Ah, a new year. A new schedule. A new, refreshed, rejuvenated, rejoicing version of you!

…Right?

It seems that this “new year, new me” mantra may not necessarily resonate with us as much as we’d like it to. After three weeks of class, we feel like we’re on week thirty-seven.

Maybe you feel like you’re on the wrong path. Maybe you’ve become disheartened with the state of society, the academic stress, the relationships you have. 

Maybe, like me, you struggle to let God in at times when you need Him most.

It is so easy to see our success or failure measured in grades, ranks, percentiles, and oftentimes, our peers. These are tangible things; we live in a tangible world. We are quick to accept these performances as the Ultimate Truth about ourselves because we see these things every day. But what if we started bombarding this fickle, worldly version of success with the eternal, real truth of success that God shows us we have reached just by existing – the fact that he loves us beyond anything we can even fathom? We would have no choice but to be at peace with ourselves if it is something we choose to expose our minds to more often than any earthly satisfaction. God has promised that His love is the only fulfillment we need in Jeremiah 31:25 – For I will give rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing. All we need to do is make Him a priority and see our pursuits through His eyes.

Easier said than done.

I recently watched a spoken word video created by a man named Stefan Vandenkooy about why our degrees are not for us. It’s about 3 minutes long, and you can watch it here: https://vimeo.com/128292930. Though he speaks in terms of finals week, it applies to all parts of our collegiate journey. He speaks about how we take pride in being busy, that we’re always running ourselves thin in pursuit of our degree(s). But Stefan wants us to reevaluate our motivation. He says, “Your degree is not for you. It is for those who are hurting.” We shouldn’t be learning to make ourselves better, more successful people in the eyes of humanity – we should be learning so that we can follow God’s purpose for our gifts. (The Big Man knew what he was doing when he made us in His image.) In turn, we will be actively loving humanity the same way God loves us. Isn’t this the kind of love that our hearts desire most?

God is in continuous pursuit of our hearts. Though He desperately wants us to see our purpose through Him, we need to do our part in the relationship. We just need to open the door to a loving God who will never stop knocking. (Those of you who were at December’s Night of Worship know exactly what I’m talking about.)

Though this isn’t at all easy (and God, by all means, realizes this), God offers a reward we can pretend to comprehend, but can’t fully grasp because of how great it is. As we work through the book of James in our life groups, this reward becomes more apparent. James 1:3-4 says, you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Can you imagine needing nothing?

Trials are inevitable. The struggle will remain. We live on Earth, after all. But we have an eternal ally. Someone who doesn’t even consider giving up on us when we mess up. Someone who loves and loves and loves even when all you want to do is push Him away.

So when you are caught up in society’s ideals of success and your own questions about your pursuits and how everything fits together, remember the promise. Remember your Eternal Ally. He’s always on your side.

Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. – Matthew 7:25

Haley Welch, Student President, Impact at IUPUI

Growing up, my parents have always been strong believers. But I on the other hand chose to do otherwise. I always hated church because why should I believe something I cannot even see?

John 20:29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

I thought everyone in church was ridiculous and what I saw was that Christianity was just a set a rules that we had to follow. I was the one that was pushed to go to church and I would just stand and wait for the service to end; I even fell asleep in many of them. Looking back, I was sincerely lost. I used words that I shouldn’t have, was around things that I shouldn’t have, and did things that I shouldn’t have. I was the person who lied about being a Christian but I now know you cannot be a Christian by just saying you are; instead, it’s by your actions and what fruits they produce. I also learned that God does not care about what it looks like on the outside, it is what happens on the inside that he cares about. It’s the transformation in heart and behavior that really matters. The desire to pursue a relationship with him. You’re reading this and probably wondering then how did I change? I’m going to share with you exactly that and to start, God used someone to answer my parent’s prayers.

