We are almost done!

Hey everyone! :)

We are so close to finishing the semester! I hope you all are keeping focus in what needs to be done as deadlines approach! Good luck, study hard, and do some yoga...that should help.

"Our thoughts create our reality -- where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go." -Peter McWilliams

Here are the announcements:

1) Bible Study this Sunday is at 10:30am in the Gym, not the Allen Room! We will also have a Christmas party with prizes, contests, and muffins! Wear your crazy Christmas sweaters!

2) There is no FREE! Meal this Sunday evening!

3) On December 11th, we will have our annual Pancake Study Break! It will be in the Fellowship Hall at 7pm. An important addition for this year is that Piano Man will be playing! It's going to be a great relaxing time so we hope everyone can make it!

4) You can still email us if you have questions about Romania! College@pdbc.org

Have a great week and don't stress out too much!

Announcements and Dedicaton

Hey everyone! I hope your Thanksgiving break was spectacular! Here is a quote I found that I hope can bring you some inspiration.

"Dedicate some of your life to others. Your dedication will not be a sacrifice. It will be an exhilarating experience because it is an intense effort applied toward a meaningful end." -Dr. Thomas Dooley

And here are some announcements:

1) Bible Study is in the Allen Room at 10:30am on Sunday!

2) FREE! Meal is in the Fellowship Hall at 6pm on Sunday evening!

3) Email us at college@pdbc.org if you are interested in more information on the Romania trip for next semester!

4) The 1st deposit for the ski trip is $150 and now due December 2nd! You can still go if you haven't signed up, just email college@pdbc.org

Have a splendid week!

Announcements and Thanksgiving! Woohoo!

Hey!

Hopefully you are all having a fantastic Thanksgiving week! I'm sure many of us will enter a food coma this week, and we may need some recovery time over the weekend. While you're enjoying the great Thanksgivng food that awaits, here are some really great cheesy jokes to share. I'm sure they will be appreciated.

Q: In what country is Thanksgiving ironically not celebrated?
A: Turkey

Q: Why do turkeys always say gobble gobble?
A: Because they never learned good table manners!

Those are free. The rest you must find on your own.

Here are some announcements!

1) Bible Study is this Sunday at 10:30am in the Allen Room! We'd love to have you!

2) There will be no FREE! Meal this Sunday evening!

3) Email us at college@pdbc.org if you want to go on the ski trip! A $150 deposit is due December 1st!

4) If you have questions regarding the Romania trip next semester, then email us at college@pdbc.org for more info!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Announcements and Finding the Details

Hello everyone!

Hopefully you all have been enjoying this cool weather we've been having! I think it's fantastic. Recently, I started learning how to knit. Currently, I'm knitting a baby blue scarf which will be perfect if the weather remains as is. As I've added this new skill to my repertoire, I've realized how much it has given me a curiosity for details. I'm suddenly examining all my clothes to see how the stitching fits together, and I'm paying closer attention to things and even people in hopes of finding some details I may have missed that could lead me to have a deeper understanding of everything and everyone around me.

I encourage you all to take in the details. Sometimes the details aren't important, but sometimes they lead you to something worthwhile. There are details in people's lives, and if you pay close enough attention, the details will lead you to asking good questions about the people around you, enabling you to invest more of yourself into your relationships. It's a great part of living life together.

Announcements:

1) Bible Study is Sunday at 10:30am in the Allen Room! Come join us as we continue in our series "Get Uncomfortable".

2) FREE! Meal is Sunday in the Fellowship Hall at 6pm! Come enjoy food and friends as we celebrate our Global Awareness Sunday!
 
3) Email us at college@pdbc.org if you are interested in the ski trip! The first deposit is $150 and due December 1st! It's going to be a blast!
 
4) On November 18th, there will be a Romania interest meeting for the upcoming mission trip next semester! Meet in the PDBC Café at noon!
 
5) Prayer is November 16th at John and Elya’s house! 625 Glenhaven at 7am! We hope to see you bright and early!

Have an awesome week. :)

Announcements and Being Thankful

Hey everyone!

I hope you are all having a fantastic week! I know a lot of people this month who have been listing something every day to be thankful for, whether it be on Facebook or a personal journal. I would encourage everyone to think about this every day especially for this November since Thanksgiving is coming up! We have soo much to be thankful for, and sometimes because we have so much, it's easy to forget how blessed we are, and we become more prone to a superior attitude. I hope as we all remember to be thankful, we in turn become full of joy in realizing we are blessed and able to bless others.

Announcements:

1) Bible Study is Sunday at 10:30am in the Allen Room! FREE! Brunch is also this week! See you there! :)

2) FREE! Meal is Sunday in the Fellowship Hall at 6pm! Come enjoy food and friends!

