Truth via Chemistry

I just got blown away a little bit by something that I read in my Chemistry text book. Only my God could speak truth to me through a Chemistry textbook at 11pm on a Thursday night. Therefore, I had to share this immediately. ;) 

Some background...I'm learning about atoms, and how no one can know both where an electron is and how fast it is moving within the atom at the same time. There are some complex reasons for this that I won't go in to (mainly because I haven't totally grasped them) but it is something that is evading scientists, and they just can't figure it out, nor will they ever probably be able to. 

So here is an excerpt from my textbook:

...we can estimate some properties very accurately, but we cannot know everything about an atomic/molecular-level system at one time. This is a very different perspective from the one it replaced, which was famously summed up by Pierre-Simon Laplace (1749–1827), who stated that if the positions and velocities of every object in the universe were known, the future would be set:

"We may regard the present state of the universe as the effect of its past and the cause of its future. An intellect which at a certain moment would know all forces that set nature in motion, and all positions of all items of which nature is composed, if this intellect were also vast enough to submit these data to analysis, it would embrace in a single formula the movements of the greatest bodies of the universe and those of the tiniest atom; for such an intellect nothing would be uncertain and the future just like the past would be present before its eyes." -- P.S. Laplace. 

That quote just gets me. This metaphorical "intellect" that Laplace speaks of isn't so metaphorical after all. The Lord knows the movements of the greatest bodies of the universe and of the tiniest atom. HE CREATED THEM. And in that great God we have salvation, redemption! This God is good and loving and compassionate and full of grace. 

And do you see what Laplace, probably unknowingly, says about our God?? 

...for such an intellect nothing would be uncertain and the future just like the past would be present before its eyes...

NOTHING is uncertain for our God. Our just and good God. He sees the future like it's today, for He is timeless. All things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:16-17).

Rejoice in this truth. Live in it. When things don't go your way, remember that it is the Lord that is in control. And who better? He is sure and steadfast, and when we look to Him as we walk through our days, our hearts and minds can rest in this truth and we can live full lives for God.

One Month Down...

I came back from class this afternoon to find this on our door: 

(the things that have been written on this board in only a month...oh my)

I can't believe it's already been an entire month! It really does feel like my family just dropped me off.

The first week was hard. Oh so hard. 

But life here is getting good. Real good. 

Praise the Lord

I'm finally getting into a routine, which is great. By God's grace, I wake up an hour or two before my first class every morning and do some type of exercise. Then I spend some serious time digging deep into the truth of God's word. 

On mornings that I sleep a little too late, I skip my work out. (Walking the hills of this campus every day plus eight flights of stairs to my room can hold me over until I get ample time for a run.) Instead I spend the hour or so that I have with Jesus. 

I am so thankful that God is making Himself my everything, my only priority this strongly and this early into the game. 

Mondays are library days...actually every day is turning into a library day when I have exams, speeches, and lab reports all rolled up into one week.

Then, on Monday nights I have connecting point (CP) groups, which is a girls small group through crosspoint church. I am thrilled to see what God has in store for that group, and I've already grown through fellowship with some of the girls. In only a month! Woo hoo!!

Tuesdays I have class again and a biology lab, but on Tuesday nights I have been attending campus crusaders for Christ, or CRU. And I love it. 

Wednesdays I go non stop and then drop dead after ending my day with a late night chem lab. 

Thursdays I have class again, more homework time, and then a statistics lab that thankfully is pretty short and sweet. Most Thursdays I go to FCA at the oober late time of 9:19, but every once in awhile something comes up.

For example, this Thursday night I will be at Crosspoint watching the Clemson v. N.C. State game. GO TIGERS!!!

Fridays I have one class. At 11:15. It's only 50 minutes.

Fridays are my favorite.

After my class, I eat lunch with Kate, a special needs student in the Clemson LIFE program here. 

Then from that point Friday to Saturday night, it's a wild card. There are so many things going on here and so many people to meet and hang out with. 

This Friday, however, I'm going on a coffee date with one of my small group leaders. Then we are having Thanksgiving dinner with two other CP groups. I'm excited for the fellowship, obviously, but the real, home cooked food will be a nice change from the dining hall. 

Sundays I attend Crosspoint church. Sunday afternoons are pretty random too. Sometimes I do homework. Or go to the grocery store. Or do laundry, which has happened one time so far.

Also, I have a job! Sort of...I'm officiating intramural indoor soccer. I made a foreign goalie a little angry but other than getting yelled at in a british accent, it's been great!

So, to all of you family and friends concerned about my well being, I'm doing great, simply because the Lord is great. Thank you for your prayers. Keep 'em coming.

In only a month I've seen the love and grace of the Father lavished on me in incredible ways. 

And I am so thankful.

Cheers to my first month of college. 

Here's to many more. 

September 11, 2013

As I was walking to class this morning, I saw this and my breath caught.

This is made out of small american flags. That's my favorite part. 

Everyone likes to share their story about 9-11-2001, so here's mine:

I was six. I don't remember it. 

I used to watch a show with my family called 24. The show was all about terrorism and a man who did whatever it took to stop terrorist acts from happening. 

What I do remember is just a few years ago realizing that what happened on that day 12 years ago was a terrorist act. That people from another country made an intentional decision to put a painful dent in America by destroying lives and property. That what I thought was purely fiction in a T.V. show actually occurred in my lifetime. 