It was about 4 months ago when I had the desire to pursue a relationship with someone again. I missed having a person support me through times of hardship and laugh with me through times of happiness. So I resorted to dating apps. It was actually a horrible decision and I’m not going to go into detail of why it was horrible but I stopped using it for a while. However I did keep the notifications coming. Then one day a person reached out to me and sent me a message saying hi. Hi was definitely better than any other message I had received so far so I decided to respond. We talked and talked and I figured out that she was a strong follower of Christ. It was in that moment when the lies of being a “good” Christian started. I thought in my head, this person isn’t going to like me if I was not a “good” Christian, so what did I do? I started to tell lie after lie. It got to a point where we cut off communication with each other. What did I get out of all this? This whole thing got me to pick up the Bible for the first time ever in my life. I felt like I needed to be knowledgeable about the Bible and be prepared in case we did meet. Anyways, after we stopped communicating I kept reading the bible because I was so intrigued by it. About a week passed and I decided I want to go to church and study the Bible more and more. The message I received is that sometimes God will withhold things from us to make sure we stay focused and follow through in his purposes. And in my case, it was to withhold me from any distractions and to find him. I think God sometimes withholds valuables from us because if he were to give us everything we wanted, there would not be any challenges or trials and we would just forget about him and lose faith and purpose. But it was at this moment right after the message, I knew God had reached out to me. This was no coincidence. That night I prayed my first prayer and was in such awe of him of how through everything I’ve done, he would still love me and want me to be with him.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

I cried tears of happiness. I started to go to church week after week and my parents were so surprised but more so delighted. I had a small conversation with them and they told me they have been praying for me for years. Prayers do work and are so powerful!

Mathew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

I also learned through this experience that everything we do should be to glorify God, it should not be used for our own gains or make us look “good”.

Mathew 6:1-2 “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your father in heaven. So when you give to the needy do not announce it with trumpets…

Some more time passed and I started to look online for groups to help me walk this new and dedicated path of faith and I somehow found IMPACT. I think it is so important to have fellowship and to have people to support and be supported by.

Proverbs 13:20 Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.

This whole journey has been amazing and I have met lifelong friends that God has provided for me. Surrounding yourself with people who want the same thing is so important and that is what God has given me through IMPACT.

About a month ago, the person who God used to lead me on the right path, contacted me back. I was so happy but not expecting this at all and so I took this as an opportunity to tell her everything. I chose to be vulnerable and open and also shared all my lies. Everything turned out perfectly after and just looking back, everything happened for a reason, none of it happened by accident. I’m just so amazed by God’s power and cannot believe what I’ve been missing out on for so long.

This concludes my story of how my walk of faith started. The Bible verse I want to focus on and the theme of the story is:

Ephesians 2:4-5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in transgressions, it is by grace you have been saved.

It is just so amazing to me that he would love all of us when we don’t deserve any of it. Through all this I’ve felt his presence and my faith has never been stronger. Each and every one of you should know that God loves you so much and wants you to spend eternity with him! We need to pursue him!

2 Corinthians 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

All Glory to God!

IMPACT has and will continue to help me pursue, model and teach intimacy with God at a vastly secular campus.

John Chien, Member of Impact Christian Fellowship at IUPUI

I was asked to write a blog post for Impact and I believe this was partly because everyone knows I am not good at saying no to things, but this was something that I felt like God was calling me to do. I have an extreme hatred towards any writing of any kind and I knew my time was coming to be asked to write a post, but I am happy that I was given the nudge I needed to put my faith down on paper. I was unsure what to write about, going back and forth between the topics of what life groups are all about and how intramurals are a great way to have fun and get connected with fellow Christians, but I finally felt like God was calling me to just write my testimony and my story over my time in college. While it has only been three semesters, I have gained a new appreciation for the people God has surrounded me with and how they have helped me with my faith.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

I have heard this verse all my life, but I never realized how true it was until I began to see how God was using my troubles and uncertainties in life to help me grow as a Christian. This semester in our life groups, we have been studying the book Know Why You Believe. Over the past few months, my faith has grown and matured much more than I thought it could, but this did not happen without some bumps along the way.

            My faith had never been tested while I was growing up. I grew up in a Christian household, went to church every Sunday, and went to schools where Christianity was the main religion throughout the community. It was not until I came to college that I realized this is not how everyone grew up. I met a lot of people my freshman year and these people ranged from the strongest Christians you would ever meet to people who had never had the name Jesus Christ mentioned in their homes before. My older sister was involved with an on campus ministry I had never heard of, but she told me I should join and become a part of a life group. This on campus ministry happened to be Impact and it helped me feel more at home on campus, surrounding myself with fellow believers.

