New Heaven; New Earth

The idea of seeing Jesus and life going on forever and ever in a perfect world (after death) has been on my mind recently. What if that reality is closer than we think? There’s the analogy so many pastors use when they share the Gospel of what if you die tomorrow…? It is true that we often don’t receive a heads up when we are about to die, though I don’t want people to be living in fear. I do wonder though if Jesus might come back for His Bride sooner rather than later, but Jesus doesn’t even know when He will come back for us. I believe He is sitting on His throne in heaven with great anticipation to coming back for His Bride, though!

The Gospel is a grand story with the greatest plot out there. People like to say that every story written today is based off of Shakespeare’s stories. I think Shakespeare is based off the Bible! A benevolent Creator created a universe and then the creation rebelled against the rules set in place. Then years of torment occurred because of this decision and the creation tried to work their way out of their own mess. The Creator came up with ways to interject into their lives and reconnect, even choosing a people group to set apart as His very own. Then finally, the Creator sent His only Son to be a sacrifice to break the curse the creation had brought upon itself and restore what had been broken. And now we await the redemption of all things….

Redemption of all things. That has been rolling around in my head. We will live forever, in perfect communion with our Creator. The sin, pain, mess, hurt… it will all be gone. That is impossible to imagine. I have no context for how much sin affects my life, though I know it does. A family friend died for a short time and was brought back. But while she was dead, she got to see Jesus and experience life outside of this life. She didn’t want to come back because it was so terrible on this earth. She understood how close sin clings to us and how it separates us from God, even when we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. I think God gives us glimpses of the eternal glory sometimes, but it doesn’t last in this world. Perhaps it is even so we can endure the pain we are going through. Paul knew he would be better off going to heaven, but wanted to do His part of shepherding the Church on earth. That was the only thing that kept him from wanting to go home to heaven (Philippians 1:23-24).

God is with us at all times, doing this life with us, but what would it be like for sin to not exist?

I believe that in the New Earth, we will still have jobs and responsibilities. How cool will it be to work on a project alongside Jacob, Moses, Nehemiah… How cool for our ideas, plans, and projects to not have the same setbacks and mistakes we now experience? Failure would have no sting. I believe creativity and gifts of all kinds will be in their perfection in eternity. How will the Kingdom culture break down barriers between people groups, helping us find our sameness? Will cultures still exist in the way we see them today? Will we get to travel? Will we live close to people we knew on earth? Will we just naturally fall into the worship that goes on there? Will we get to go see Jesus any time we want?

There are so many things to ponder about eternity, but the key is to make sure our relationship with God is solid in this life so that we will go to heaven, to that wonderful place to be with Jesus!

Sustaining Life

“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God” (John 1:1). There was a time when only the Trinity existed. The time before creation. Then by the Word, God created. But even after He had created man, He had to breathe the breath of life into his nostrils for him to come alive (Genesis 2:7). The very breath in our lungs has been given to us by our Creator. This shows us that the very foundation of our life is reliant upon God, far more than many of us think about on a regular basis.

It is easy to take the life and health we have been given until it is taken from us. What happens when our health fails mentally, physically, emotionally, or otherwise? It is in that place where we are brought to our knees and we understand our need for God to breathe life into us.

Ezekiel, a prophet to Israel, was given a vision/ was taken to a valley full of dry bones by the Lord. God showed him how dry and lifeless they were by having him walk the length of the valley a few times. Then God asked Ezekiel if the bones could live again. Ezekiel was wise in his answer, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know” (Ezekiel 37:3). Then God gave him words to prophesy over the dry bones: words that made them become bodies again. But even after the bodies had reformed, the breath of life had to enter them for them to live. God is the only One who can control that aspect of life.

There are almost definitely spaces in each of our lives that look like dry bones. And if you don’t have a place in mind, I can offer even the spiritual state of so many people in America and around the world. But I believe that when we pray to God, listen to what He has to say, and then speak those things over the dry bones, they can be brought back from the dead. And ultimately, God can breathe His life on them!

“Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. ¹⁴ I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’””

Ezekiel 37:11-14

This is a message of hope. We are to be a people of hope because we know the One who is hope for the entire world- Jesus!! But we also must keep in mind that this process often looks different than we expect. We often find ourselves waiting when we want to be walking in the fulfillment of whatever we are hoping for. And that is part of the purpose of patience and contentment. God always has something to give us in the moment, even if it’s not what we are most longing for. And God has promised us that “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3).

