Over the past four years, I have done my fair share of group projects and here is my conclusion: group projects are the friend of slackers and the foe of overachievers.

Maybe that is a little harsh, but in my experience, the project usually falls most heavily on one person and for some reason that person always seems to be me. I am sure it has something to do with my need for control…

“Drink Coffee. It will not fix your problems but at least it will wake you up.”
#6am #paperwriting #coffee

Last night, I was finalizing a group project that was due today. I had so much work to do on top of that project and I just could not do it all. I had to ask for help. I had to let go of the control. I needed someone else.

I ended up asking for help and just going to bed. I figured I would get up early the next morning and start again. While I gave up the control, I was still worried. I woke up anxious—fearful that the project would not be done.

This week I am working close to 30 hours while going to school full time. I am stressed, to say the least. There is no way I am going to make it through this week without God’s help.

I found myself asking God for help, just as I had done with my classmate on the group project. However, I realized that trusting God to follow through on His promises meant not only admitting I needed it help, but it meant giving up the control, and also letting go of the anxiety I felt.

We have all trusted someone who let us down. Because of that, when it comes to God, we have trouble relinquishing full control. We forget that He is the exception; He does not disappoint.

He is asking us to give Him those things that we cannot do—but more than that, He is asking us to let go of the anxiety—the last bit of control we are clinging to—and fully trust Him.

While we cannot always trust people to do what we expect of them, we can always rely on God’s faithfulness.

Here is the blog I wanted to write:

(*Disclaimer: It is a rant; however, keep reading. I promise there is a point.)

this was my dinner.

Yesterday, I had a bad day. It was Monday…Spring Break is over…and I have a never-ending list of things to do. I spent all morning in class, worked out (though I didn’t want to), did homework, and squeezed in a not-long-enough nap before having to sit through a two and half hour night class. At dinner, I had to eat my cereal from a cup because the cafeteria ran out of bowls. After class, I had to go to Starbucks on my day off so that I would have coffee for the morning. After a few hours of homework I finally went to bed. I was exhausted and dreading that fact that I had to do it all over again the next day.

Here is the blog I choose to write:

I work with great people (many of which are Malone students and alumni)

Yesterday, I realized how much I’m blessed—blessed to have great professors, blessed to have the opportunity to get an education, blessed to have body that works properly, blessed to have food to eat, and blessed to have a job that provides me with free coffee. While life is busy and stressful, the attitude you have changes how you react to what life throws at you. It is so easy to become consumed with “first-world problems” that we forget how blessed we really are.

Charles Swindoll says it best, “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company…a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.”

Learn from my mistake. Choose to see the positive in life.

I am not the same person who arrived at Malone 4 years ago. I have changed drastically, but in a good way. When I came to Malone my freshman year I assumed everyone believed as I did. I quickly became aware of the many different denominations of the students, faculty, and staff that are present here at Malone.

While it is easy to be egocentric about one’s church background, I discovered how much I could learn about my own faith through discourse with other believers, even if we did not always agree. It was through these conversations that my beliefs were challenged—I was forced to discover for myself what Christianity really is.

Malone fosters a community of learning—not only academically, but spiritually as well. Over these four years, I have visited churches of all denominations, both Catholic and Protestant. Through these visits and experiences I have discovered much more about Christianity than I ever realized existed. Additionally, I have had intriguing conversations with close friends who challenged my beliefs and as a result made my faith deeper.

While many of these instances take place outside of the classroom, my education has gone hand in hand with this journey. This semester I am enrolled in multiple classes, which are helping me develop an understanding of the origins of Christianity. Additionally, these classes provide an academic understanding of my experiences.

This journey has not always been easy. Many times, it has been uncomfortable. Nevertheless, I am thankful for such a wonderful community in which I am able to learn. While I am not the same person I was four years ago, I am thankful for the changes that have taken place because of Malone and its community.

On most Tuesdays I leave my room at 9AM and don’t return until almost 7PM. Here is little glimpse of my calendars and to-do list (yes, I have multiple).

If you read my blog regularly, you have a pretty good idea about my life at Malone. However, I am afraid that my blog only depicts the big events. So today, I want to give you some insight to a typical day in the life of Megan.