I began to invite some of my other friends to Impact and I felt like I was doing what God wanted me to through this, but then these friends started asking questions about religion. Growing up in a Christian community, I assumed I had all the answers without this ever being tested. I realized when these questions were finally asked that I was not prepared. I did not have all of the answers and facts I thought I did. I began to have doubts about my faith and everything I had learned about Christianity. Around this time, I was asked to lead a life group for Impact. I was informed that the title of the book we would be studying was called Know Why You Believe and when I first heard this title, I thought that all of the new questions I had about religion would be answered, but all of my studies over the summer produced was more questions. This was frustrating and many times I just felt like giving up. It was not until the semester started and we began to meet for life group that my confidence with the material began to grow.

I realized by taking each topic week by week and not trying to understand everything at once was essential to the growth of my relationship with Christ. I have realized through this journey of questions and doubts that it is okay to feel this way. No one has all of the answers, but this is where faith comes into play. If all of the answers are given to you, then there is no need to believe or put your faith into anything. Through this semester my faith has grown beyond what I thought possible and this is due to the people God has put into my life. If I have one thing I want you to takeaway from reading this, let it be this: do not be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. God is calling you to become the person he has planned from the beginning for you to become. He has surrounded you with fellow believers who will help you in your walk. All you have to do is not be afraid to take that first step. There will be bumps along the way and your faith will be tested, but you will come out the other side with your faith strengthened and a trust in Christ beyond anything you could imagine. 

Cory Hagemier, VP of Student Life, Impact Christian Fellowship at IUPUI

I’ve spent my whole life in the church. My Dad was a youth volunteer at our church, so I spent every Saturday and Sunday there. Serving was something that I felt was just expected of me. I volunteered with the preschool ministry and various church events during the week. However, I never really knew why Jesus calls us, as His followers, to serve others. It wasn’t until I became involved with some youth ministries again in college that I began to see the importance of service.

To understand why service is important for us as believers, I think we need to look at what God’s view on service is. And what better way than to look at how Jesus lived while He was here on earth. Jesus came here to serve us. The whole purpose of Him coming to earth in human form was to die for all of our sins.

Philippians 2 says:

5 In your relationships with one another,
have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God
did not consider equality with God
something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

This is the ultimate form of service.
He laid down His life for us. How awesome is this?

Mark 10:45 reads, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” How then, as followers of Christ, should we serve others? In saying that Jesus did not come to be served, this shows what our mindset should be! He wasn’t in the mindset of coming here to be served as Mark says; even though He deserves to be served more than anyone or anything. But instead, He came here to serve. I think for us, serving is more of a mindset than just action. It’s humbling yourself before God and others; putting others’ lives and needs before your own. This definitely does not come naturally; it’s more natural for us to put our own needs first and to serve ourselves. Therefore, we have to actively choose to serve others every day.

On Wednesday, September 21st, we had our service night for Impact. We went to West Park Christian Church, just 5 minutes from campus. Each Wednesday, they pick up a ton of kids from the neighborhood and bring them back to the church to feed them and show them the love of Jesus. I am a social work major, and I am currently completing an internship at an elementary school near West Park Christian Church. Going into the service night, I was hoping to see some of the kids I work with. And God awed me completely. I saw a lot of kids that I see each day in my internship. Because of this, I was able to form stronger relationships with some of the kids I work with every day. At a school you can’t exactly talk about Jesus with the students. But, God had this all planned out: that I would intern at a school that serves the same community as the church that Impact partners with. He provided a way that I can share Him with them. Now, when they see Miss Meaghan at school, they can ask me more things about who God is. And I am so incredibly humbled to have an opportunity to show them that; that God would choose me to serve Him in that way.

Serving children in various ministries like West Park and E-Club at Horizon Central has taught me more in my life than anything else. It is so difficult to explain the genuineness of a child’s love; there aren’t enough words to describe it. If you’ve worked with kids, then you definitely know what I’m talking about. They just love you no matter what. They don’t care what you wear, if you have makeup on, what you look like, if you’re successful, nothing. They just want to love you, and be loved by you. This has shown me the closest thing to unconditional love besides God’s love for us.