Israel waited years for the first fulfillment of this prophesy, and they are waiting for it again. They are still not dwelling peacefully in the land God promised them to this very day. That is incredibly painful for them. Beyond talking about their possession of the promised land, I believe the passage also looks forward to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Jesus coming, laying down His life, and rising from the dead brought access to life, just as happened in the passage of Scripture. And after Jesus ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit came and live within us! (Old Testament prophesy is cool in that is is referring to multiple things at the same time!)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.John 14:6

Life has always been eternal. It is just that after the fall, when Adam and Eve chose to go against God’s good will, we have a choice whether we want the life-giving power sustaining us forever by being/ living in the presence of God, or whether we want eternity trying to create the life we want.

Jesus offered a way of life that is upside-down to everything we would expect. To receive life, we die to self. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galations 2:20). To gain anything, we surrender. To lead, we serve. Life looks like doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). We work to provide for the poor, needy, and oppressed (while not enabling them). We cling tightly to the forgiveness that has been offered to us for our every sin, trespass, and wrong-doing. We understand how God has created and placed us and walk out our days in communication with Him.

After Jesus left earth, He sent the third part of the Trinity to come live within us! We know it is this very Spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, so He certainly has life-giving ability! The Holy Spirit leads us and guides us into all truth and gives us power to go forth with the Gospel of the Good News. This is life that flows out of our being in a way that is so beautiful when we have surrendered to God. It is a process to let Him transform our mind, heart, and will so that we find ourselves in a place where His life is freely accessed. When we are able to access His life freely, we are able to walk as new creations in Christ Jesus!

2022 Review

It was a year full of stretching and growth. God revealing things to come at the beginning of the year (but not giving details) really stressed me out. Fasting til 1pm for the first week of the year helped so much!

I lived in a women’s home as a leader through the end of May. I saw huge amounts of redemption and healing happen. I also saw things happen that I had only seen in horror movies previously and learned that demons can change things in the temporal moment, but God is the one who changes things for eternity. Demons will create fear and/ or a sense of power, but God brings peace and a true knowledge that the God within us has all power. It was a draining season full of a lot of oppression and carrying burdens, but I got used to relying on God in even deeper ways. I also grew to a new level of giving. So many people poured into me during this season and seeds were planted.

My car was out of commission for months at a time a couple times this year and that forced me to slow down. It also allowed me to connect with other people to a greater extent.

I helped lead worship for the first time and did it a few more times throughout the year. I got to take 2 classes at Bible school and learned a lot. It was a place of peace and restoration, especially when I was in the Women’s Home.

Hannah and I drove late at night to meet friends at the New River Gorge in West Virginia for a camping/ outdoor climbing trip. Even though it was raining, it was still a blast to climb on real rock for the first time! It was a hard trip, but oh so worth it!

I moved into my first apartment in June that I am sharing with a friend (Hannah). The longer I have been here, the more I realized how much I had been in survival mode. It took quite some time to relax out of it and I’m sure there is still progress to be made. I slept on an air mattress for a couple months, but was eventually GIVEN a queen size mattress, box spring, and frame. Many monumental moments with God have happened in our lil’ apartment, both finding refuge in Him and doing battle against the lies of the enemy. We got a little fishy that has such a strong, energetic, and friendly personality.

In June, I went to visit my family in Virginia. On the way back, I brought an old friend from my youth group back to Pittsburgh with me. He stayed with someone else up here, but he quickly became one of my best friends and we hung out every day that he was in town. It was a season of breaking into deeper levels of knowing and experiencing God, but also knowing people on a deeper level. 

During that time, we went to a service and a woman who was ministering to me asked me if there was anything I really wanted to do? I was struck by the question and searched my mind quickly. The main thing that popped up was to travel the world. She asked if there was something I really wanted but hadn’t asked God for? I couldn’t think of anything. She told me to pack my suitcase because I would be leaving soon. The next day God reminded me that I wanted to go on vacation to the Outer Banks with my family but I didn’t think it was possible. It turns out that the timing was perfect for my roomie and my friend from VA to go with me and we got a free vacation out of it! We went on a roadtrip style vacation, spending time in the Outer Banks, Hampton, Lynchburg, Baltimore, and Frederick. We met/ interacted with many people who impacted me in beautiful ways.

