麻豆AV

Every year, about two weeks before classes start at Covenant, the men鈥檚 soccer team holds what we call, 鈥渇un camp.鈥� The purpose of this camp is for incoming freshmen to meet the returning team members and enjoy playing in a low-pressure environment before the intensity of the official pre-season begins. Going into my freshman year of 鈥渇un camp,鈥� I remember being met with an overwhelming sense of community and fellowship. One morning, as I walked downstairs, I saw an older team member on the back porch, Bible open, reading and praying through God鈥檚 word. This left a lasting impression on me. As I moved onto my hall, I discovered that daily morning scripture reading and prayer were a regular occurrence for many of the young men who lived there. Although I had grown up in the church and even attended a Christian high school, it was not until arriving at Covenant that I really started to read and study scripture on my own. Through the examples and encouragement of older peers during my freshman year, I began to form a routine of regular scripture reading and prayer. 

Even though I was developing the needed practices of daily time in God鈥檚 word and prayer, I found my freshman year and quite a bit of my time at Covenant very challenging. My expectations of a residential hall experience, collegiate soccer career, and academic success were nearly shattered over the course of my time at Covenant. Midway through my first semester of freshman year, I had to move halls. This sudden loss of community was disorienting and confusing. Additionally, the discouragement from a minimal amount of playing time on the soccer field weighed heavily on me after a very successful high school career. Furthermore, confusion and uncertainty about which academic path I should take all contributed to a season of depression and worry. But the consistency of prayer and the word was a light during an often dark and discouraging time. When I spent time with the Lord, I learned more about His love for me. I experienced His comfort in anxiety-filled weeks and knew His peace when my heart was restless. 

Covenant offers built in spiritual rhythms, like chapel, that remind us of the importance of these disciplines. Many of my close friends know that chapels are some of my favorite parts of the week. During the spring of my junior year in the very last chapel of the semester, Chaplain Lowe addressed the outgoing senior class with words of encouragement as they were about to enter into a new phase of life. He emphasized the importance of prayer and daily devotion in the word, and I was reminded of the importance of spending time with Jesus. He said, 鈥淭his progression may seem so basic, but it鈥檚 at the very foundation of what it means to be human and to be a follower of Jesus. It鈥檚 a very logical progression, but it's the deepest and most beautiful truth鈥攖hat to love Jesus you have to know Jesus, and to know Jesus you have to spend time with Jesus.鈥�  I will carry this message with me for the rest of my life: Scripture reading and prayer are solely about learning to fall more in love with Jesus. 

Though my time at Covenant has had its challenges, I have experienced joys, blessings, and the growth of deep friendships. As I graduate, there are many things that I will miss from this Covenant community. I will miss being surrounded by such a large community of believers and the times we worship and pray together in chapel and in our halls. I will miss living life with a group of men who, since freshman year, have grown with me, leaning into the practice of daily prayer and devotions and discussing how the Lord is working in our lives.

Through the encouragement and examples of peers, mentors, and the work of the Holy Spirit, I have formed spiritual rhythms at Covenant that have caused my faith to grow and my relationship with the Lord to deepen. The spiritual grooves created in my heart from regular Bible reading, prayer, and corporate worship have grown deep and wide here at Covenant. I will miss 麻豆AV, but I will graduate with confidence鈥攏ot in myself, but in the Lord鈥攆or I鈥檝e come to know Him more intimately in the past four years.

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