Good lookin' out.

Prayer. It is an awesome and incredibly powerful thing. And I’m not going to lie…I have been known to be a bit of a doubter. Let’s just say that trust and patience aren’t my strong suits. And you need a whole lot of both of those things when it comes to prayer. But God has been proving to me that all things really are possible through Christ.

Like many other poor college students, finances are a pretty regular source of stress and a pretty constant subject of prayer. With the recent death of my car and purchase of a replacement, another tuition bill due, and a summer without working, money has not been in surplus to say the least. I am now back to my near-minimum wage part-time job living at home because I can’t afford rent with an empty bank account and a stack of student loans. And then there’s that pesky addiction to traveling that’s eating me out of house and home. I am a firm believer that God helps those who help themselves, and that is why I am working at an on-campus job and paid internship while going to school full time. And with all that, it's easy for me to start thinking my prayers are broken or something. But completely out of the blue, my campus minister brought up a scholarship opportunity for students that are involved with Campus Ministry, from Kent County, and have financial need…so basically, me in a nutshell. He nominated me, and I got it! I didn’t even have to do anything. It is a straight up blessing, and I am heaps thankful to know that God’s got my back. Good lookin’ out, God.

So, this week alone, God has blessed me with a car and a completely unexpected scholarship. And that is after He gave me the incredible opportunity to spend my summer in Australia. Which was after he answered months of prayer about his will for music in my life by blessing me with the CM music internship. And after the past three days at our Campus Ministry Leadership Retreat, I am feeling nothing but grateful and completely blessed for the amazing community I am a part of and the role I have in that community. So basically, I am ready to take on the world. From Grand Valley. Because I can. For with God, nothing is impossible.

-Ray

Greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done...

I own a car. That's right people. After my little brother oh-so-kindly totaled the ole Tinkmobile, I have been left without a vehicle, which is necessary for transporting me to school, work, my internship, and other minor details like that. But I now have a new warmly welcomed set of keys on my key chain to a 2002 Dodge Neon (yes, the same kind of car as my dad and the same color as my Cavalier...I guess we're afraid of change in the Mason family or something). For those of you that have experienced the joy of my 1997 Cavalier in all of its disastrous glory, you will understand that this is quite a bit of an upgrade for me. I mean, when I put it into park, it stays there! And when I drive over a bump, my windshield wipers don't turn on full speed! What!? I am moving up in this world! It looks a little something like this:

I have been praying hardcore for God to bless me with a vehicle before I head off to the three-day Campus Ministry Leadership Retreat that starts tomorrow because from there on out, I will be kicking the semester into high gear and will be lucky to have a moment to breath, let alone search for a car. And shuffling between my parents and brother's cars would get a bit more tricky when my mom goes back to work and my brother moves out to Cornerstone. I was at the point in my car search where I was ready to start lowering my standards and/or finding ways to increase my budget because I just needed something. But I found a car that had everything I wanted, and I could actually afford. So lesson learned: Don't ever give up on prayers, and God always comes through...usually at the last minute.  

Campus Ministry is hitting the ground running as we jump into this school year, and I am really excited for what God is doing here at Grand Valley. I met with our amazing worship director, Stacie, last Friday to start taking on my duties at Music Intern, and we had an intern night for all of the CM interns out at our campus minister's cottage on Lake Michigan last night. As I was discussing with a friend of mine last week, our return to Campus Ministry activities feels like we're reuniting with our family after a summer apart. Jumping into this leadership role has really helped me get excited for this year and excited to be here. It was a weird transition to come home from Australia to the last couple weeks of a summer that I haven't been a part of, but the last few days have brought me both peace of mind and excitement for what's next.

Romans 12:6-8 says, "In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly." One of the things that I learned in Australia is that God has given me a gift for singing, and it's for a reason. It's more than just a passion or a dream. God has blessed with something that I can use for his glory, and I have been given a huge opportunity to use music to bring glory to God and to disciple others through this internship with Campus Ministry. 1 Peter 4:11 says, "Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen." So, I'm going to sing like God himself is singing, and I'm going to lead with all the strength and energy God supplies. I'm here at Grand Valley right now with this role ahead of me for a reason, and I'm not going to let myself miss it because I'm too caught up in the past or the future.

It's interesting how life comes in seasons. I am currently experiencing both a painful goodbye to my season of Australian adventure and an eager hello to a new season at Grand Valley and with Campus Ministry. I have realized that there is no such thing as transition time. Nothing is wasted. Every season of life that we go through is for a reason and affects both seasons past and seasons to come. Life is a really interesting tangled web of little stories that make up one big epic journey. And even though I am really sad to let Australia go (for now), I am really excited for the next chapter.

So, bring it on, God! Here I am. Send me!

-Ray