So, it's been a while since I've blogged though I said I was going to try and do it more regularly.
During Christmas Break, I kind of took some liberties and actually took a break (perish the thought, I know). But it was a good break. It gave me a chance to sit back, relax, enjoy my family, enjoy my apartment even and really enjoy the Lord.
So many times it's easy to get caught up in the busyness of everyday life, whether it's work, school or even recreational activities, that we fail to spend adequate enough time with God.
It can even get to the point where when we get the chance to spend time with God, we find anything and everything else to do than just look in His face and say, "Hi!"
First and foremost I thank God that He graced me with the time I had off--time truly can be a blessing.
Second, I want to regale my audience (if anyone's reading) with the important lesson about having a restful and peaceful state of mind and being amidst a chaotic livelihood.
It's January 10--the day Winthrop University students are supposed to return to class. In essence, it's the day we're supposed to get back on the grind.
For upperclassmen who are heavily involved in extracurricular activities and something additional (maybe ministry), it can be a hectic time.
Because my mind is so used to racing and my body used to always being on the go, it was difficult at first to 'calm down' during the break.
Finally, I stopped and remembered Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God."
God is in control. God is the Lord of our lives. God cares so much about us and our daily needs that He's Jehovah Jireh--the God Who Provides.
When Abraham was tested by God in Gen. 22, in which the Lord requested that Abraham sacrifice Isaac, Abraham obediently executed the order the Lord had commanded. Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac on the altar, but the Lord told him not to. Instead, Abraham sacrificed a ram and passed the test. There, Abraham called God Jehovah Jireh (Gen. 22:14).
Knowing that God's got your back--that He has everything taken care of, from the rent to the light bill to the gas in the car to the final exam to the new job to emotional healing to ministry work to true happiness--is true rest.
"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him," (Psalm 37:7); "...The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for him," (Lamentations 3:24).
Once I returned to Rock Hill, busyness tried to overtake my mind once again. But Tabernacle of Praise Church International entered into our Holy Convocation Week--a time to consecrate ourselves unto the Lord for the new year by spending special time with Him in fasting, prayer and reading the Word.
What an awesome time it was!
In this year of making deliberate progress, I want to deliberately spend more time with the Lord--deliberately rest in His safety--deliberately study more and more of His Word--deliberately love on Him as much as possible.
Busyness in life will come; it is inevitable in this chaotic, sinful world.
But rest in the Lord and peace of mind is also possible by trusting God and being filled with Holy Spirit.
"For the spirit God gave us does not make us timid but gives us power, love and self-discipline," (2 Timothy 1:7-TNIV). Some versions say a "sound mind."
As we foray through 2011, let's devote ourselves to resting in the Lord. I've realized it's okay to take a break once in a while and tell the Lord, "God, I love you."
It's okay to even take a nap and linger in God's presence for more than five minutes.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Friday, December 3, 2010
Oh! The Love of Christ
Christmas doth approach.
It's a season of glad tidings.
It's a season of flashing lights, gift-giving, food-cooking, family-gathering, tree-trimming, carol-singing, sled-riding and church play-acting.
It's a season where people take time out of their busy, self-consumed schedules to be generous.
During my childhood, it seemed to be a time where everyone was all of a sudden so happy and caring and people would be filled with excitement.
At least, this is the commercial, money-making meaning of the holiday--including the cloy plays and movies which portray the Nativity Scene as picturesque, beautiful and tranquil; something you would want to put in a snow globe.
Well, none of that is what Christmas is all about.
Christmas is about Christ and God's immeasurable love for His creation.
Christmas is about God loving us so much that He would send His only begotten son--1/3 of Himself--down to a sinful, impure, miserable earth to redeem a miserable, hopeless and lost people.
Christmas is about remembering the love of Christ. How deep it is. How wide it is. How great it is.
It's a great love; the same love which should be rooted so deeply in Christians that the atmosphere changes when we enter a room; that bonds are broken and captives set free; that we triumph in spiritual warfare; that we maintain consistent intimacy with Christ; that we are united as believers; that God's Kingdom may be established through His church.
Is there anything wrong with celebrating Christmas?
Not at all.
Is it wrong to let the people in your life know how much you love and appreciate them?
Of course not.
Is it wrong to do this one day out of the year and turn it into a colossal commercial conundrum?
I believe so.
Because the love of Christ can't be bought or sold. None of us earned it, but it's by grace we have been saved. It's by grace that we are redeemed. Nothing we could ever do--EVER--will guarantee us earning our salvation. But it is the matchless, amazing love of Christ that sets us free from damnation.
And once we experience such a love, we should share it. We should exude it. We should live, eat, breathe and sweat it.
There's so much I could say but can't say at the same time. I'm still learning about the love of Christ--we'll always be learning about it. But when that revelation hits that He loves us--really, truly, absolutely, without a doubt loves us and we come to truly, absolutely, without a doubt love Him--it feels good.
It makes you want to be generous at all times.
It makes you want to forgive others.
It makes you want to smile.
It makes you want to dance, run, shout and sing!
It makes you want to cry with tears of joy.
It gives you the strength to love other people, even the ones who make it hard for people to love them.
Through the love of Christ, we see people as Christ sees them.
Through realization of the human, sinful condition, we feel pity for lost souls.
That's why we seek them. The genuine love of Christ gives us no choice.
If we love a person, we won't push them in front of a speeding truck.
That's what hell is...a speeding truck.
The love of Christ compels us to be better; not just on Dec. 25, but every single day we are blessed with breath.
"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ."~ Ephesians 3:18 (TNIV)
It's a season of glad tidings.
It's a season of flashing lights, gift-giving, food-cooking, family-gathering, tree-trimming, carol-singing, sled-riding and church play-acting.