3) You can still sign up for our Spring Break Ski Trip! Email us at college@pdbc.org if you are interested! The first deposit is $150 and due December 1st! The slopes are waiting for you! :)

4) On November 18th, there will be a Romania interest meeting for the upcoming mission trip next semester! Meet in the PDBC Café at noon!

5) Prayer is November 16th at John and Elya’s house! 625 Glenhaven at 7am! We hope to see you bright and early!

6) On November 15th, there will be a Night of Worship in the Conference Center at 7am! We hope you can make it!

Have a great day!

Announcements and Living with Love

Hello everybody!

I've been thinking about the people we come across who are more difficult than most to love. There are always family and friends more similar to us than others, and they're usually easy to love and appreciate. It gets hard when we spend time with those who never see eye to eye with us. There are those who never seem to give but always want to take. Then we run across the ones who seem to live unaware of other people around them, making those people feel insignificant.

I would encourage you to pay attention to the people around you and the ones who are especially hard to love. Try to find some sort of common ground, and take it from there. We need to remember all people are the same feeling, thinking, living, breathing creatures just like us. We all have needs and wants. People crave to be loved, so try to understand that even when someone is hard to love, you never know how much they might desperately need it.

"Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained." -C.S. Lewis

And now for announcements:

1) There will still be Bible Study for those not attending Camp Eagle this weekend! Meet at 10:30am on Sunday in the Allen Room!

2) There is no FREE! Meal this week! It’ll be back November 11th!

3) You can still sign up for our Spring Break Ski Trip! Email us at college@pdbc.org if you are interested! The first deposit is $150 and due December 1st! The slopes are waiting for you! :)

4) On November 18th, there will be a Romania interest meeting for the upcoming mission trip next semester! Meet in the PDBC Café at noon!

Weekly Announcements and the Quote of the Month

Hey everyone!

So I have one of those nice little calendars displaying a quote for every month in the top righthand corner, and I would like to share October's quote with you all. Regardless of the fact October is more than half way over, it still applies to any day at any time:

"With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity." -Keshavan Nair

Here are the announcements:

1) Join us in the Allen Room at 10:30am on Sunday for Bible Study! We’ll have teaching, fellowship, and coffee & donuts!

2) This Sunday is our Costume FREE! Meal at 6pm! So tell your friends and come dressed up!

3) You can still sign up for the ski trip happening this Spring Break! Email us at college@pdbc.org if you are interested! The first deposit is $150 and due Dec. 1st! The slopes are waiting for you! :)

4) Camp Eagle is November 2nd-4th! It’s now $90 to go, and the deadline to pay is October 28th! Pay online here! http://ow.ly/enxV. Also, this Sunday evening at 7:15pm in the Fellowship Hall will be our Camp Eagle meeting! Bring your insurance card! If you're planning on going then you should be there!

5) If you would like to help out with Fall Family Fun Night on Oct. 31st, then just email children@pdbc.org for more information! Even if you can only work an hour, that would be helpful! :)

Thanks for checking out our blog, and have a great week!

Weekly Announcements and Being in the Present

Hey everyone!

A problem I've had this semester that has been harder to overcome now than at any other point in my life is being in the present moment. It's not unusual for me to think about the future, but at this current point in life, it's been harder to bring myself back to the present. I'm thinking about grad school, careers, traveling, relationships, and all sorts of things that indeed are very important, but it causes me to forget about where I am now. In turn, I become anxious and unappreciative of things in my present. I would encourage everyone this week to notice where you are. Don't allow yourself to act on auto-pilot, but have awareness of the beauty in life there is to appreciate, the strengths and weaknesses within yourself, the people to love where you are now, and the things which bring wholeness to you physically, spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally.

And now for the announcements!

1) After the 9am service in The Gathering, come join us in the Allen Room at 10:30am on Sunday for Bible Study! We’ll have teaching, fellowship, and coffee & donuts!

2) There is no FREE! Meal this weekend! However, if you are an ACU student, then head to John and Elya’s house on Sunday for the ACU FREE! Meal during HSU’s Fall Break! 6pm at 625 Glenhaven!

3) You can still sign up for the ski trip happening this Spring Break! Email us at college@pdbc.org if you are interested! 20 spots left and they’ll fill up fast! The first deposit is due December 1st and is $150!

4) Camp Eagle is November 2nd-4th, and sign-ups have started! It’s $75 if you pay by Oct. 21st, and $90 from Oct. 22nd and on. Click the link to pay! http://ow.ly/enxV1

Have an awesome week!

Announcement Time and Taking in the Silence

Hey everyone!