Because of this, I have begun to see why serving others is important. I used to think I was doing others a favor by serving them (and of course we are helping others when we give our time and energy to serve them). However, God has actually taught me through serving kids. He’s taught me things like I need to humble myself daily. That I need to serve even when I don’t feel like it. That I need to be putting others’ needs before my own. God has shaped and continues to shape my character through this service, so that I become more like Him. God has used service to show me more of Him and to direct my steps to follow Him more closely.

Ultimately, serving others is serving Jesus. In Matthew 25: 35-40, Jesus says that whatever we do for others, we do for Him. In the end, serving others is all for God’s glory. Don’t be afraid to serve others in a way that’s new or makes you feel uncomfortable. God calls us to step out in faith and be obedient to Him. Remember why we are called to serve. Remember what Jesus did for you. Remember what He calls us to do. So go out; be bold; serve others.

God will teach you things you never thought you needed to learn.

Meaghan Couch, VP of Service, Impact Christian Fellowship at IUPUI

College is here!  We’re supposed to have fun, find ourselves, and “broaden our horizons.” 

However, being a Christian freshmen can be difficult.  Spiritually and physically with the load of work and responsibility.  Personally, I am majoring in Business and playing on the IUPUI golf team.  I am doing fifteen credit hours and practicing six out of seven days of the week.

In addition, I am doing team workouts during the week as well.  It has not been an easy transition.  However, God has been so good through it.  Not because He has made everything seem incredibly easy.  No.  He brings us into uncomfortable situations to bring us through them and grow us through it.  If we ask Him to just take us out of an uncomfortable situation, then what are we learning?  We are not trusting His plan or His grace that will bring us through whatever the situation might be. 

This is what I have been realizing.  He has been making me walk a hard and difficult path that requires a toughness that I didn’t have before.  My faith has grown substantially, but it is not because of my own strength.  Christ has dealt with all of my doubt and all of my fear.  Wondering where a Christian group was, wondering if I was really supposed to be on this golf team, wondering how I could keep up with my schedule, etc. He has not let me down.  At the right moment, He has provided me with strength and hope.  I trust Him with all my heart.  All of it. 

What about you?  His Word is where I draw strength.  Let me help you visualize something.  Working out is a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle.  In my golf workouts, we focus on the muscles in our core.  We must have strong muscles in our core to play golf at a high level.  Just like how I must have a solid core physically, I must have a solid core spiritually.  I must find key verses that fight off my fear, that refocus my mind when I am tempted, and strengthen my “spiritual core” as I meditate on them by day and by night.

I don’t just simply suggest that you do this.  I sincerely urge you to do this.  The Bible is meant for so much more than just light reading.  It is an ocean of truth that ultimately tells us the greatest love story that has ever been told - the sacrifice that was made by Jesus because of His love for us.  And His glorious resurrection that proves death has been defeated, our sin has been paid in full, and now we can know Him deeply because we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ.  The Bible is meant to be picked apart, held on to tightly, and mediated on.  God knew we would need His Word throughout our lives.  That’s why He wrote it to us!  Why on earth would we not pour our heart and souls into reading it?  Thomas Paine, one of our Founding Fathers, stated, “The Bible is a book that has been read more and examined less than any book that ever existed.”  We cannot let our Bibles collect dust on the outside as we let it sit them unused in our dorm rooms.  For our college lives, we must hold onto His Word so that we may defeat temptation, conquer doubt, be a light on our campus, and make a difference in the people around us.  I would like to talk through some verses that have given me significant strength for each and every day.  They have helped me make the transition into college and given me an incredible amount of hope and joy. 

Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  At the surface, this is a great verse.  But it is even better if you unpack this verse at its very roots.  This Psalm is literally saying that God is “abundantly available” for help in tight places.  We are in a tight place right now.  As Christians, we are trying to live out our faith on a secular campus.  We are surrounded by temptations everywhere from the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep.  But God is abundantly available to give us the strength we need.  We must only admit to Him that we ourselves are too weak, and pray to Him for strength.  We need it more than ever now.  As freshmen, it can be easy to cave to peer pressure and walk with the large crowd.  I beg you not to.  I refuse to walk the way of the world. 