It's a season where people take time out of their busy, self-consumed schedules to be generous.
During my childhood, it seemed to be a time where everyone was all of a sudden so happy and caring and people would be filled with excitement.
At least, this is the commercial, money-making meaning of the holiday--including the cloy plays and movies which portray the Nativity Scene as picturesque, beautiful and tranquil; something you would want to put in a snow globe.
Well, none of that is what Christmas is all about.
Christmas is about Christ and God's immeasurable love for His creation.
Christmas is about God loving us so much that He would send His only begotten son--1/3 of Himself--down to a sinful, impure, miserable earth to redeem a miserable, hopeless and lost people.
Christmas is about remembering the love of Christ. How deep it is. How wide it is. How great it is.
It's a great love; the same love which should be rooted so deeply in Christians that the atmosphere changes when we enter a room; that bonds are broken and captives set free; that we triumph in spiritual warfare; that we maintain consistent intimacy with Christ; that we are united as believers; that God's Kingdom may be established through His church.
Is there anything wrong with celebrating Christmas?
Not at all.
Is it wrong to let the people in your life know how much you love and appreciate them?
Of course not.
Is it wrong to do this one day out of the year and turn it into a colossal commercial conundrum?
I believe so.
Because the love of Christ can't be bought or sold. None of us earned it, but it's by grace we have been saved. It's by grace that we are redeemed. Nothing we could ever do--EVER--will guarantee us earning our salvation. But it is the matchless, amazing love of Christ that sets us free from damnation.
And once we experience such a love, we should share it. We should exude it. We should live, eat, breathe and sweat it.
There's so much I could say but can't say at the same time. I'm still learning about the love of Christ--we'll always be learning about it. But when that revelation hits that He loves us--really, truly, absolutely, without a doubt loves us and we come to truly, absolutely, without a doubt love Him--it feels good.
It makes you want to be generous at all times.
It makes you want to forgive others.
It makes you want to smile.
It makes you want to dance, run, shout and sing!
It makes you want to cry with tears of joy.
It gives you the strength to love other people, even the ones who make it hard for people to love them.
Through the love of Christ, we see people as Christ sees them.
Through realization of the human, sinful condition, we feel pity for lost souls.
That's why we seek them. The genuine love of Christ gives us no choice.
If we love a person, we won't push them in front of a speeding truck.
That's what hell is...a speeding truck.
The love of Christ compels us to be better; not just on Dec. 25, but every single day we are blessed with breath.
"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ."~ Ephesians 3:18 (TNIV)
Jessica Jeter: Hometown Hero
When she was younger, Jessica Jeter just wanted her own room.
Now, the 20-year-old junior economics and political science double major is helping others get their own homes as fundraising and Youth United coordinator for York County’s Habitat for Humanity.
An aspiring attorney, Jeter’s well-kept and business-minded demeanor displays her as a woman fit for the courtroom.
Yet, Jeter has seen her share of struggle.
Early into middle school, Jeter and her family left their home of Baltimore, Md. and moved to Greenville, S.C.
Financial struggles followed them south.
“As a kid, I never had a room of my own,” Jeter said.
In May 2008, Jeter walked across the stage of Wade Hampton High School as a high school graduate. A new home purchased by her parents, the Rev. Dr. DeWayne and Kimberly Jeter, was part of her graduation gift.
“I always told my parents if there’s one thing that I wanted, I just wanted my own room one day,” Jeter said. “I just wanted to be able to come home to my own room, to my own space.”
Once graduating high school, Jeter got what she asked for.
Her next request was attendance at Spelman College in Atlanta, Ga.
She got in. On the same token, tuition was $33,000.
Having just purchased a new home, her parents couldn’t afford to send their daughter to her dream school.
Jeter went to Greenville Technical College her freshman year. Her parents hadn’t forgotten their daughter’s dreams of attending a four-year university.
Winthrop soon rose on the horizon.
Things didn’t become easier once Jeter , a sophomore at the time, was accepted to Winthrop. The day before her orientation, her dad, pastor of Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, lost his job. Around that same time, Jeter learned that the university wasn’t offering her any financial aid.
“The only thing that was offered to me was student loans,” she said.
Even with the loans, Jeter still had to pay $1,448 monthly to attend school.
“I was like ‘wow, we only lived in our new house for like a year, my dad just lost his job the day before my orientation and they’re asking that I pay this big ole lump sum,” Jeter said. “I didn’t know how I was going to do it.”
At the end of the day, it came down to Jeter’s parents making a choice between their mortgage or her tuition at Winthrop.
“I was like I can’t ask my parents to do that,” Jeter said.
She was ready to go to Greenville Tech another year but Jeter’s father, the Rev. Dr. DeWayne Jeter, was adamant that his daughter would attend Winthrop.
His determination paid off. Jeter and her parents cut out on-campus living fees from her tuition and decided that she would need to live off-campus. In addition, the mortgage was paid.
After hunting for apartments throughout Rock Hill and encountering issues with her first set of roommates, Jeter met her current three roommates and they moved into an apartment together.
Living at an apartment with a month-to-month lease, their landlord increased their rent during the scorching summer months.
With her parents paying her rent and her dad still unemployed, Jeter could not afford to stay in the apartment. Neither could her roommates.
Eventually, all four women moved to a Walk2Campus house.
Walk2Campus is an off-campus housing group which has formed a partnership with Winthrop to provide off-campus alternative housing for Winthrop students in Rock Hill.
Recently, Jeter’s mom’s medical coding company was bought out and her salary cut. Even with her father unemployed and her mom’s salary cut, Jeter said her family is making it.
“We pay our mortgage on time, the rent gets paid on time, we still have all of our cars,” Jeter said. “It just surprises me, it really does.”