Hopefully you're having a great week! Now that we're nearly half-way through the semester, classes can begin to seem more difficult. I would encourage you to take a few moments of silence each day for yourself to get away from the craziness. I went on a band retreat this weekend, and one of my favorite parts about it was the time we went outside wherever we wanted to be, and we sat alone with no one in our sight. You can pray, meditate, admire nature, journal, or whatever you want, but I would say it's worth the time and it helps us regain our focus when we give ourselves those moments of solitude.

Here are some announcements:

1) After the 9am service in The Gathering, come join us in the Allen Room at 10:30am on Sunday for Bible Study! We’ll have teaching, fellowship, and coffee & donuts!

2) Few things in life are free, so take advantage of FREE! Meal in the Fellowship Hall at 6pm this Sunday evening! It’ll be great!

3) Got plans for Spring Break? No? Then come to our college ministry’s ski trip interest meeting! It’ll be October 14th at 7:15pm in the PDBC Café!

4) Camp Eagle is November 2nd-4th, and sign-ups have started! It’s $75 if you pay by Oct. 20th, and $90 from Oct. 21st and on. It’ll be a great time so sign up!

5) Come help us support HSU’s SING show this year on October 11th for student night at 8pm! It’ll be fun, so come hang out with us! $5 with your student ID, even ACU students!

6) If you would like to help out with the Fall Family Fun Night coming up on October 31st, then let one of our staff know! We could really use your help!

Have an awesome week. :)

First Week of October and Weekly Announcements!

Hey everyone! :)

I hope you are all having a great week and a great start to a new month! Here are the announcements:

1) After the 9am service in The Gathering, come join us in the Allen Room at the 10:30am on Sunday for Bible Study! We'll have teaching, fellowship, and FREE! Brunch this week! Woo!

2) Join us for FREE! Meal in the Fellowship Hall on Sunday at 6pm. We will post the menu at noon on Twitter and Facebook!

3) If you don't have plans for Spring Break, then you should come to our college ministry's ski trip interest meeting! It'll be October 14th at 7:15pm in the PDBC Cafe!

4) Camp Eagle is November 2nd-4th, and sign-ups start this Sunday! It's $75 if you pay by October 20th, and $90 from October 21st and on. It will be a great time, so come with us!

5) Come help us support HSU's SING show this year on October 11th at 8pm for student night! It's $5 with your student ID! It'll be fun, so we hope to see you there!

Have a great day!

Weekly Announcements for the First Week of Fall!

Hey everyone! :)

This first week of fall makes me so excited for all the great things that happen during this season. I think of autumn as a reflective sort of season because the weather becomes cooler and people get snuggled in their winter clothes and in their houses in warm blankets with a nice hot cup of coffee and a favorite book. This is a great way to reflect inside ourselves as we are pushed inside for the cooler months. I'm only hoping the weather will be much cooler this year! Now for some announcements:

1) Bible Study is at 10:30am in the Allen Room on Sunday after the 9am Gathering service!

2) FREE! Meal is at 6pm in the Fellowship Hall! Check out our college ministry's Facebook page (Pioneer College Ministry) or Twitter account (@PioneerCollege) for a menu at noon on Sunday!

3) We are going to ACU's chapel service on Friday at 11am! Afterwards, we will go to lunch at Rosa's on Judge Ely at 11:45am. Anyone who would like to come is welcome!

4) This Friday, we will meet for prayer time at John and Elya’s house at 7am! The address is 625 Glenhaven Drive. This will be a great way to start the day, and there will be free coffee! Woohoo!

5) Camp Eagle is November 2nd-4th, and sign-ups start this Sunday! It’s $75 if you pay by October 20th, and $90 from October 21st and on. It’s going to be a great time, so we hope to see you there! :)

Have a great week!

Some news for the week!

Hey everyone! :)

So I hope everyone has had a great week. I noticed last night and this morning that some white flowers have started appearing around Abilene. They're not only pretty, but they smell good too! Hopefully you have seen them and hopefully they have made your day a little happier because sometimes it's the little things that count.

And now for some announcements!

1) This Sunday, from 4pm to 7pm, we will be serving Hope and Chris Dupnik by helping them clean out a warehouse they will be using for Baija’s Promise, which is a non-profit organization to help single mothers and women in crises! The address is 741 N 5th St. It’s at the corner of 5th and Plum Street! Here is a link to the flyer with all the information including the address so you can share with others who may be interested! We hope to see y'all there! :)

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/310534_3703649280358_1373218616_n.jpg

2) FREE! Meal this Sunday will be downtown at Baija’s Promise! We would love to see people come not only to stay for the meal but also to help serve as we clean out the warehouse!