My roommate challenged me to go days without washing my hair during the summer, which changed my perspective on life a bit. Lol

About a month after returning, I went on a missions trip to Mexico. It was an amazing experience, but there was also a deep pain from not being able to connect with the people to the extent that I wanted to (due to the language barrier)! The people were beautiful, hardworking, and kind. A shift happened in the way I view ministry thanks to a woman on the trip. I was told that ministry would come from my heart and it’s not something that requires striving. And then she shared a key to that actually happening– rest. She truly lived it out for me to see. Ministry and life began to feel lighter.

August was a turning point for me. God made it clear it was time to settle down at Monroeville Assembly of God. It was just like coming home in the most comforting way, after being gone for many months. 

At the end of August I was finally hired! I had a crazy simple and mind-blowing interview where they hired me on the spot. It was so clear to me how many things God had been lining up. Beginning work was overwhelming and I was numb for a couple weeks, but God gave me heapings of grace in the form of strength, clarity, and hearing His voice in the midst of it. It is becoming more and more natural to work there and I love my coworkers!

After the initial roughness of starting work, I started volunteering as a youth leader at MAOG. It was another way of stepping out of my comfort zone, but it has brought me so much joy to get to know the teens! God loves showing His love to them and it’s beautiful to see Him revealing how He wants to work in and through them!

Hannah and I also started a young adult women’s Bible study group. It has been the most life-giving group I have ever been a part of and God is truly carrying the weight of the ministry on His shoulders!

This fall, God spoke to me about becoming whatever He asked of me, not what I expected myself to be. It challenged me to surrender on new levels and walk in places I would not have otherwise. The layers of joy and pain have only grown deeper and deeper. I have certainly known pain in the past, but I always backed away from what felt like death. This time, I understood that it was/ is the way to true life. We are to pour ourselves out for the Gospel and for other people.

Day-by-day, I am given what I need as I seek God and open myself to His plan. God always has more. I have seen healing happen in my life and the lives of others. I have seen God’s truth win out over lies and freedom grow. I have seen blessings flow as I allow them to flow to the people around me. Joy has begun to be more of a practice as I began to see more and more how God was using the less than ideal circumstances in my life. I have learned to embrace my limits just a little more in the midst of all this. I have learned the power of prayer on a whole new level this year! God truly cares about the little things in our lives!

Seasons of Waiting

Sometimes seasons flow quickly and easily into each other, and then other times, it seems there is a long wait for the next season to begin. I began looking for a new job back in January of this year and got hired at the end of August. My last job ended at the end of May and the time between felt like filler time in a way. If I had had my way, I would have found a job in June, but I have come to appreciate the time between and see God’s hand at work in it.

In June, I traveled to Virginia, had a lot of time to hang out with friends, went on a 10 day adventure vacation with friends (and fam), got the apartment fixed up, went to Mexico on a missions trip, got free furniture, processed grief, read books, and wrote. It was a time of healing and preparation. I didn’t realize how much the previous season had drained me and how much I needed time to decompress and heal.

I just started the next job: Chick-fil-A. It is demanding and stressful in its own way, but it is also quite fun. There are many opportunities for growth and for pouring into other people. But I think I really needed time to rest and grow before I began this position. If I had started right away, I would have hit burnout so fast.

God really does know what He’s doing in writing our stories and can be trusted even when it goes differently than we anticipated. The knowledge is sinking in that even when God gives me a piece of the puzzle for the future, the picture won’t look the way I think it will. Like, EVERY SINGLE TIME. That’s okay. (Though I honestly expected more of prophesy.. It seems like there is more mystery now that more is being revealed to me.) There is so much freedom and joy in letting go and letting God write the story in a surprising way, though!

Sometimes it is in the places that we never wanted to visit that we find the gold we didn’t even know we needed. So that season of waiting that doesn’t make any sense to you is fulfilling a purpose. It is the times that require endurance, patience, and faith that end up filling the cracks in our foundation: the deep cracks we didn’t know were there ’til they were exposed by the rain of a storm. God knows where they are when we don’t and He is gracious enough to fill them in for us.

Life can be brutal, but we have a King who has conquered it all and wants to walk with us each step of our story. He’s not afraid of the messy parts and He knows the best places for us to step. He really does have a good, pleasing, and perfect will for us. God loves us, and walking through life knowing you are loved makes all the difference in the world!