Enter Habitat
It wasn’t strictly a love for volunteering that led Jeter to begin working with Habitat for Humanity—it was the people she already knew in high school.
“The high school I went to, a majority of the students were raised in single-home families,” Jeter said. “So there were one or two individuals I already knew of who had their home built [by Habitat].”
It was through this firsthand experience that Jeter saw the impact Habitat for Humanity made in the lives of children and teenagers. It was something she wanted to be a part of.
After her high school sponsored Greenville’s Habitat for Humanity for spirit week, Jeter began attending meetings. Soon, she was volunteering any Saturday she didn’t have a track or cheerleading competition.
While at Greenville Tech, Jeter wasn’t able to volunteer as much as she used to. Once coming to Winthrop and living off-campus, she faced many adjustments.
“I never lived on my own before,” Jeter said. “It was very difficult,”
Jeter, who described herself as a “daddy’s girl,” went home every weekend her first year at Winthrop to ease her homesickness.
Though she said she’s starting to find her balance, Jeter admitted she’s still undergoing the growing-up process.
“The more you grow, the more you mature, the more you learn, you find out your priorities—what’s more important to you,” Jeter said.
In the midst of her transition to Winthrop and York’s Habitat for Humanity, Jeter has found three roommates who are almost like her sisters.
“Opposites do attract,” Jeter said. “One is an art major; she’s like one of the students who walks around with the paint on the pants, and she’s very artsy and carefree.”
Jeter’s second roommate works with plaster and clay all day. The other one is an international business major.
Still, it’s the differences that meld them together.
“I’m the only African American roommate they have,” Jeter said. “All of us are so different that it just kind of mixes well.”
It’s a family thing
Helping others seems to run in the family.
Jeter’s mom, Kimberly Jeter, is a professional medical coder who pursued a law degree in college.
Jeter’s grandfather also pursued law.
Both went in opposite directions.
Jeter’s grandfather is now a pastor in Washington D.C.
After seeing what happened behind the scenes of a law firms, Kimberly deferred and look to the medical profession. To her surprise, she liked coding. Even though she and her father left the law track, Kimberly is hoping her daughter stays focused.
“I see a very focused Jessica,” Jeter’s mom said. “She has a plan and she’s executing it.”
Old Habitats die-hard
This past summer, Jeter returned to Habitat for Humanity; this time, working with York County’s affiliate chapter.
As fundraising coordinator, she leads a committee of volunteers who plan events and coordinate other activities to raise money for the organization.
It’s a labor of love.
One moment that touched Jeter was witnessing a mother receive a new home for her and her children to replace the old one, which was literally split in two.
“Even though my family may not have been as bad off as other families, I know what it’s like as a kid to want for something,” Jeter said.
Jeter said she knows parents, more than anyone, feel wonderful when they are able to give their kids a home.
“That’s what every parent wants to do—make their child happy,” Jeter said.
Katie Lockhart, a Winthrop University senior international business major, has been roommates with Jeter for 11 months. In that time, she has experienced Jeter’s tenacity for helping others.
“If she sees a person or a family who is in need and she can’t financially help, she really takes it to heart,” Lockhart said.
During Jeter’s earlier days with the York affiliate of Habitat for Humanity, Lockhart said some of Jeter’s female committee members thought Jeter was stuck-up.
In response, Jeter cooked a big dinner and invited them to the house for a girl’s night out, Lockhart said.
Lockhart and Jeter, who grew up five minutes away from each other but did not meet until they were both in Rock Hill, have developed a closer friendship since their initial decision to move in together.
“She’s a great roommate,” Lockhart said.
Since working with York, Jeter has seen many families shy to apply for a Habitat home.
She said some people are afraid they won’t qualify for a home because of credit reasons or they just have shame because of their situations.
“Don’t ever be ashamed of your life or what you’ve been through,” Jeter advised. “It makes you who you are as an individual.”
Jeter said her dad preached it best a couple of Sundays ago.
“He said, ‘you never know what issues God may want you to unmask could, for Him fixing your issues in public, that’s proving to other people what God can do for you.’”
In the past, Habitat required its applicants to have a certain credit score to qualify for homes. Now, with the economy’s ebb and flow, the nonprofit organization is just interested in seeing applicants possessing more income than debt, Jeter said.
Habitat for Humanity applicants still have to pay their mortgage, insurance, property taxes and utilities.
“If they see you can actually physically manage that without struggling, then you can get it,” Jeter said.
The Heart of Habitat Slideshow
Jessica Jeter, daughter of Rev. Dr. DeWayne and Kimberly Jeter, is the events and fundraising coordinator for York County's Habitat for Humanity.
The Taylors, S.C., resident got her start with the organization while attending Wade Hampton High School in Greenville, S.C., and carried her love for volunteering and helping others to Rock Hill when she began attending Winthrop.
While she has been unable to participate in many builds herself, the junior political science/economics double major said she is looking forward to her first one, most specifically the excitement and enthusiasm that comes with helping others.
"It's really just the excitement and the spirit that is actually on the build site," Jeter said.
This slide show displays the spirit, sweat and heart that goes into building a Habitat for Humanity home.
As Jeter put it, York County Habitat for Humanity is small but it is one branch of a large tree of similar organizations devoted to providing housing for low-income families.
The slide show includes pictures of a recent build by York County Habitat for Humanity in Clover, S.C. The families were not identified.
Podcast:
As fundraising and Youth United coordinator for York County's Habitat for Humanity, Jessica Jeter has aided in improving the lives of countless families in Greenville and York County. Initially getting her start as a volunteer in her hometown, Taylors, S.C., the 20-year-old junior economics/political science double major has been touched and inspired by her encounters with several families. I sat down to talk to Jeter about some of the experiences that have touched her most while working with Habitat for Humanity.