I do a lot. We all do. I am not sure if it is just a Malone thing, but it seems that everyone I know is always going here or there, doing this or that. We go from class, to meetings, to work, to Bible Study, to the gym and so on.

Balancing life is hard; it is exhausting. We all have different roles we are expected to fulfill. On a usual day I am a student, a friend, a barista, a blogger, a daughter, and the list goes on.

We live in a culture that glorifies busy. We fill our time with as much as we can. We all have our reasons for doing so: to feel fulfilled, to not feel lonely, to avoid dealing with things, etc…

Often, I wonder if I do too much. There are times when I just can’t give everything 100% percent. Earlier this year, Malone’s spiritual formation team challenged us to be slow, deep, and intentional. Our campus pastor, Randy Heckert, even spoke on this topic a few weeks ago. He challenged Malone to slow down and stop rushing. (Ironically, his message went over and we had to rush off to class. I am still not sure how to feel about that one.)

I am learning that I need to enjoy the moment. I can’t keep looking to what is coming next or I will miss the present. I discussed this in my last blog on a bigger scale, but I see how it is important in the little things too. If I am constantly thinking about what I need to do before my next class, I will miss what I should be learning.

Life is always going to be busy. We must learn to balance, but more importantly we must learn to slow down and enjoy the moment.

In a few short months, we will no longer be college students. My roommate and I have been spending a lot of time discussing this transition. As I reflect over what exactly is happening, I find this transition to be bittersweet. While many of us will be thankful that there will be no more classes, papers, exams, or long walks to chapel, there is also something saddening about this. The life we have known for four years is coming to a end. We will no longer be able to live with our best friends or eat dinner with them every night.

For many, change is not welcomed. It is scary; but it is also a part of life. Interestingly, I am ready to begin the next stage of my life. However, I often find myself longing for that change to begin. As much as I love Malone, I am ready to be done. Yet, I must remind myself to be patient and content with where I am. I need to remember that God will bring change when the time is right, but for now He has me here.

Soon we are going to have to leave the “Malone Bubble” and enter the big, scary world. I am reminded of one of Tim Tebow’s favorite sayings, I don’t what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future.”

I hope you will join me in praying for Malone graduates of 2013 as we make this transition.

After a very much needed Christmas break, the faculty, staff, and students of Malone are back in full swing. This semester seemed to start very quickly– I feel as if I was just thrown into my classes. I can’t believe we are already in week three. (I know, I know… I am a  little behind on my blogs. Don’t worry, I am working to catch up.)

“Now the spirit of the Christmas is growing more and more each day, and the bond we made as friends, is certainly here to stay.” -Anonymous

Last night, Malone held the Annual Christmas Dinner. This is one of my favorite events at Malone. Everyone gets dressed up, and we enjoy a delicious meal served by Malone’s faculty and staff. It is such a lovely evening. It is just what we need before we immerse ourselves into studying for finals.

As I was sitting around the table, I realized how truly blessed I am. It is very easy to get swept up in the stress of the Christmas season, but last night I remembered what Christmas is truly about. I am so thankful I was able to take the time to spend an evening with the people I love.

Malone fosters such an incredible community, and this was evident last night.

This is my fourth Christmas dinner, and while they have always been great, this year’s was exceptionally incredible! Being a senior, I find myself trying to truly taking in these moments. In a sense, it is bittersweet. However, I am thankful for the fact that while this may be the last Christmas Dinner at Malone, it is not the last Christmas I will spend with the people I love, many of whom I met at Malone.

We invited Ellen, a prospective student, to come to dinner with us. I think we won her over! #futurepioneer

Today, I received my first parking ticket. Last night, when I returned to campus, I parked in a faculty/staff parking spot and forgot to move my car this morning.

My immediate reaction was to complain that there are not enough parking spots for students and too many for the faculty and staff. However, I am learning that I often forget that there are always two sides to everything we face; there are reasons that things are the way they are. But instead of trying to better understand the issue or do something to change it, we would rather complain about it. Yet, there are many times when the people who have the ability to fix a problem are not even aware that there is a problem!

My generation is one that seems to be very fond of complaining—we grumble about everything (myself included). As I am getting older, I am realizing that no matter where I go there will be things that seem unfair.

