Back to School Reflections



I was driving on the way home from vacation in Ocean City, MD. I decided to stop by my alma mater St. Joseph's University. It was a whopping 12 years ago when I was a freshman in college, and I graduated in 2017. Here is what it looks like now.


There are a lot of things that are different now. I did a lot of things I regret, and there are also things that changed my life. I am going to be honest here; I regret the times I drank a lot of alcohol. There were weekend days where I was hungover. There were weekends that were fun despite having no alcohol. There were times I struggled in classes. There were times I did well. It was a roller coaster! 

The year that ultimately changed my life was the 2016-2017 school year. I remember getting a call from my parents on April Fool's Day, telling me that Uncle Mark passed away. That was heartbreaking, and I remember driving about three hours to go to the viewing and three hours back the next morning after the funeral. 

For some reason I looked online and there was a Michael W. Smith concert soon after in Lancaster, so I decided to go. I remember thousands of people raising their hands in worship on Mighty to Save specifically. There were other great songs as well, such as This is Your Time and Friends. He also mentioned that he was going to Israel, so I mentioned it to my family, we looked at the itinerary during the time they were there for graduation, and we booked it. 

That trip is still to this day the best trip I ever went on. I actually believe God had me at St Joseph's University for this reason. I don't know if our family would have ever gone to Israel and our lives would have been transformed in such a dramatic fashion unless this happened. We saw a lot of sites (Mount of Beatitudes, Western Wall, Megiddo, Tel Dan, Dead Sea, Nazareth, Southern Steps, etc). 

On a side note, my family and I got to talk with Michael W Smith and his wife Debbie a few times on the trip. They are so nice! 

Anyways, I remember two major instances during that trip.

1) We were on a boat on the Sea of Galilee. Michael W. Smith and another keyboardist at the time played a concert with a choir. There was a pastor he brought on the trip as well, and he had a sermon. Each of us was given a rock. We wrote our fears, worries, etc. on the rock and threw them into the Sea of Galilee. 

2) We were in an auditorium. The pastor demonstrated carrying the cross and I think had a sermon. We were all given a slip of paper and nailed our sins, worries, fears, etc. to the cross. There was a concert as well. 


Now, for the students going back to school:
  • Make sure the Lord is first place in your life. He really is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him. 

  • God created the heavens and the earth. We have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. However, Jesus lived a perfect life as fully God and fully man, fulfilling the law and the prophets. He paid the price we couldn't on the cross, satisfied God's wrath, and died in our place bearing our sins on the cross. He then rose again conquering sin and death and is now sitting at God's right hand. He will come again. Repent (change of mind then turn away from sin) and believe in Him receiving (recognizing and accepting) Him as Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit transforms people from the inside-out. If you are a believer, repentance still does happen, and the Lord will finish what He started. God works in us both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Works are a evidence we're justified by faith in Christ before others and proof of a living faith before others.

  • As Christians, we are to be holy, set apart and devoted to the Lord. Peter wrote, "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy'" (1 Peter 1:14-16). John wrote, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world" (1 John 2:15-16).

  • This will result in being mocked and persecuted but take heart! If you are a believer, you will endure till the end. Jesus said, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Peter wrote, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed" (1 Peter 4:12-13).

  • Bullying is horrible. Don't do it. Jesus said, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:12).

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