Habitat">Habitat
Now, the 20-year-old junior economics and political science double major is helping others get their own homes as fundraising and Youth United coordinator for York County’s Habitat for Humanity.
An aspiring attorney, Jeter’s well-kept and business-minded demeanor displays her as a woman fit for the courtroom.
Yet, Jeter has seen her share of struggle.
Early into middle school, Jeter and her family left their home of Baltimore, Md. and moved to Greenville, S.C.
Financial struggles followed them south.
“As a kid, I never had a room of my own,” Jeter said.
In May 2008, Jeter walked across the stage of Wade Hampton High School as a high school graduate. A new home purchased by her parents, the Rev. Dr. DeWayne and Kimberly Jeter, was part of her graduation gift.
“I always told my parents if there’s one thing that I wanted, I just wanted my own room one day,” Jeter said. “I just wanted to be able to come home to my own room, to my own space.”
Once graduating high school, Jeter got what she asked for.
Her next request was attendance at Spelman College in Atlanta, Ga.
She got in. On the same token, tuition was $33,000.
Having just purchased a new home, her parents couldn’t afford to send their daughter to her dream school.
Jeter went to Greenville Technical College her freshman year. Her parents hadn’t forgotten their daughter’s dreams of attending a four-year university.
Winthrop soon rose on the horizon.
Things didn’t become easier once Jeter , a sophomore at the time, was accepted to Winthrop. The day before her orientation, her dad, pastor of Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, lost his job. Around that same time, Jeter learned that the university wasn’t offering her any financial aid.
“The only thing that was offered to me was student loans,” she said.
Even with the loans, Jeter still had to pay $1,448 monthly to attend school.
“I was like ‘wow, we only lived in our new house for like a year, my dad just lost his job the day before my orientation and they’re asking that I pay this big ole lump sum,” Jeter said. “I didn’t know how I was going to do it.”
At the end of the day, it came down to Jeter’s parents making a choice between their mortgage or her tuition at Winthrop.
“I was like I can’t ask my parents to do that,” Jeter said.
She was ready to go to Greenville Tech another year but Jeter’s father, the Rev. Dr. DeWayne Jeter, was adamant that his daughter would attend Winthrop.
His determination paid off. Jeter and her parents cut out on-campus living fees from her tuition and decided that she would need to live off-campus. In addition, the mortgage was paid.
After hunting for apartments throughout Rock Hill and encountering issues with her first set of roommates, Jeter met her current three roommates and they moved into an apartment together.
Living at an apartment with a month-to-month lease, their landlord increased their rent during the scorching summer months.
With her parents paying her rent and her dad still unemployed, Jeter could not afford to stay in the apartment. Neither could her roommates.
Eventually, all four women moved to a Walk2Campus house.
Walk2Campus is an off-campus housing group which has formed a partnership with Winthrop to provide off-campus alternative housing for Winthrop students in Rock Hill.
Recently, Jeter’s mom’s medical coding company was bought out and her salary cut. Even with her father unemployed and her mom’s salary cut, Jeter said her family is making it.
“We pay our mortgage on time, the rent gets paid on time, we still have all of our cars,” Jeter said. “It just surprises me, it really does.”
Enter Habitat
It wasn’t strictly a love for volunteering that led Jeter to begin working with Habitat for Humanity—it was the people she already knew in high school.
“The high school I went to, a majority of the students were raised in single-home families,” Jeter said. “So there were one or two individuals I already knew of who had their home built [by Habitat].”
It was through this firsthand experience that Jeter saw the impact Habitat for Humanity made in the lives of children and teenagers. It was something she wanted to be a part of.
After her high school sponsored Greenville’s Habitat for Humanity for spirit week, Jeter began attending meetings. Soon, she was volunteering any Saturday she didn’t have a track or cheerleading competition.
While at Greenville Tech, Jeter wasn’t able to volunteer as much as she used to. Once coming to Winthrop and living off-campus, she faced many adjustments.
“I never lived on my own before,” Jeter said. “It was very difficult,”
Jeter, who described herself as a “daddy’s girl,” went home every weekend her first year at Winthrop to ease her homesickness.
Though she said she’s starting to find her balance, Jeter admitted she’s still undergoing the growing-up process.
“The more you grow, the more you mature, the more you learn, you find out your priorities—what’s more important to you,” Jeter said.
In the midst of her transition to Winthrop and York’s Habitat for Humanity, Jeter has found three roommates who are almost like her sisters.
“Opposites do attract,” Jeter said. “One is an art major; she’s like one of the students who walks around with the paint on the pants, and she’s very artsy and carefree.”
Jeter’s second roommate works with plaster and clay all day. The other one is an international business major.
Still, it’s the differences that meld them together.
“I’m the only African American roommate they have,” Jeter said. “All of us are so different that it just kind of mixes well.”
It’s a family thing
Helping others seems to run in the family.
Jeter’s mom, Kimberly Jeter, is a professional medical coder who pursued a law degree in college.
Jeter’s grandfather also pursued law.
Both went in opposite directions.
Jeter’s grandfather is now a pastor in Washington D.C.
After seeing what happened behind the scenes of a law firms, Kimberly deferred and look to the medical profession. To her surprise, she liked coding. Even though she and her father left the law track, Kimberly is hoping her daughter stays focused.
“I see a very focused Jessica,” Jeter’s mom said. “She has a plan and she’s executing it.”
Old Habitats die-hard
This past summer, Jeter returned to Habitat for Humanity; this time, working with York County’s affiliate chapter.
As fundraising coordinator, she leads a committee of volunteers who plan events and coordinate other activities to raise money for the organization.
It’s a labor of love.