3) After the 9am service in The Gathering, come join us in the Allen Room at 10:30am on Sunday for Bible Study! It will be in this room from now on! We’ll have coffee, donuts, teaching, and fellowship, so come be a part of this time with us!

4) On September 28^th, we will meet for prayer time at John and Elya’s house at 7am! This will be a great way to start the day, and there will be free coffee! Woohoo!

Have a lovely rest of the week!

Important News and Announcements!

Hey y'all! Hopefully everyone is having a great week! There are some important things in the announcements this week that you will want to look over, so here we go:

1) This Sunday, we will start having two services for The Gathering! The first service will be held at 9am in the Conference Center, and the second service will start at 10:30am in the Conference Center. Also, our college Bible Study will now be held at 10:30am in the Allen Room. This will be a big change for our church and we hope that you can be a part of this transition with us!

2) On Wednesday, September 12^th, we will have Kerr’s famous burgers at the HSU BSM at noon! It’s gonna be fun, so plan to be there!

3)  We are still selling the new Pioneer College Ministry shirts for $10! If you would like one, then come find the sign in table on Sunday!

4) Come join us in the Fellowship Hall (rooms 141-143) for FREE! Meal at 6pm on Sunday! Follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook for a menu! 

The biggest change in the announcements is The Gathering's two services, so be sure to let everyone know in case they miss it on our blog or other social networks!

Have a great week! :)

Weekly Announcements!!

Hey everyone! Here are the announcements for this week!


1) Home Teams have started this week! If you would like to sign up, then email us which one you want to join at college@pdbc.org! They’re an awesome way to connect! Here are the options:

          Girls: Monday night with Kaci Millay and Heather Kregel at 6:30pm
                   Tuesday night with Kasey Shaw and Anna Hefner at 6:30pm
                   Tuesday night with Kyndal Coleman and Kay Leigh Shannon at 6:30pm
                   Wednesday night with Kendra Holt at 6:30pm
                   Wednesday night with Bailey Jarvis and Megan Robinson at 6:30pm

          Boys: Tuesday night with Landon Long and Chad Moore at 8pm

2) Come join us in the Conference Center at 9am on Sunday for Bible Study! There will be coffee, donuts, teaching, and fellowship!

3) Come join us in the Fellowship Hall (rooms 141-143) for FREE! Meal at 6pm on Sunday! Follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook for a menu!

4) We are still selling the new Pioneer College Ministry shirts for $10! If you would like one, then come find the sign in table on Sunday! :)

5) On Wednesday, September 12^th, we will have Kerr’s famous burgers at the HSU BSM at noon! It’s gonna be fun, so plan to be there!

6) This Sunday night, we will give a raffle ticket to everyone who contributes a new recipe for FREE! Meal! We will draw 2 tickets that night at 7:15pm to decide the winners. Start digging through your recipes! :)

Have an awesome week everyone!

Welcome Back for the Fall of 2012!

Hey everyone! :) So we're in our first semester of school and things will get a little crazy sometimes, but hopefully I can streamline the announcements we have to make things a little easier! Here we go!

1) Home Teams start up next week! If you would like to sign up, then email us which one you want to join at college@pdbc.org! They’re an awesome way to connect! Here are the options:

          Girls: Monday night with Kaci Millay and Heather Kregel at 6:30pm
                   Tuesday night with Kasey Shaw and Anna Hefner at 6:30pm
                   Tuesday night with Kyndal Coleman and Kay Leigh Shannon at 6:30pm
                   Wednesday night with Kendra Holt at 6:30pm
                   Wednesday night with Bailey Jarvis and Megan Robinson at 6:30pm

          Boys: Tuesday night with Landon Long and Chad Moore at 8pm

2) Come join us in the Conference Center at 9am on Sunday for Bible Study! There will be coffee, donuts, teaching, and fellowship!

3) Come join us in the Fellowship Hall (rooms 141-143) for FREE! Meal at 6pm on Sunday! Follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook for a menu!

4) We are selling the new Pioneer College Ministry shirts for $10! If you would like one, then come find the sign in table on Sunday! :)

I hope you all have a fantastic week! Make good study habits now! :)
 


 

Time

Howdy all,
It is the last week of school. This semester is coming to a close and it seems that it has only just begun. Time sure has flown by. Time is the indefinite continued progress of existence and events that occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future. Brilliant minds of both the past and the future have wrestled with the concept of time. Time is such a confusing thing to me. When I have 20 minutes left in class it can seem like it takes two hours for the professor to release us but when I am haging out with friends I can be playing video games or watching sportscenter and the next thing you know I have wasted through a few hours. It is such a hard thing to gain a grasp of. My question is where has my time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was in high school and now hear I am finishing up  year 2 of my college career. It has been a blast so far, I have made some of the best friends in the world, I have taken some great classes and I have learned some great things. It is safe to say that I am pleased with my choice of Hardin-Simmons as well as with Pioneer. It is because of the people. The friends I have made and the sense of community that has been developed has made my time worth while. I have enjoyed my time here and I look foreward to continuing it next semester. The late Apple, CEO, Steve Jobs is quoted as saying,

"Your life is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

I encourage you, make the most of your time. Enjoy life, make friends; be yourself.

