. I have so many things to look forward to, I can't even contain how excited I am.  For the rest of May, youth ministry is kicking off with a bonfire (this Thursday, 6:30-8:30 pm at the lakes, grades 6-12 welcome!) and I'm so excited to be back with those students.  It's also supposed to be super hot out and I'm looking forward to spending time outside trying to get a bit more sun.  Also, our interns at the church start, and I am SO EXCITED for this!   In June, I will be registering for my junior year at Midland.  It's a bit hard to believe I'm getting this old, but I'm so excited to be registering for ministry classes. :-)...

Hey y’all. Today, I just wanted to share some things with you.   I have been working back through the Bible, trying to read enough each day that I will finish the whole Bible before I go back to school in the fall, so within the past few days, I have (re)read almost all of the Pauline epistles.   Reading them one after another have shown their consistency and repetition of an important word: faith .   There is one point I wanted to discuss that came up in 1 Corinthians 6:12 and 10:23-24.   In the Methodist faith, we talk a lot about free will.   God gave us the gift free choice, as we believe, and not as a robotic or a predetermined fate-following people.   (This belief is different throughout some of the different denominations, but this point is fitting all Christians).     These verses say, “I am allowed to do anything.” Many believers I know use this same kind of mentality: “Well, God is going to save me anyway, so it ...

Finally.  It's finally at that point in the year that the sun is out more days than not.  It's finally warm enough that I can bike to work and lounge in the hammock some afternoons.  (Taking mostly online classes in the spring does have its perks.)  The past about 6 weeks have completely flown by, but overall, they have been incredible.   About 6 weeks ago, I woke up in Cleveland and for the first time in my life, was actually excited to get on a plane to go back to Nebraska.  The excitement that I felt that morning was just like a sneak peak into how exciting these past 6 weeks have been.  I met the youth group students that night, and have luckily been able to be their youth pastor since then.  It's only been 6 weeks, but the youth have grown - not just in numbers (which is surprising in the spring!)  - but they have also began to dive deeper into their faith and ask tougher and tougher questions.  As they've been grappling wi...