Isaiah 26:3, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”  And Isaiah 64:4, “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him.”  Personally, I want to know the answers to my life right now.  Am I in the right major?  What will my future job be?    Am I really in the right place?  Golf was taking so much time that I was wondering in my mind if I really wanted to do this.  My mind was filled with these questions constantly.  However, I was asking questions to things that I am not going to know the answer to for a long time.  It’s not up to me to figure that out right now.  But you know what is up to me and up to you as well?  Trust.  Simple, right?  Wrong.  Trust is a conscious decision that we have to make every single second of our day.  I had to trust God with where I was and what He had me doing.  As I began to trust, my fear began to fall away and it was replaced with hope and peace that only comes from Christ.  This hope and peace produces a boldness to take on whatever your next task may be.  An upcoming exam, an upcoming tournament, or even just another day.  Like Isaiah 64:4 says, our God is the only God who acts for the one who waits for Him.  Let’s trust and leave the rest to Him.

Psalm 139:16, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”  This is staggering.  God knows every single one of our days.  Each day is filled with uncertainties to us.  If we let it, it can drive us to fear.  But God, the One who has ordained every single event of our lives, has known us before we were born.  He knew when we would be born and He knows when we will die.  Our futures are in His hand.  We are each walking the path that was already laid for us before we were ever born.  Therefore, we should never worry.  We worry because we do not know.  This thinking is faulty and can actually lead us to sin.  Instead, let’s trust the God who has planned every single thing in our life.  Let’s trust the God who has set us each on our different paths.  When something unexpected happens in your life, think about this.  God knew this would happen from eternity past.  It didn’t surprise Him.  He knows how to help me.  So, I will trust Him and pray.  We do not know what each of our paths hold, but we can be certain that He is going to give us the strength for every single part of our journey and at the end of the day, when we see Christ in His full glory and we lay our crowns at His feet, all of our work and all of our toil will glorify the One who bought our redemption with His own blood.  That will be worth it.

These verses are some of my favorites that are near and dear to my heart.  I urge you to strengthen your spiritual core by finding some verses of your own, whether they are these right here or others.  Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  God has spoken to us through His Word.  Let’s actually commit to knowing Him through this book.  It is a love letter.  It is a manual for spiritual warfare.  It tells us the things that are to come at the end of time.  It is all these things, and more, but in a single book.  That is mind-blowing.  Saint Augustine once said, “The Holy Scriptures are our letters from home.”  Read these letters.  Know them.  Not to just know about the Bible.  But to know the God Who wrote them.  That is the purpose of the Bible.  To know Him.  Let’s draw near to Him because James 4:8 says to, “Draw near to God..” Why?  Because “He will draw near to you.”

Nathan Cunningham, Member of Impact Christian Fellowship at IUPUI

Life at times can make you feel as if you’re drowning.  As if you’re all by yourself, alone.  Especially at the beginning of a new school semester.  You walk into your new classes with the potential of not knowing another human being there.  You’ve got the chance to get some whack professor that drives you nuts. Both human nature and society tell us that we have to fight the loneliness on our own.  It’s a dog eat dog world out there and from birth we are trained to fight to get to the top, no matter what it costs our relationships. 

            But what if I told you all of this was completely untrue.  Completely unbiblical.  The opposite of the Kingdom Mindset.

            Everything we know about fighting alone is wrong.

            Surprise, sorry to break the news to you, but c’mon someone had to.  No where ever in the Bible does it say to walk alone.  Not one place does it talk about fighting your demons by yourself. 

SO WHAT BETTER TIME TO LEARN TO LIVE IN COMMUNITY THEN THE BEGINNING OF A NEW SEMESTER?

The author of Hebrews says in chapter ten verse 24-25, “Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do, but spurring each other on especially as we see the big Day approaching.”

HMMMM.

So we aren’t supposed to hide and do our own things.  You’re telling me we need to be creative in finding ways to love others?  We are supposed to gather and worship together?  That seems counter cultural.  I wont lie, I will be the first to tell you that a bunch of gatherings and weird get togethers seem pretty dorky.  I want no part of that. 

But here I see in the Bible that togetherness is so important for preparing for the coming of Jesus. 

In Psalm 133:1 David says, “How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along!’