The Faithfulness of God

The stability and faithfulness of God has been a recurring theme in my life lately. As an unsettled/ in limbo/ anticipation feeling has come into my life this year, I have found God to be a source of peace and security. Each of our days is marked by good things when we walk by the Spirit. Life is infinitely more an adventure when you are following the Spirit’s leading. That is what I have discovered.

An adventure is simply an experience gone bad framed in a different light. Walking by the Spirit reminds us that we don’t have control over much, except ourselves and the way we respond. There are positive and negative ways of responding, and of course the Spirit will help us to choose the positive way (only if we allow Him).

The life I live I live by faith. Faith is key to accessing the Spirit’s leading. If we do not have faith to step into what we are urged toward then the Spirit has no room to even prove Himself faithful to us.

This past summer, I drove up to Pittsburgh in faith, based on what I had been told by God. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done, yet God has proved so faithful to make a way for me and to confirm each step. I am now trusting Him to provide financially while I am doing ministry full-time because He promised to provide for me. Whenever I check my bank account numbers, I am continually blown away by the numbers that greet me. How He does it, I’m not even sure, but faith makes way for the impossible to become possible!

God knows each of us so intimately and therefore knows every single need that we have, be it emotional, mental, physical, relational, or spiritual. When we go to Him and expect in faith that He will meet those needs, He comes through in the most amazing ways to create stability in us and show us His extravagant love. Sometimes it feels turbulent for a bit, but God will always bring peace when we come to Him. Sit at the feet of Jesus because wholeness, healing, and stability are found there.

Jesus came to earth to redeem the lost and restore relationship between us and God. The bridge is available only through Him. We have access to the Kingdom of God here on earth when we are connected to Him and it makes all the difference! It can bring a ton of stability to life in this world.

Redeeming Love: True and False Love

The sharp contrast between prostitution and sex within marriage cuts you to the core as you watch the screen adaptation of ‘Redeeming Love’ by Francine Rivers. It shows pretty clearly the difference between real and fake love and the difference that having real love makes in a relationship. Abuse on some level is almost certain to happen when God’s love is not in the picture. The magnitude and weight of the love of God is beautifully portrayed in contrast to the false love that the world breeds.

John 3:16 tells us, “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only begotten Son, that whoever believes shall not perish but have eternal life.” And in Jeremiah 31:3, we are told, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Sometimes the love God expresses can feel a bit unapproachable. Maybe that is why God gives us the example of marriage as a picture of the mystery of Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:32). We are the Bride of Christ and He will present us spotless (by purification via loving us well) (Eph 5:27). Husbands are told to love their wives as Christ loved the Church, giving Himself up for her (Eph 5:25). Wives are told to submit to their husbands, just as the Church submits to Christ (Eph 5:24). This is a high calling, for both the Church and for husbands and wives!

A prostitute does what she does because for some reason she is being forced to/ has become accustomed to the lifestyle. Often it is a combination of the two. This correlates so much with who we are when we are living in sin. When we are in sin, we have no choice but to continue doing things that do not bring us life and joy and peace. We are trapped. It is a constant need to survive and it is all transactional.

God invites us into a love that allows us free choice. Suddenly, we can make our own decisions and we have the option to choose things that bring life or things that bring death. There are no longer accounts because what is done in love is not to be kept tally of. Each person gives of themselves for the other’s benefit because they want the best for them. Each person is also free to choose not to make loving choices. This applies to sex inside of marriage, but also the rest of life, and specifically to the freedom that is offered in relationship with Christ. When God asks something of us, it is for our best and His best, but it is not a one-sided relationship.

When Jesus calls us to lay down our life, take up our cross, etc., He is simply showing us what it means to respond to the love that He has already shown us. We did not know what love was, but He showed it to us, continues to show it to us, and the love story will continue on into all eternity. As we are perfected by His perfect love, we will find it easier and easier to reciprocate. And our love for God is shown in our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. The closest picture of this love story with God is found in a marriage where both people are connected to God and His great love. Then both are able to give and receive that love freely! And we get an even clearer picture of God’s love for us by seeing and participating in a marriage that is based on God’s perfect love.