Adios,
-JS

Currently listening to "Months and Years" by Abandon Kansas

Announcements! :)

Hey everyone! :)

We are so close to summer!! It's so exciting to be so close to the end of another semester! I know it's hard, but hang in there until the very end. Here are the announcements:

This is the last week for Home Teams!

FREE! Breakfast is this Sunday in College Bible Study at 9am!

This Sunday, May 6th, we will have our end of the year celebration at College Bible Study! We will be recognizing the people that have contributed a lot of time and energy to our ministry.

The Leadership Appreciation Dinner is this Sunday, May 6th, at 6pm!

May 8th is Pancake Study Break from 7pm-9pm!

Have an amazing week and don't stress out!

Announcement Time! Woohoo!

Hey everybody! :) Here is your weekly dosage of announcements:

No more meetings at John and Elya's for prayer this semester! Check back next semester to find out the next meeting time!

This Sunday on April 29th at 8am is We Are The Sermon!! :) This is the time of year that we go out together to serve in our community. We will meet at 8am at the Abilene State Supported Living Center. We will help out with whatever needs to be done, so come prepared and wear something you wouldn't mind getting dirty! There will also be a smaller group going to the Care Inn to help work with senior citizens in doing crafts, a worship service, etc... This will be a great day, so hopefully you can make it! There will be FREE! Lunch at the Abilene State Supported Living Center! This also means that there will be no FREE! Meal that night! If you have not signed up to go yet, then email college@pdbc.org.

Be at college Bible Study on May 6th  at 9am as we say thanks to all of our adult workers (in addition to many other things that morning). We want to celebrate what has happened this year, so join us in this ministry-wide celebration!

As mentioned above, don't forget that there will be no FREE! Meal Sunday evening!

I hope you thoroughly enjoy your week! :)

Get Ready for Announcements!

Hey everyone! :) It's hard to believe that this semester is almost over! Hopefully you guys are hangin in there! Here are your weekly announcements:

Prayer is this Friday at 7am at John and Elya's house!

This Friday, April 20th, the Pioneer Student Leadership team is going to ACU's chapel at 11am! If you would like to go, then visit the link for the Facebook event to get the details! http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/434071539953202/

For all you seniors at PDBC, this Sunday, April 22nd, from 4:30pm-8:30pm, there will be a Senior Mini-Seminar! Come ready to discuss life after college! Don't forget! And see the link for more details! http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/333709850010554/

We Are The Sermon is coming up on April 29th! One group will work at the Abilene State Supported Living Center, and a smaller group will be at the Care Inn helping senior citizens with crafts, a worship service, etc...

If you plan on joining the Pioneer Student Leadership team, then don't forget about your interview! Bring your application to your interview as well. If you have any questions or haven't signed up, then email John at jwhitten@pdbc.org

Bible Study is this Sunday at 9am!

FREE! Meal is Sunday evening at 6pm!

Have a wonderful week! :)

Desiring Hunger

I was driving back to campus last night and happened to turn on the radio when an interesting interview was getting started. The woman talking was telling everyone the struggle she has had throughout her life to consistently read her Bible. This woman grew up in church, and was a strong Christian, but the habit of daily making time to read God’s word never seemed to stick. They used a metaphor to describe this situation that I really liked… Imagine someone came up to you and said, “I think it is so great you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. That just amazes me, how on earth do you do it?!” We might say something like, “Well of course I eat every day, it’s not hard at all, because I’m hungry!” Our stomachs get hungry every day, and more than once a day (that’s pretty amazing isn’t it?!), but we don’t have to make ourselves eat; we want to eat our meals, because we know it will satisfy our hunger! They were making the point that reading our Bibles does not take dedication, it takes being hungry for the Lord. It might be hard at first, to carve out time in our day if we’re not used to it, but if we are hungry for God, we will desire that time with him and be overjoyed when we get to dive into his Word. Reading will become something that we feel we can’t live without. The woman mentioned before struggled to find the time at first, but she ended up reading her Bible out loud during breakfast to her kids every morning. Not only did she benefit from it, but her kids did too! She has even written a book about the importance of reading the Bible as a family.