What if I told you that we are looking to create a space where friendship between believers comes alive?  A space where a community thrived on being creative.  A place where Christ is at the center of all friendship and community that transpires.  What if there was a place where you were accepted for who you are, but challenged to be who God created you to be.  What if there was a place so attractive that others knew there was something different about those participating?

What if that place existed now?

Welcome to Impact at IUPUI.

We exist to pursue Jesus.  Model His actions.  And teach others.

But we also exist to be a community of believers that supports one another in whatever adventures college life throws at us.  We exist to create life long friendships between believers.  We are here to change the look of the campus of IUPUI.  We exist to change the landscape of Indianapolis.  We are present to transform lives.

All we need now is you. 

Connor LaGrange, Impact at IUPUI Vice President of Fellowship

Our mission, as stated on our website, is as follows: We exist to pursue, model and teach intimacy with God at IUPUI, in Christian community. Let’s break this down.

Pursue. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Model. 1 Corinthians 11:1 says, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”

Teach. Jesus said in Matthew 28, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Impact Christian Ministries began as Harvest Campus Ministries in the 90’s, made a name change to Impact Ministries International in 1999, and in 2010, a distinct organization called Impact Christian Ministries as we know it was formed to focus exclusively on college campus ministry in the United States. The motto exists now as “Impact the U, Impact the World.”

So… Why IUPUI?

We have diversity all around us. The graduating class of 2016 represented more countries than it did states. We’re in the heart of one of the top 15 largest cities in America. We have access to so many people who we can reveal God’s love and wisdom to. Who’s to say a small group of light-bearing students can’t have a huge impact in the surrounding community, and consequently, the world?

How do we do this?

There are two phases - input and output. An effective ministry begins with well-equipped members. If we are to accomplish our mission statement, we need to start from the foundation, as all projects begin. The foundational layer of Impact includes our life groups and worship nights. These are times when we can learn more about God’s Word, and we can be with Him in the midst of each other. Our foundation becomes stronger and stronger as we gather more information, see from different perspectives, address any questions we have, worship the Lord, and participate in discussion. Just as we need food and water as physical input for our bodies, we need scripture as spiritual input to keep us active in our faith.

Then comes output. We take what we learn about God and apply it to our surroundings. Our goal is to demonstrate the essence of Christianity in our thoughts, words, and deeds. Through Impact, we accomplish this through fellowship events and service projects. We go forth and show the same love for others as God has always shown to us. We form real bonds with each other. Pursue, model, and teach.

A little bit on why I came to Impact and stayed with it -

Impact was attractive to me because of the people. Everyone showed everyone love, care, encouragement, and support. I often thought to myself, “there’s really something special here.” It was and is intimate. It was and is intentional. It was and is focused on its mission. It has changed my faith for the better, and because of this, I want it to have the same effect on other students. Impact is not perfect, but that’s not the point. God isn’t here waiting for us to correct ourselves and then come to Him, like a child in time-out; he is always waiting for each of his children to run to him as admittedly broken souls in need of a Father.

I came into college already worn out by transitioning to the next chapter of my life. I went to Involvement Expos just because my friends were going. Some of you know the story of how I met Andrew at the Impact booth simply because I recognized him from a middle school retreat. I started going to a life group after some much-needed poking and prodding, and the reawakening began as I saw what God could do on a huge college campus.

Impact exists to give students purpose and direction in such a demanding phase of their lives. Impact exists to unite the weary and heavy-laden and put all of us back on our feet. Impact is a distinct part of the body of Christ with unique messages to deliver and acts of love to bestow.

As stated in Ecclesiastes 4:

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

We cannot be Christians alone, and that is why Impact exists at IUPUI. By pursuing God, modeling his teachings, and teaching others about His glory, we can further bring His kingdom to our community with the spiritual gifts He has blessed each of us with.

Haley Welch, Student President of Impact Christian Fellowship at IUPUI

It’s summer. For me, that means no more classes. And no more group projects, no more last minute papers! I was so busy this past school year that it was hard for me to spend time reading the Bible, praying, worshiping, and listening to God. It had to be a priority; I had to make it a priority this past year to focus on God. And it was hard. So ideally, with summer, I should have way more time to focus on God, right? It should be easier now that I am not so busy. However, I’ve found that summer makes me really lazy. I’m finally able to relax after the previous school year and instead of spending time with God, a million other things call my attention like Netflix, reading other books, video games, spending time with friends who are home for the summer… the list is endless. All of this commands my attention, until I realize that, wait, I am completely pushing God aside. I am putting other things first; I am making other things my priorities.