2021 Review

It was such a crazy year! There is no way to tell all that God did in and through me this year. The word for the year was clarity and as the year unfolded, I received more and more of it. The emotions of this year have been the most intense I’ve ever experienced and I’m pretty sure at least a gallon bucket could be filled with all the tears I cried. There were moments I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to keep going, but God gave me the strength to keep putting one foot in front of the other (or to keep my foot on the gas peddle). There were also many moments of deep joy and peace and I found promises and desires fulfilled in the most satisfying ways. Truly, I have learned to be “Godfident”, as a woman in Virginia said.

Many significant things happened this year:

Had my first boyfriend and also broke up with him. Also learned a lot about healthy dating and relationships throughout the rest of the year.

Was introduced to the gifts of the Spirit and the spiritual realm on a whole new level (for example, oppression and deliverance).

Went to the ER, and a urologist, for the first time as an adult because I had kidney stones.

Celebrated my birthday with friends in Virginia Beach/ Norfolk, VA and ate fresh seafood right next to the beach!

Went to counseling consistently for the first time in my life and got much needed support and layers of healing from it.

Had my hair bleached and dyed for the first time! Half of it was purple for a couple weeks!

Felt a “calling” to a specific *different* place for the first time.

Said goodbye to friends, family, and my favorite puppy dog to move to Pittsburgh, PA. Also drove 6 and 1/2 hours by myself for the first time.

Moved 2 times once I got to PA.

Found new friends to hang out with (climbing, ice skating, Bible study, ministry, chilling..).

Went to Arizona and saw the Grand Canyon with my Dad (my first time flying and first time being on the west coast!!)! And ate an In and Out burger.

Got involved with outreaches through the Dream Center (which was a desire answered by a good, good Father)!

Got to see Switchfoot in concert (along with Needtobreathe)!

Went to my first charismatic revival services (and actually liked it).

Took a position at a women’s restoration home.

Got sick with Covid.

Celebrated my grandparent’s 60th anniversary with family!

Played piano in front of people and it wasn’t a big deal.

So much happened this year! And God has allowed me to come through it all stronger than I was before. Every time I broke, He healed me. Every step, all that I needed was supplied and a supernatural protection was over me. It’s kinda amazing how much ground I’ve covered (and taken) in just 1 year and it’s all because of God! Super excited to see what He’s going to do next year! “No weapon formed against me shall prevail.”

Advice to a Younger Me

Often I wonder what advice I would give to younger me. Especially now as I find myself in a season that is the culmination of a lot of dreams for me I find myself looking back. There were many moments of pain and defeat when I had to figure out a new way forward with as good an attitude as I could muster. Life is not pain-free, though I admit I have wished that were the case many a time.

I was at a point of settling for a normal life (whatever that means). Give me a full-time job, an apartment, and some community and I’d be good. But instead, God brought to fruition some of the dreams I had given up on. Here I sit, in the goodness of God with a lot of faith and hope that more promises and dreams and working of God is coming. The last time I remember having this much faith was when I was about 13 or 14. God has a big, big plan and He turns all things to good for those who love Him. I can see how what I have experienced since that time has equipped me for where I am now.

Something else that I am learning is that pain exists whether you make the right decision or the wrong decision. Following God can lead you to make very painful changes (but you have the grace of God in the situation). Choosing sin ultimately leads to pain, even if it doesn’t seem that way at first. But that pain does not have the grace of God on it because it was a decision made out of rebellion to His plan.

And perhaps that would be my advice to my younger self: keep moving forward no matter what you hit. There will be tough days. There will be traumatic events. There will be sorrow. That is simply what it means to live in this fallen world. But when you feel the pain, take it to Jesus. He can take every bit of pain you experience and transform it into something beautiful.

How Faith Applies to Your Calling

Faith in God is expressed all throughout the Bible, but I’ve recently been pleasantly surprised to find some of the strongest faith is not found in the New Testament. The New Testament has a lot to teach us about the New Covenant, but our foundation for faith in God is found in the Old Testament. We can learn much from the faith they had looking forward to a time when God would dwell with humanity. Despite not having this, many Israelites still walked in obedience to God. They had a calling on them for the time they lived in, and we each have a calling on us for the time in which we are living now.