So, my take-away is that I need and want to develop a hunger and desire for God that is so intense it seems only natural to daily read his word. I want Bible reading to become a habit for the rest of my life, and a joy, not something I feel I need more dedication to do. Prayer is a great first step. If you are in the same situation of not making adequate time to read the Bible, pray for God to give you a hunger that will provoke you to be daily in His Word. Some days may be harder than others, but if we have hunger for the Word, we will make sure to satisfy that hunger.

- SL

“Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.” - Jeremiah 15:16 (NASB)

Announcement Time!

Hello! :) Here's the announcements!

Prayer is this Friday at John and Elya's house at 7am!

This Friday evening is Night at the Ranch! Meet at Nelson park by the playground at 6pm. We will carpool out there. IF you need to meet us out there, see the Night at the Ranch Facebook event through Pioneer College Ministry for directions. We will leave at 11pm and return around 11:30pm. There will be four wheelers, ping pong, billiards, hiking, a trampoline, and hopefully a fire! So come hang out!

Sunday morning is Bible Study at 9am!

Sunday at 5pm, the Baylor University Choir will be singing in the Worship Center and then eating FREE! Meal with us! Join us to support them!

FREE! Meal is Sunday evening at 6pm!

The Leadership Interest Meeting for 2012-2013 is this Sunday at 7:00pm in the cafe! Come hear what leadership at Pioneer is all about.

The Senior Mini Seminar is April 22nd at PDBC! It will be from 5pm-9pm in the cafe! RSVP on the Facebook event through Pioneer College Ministry! We will be talking about issues you will face as you graduate/are about to graduate. This is for anyone who graduated last December, will graduate this May, or next December.

We Are The Sermon is April 29th! One group will be at the Abilene State Supported Living Center, and a smaller group will be at the Care Inn helping senior citizens with crafts, worship service, etc...

Have a great week everyone! :)

Our Break is Almost Here!

Hey everyone! Good Friday is almost here and we can all relax and enjoy the day! But first, it's time for a few announcements!

There will be no prayer this Friday at John and Elya's!

On Easter Sunday there will be an 8:00am service in the Conference Center and a 10:00am service at the Civic Center!

There is no FREE! Meal Sunday night!

There will be a Leadership Interest Meeting on April 15th at 7pm in the cafe after FREE! Meal for those of you interested in being on our Leadership team!

Have a great Easter weekend! :)

It's time for Announcements!!

Hey everyone! I hope yall are having a great week! We have some exciting things coming up, so check out these announcements:

This Thursday at 6:30pm, there will be a guys cookout at John's house! If you're a guy and you want to go, just message John to RSVP! It will be fun!

Prayer is this Friday at John and Elya's house at 7am! It's a great way to start the day!

Bible Study is at 9am on Sunday morning! We will have FREE! Breakfast and continue discussing the life of Christ!

Sunday at 6pm we will have FREE! Meal! Woohoo!

Tuesday, April 3rd, we will have our night to Experience Easter: A Self Guided Journey of Reflection and Restoration. It will be from 7pm-midnight, and you can come and go as you please! This will be a great night to engage God and the Easter story as you feel comfortable to do so. :)

Interested in joining Pioneer’s Student’s Leadership Team?

We are looking forward to the 2012-2013 school year with
great anticipation! Our Student Leadership Team is an incredible way to build
community with like-minded students who want to impact their worlds with the
love of Jesus. We believe God has called us to impact leadership for this
generation to shape their worlds in the future! Through this ministry you will
learn more about yourself and what it means for YOU to lead in the kingdom of
God.

Join us for an informational meeting on Sunday, April
15th @ 7:15p.m. in the Café (after FREE! Meal) to hear what this is
all about and decide if this is something you want to pursue!

I hope yall have a wonderful day!

Reflections on Bastrop

Welcome back to school everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic break and a good 1st week back. I thought I would share some about the trip to Bastrop that the BSM and some Pioneer students went on last week. It was a great trip! Stay tuned during Bible study for more student’s spring break stories :)

A little background: Last September huge wildfires (the largest in Texas history!) blazed through Bastrop and surrounding areas. An estimated 34,000 acres of land and over 1,600 houses have been destroyed. Many families are still without homes and there is a lot of cleanup that still needs to be done.

So, 14 of us left Abilene for 6 days to help! We stayed at a church who hosted us and most days went to the Disaster Recovery Center to eat meals before heading off to our assigned projects. Part of our group worked on building a couple storage sheds for families while the rest of us went to different locations to do things like gather up dead tree limbs, dig a garden, clean things up and do other projects. A memorable experience for me, and most of us probably, was getting to hear the story of one woman who we got to help. Jennice and her husband have 7 children, 4 of which are adopted and have special needs. They lost pretty much everything in the fire. It was already difficult for her and her husband to raise their large family, but the added shock and heartache of losing all they owned and going through financial battles and health issues, brings some major obstacles for this family to overcome. Jennice’s great faith in the Lord, her strong spirit, and heart full of compassion is inspiring. I know they and other families will make it through, because God is good and even though tragedy has struck, He can bring wholeness and healing to these people’s lives once again.