Sometimes I think that spending time with God will just come naturally and automatically in my life. Like I don’t have to put in much effort. However, if there is one thing I’ve learned this past year, it’s that God doesn’t become a priority in my life unless I make Him my priority. A priority is something that is viewed (and treated) as more important than all other things; something that comes before all other things. God wants to be the center of our lives. He designed us for this; for us to worship and praise Him. The first two commandments tell us this. Exodus 20:3-4 states “You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on earth or in the sea.” God doesn’t want us to put anything else before Him. Nothing else will satisfy us the way that God satisfies us. In fact, God says that when we put Him first, all of our needs will be provided for us. Matthew 6:33 says “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” It’s pretty cool that we serve a God who loves us and wants to take care of us. Putting Him first is the BEST decision we can make. This is all great to think about, and talk about; but it is way easier to talk or think about putting God first rather than actually doing it. I often place other things before God without even realizing it.

 So, the question is this: how do we put God at the center of our lives this summer with all of these distractions? For me, making God a priority involves deliberately setting a time each day to spend with God; kind of like making spending time with God a habit. Now, I don’t mean a rigid, ritualistic schedule; but rather intentionally spending time in God’s Word, prayer, and worship each day. When I make the habit of spending time every day with God, He becomes more and more the center of my life. When I make seeking God a habit, my first instinct becomes turning to Him in every situation. He becomes my number one priority; the thing I entrust my heart and soul to. The thing I place my hope and trust in.

I can’t place God at the center of my life by myself. There will always be something else that distracts me. Something else I desire to place before God. But by intentionally seeking Him, I trust that God can do the rest and transform my heart to love and serve Him. God promises and proves to us that He can be trusted; that He will be by our side always.

Isaiah 41:10 says, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

Making God a priority definitely requires effort and desire on our part, but it also requires trust in God that He will do the real transformation of our hearts. 

Meaghan Couch, Student Leader in Impact Christian Fellowship at IUPUI

Growing up playing sports, I got used to hearing the word “focus.” I think for many people it’s very easy to focus on the physical things in life that are in the “here and now.” How do we focus on the spiritual things though? How do we stay focused on the eternal things in life? I know in this summer season it can be very difficult to stay focused on Jesus. Between summer jobs, internships, summer classes, (even family!) it can feel like we don’t have any time to do anything else. We have to focus on making Jesus a priority in our lives this summer. 

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of the word “focus” is “mentality.” My mind is what helps control my focus. Colossians 3:2 says:

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” 

Let’s think about the first word in that verse; “set.” The connotation of that word brings precedence to this verse that we are to purposefully make it a priority to set or “focus” our minds on Jesus.  It’s not something that just automatically happens. Sometimes you might have to set your alarm clock to wake up 15 minutes earlier, so you can spend 15 extra minutes with Him before you go to work. Sometimes you might just start praying in the middle of class or wherever you’re at. To stay focused, we’re going to have to start doing things intentionally! 

I think a lot of times our problem with staying focused lies with where our heart is. I’ve struggled with the thought of this many times, but too many times we get caught up with the treasures of this world (Luke 12:34). I mean, that’s the whole reason we go to college right? To get a job, make money, buy a car, and get a dog? Please don’t misunderstand me, those are not bad things. I just believe that God has so much more for our lives than living a materialistic lifestyle. Why would we want to live up to the status quo/standards of a society that rebukes and denies the very existence of our savior? At this point you’re probably wondering, “What does this have to do with staying focused on Jesus this summer?” I’m glad you asked. Matthew 6:33 says:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

In all the chaos, and in all the hoopla of summer, we have to seek first the things that God has for us, and everything else will fall into place as God would have it (which might not always be necessarily how we want it). This includes summer jobs, summer classes, internships, etc. Again when he uses the word “seek”; that’s something we have to do intentionally. I’ve never met someone who accidentally searched for something. Then he uses the word “first.” This implies that it should be the number one item on our priority list. Think about it. He could have just said “Seek me and all these things will be added to you,” but he said “Seek first.” By purposefully adding the word first, it implies that this should be our numero uno priority. The two main things to think about when it comes to staying focused this summer is “intentionality” and “priority.” Are we intentionally making time for Jesus because he’s our number one priority?  I know for me personally this question hits like a skillet to the face because it’s a serious reality check. Keep in mind; your priorities typically lie where your heart does. 

