learning that it was legit for the first time

Intro

Gosh I love this place. I love this school. I love the people here. I love that this is a place set apart to love God all the time.

Some of yall know already that I actually went to this school. To be honest with you, when I started here, it was hard for me. Before I went to this school, I actually lived 2,000 miles away in the middle of nowhere in southern Virginia. We had actually never used computers in class there and we didn't use computers to write papers. We hand wrote our papers in pencil.

My first english class here at Christian, we got a writing assignment. I went home busted out page after page after page. I confidently turned it in with a smile on my face. My english teacher was not smiling so big. She was a little concerned actually. She said, WHAT IS THAT?” thats my paper I said. She told me it had to be in MLA format and typed out. It was like she was speaking another language. Also, I never typed a paper before! So it took my FOREVER!!! I did not start off appreciating that, but I grew to really love the high standard that Christian has because it made college a lot easier.

Can I tell you one thing I loved about Christian?

I loved the uniforms! It was awesome that I always knew what I was going to wear! I was a blue polo and shorts guy. I never switched it up cause someone would know.

What do yall love about Christian?

Like i said, the uniforms were my fav.

CAN WE GET REAL FOR A MINUTE?

I do want to share with you a little bit of my story. This place is part of my story actually.

My brother and I were raised by just our mom. The reason we actually moved to California and began going to Christian was because my mom got really sick of cancer. She got so sick actually that she could not work anymore. My aunt and uncle, who live out here, opened their home and let us live with them.

The first week of my senior year of high school, my mom died of cancer and I was crushed. Honestly, I couldn't believe that it really happened . My mom was AMAZING and she was gone just like that. My mind sifted through all the memories of people throughout my whole life telling me that God works out everything for good and His glory, but it sure didnt seem that way to me. I remember thinking that there was no way that was true about EVERYTHING. A brief summary of my life: just after I was born, my dad left my mom and told everyonein our small town that I wasnt his son. Totally denied me. My mom raised us all by herself and, ill be honest, she was amazing! Then she died. and I was adopted by my aut and Uncle (WHO ARE ALSO INCREDIBLE BY THE WAY)

AT MY MOMS FUNERAL

I was at Christian for 1 year before my mom died. I’ll never forget the feeling as my mom passed away. I was holding her hand when it happened and I felt so helpless. there was absolutely nothing I could do. I could not change what was happening around me no matter how bad I wanted to.

I wrestled with this so hard because you know I was praying constantly for God to change the situation.

a few days later, at my moms funeral, Dr. J gave a little message and there is one point that he made that will never leave my side.

This is what He said:

You cant control what happens around you. But you can control the way you respond to it. Everything like this that happens to you will do one of two things. It will either make you bitter or better. It will make you bitter or better.

Here is something you may not know. The Bible says that EVERYTHING that happens, God wants to use it. There is nothing that will happen, there is nothing that can happen that God cant use. THATS BETTER!

Ephesians 1:11 NIV

11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

Ephesians 1:11-

APPLICATION

Guys, so many people choose to go through their day, having something happen to them and they choose to let it make them bitter. Anything from a rumor that spreads to bullying, to a bad grade, or whatever. You see everyday how that stuff happens around you and so often the outcome is for someone to get bitter about it.

From the moment I heard the phrase it stuck. I thought Bitter or better? Bitter or better? Everything that happens, even tho I cant control it, I control how I react to it. I control weather or not I follow God through it.

So how do we