I also very vividly remember a video that I saw of people desperately jumping out of the windows of a skyscraper, and not just one or two but hundreds. 

And my heart broke.

I think that on that day, and everyday after, the resounding question is "WHY?"

Why did this happen? How could it have happened? We're AMERICA for crying out loud. Why did this happen to a country that is supposedly a nation 'under God'?

I wonder why too, and I don't know the answer.

But I do know that the Lord allowed it to happen. 

And I do know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Lord is good. 

While my heart is burdened for the lives that were lost and the families they belonged to, my heart rejoices that when things like this happen in day-to-day life I have a solid Rock on which I can stand. 

I have a sovereign God who is all powerful, all-knowing, and loves me unconditionally and sacrificially. 

And how do I know this, you ask?

Because Jesus Christ left the glory of heaven to come to this worthless earth where He lived a perfect life that I could never live, and then died the death and took on the full wrath of God, His Father, that I so greatly deserve. He did this for me. And then, three days later, He rose from the dead, defeating sin and death and making a way for me to live in Him and with Him for eternity. 

I know that God is good because He sent His one and only Son to die for my sins. 

I know that God is good because I have seen Him work all things together for my good, for His glory. 

I know that God is good, that He can be trusted, that He is faithful. 

And because of that, I can praise Him in the storm, both the ones that have been, and the ones yet to come.

He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?

-Romans 8:32

Thankful for Parent's Weekend

                               

Yay for game day round 2 with these lovely ladies.  

  For those of you who don't know, the girl on the far left is Amelia, and she is my roommate. The young lady next to her is Ellen, from Ohio. I met her at an ice cream social that Crosspoint hosted during first week. Thankful that the Lord brought us together there because she loves the Lord so much and, in turn, I love her so very much as well. If you happened to stumble upon this, the girl next to Ellen is me, and then next to me, the girl on the far right is Katherine, and she lives on my hall. She is one of the funniest people I have ever met, and I'm thankful for the countless laughs she's already provided me, as well as for the ones that are sure to come.

 It was a good day in Death Valley, for we creamed S.C. State 52-13. As expected, the game was subpar to the standard set by the week before, but seeing the family this weekend made it all a-okay!

I am so SO thankful for my family. Words really can't even describe it. Although my brother still isn't too keen on Clemson University, my parents wore their orange and purple proudly. When questioned by my brother on his loyalty, my father responds with what's becoming a favorite phrase of mine: "It's not that I'm a Clemson fan, just a Catilyn fan." This melts my heart. (One day he'll be a whopping fan of both!)

I just want to take this opportunity to brag on my parents. They love me so much. It's really ridiculous. They have sacrificed so much of themselves for me for almost 19 years. They are tangible grace; they are a picture of self-sacrifice. They have shown me and taught me the love, grace, and truth that is found in Christ Jesus. I don't know why God chose me to be blessed with them but I am SO THANKFUL. To say it was good to see them this weekend is probably an understatement. 

Ok, thank you for reading my rant. Along with my parents, the Lord has put some other really awesome people in my life, and I got totally surprised by their appearance in Clemson this weekend. 

For one, Robert Harwell, sporting a Clemson shirt. Whaddya know?!

And then there's these guys. Man oh man how thankful I am for those smiling faces and the hearts behind them. These two have poured into my life in incredible ways, and I look forward to the ways the Lord will use them in my life in the future. Again, the thankfulness in my heart is overflowing. In addition to all of the wonderful spiritual things these two have taught me, Clemson grad Matthew Cavin also taught me Tiger Rag at a Rally in the Valley game a few years ago, and now, in his words, "I'm a professional student!"

 On Sunday, my wonderful parents took us out to lunch before heading home, and it was like old times.  This picture pretty much sums it up:

While college is awesome, and I'm not really itching to go home any time soon, it was good to have a taste of home here. I loved getting to share my new life with my family. It's weird that they don't know everything that's going on, and it's also weird that all of my relationships are changing in this new state of life, but glory be to the Lord Almighty who is constant through it all.

How We Do College in the South

Let me tell you, Clemson does college right! This weekend has been awesome. Friday was the first Friday parade. It featured all the different clubs and organizations. President and First Lady Barker were also in it as well as Ali Rodgers, Miss South Carolina.

Saturday, was of course, game day. While I did come to Clemson for an education, I also came to enjoy some good ol' ACC football, and last night, that is exactly what I did. 

I have never seen so much orange nor have I ever heard so beautiful a sound as the echo of 100,000 people shouting aloud to tiger rag. 

For those of you who watched the game (I feel sorry for you if you missed it) it was AWESOME. ESPN College Game Day plus a great win against the Georgia Bull Dogs made for one heck of a first game as a student. I don't know if Death Valley will ever see that much "hype" again. Every seat was filled and every person was cheering on their team.

It sure is great to be a tiger. 

The nifty thing is that while football is probably what I love most about Clemson, it would have been okay if we had lost. Because I still got free food at tailgates. I still got to hang out with my friends. I still got to scream and shout for the team that I love. And, above all else, I got to see this: 

For football is passing but the glory of God is forever. I'm thankful that He graciously reminds me in ways like this that it is all about Him. 

And even though I'm exhausted from long days, He gives me the love and the perseverance to put Him first in my heart and therefore in all things in my life. 

With that being said, GO TIGERS and PRAISE THE LORD.