Being an engineering student, physics is my favorite subject. One of my favorite topics in physics is momentum. I love riding roller coasters, and momentum plays a key role in the process of how roller coasters work.  Typically you see the biggest hill on a coaster at the beginning of the ride. That’s because once the cart gets over that first hill, the momentum that you gain as gravity pulls you down the hill will carry you the rest of the ride. Think of this summer as a spiritual hill. It’s not always easy getting up the hill, and sometimes you need help from some chains to pull you up. Once we’re over the hill, it can give us the momentum to carry us into and through the fall semester. 

Let me leave you with this. Sharks have to constantly move forward in order to breathe and stay alive. Even while they sleep, they are moving forward. If they stop moving, or even move backwards, they will stop breathing and die. We have to keep moving forward like the sharks, and not be still in our faith or even look back (Proverbs 4:25). This requires us to stay focused!

Be Blessed!

John Sidwell, Student Leader for Impact Christian Fellowship at IUPUI

How easy is it for us to want to plan our lives? Whether you are a person who neatly organizes every part of their life (like me), or someone who wakes up every morning with no clue what they are doing that day, there is some part of all of us that has an idea of how things should be. Even though we are college students and you could say that you have no idea what you’re doing with your life, I would argue that you probably have a lot more planned than you realize. There is no shame in it. It’s part of being human to want life to go a certain way.

But what happens when the plan falls away? What happens when your entire focus becomes switched? I’m not talking about your lunch plans changing at the last second, or the cashier accidentally giving you the wrong amount of change at the checkout. I’m talking about when your world gets so shaken up that each step into the future is blurry and misguided; when you have no sense of direction.

Maybe your car gets totaled and you now have no way to get yourself to school or work. Maybe after paying for a year or two of school, you realize that you have no idea what you want to do anymore, and every major feels like the wrong one. Maybe that two year relationship just ended, throwing us into a tailspin when our future plans of happiness crash and burn. Maybe there’s a sickness or death of a loved one, and now you’re wrestling with a burden that you weren’t ready to carry. From the lowest to the highest end of the spectrum, it’s happened to all of us. However, what we choose to do and who we choose to be in this chaos and fallout defines who we are in Christ.

When the world seems blurry, Jesus remains as clear as ever if you choose to search for him. Lately, God has been consistently reminding me of this fact through a passage that I heard over and over again when I went to Zambia on a mission trip last summer:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

I think this passage relates so well to where we are right now as college students, and more specifically, where we are in this summer. Many of us are working full time, volunteering, participating in internships and research, studying abroad, traveling, and so much more. Even more of us have just come out of a crazy spring semester that we didn’t think we would get out of alive, either for academic reasons, personal reasons, or a mix of both. The summer that we thought was going to be a relaxing break is becoming more hectic than we realized. The passage above begs us to look for Jesus in the chaos. It doesn’t tell us to find a solution all by ourselves. It doesn’t say to work ourselves to death trying to figure it all out. It tells us to be patient and be faithful in our unstoppable God.

When life becomes too crazy and hectic to handle, we can do one of three things. We can find more strength to carry it, we can find someone to help us carry it, or we can let it crush us. If we need more strength, God asks us to pray and read his word (consistently). If we need help with what life has thrown at us, God gives us fellowship in the form of Bible studies, life groups, and churches. We aren’t alone, and we never were.

Something that I strive for, and that I hope all of you strive for this summer is to bring Jesus back into focus, in whatever form that may take. This summer is the time to either reclaim your faith or to make it stronger than it ever was. For me, I have a long road back to where I was at the start of this school year. Luckily, I have a church and friends that love me, and I have God’s Word that continues to teach me every day. All we have to do is set our hearts on things above. In a blurry world, Jesus can make things clearer than we ever thought possible.

Brad Loeffler, Member of Impact Christian Fellowship at IUPUI