One moment that touched Jeter was witnessing a mother receive a new home for her and her children to replace the old one, which was literally split in two.
“Even though my family may not have been as bad off as other families, I know what it’s like as a kid to want for something,” Jeter said.
Jeter said she knows parents, more than anyone, feel wonderful when they are able to give their kids a home.
“That’s what every parent wants to do—make their child happy,” Jeter said.
Katie Lockhart, a Winthrop University senior international business major, has been roommates with Jeter for 11 months. In that time, she has experienced Jeter’s tenacity for helping others.
“If she sees a person or a family who is in need and she can’t financially help, she really takes it to heart,” Lockhart said.
During Jeter’s earlier days with the York affiliate of Habitat for Humanity, Lockhart said some of Jeter’s female committee members thought Jeter was stuck-up.
In response, Jeter cooked a big dinner and invited them to the house for a girl’s night out, Lockhart said.
Lockhart and Jeter, who grew up five minutes away from each other but did not meet until they were both in Rock Hill, have developed a closer friendship since their initial decision to move in together.
“She’s a great roommate,” Lockhart said.
Since working with York, Jeter has seen many families shy to apply for a Habitat home.
She said some people are afraid they won’t qualify for a home because of credit reasons or they just have shame because of their situations.
“Don’t ever be ashamed of your life or what you’ve been through,” Jeter advised. “It makes you who you are as an individual.”
Jeter said her dad preached it best a couple of Sundays ago.
“He said, ‘you never know what issues God may want you to unmask could, for Him fixing your issues in public, that’s proving to other people what God can do for you.’”
In the past, Habitat required its applicants to have a certain credit score to qualify for homes. Now, with the economy’s ebb and flow, the nonprofit organization is just interested in seeing applicants possessing more income than debt, Jeter said.
Habitat for Humanity applicants still have to pay their mortgage, insurance, property taxes and utilities.
“If they see you can actually physically manage that without struggling, then you can get it,” Jeter said.
The Heart of Habitat Slideshow
Jessica Jeter, daughter of Rev. Dr. DeWayne and Kimberly Jeter, is the events and fundraising coordinator for York County's Habitat for Humanity.
The Taylors, S.C., resident got her start with the organization while attending Wade Hampton High School in Greenville, S.C., and carried her love for volunteering and helping others to Rock Hill when she began attending Winthrop.
While she has been unable to participate in many builds herself, the junior political science/economics double major said she is looking forward to her first one, most specifically the excitement and enthusiasm that comes with helping others.
"It's really just the excitement and the spirit that is actually on the build site," Jeter said.
This slide show displays the spirit, sweat and heart that goes into building a Habitat for Humanity home.
As Jeter put it, York County Habitat for Humanity is small but it is one branch of a large tree of similar organizations devoted to providing housing for low-income families.
The slide show includes pictures of a recent build by York County Habitat for Humanity in Clover, S.C. The families were not identified.
Podcast:
As fundraising and Youth United coordinator for York County's Habitat for Humanity, Jessica Jeter has aided in improving the lives of countless families in Greenville and York County. Initially getting her start as a volunteer in her hometown, Taylors, S.C., the 20-year-old junior economics/political science double major has been touched and inspired by her encounters with several families. I sat down to talk to Jeter about some of the experiences that have touched her most while working with Habitat for Humanity.
Habitat">Habitat
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Christian journalist repents, sports new attitude
I have to apologize for the tone my blog has taken.
I have done a serious disservice to my one follower and myself.
While my one follower is a professor in my news reporting class, just knowing the ramifications of some of the things I've posted is enough to spark repentance.
You see, my last blog post was about a week of ones.
Essentially, I was lamenting the cruelty of the week of classes after Thanksgiving Break. While it may be true that this is a hard week, as a disciple of Christ and an example on Winthrop's campus, I should have known better than to air something that can be interpreted as complaining.
Complaining is a natural human response to external, intense and often unfavorable situations.
In fact, some commentators have made a career out of complaining.
The problem lies in then natural, human part.
The human nature is a sin nature.
If complaining is all too human, then it's something I shouldn't indulge in too often.
One of my favorite verses of the Bible, Psalm 37:8 states, "Refrain from anger, turn from wrath. Do not fret, it leads only to evil."
Well, Dictionary.com defines fret as expressing worry, annoyance or discontent. It also means to move in agitation or commotion.
That is something I don't want to do.
The enemy moves in agitation and commotion; he feeds and incites it.
"...Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8)
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy..." (John 10:10)
"And the Lord said to Satan, 'Where have you come from?' Satan answered the Lord, 'From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.'" (Job 2:2)
So, you see, complaining, indulging in agitation, annoyance and discontent for prolonged periods of time isn't good.
Some of my blog posts have portrayed my intensely busy schedule and the resulting fatigue I have felt this semester.
That's not encouraging to anyone. That's not edifying to anyone's spirit. That doesn't portray God as a sustainer and healer.
And that's why I aim to change the spirit and tone of this blog.
Initially, I started blogging because professors mandated it in class.
Now, I've found that I've enjoyed it.
One of my desires is to write for a Christian publication one day.
Why not start here?
My only regret is that this revelation didn't come sooner.
Then again, every nudging I felt after a 'down' blog post was Holy Spirit convicting me.
News flash Jonathan--should have listened.
Now I have.
I thank God for this opportunity; for His love and His mercy. Most of all, I thank Him for Him. I thank Him for conviction, forgiveness and another chance.
So, prepare yourselves. The mood will change.
Three things I like to write about: God, comic books and journalism.
God should encompass it all.
He is top priority.
To quote one of my favorite songs by William Murphy: "It's a new season, it's a new day. A fresh anointing, flowing my way. A new day of power and prosperity. It's not a season--it's already on me!"
Time to live in the overflow.