Another experience that touched me was when I got to sift through some cracked tile, broken ceramic plates and cups, a coffee pot, mirror, and other items that were once part of a family’s home. Getting to pick those up brought home the message that things like this fire can happen to anyone. It seemed surreal thinking that these things I was holding were some of the few remains a family had left of their entire previous way of living. It makes me grateful for what I have yet reminds me how I shouldn’t put stock in my material possessions. The only thing my joy should be in is the Lord. He alone can give us perfect contentment.

Throughout the week I loved getting to know the people on our team and times we got to just hang out, but it was also great helping with clean-up projects, and being around people in the community. This trip was an eye opening experience for me and I am so glad I got the opportunity to see firsthand the impact an event like this can have on people’s lives.

If anyone would be interested in helping with the continuing recovery effort, Pioneer is taking another trip to Bastrop this summer! It’s something to consider :)

-SL

Welcome Back from Spring Break! :)

Hey guys! Hopefully everyone had a wonderful Spring Break. I know some people probably need another break to recover from the one we just had! Here are some announcements:

Prayer is this Friday at John and Elya's house. Be there at 7am!

Come to the garage sale by K-mart on Pioneer Drive starting Thursday at 7pm-9pm for $5! It's free Friday at 8am-6pm, and Saturday at 8am-12pm!

Bible Study will be Sunday at 9am! We will discuss the mission trips people did over Spring Break!

FREE! Meal is Sunday at 6pm!

Have a wonderful week! :)

We're almost to Spring Break! Here's the announcements:

Hey guys! We've almost made it! Spring Break is on the horizon. There's not a whole lot to say as far as announcements, but here are a couple of things:

Be praying for people that are going to be on mission trips over Spring Break. A lot of people are doing different things, so just be aware and encourage those people.

There will be prayer this week at John and Elya's. Be there at 7am!

FREE! Meal is NOT happening this Sunday or next Sunday! So spread the word that way no one will show up hungry and alone. :)

And last of all, have a wonderful and relaxing Spring Break so yall can come back refreshed! :)

Look at What's Happenin this Week!

Hey guys! :)

Prayer is Friday at 7am at John and Elya's house! Join us at 625 Glenhaven, 79603!

We're going to Bastrop, TX on March 9th-15th! It will be $150 and so worth it! There's only a few spots left!

This week in College Bible Study there will be FREE! Breakfast starting @ 9am!

Be sure to pick up a new Newsletter this Sunday for March/April!

Have a wonderful week! :)

A Blog About A Song and My Attitude

Following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, worship leader and song writer Matt Redman co-wrote the song "Blessed Be Your Name" with his wife Beth. Matt has shared that he was struck by the lack of songs within the church that respond appropriately to pain and suffering. This song became very popular within churches and Christian events and it became a sort of modern hymn or anthem for the church.

This really is a beautiful song and I cannot stand it. I get so frustrated when this song is played because I am not sure I really mean it when I sing it. It should be easy right, "Blessed Be Your Name In the land that is plentiful Where Your streams of abundance flow Blessed be Your name" but what about when it says, "Blessed be Your name On the road marked with suffering Though there's pain in the offering Blessed be Your name" I mean really....really? Do I mean it? This song more than any for me really challenges me to think about what I am singing. It is so easy to praise God when we are experiencing blessings, but can we say it when we experience pain? There is a line in the song that says, "You give and take away; my heart will choose to say blessed be your name." This line more than anything is what I struggle with... I do not want God to take anything away, my human self wants simply to receive his gifts and blessings.

This song is influenced by the passage of Job, a familiar story where Job is bombarded with devastation in all aspects of life. He loses a source of income, he loses his friends, he even loses people in his family. His wife even tells him , "why don't you just curse God and die?" Job simply does not budge, he trusts in God, he says, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised." That my friends is worship, what a statement.

The next time this song is played at church I am going to try and have a more open heart. It is such a beautiful representation of the attitude we should strive to have as Christians. I think it is okay to be honest and there are times that we do not want to praise God, it's hard. If we were to be honest with ourselves I think we could say that often want something from God, and that is okay, Jacob was upfront he had a list of things he wanted from God. But at some point we will learn all we want is God, and then we really will be able to say, "Lord Blessed Be Your Name."