The prophet Elisha (1 and 2 Kings) has become my new favorite person in the Bible. He walked in faith that his words and intentions would come to pass because he knew he was right with God and was doing what He willed. He did all kinds of miracles, and even cursed some kids who were making fun of him (and bears came and killed them). Talk about walking in the authority of God! (In case you forgot, the Bible is not PG-rated.) Honestly, when reading the instances of his mighty works, it made me realize that each of us gets the opportunity to walk in that kind of security in the calling and anointing of God on us. But to be able to do that we must have a firm foundation of knowing who the God is that we serve and who He created us to be. Trying to walk in something we are not ready for is very dangerous.

God has pre-planned good works for us to do in His power. Each of us individually have a timeline of plans for this specific time in history which will bring more of the plan and Kingdom of God to the earth. The Lord calls us and equips us for each thing. When we are walking with God, staying in step with the Spirit, and doing what we are called to do in each season, the power and ability to live successfully come. Success for a man or woman of God is different than success for the world.

At the end of the day, success is honoring God in everything. That includes living in a way that is honest with ourselves, pure and submitted before God, and right with others. It means walking on water when He calls us there. In other words, stepping out into the impossible and expecting success. “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). And when we walk by faith, we will see the hand of the Lord at work in our lives!

Having a proper understanding of God’s character is necessary to place our faith properly. We can expect Him to work in line with how the Bible portrays him and that helps us to understand His heart toward our everyday circumstances. This basis helps us recognize His voice as He speaks to specific situations in our lives and the lives of the people around us.

A journey of faith ebbs and flows. Sometimes it’s easier, and other times it’s just plain hard; some seasons will feel easy, while others will feel impossible. The latter kind of season is when God gets to really prove His character and power to us, while the easier seasons can teach us that the Lord also values peace and order and rest. Every season is important though.

I have been through seasons that were extremely painful where things died and I had to bring my hurt to the Lord. I have also been in seasons of great blessing, where the impossible happened constantly and I was able to bring my praise and joy to the Lord. We must learn how to walk through both good and bad seasons with the Lord and to praise Him for who He is no matter what is going on in our world. Will we serve Him no matter what we face?

Through every season that we encounter and each action we take in faith, God grows us in our knowledge of Him and how He wants to work through us. God knows how to grow our faith and make it strong to withstand all that is coming in the future. He is preparing us layer by layer for the callings He has on our lives. Our job is to step out in faith when He asks us to and to engage in conversation with Him all along the journey. We can do nothing apart from God and we can only hope to accomplish anything of worth by His leading and power. He is the one who establishes our steps and anything we put our hands to. So I encourage you to seek Him above all else. There are bountiful rewards for those who do so.

121. How to Handle College Well

College can be hard. My first semester of college was pretty rough (though I’m sure that was affected by the fact that I was homeschooled). I was overwhelmed by the amount of information that I was expected to thoroughly learn. There are some habits, tricks, and mindsets that I have picked up along my personal journey, but I have also been able to help many other students with these tips via tutoring.

1. Go to class (If you are an on-campus student). It amazes me how many people skip out on class. You’re paying a ton of money to be able to sit in a classroom and learn from someone who is very knowledgeable! There are usually pieces of information that you will only hear if you attend class. If you are not an auditory learner, or are not able to learn well in the classroom, then you might as well take online classes!
2. Have a learner’s attitude. If you want to learn, it will be a little bit easier.
3. Take notes. If you are in class and your professor gives you access to their slides (and they follow them), print them off and add little pieces of clarifying info from the lecture. I personally gain from putting my attention toward listening to the professor and writing down the least amount necessary to help me when I’m studying later.
4. Organize the information. This is so key for being able to study well. If the info is not organized in your binder, the chances of it being organized in your mind go down significantly.
5. Have a hobby and friends. School can become all consuming if you don’t make time for other activities. College is a perfect time to try new things and hang out with friends a lot!
6. Exercise! It actually increases your ability to recall information and boosts your mood at the same time.
7. Go to tutoring! Tutors are there to help you grasp the material more fully. If you are having trouble in a class, they can sometimes bring clarity. I personally would try to identify where the gap in knowledge was or what habits would help the student absorb the information better. If you find a tutor that works well with you, it can help you pass a class that you would have failed.

Each student has a different bent and so there will be struggles in different areas. Every student learns a little bit differently as well, so try different things! College is a place where you are forced to dig down and learn how to learn. But perhaps with some trial and error, you can learn how you are wired to learn best!