I have done a serious disservice to my one follower and myself.
While my one follower is a professor in my news reporting class, just knowing the ramifications of some of the things I've posted is enough to spark repentance.
You see, my last blog post was about a week of ones.
Essentially, I was lamenting the cruelty of the week of classes after Thanksgiving Break. While it may be true that this is a hard week, as a disciple of Christ and an example on Winthrop's campus, I should have known better than to air something that can be interpreted as complaining.
Complaining is a natural human response to external, intense and often unfavorable situations.
In fact, some commentators have made a career out of complaining.
The problem lies in then natural, human part.
The human nature is a sin nature.
If complaining is all too human, then it's something I shouldn't indulge in too often.
One of my favorite verses of the Bible, Psalm 37:8 states, "Refrain from anger, turn from wrath. Do not fret, it leads only to evil."
Well, Dictionary.com defines fret as expressing worry, annoyance or discontent. It also means to move in agitation or commotion.
That is something I don't want to do.
The enemy moves in agitation and commotion; he feeds and incites it.
"...Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8)
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy..." (John 10:10)
"And the Lord said to Satan, 'Where have you come from?' Satan answered the Lord, 'From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.'" (Job 2:2)
So, you see, complaining, indulging in agitation, annoyance and discontent for prolonged periods of time isn't good.
Some of my blog posts have portrayed my intensely busy schedule and the resulting fatigue I have felt this semester.
That's not encouraging to anyone. That's not edifying to anyone's spirit. That doesn't portray God as a sustainer and healer.
And that's why I aim to change the spirit and tone of this blog.
Initially, I started blogging because professors mandated it in class.
Now, I've found that I've enjoyed it.
One of my desires is to write for a Christian publication one day.
Why not start here?
My only regret is that this revelation didn't come sooner.
Then again, every nudging I felt after a 'down' blog post was Holy Spirit convicting me.
News flash Jonathan--should have listened.
Now I have.
I thank God for this opportunity; for His love and His mercy. Most of all, I thank Him for Him. I thank Him for conviction, forgiveness and another chance.
So, prepare yourselves. The mood will change.
Three things I like to write about: God, comic books and journalism.
God should encompass it all.
He is top priority.
To quote one of my favorite songs by William Murphy: "It's a new season, it's a new day. A fresh anointing, flowing my way. A new day of power and prosperity. It's not a season--it's already on me!"
Time to live in the overflow.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
A Week of Ones
The week after Thanksgiving break is sinister.
It's a week filled with incomplete oneness.
After chowing down on turkey, sweet potato pie, macaroni and cheese, corn bread, stuffing, collared greens and a host of other treats that I don't bother cooking myself, who can move?
Who wants to write a paper?
Who wants to study for an exam?
Who wants to traipse to a college campus?
Who wants to wake up at 7 a.m. and not return to a comforting bed until 1 a.m. the next morning?
I didn't want to do any of it.
Alas, I have no choice.
There's one more full week left of classes. There's one more issue left to publish for The Johnsonian. There's one more assignment due for news reporting. There's one more newsletter that needs to be produced at church. There's one more gathering for the college ministry. There's even one more test before finals start.
I'm convinced it's a conspiracy.
Here is where university administrators make you or break you; where they test your value as a student.
With stomachs full and a brief taste of academic reprieve, you're pushed to your limit.
Everything is due within this week. The stuff you started on before Thanksgiving always manages to carry on afterwards--especially if you were unable to access your files due to dial-up connectivity down home :(
Your dedication is tested. Will you strive for an A or settle for a B?
Will you even attempt that one extra-credit assignment?
Will you keep your sanity as professors unload unrealistic expectations onto your fragile frame?
Will you ever go to bed at 10 p.m..? Probably so, just not this week.
Will you finish your Christmas shopping?
Will you make the effort to put up a Christmas tree?
Will you feel holiday joy or will the sounds of children singing classic Christmas carols only upset you?
Will you get it together?
Will you finish this blog post?
It's a week filled with incomplete oneness.
After chowing down on turkey, sweet potato pie, macaroni and cheese, corn bread, stuffing, collared greens and a host of other treats that I don't bother cooking myself, who can move?
Who wants to write a paper?
Who wants to study for an exam?
Who wants to traipse to a college campus?
Who wants to wake up at 7 a.m. and not return to a comforting bed until 1 a.m. the next morning?
I didn't want to do any of it.
Alas, I have no choice.
There's one more full week left of classes. There's one more issue left to publish for The Johnsonian. There's one more assignment due for news reporting. There's one more newsletter that needs to be produced at church. There's one more gathering for the college ministry. There's even one more test before finals start.
I'm convinced it's a conspiracy.
Here is where university administrators make you or break you; where they test your value as a student.
With stomachs full and a brief taste of academic reprieve, you're pushed to your limit.
Everything is due within this week. The stuff you started on before Thanksgiving always manages to carry on afterwards--especially if you were unable to access your files due to dial-up connectivity down home :(
Your dedication is tested. Will you strive for an A or settle for a B?
Will you even attempt that one extra-credit assignment?
Will you keep your sanity as professors unload unrealistic expectations onto your fragile frame?
Will you ever go to bed at 10 p.m..? Probably so, just not this week.
Will you finish your Christmas shopping?
Will you make the effort to put up a Christmas tree?
Will you feel holiday joy or will the sounds of children singing classic Christmas carols only upset you?
Will you get it together?
Will you finish this blog post?
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Student journalist commits blunder
It's one of the hardest things to admit, and in this business, it's pretty permanent.
It bores in your mind incessantly.
You're reminded by your co-workers, your own face, your friends and the clips in your portfolio.
It's a mistake, but not any mistake. We're not talking grammatical errors. We're not talking vacillating misuse of verb tense or dangling modifiers or omitted punctuation.