When I received my parking ticket, I went to the security office. I was not trying to dispute my ticket in anyway—what I did was wrong; I know the rules and I broke them. However, I wanted to better understand the parking situation and offer a student’s perspective. We had a great conversation about campus safety—a side that many students rarely see and therefore do not understand.

He explained to me the reasoning behind the policies and procedures that appear “unfair” or “inconvenient.” I quickly realized these policies and procedures were not put into place to inconvenience the students but actually to protect us. He was grateful to see a student’s perspective, as I was thankful to see the administrative side.

Within an hour this morning, I discussed two completely different situations with two different staff members and I realized that it is conversations like these that accomplish things. Critical Facebook posts or Tweets do not change things. Having healthy discourse about these issues and coming together to find solutions is the way change happens.

I am grateful for the administration, faculty, and staff members who have been willing to meet with me over the past four years to discuss issues the students face. While I am sure I have just been another complaining student sometimes, these people and the conversations I have had with them have truly helped me grow as individual. These are skills that I will carry with me throughout my life.

The administration, faculty, and staff members do so much more than the students realize. Therefore, Malone Community, instead of complaining about something, take the time today to thank an administrator, faculty, or staff member for everything they do.

CA’s with Kevin Roose

Being an English major, I have read my fair share of books. When I read I often become so intricately involved with the characters. In a sense, I feel as if I know them. When I finish the text, I find myself sad—that feeling when someone you used to spend so much time with is suddenly no longer a presence in your life. I have found that books are the medium of connection. It is through these texts that we relate to one another through our experiences and discussions. Often, we learn something about ourselves when we view life through the eyes of another individual.

Books bring us into community with one another. While I have blogged quite a bit about Malone’s community, I haven’t necessarily touched on this aspect of the community. Every year Malone chooses a book to be read by the incoming freshman class as part of “The College Experience” curriculum. As a result, the entire freshman class, as well as many members of Malone’s faculty and staff, become apart of the “Malone Reads” program. This provides the community with the opportunity to enter into discussion with one another, to challenge one another, and ultimately grow with one another.

This year, Malone chose “The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner’s Semester at America’s Holiest University.” If you are unfamiliar with this book, it is about a student named Kevin Roose who transfers from Brown (a very liberal university) to Liberty University (a very conservative university) for a semester.  Kevin’s account of Liberty details his faith journey as he tries to better understand the entire spectrum of Christianity. I, as well as many of the first-year Malone students, identified with many of the challenges Kevin faced. I connected with this book; I connected with Kevin.

This past week, Kevin Roose came to Malone. After hearing him speak, I was fortunate enough to have the privilege of having lunch with him. Though this was the first time I had met him, it was like seeing a long lost friend. Through his book, he invited me into his life and now the person who only existed on pages of the book was sharing a meal with me. The connection we had became tangible in that moment.

It was such a unique and wonderful experience conversing with Kevin. He was real, down to earth, funny, caring, intelligent, and most importantly genuine. The Kevin I knew from the book was the Kevin sitting next to me, and that is something very rare.

I am thankful for this opportunity and for a community that fosters learning both in and outside of the classroom.

In my previous posts I have mentioned  that I am a Course Assistant for a class here at Malone known as “The College Experience.” Once a week, I get to meet with an incredible group of first year students and discuss all different facets of the college life. One of the best aspects of being a CA is the opportunity to form relationships, both inside and outside of the classroom. As I stated, we meet once a week, but we also hang out outside of the classroom. We get ice cream, half-off appetizers at Applebee’s, make Wal-Mart runs, etc…

Last night, I planned for the group to go to Applebee’s for half-off appetizers. That was until one of my students had the brilliant idea to go to Chipotle. Because it was Halloween, burritos were only $2 if you dressed up. When it comes to dressing up, I have done by fair share of it over these past four years—I have been everything from from Michael Jackson to Edward from “Narnia” to a Chinese Olympic Ping-Pong Player to Russell from “UP.” All I can say is, “Thank you Salvation Army Thrift Store!” Not having a lot of time to plan an outfit last night, I dressed up as my roommate: a nursing student.

As you can imagine, Chipotle was packed (with mostly Malone students). But for a $2 burrito and the quality time spent together, it was worth it. I am so blessed to have such a great group of freshman to hang out with. As a senior, I am so excited for the students in my section as they spend the next four years at Malone. I am certain they will do great things!