We're talking misspelling the name of your centerpiece source.
And not just one little slip-up in one graf followed by an immediate correction in the next.
We're talking consistent misspelling in a story that was written practically two weeks ago, held on backlog and then run this week.
We're talking complete and utter embarrassment.
We're talking shame.
To some, it may not be that big of a deal. I'm assuming most people who are thinking that don't work for any kind of media outlet.
One of the first things we learn in journalism and mass media is that people like to see their names in print and online.
It almost gives them the same satisfaction a journalist feels when they see a byline attached to a story they've written.
Yet, it becomes a little more personal in a newspaper. People really don't like to be misrepresented. It's understandable.
For example, I'm not Johnathan McFadden or Jon McFadden or Jonathen McFadden...I'm Jonathan McFadden and I like it that way.
A name is dear and precious and sacred; mine means a gift from God. I don't want that meaning taken away. Sure, adding an extra H after the O isn't that big of a deal, but it's the principle.
The worst part is the potential distrust I've evoked in my community.
If I get this person's name wrong, what's going to stop me from getting this quote wrong?
If I get this quote wrong, what's going to stop me from paraphrasing incorrectly or knowingly protect myself and my publication from libel?
It's a student reporter's worst realization.
I didn't realize it until 10:55 p.m. Thursday night.
My heart sank. I felt bad for the young woman whose name was consistently and utterly destroyed at my hand. I felt sorry for the publication I represent, The Johnsonian, who will only receive more flak due to this discrepancy. I feel humiliated because I know better...always check the names, always, always, always.
What's my excuse?
I can use the defense that it's not easy being a student journalist and balancing that with classes, work, extracurriculars, ministry, church, social interaction and life.
I can say that "you" don't understand the vulnerable position journalists are in. After all, each time we type a word on a screen we allow a piece of ourselves to be exposed to the world. Any word we know or don't know. Any sentence whose syntax is unclear. Any fact mildly questionable. Any story too soft and then too hard, too sympathetic and then too malicious.
No matter how good the writing or how thorough the reporting, that one incident--that one stain of imperfection and forgetfulness will forever taint that story.
It's a heavy responsibility we watchdogs and gatekeepers and advocates and representatives and muckrakers (just kidding) take on.
I'm accountable for my error and to the young woman whom the error was perpetrated against.
This incident will probably be in the back of my mind anytime I apply for an internship or job.
But, it will make me better if I let it.
No, this isn't my first mistake. I take it hard each and every time I make one because it's no light matter. It's nothing I should ever become comfortable shrugging off.
No, this isn't my first mistake and it won't be my last but this is a stepping stool to greater knowledge and wiser practice.
I guarantee I'll triple-check the names next time.
It bores in your mind incessantly.
You're reminded by your co-workers, your own face, your friends and the clips in your portfolio.
It's a mistake, but not any mistake. We're not talking grammatical errors. We're not talking vacillating misuse of verb tense or dangling modifiers or omitted punctuation.
We're talking misspelling the name of your centerpiece source.
And not just one little slip-up in one graf followed by an immediate correction in the next.
We're talking consistent misspelling in a story that was written practically two weeks ago, held on backlog and then run this week.
We're talking complete and utter embarrassment.
We're talking shame.
To some, it may not be that big of a deal. I'm assuming most people who are thinking that don't work for any kind of media outlet.
One of the first things we learn in journalism and mass media is that people like to see their names in print and online.
It almost gives them the same satisfaction a journalist feels when they see a byline attached to a story they've written.
Yet, it becomes a little more personal in a newspaper. People really don't like to be misrepresented. It's understandable.
For example, I'm not Johnathan McFadden or Jon McFadden or Jonathen McFadden...I'm Jonathan McFadden and I like it that way.
A name is dear and precious and sacred; mine means a gift from God. I don't want that meaning taken away. Sure, adding an extra H after the O isn't that big of a deal, but it's the principle.
The worst part is the potential distrust I've evoked in my community.
If I get this person's name wrong, what's going to stop me from getting this quote wrong?
If I get this quote wrong, what's going to stop me from paraphrasing incorrectly or knowingly protect myself and my publication from libel?
It's a student reporter's worst realization.
I didn't realize it until 10:55 p.m. Thursday night.
My heart sank. I felt bad for the young woman whose name was consistently and utterly destroyed at my hand. I felt sorry for the publication I represent, The Johnsonian, who will only receive more flak due to this discrepancy. I feel humiliated because I know better...always check the names, always, always, always.
What's my excuse?
I can use the defense that it's not easy being a student journalist and balancing that with classes, work, extracurriculars, ministry, church, social interaction and life.
I can say that "you" don't understand the vulnerable position journalists are in. After all, each time we type a word on a screen we allow a piece of ourselves to be exposed to the world. Any word we know or don't know. Any sentence whose syntax is unclear. Any fact mildly questionable. Any story too soft and then too hard, too sympathetic and then too malicious.
No matter how good the writing or how thorough the reporting, that one incident--that one stain of imperfection and forgetfulness will forever taint that story.
It's a heavy responsibility we watchdogs and gatekeepers and advocates and representatives and muckrakers (just kidding) take on.
I'm accountable for my error and to the young woman whom the error was perpetrated against.
This incident will probably be in the back of my mind anytime I apply for an internship or job.
But, it will make me better if I let it.
No, this isn't my first mistake. I take it hard each and every time I make one because it's no light matter. It's nothing I should ever become comfortable shrugging off.
No, this isn't my first mistake and it won't be my last but this is a stepping stool to greater knowledge and wiser practice.
I guarantee I'll triple-check the names next time.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Time for God?
As I engaged in a mind spill late tonight, I had to ask myself an important question…where’s my time with God?
I take the time to do my homework.
I take the time to report, write and conduct interviews.
I take the time to assist with layout and page design at least two nights a week, as well as compile a police blotter.
I take the time to go to Bible study, usually sitting on the inside with my mind in so many different places at once that I feel like I’m going to pass out.
I take the time to eat…occasionally.
I take the time to text…usually it’s business related.
I take the time to read my Bible.
I take the time to pray (not as frequently as I used to).
I take the time to go to each and every class.
I take the time to drink a cup of coffee.
In all of this, where did I actually spend time with God?
I can argue that He’s with me always. Well, that’s a given.
I can say, wait, when I read my Bible, I receive direct revelation from Him because He’s speaking to me, right? Well, not necessarily. God is speaking to me, but as a free moral agent, I can always not listen to Him.
Sure I can say I’ve been in Bible study faithfully, but just like Christians can sit in church and receive nothing from the Lord, I can sit in Bible study and still be scatterbrained.
Monday- Thursday I am on Winthrop’s campus generally from 8:30 a.m. until 11 p.m.
That’s a lot of time in one general area.
During those several hours, I wonder how much time I’ve spent with God?
I know I pray. I know I stop doing whatever arduous task I’m engaged in at the time and utter a quick, “Thank you Lord, I love you God.”
But that’s not enough. This I know for a fact
Intimacy with Christ is a direct correlation with a relationship with Him. There was a time when Christ and I were very intimate. Of course, I wasn’t as busy then and I got more sleep.
Still, no excuse. If I can’t pray and fast and praise in the midst of the busy, constantly on-the-go, no stopping ever days of the week, then how strong is my faith?
This is just another mind spill. A deep self reflection that I’m allowing to be published.
Why?
Because I know I’m not the only one. If there’s another Christian in college out there, you know this scenario. You probably know it very well.
Stay encouraged.
Speak the Word of God over your life. That’s what keeps us sustained. That’s what builds our faith-muscles. That’s what draws us closer to Christ.
James 4:4, “Come near to God and He will come near to you”
It’s true.
This is all about relationship.
God never told me to overwhelm myself to the point of collapse.
He never said ignore Him in the process either.
There’s much from this semester that I must repent of. There’s a whole four months of spiritual growth and closeness with Christ that I missed out on.
It was my fault.
I was just too busy for God.
Hmm, now that I think about it—that sounds like a unbeliever’s excuse for not being a Christian.
I’ve…we’ve got to do better.
He deserves so much more.
Lord, forgive us all. Thank you for the capacities you’ve placed in our lives—from journalism to biology to English to barbering to administration to ministry. Help us manage it all. Help us balance it all. Help us love you more. Help us love others more. Help us be closer to you. Help us find time with you.
Now, I need to end the mind spill.
I need to spend time with God…with my refuge…with my sanctuary.
Harmony with God is possible. It's time to seek it.
I take the time to do my homework.
I take the time to report, write and conduct interviews.
I take the time to assist with layout and page design at least two nights a week, as well as compile a police blotter.
I take the time to go to Bible study, usually sitting on the inside with my mind in so many different places at once that I feel like I’m going to pass out.
I take the time to eat…occasionally.
I take the time to text…usually it’s business related.
I take the time to read my Bible.
I take the time to pray (not as frequently as I used to).
I take the time to go to each and every class.
I take the time to drink a cup of coffee.
In all of this, where did I actually spend time with God?
I can argue that He’s with me always. Well, that’s a given.
I can say, wait, when I read my Bible, I receive direct revelation from Him because He’s speaking to me, right? Well, not necessarily. God is speaking to me, but as a free moral agent, I can always not listen to Him.
Sure I can say I’ve been in Bible study faithfully, but just like Christians can sit in church and receive nothing from the Lord, I can sit in Bible study and still be scatterbrained.
Monday- Thursday I am on Winthrop’s campus generally from 8:30 a.m. until 11 p.m.
That’s a lot of time in one general area.
During those several hours, I wonder how much time I’ve spent with God?
I know I pray. I know I stop doing whatever arduous task I’m engaged in at the time and utter a quick, “Thank you Lord, I love you God.”
But that’s not enough. This I know for a fact
Intimacy with Christ is a direct correlation with a relationship with Him. There was a time when Christ and I were very intimate. Of course, I wasn’t as busy then and I got more sleep.
Still, no excuse. If I can’t pray and fast and praise in the midst of the busy, constantly on-the-go, no stopping ever days of the week, then how strong is my faith?
This is just another mind spill. A deep self reflection that I’m allowing to be published.
Why?
Because I know I’m not the only one. If there’s another Christian in college out there, you know this scenario. You probably know it very well.
Stay encouraged.
Speak the Word of God over your life. That’s what keeps us sustained. That’s what builds our faith-muscles. That’s what draws us closer to Christ.
James 4:4, “Come near to God and He will come near to you”
It’s true.
This is all about relationship.
God never told me to overwhelm myself to the point of collapse.
He never said ignore Him in the process either.
There’s much from this semester that I must repent of. There’s a whole four months of spiritual growth and closeness with Christ that I missed out on.
It was my fault.
I was just too busy for God.
Hmm, now that I think about it—that sounds like a unbeliever’s excuse for not being a Christian.
I’ve…we’ve got to do better.
He deserves so much more.
Lord, forgive us all. Thank you for the capacities you’ve placed in our lives—from journalism to biology to English to barbering to administration to ministry. Help us manage it all. Help us balance it all. Help us love you more. Help us love others more. Help us be closer to you. Help us find time with you.
Now, I need to end the mind spill.
I need to spend time with God…with my refuge…with my sanctuary.
Harmony with God is possible. It's time to seek it.
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