JS

Utterly Unyielding

As I was reading a paper for psychology the other day, I made my way over to dictionary .com to find the definition of a word. On the homepage I noticed their “word of the day” was adamantine, and it got me thinking. It means “utterly unyielding or firm in attitude or opinion; too hard to cut, break, or pierce; like a diamond in luster.” This first made me think about adamantium, the super strong, imaginary impenetrable metal from X-Men. But, then I thought how adamantine would be a great thing to describe how we should be as Christians.
It might seem like the complete opposite. We know we are supposed to yield to God wholeheartedly, and allow ourselves to be molded by Him, not being hard, but we are also called to be unyielding to the forces of the devil, not bending in our position to stand for Christ. We are to stand firm on the solid rock that Jesus is, always knowing that He paid the ultimate price for us, and he will have victory in the end. Sometimes we lose sight of God’s promises. We allow ourselves to get knocked down by the pressures and hardships we experience in life. It is in those times that if we don’t arm ourselves with the Lord we will be easy to break, and a target for the enemy. God says he will be with us through everything, and he gives us all we need to live. When we put on the full armor of the God (Ephesians 6:10 - 17) we will be prepared to take on anything that comes our way. Instead of being knocked down we can face our struggles with complete joy, resting in the assurance that God has everything under control. I also like the third definition, being like a diamond in luster. This makes me think of Zechariah 9:16-17 which says, “The Lord their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. How attractive and beautiful they will be!...” I love that imagery that we will sparkle like jewels! It’s easy to compare ourselves to others at times, to not feel as beautiful as people around us, or to feel inadequate when we fail at something, but we must remember that God sees us as his priceless treasure; we are beautiful in His sight and He makes us radiant! Let’s be strong this week with whatever we might come up against. Things are getting stressful as school work piles on, but we know that God can help us stay on track and keep us from being knocked down!

Announcements for the Week! :) Woohoo!

Hey everyone! :) So a few announcements...

We are going to Bastrop, TX to do fire relief work on Spring Break. The cost is $150 and we will be gone March 9th-15th. It doesn't matter what college you go to, you can come. :)

We are still continuing in our church-wide series called My Story! We have already heard some great stories from people we see all the time, but don't necessarily know too well!

Prayer is this Friday at John and Elya's at 7am! Go to 625 Glenhaven, 79603. If you can't make it, you can still send them your prayer requests!

This Sunday is Bible Study at 9am! We're having muffins for breakfast, and we get to hear another My Story!

Lent started today, and if you're interested in the history of it, then you can read this article! http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/news/2004/lent.html

I hope everyone has a great week! :)

L-O-V-E

I hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day! Whether you enjoy the heart-filled festivities or not, I think this middle of February is a wonderful time to be reminded of the importance of showing love to others, and of how enormously great God’s love is. It always brightens my day when someone grabs the door for me, takes my lunch tray, or surprises me with a note of encouragement. I have noticed many people in our college ministry loving others. That’s awesome! Let’s keep doing it! Here are some ideas of ways we can show love to those around us. (A few came from websites, some I thought of, and others are from a booklet my church back home created.) …I hope this will inspire us to reach out to someone this week, other than what we normally do, and go the extra step to make someone’s day. Always remember that “…the LORD’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him… the earth is full of his unfailing love.” Ps 32:10, 33:5 He loves us so much!

• Adopt a soldier. - Even if don't know anyone serving in the military you can send a letter that will be distributed to soldiers longing for a word from home. Anysoldier.com lists military members serving overseas who are willing to accept mail and distribute it to troops who don't have family. You can send something one time, or write regularly to a soldier. While you might not get a personal response ... you can be sure that your letters and packages encourage the men and women fighting far from home.

• Take a prayer walk. - Go for a walk around your neighborhood, and pray for your neighbors as you stroll. Ask God to protect and bless your neighborhood, and to show you ways you can reach out to your neighbors with love and kindness. And if you're feeling particularly brave, stop a stranger and offer to pray for them…it's amazing how grateful people - regardless of their faith or what they believe about God - are when a stranger offers to pray for them. (above 2 from: http://www.helpothers.org/story.php?sid=14154)

• Leave a compliment with a tip - Tips are an easy way to serve others in return for what they have done for you. If you want to make a stronger impact, write a note or message with a tip to leave a specific compliment. You could ask to speak to the manager at a restaurant and tell them about the great service you received from a specific server. (idea from http://learnthis.ca/2010/02/100-ways-to-serve-others/)

• Adopt a country – get to know the culture, pray for them specifically, minister during the year

• Buy freeze pops and hand them out at parks with a card that says “just a reminder that Jesus loves you”

• Start a clown ministry in a hospital

• Visit people in jail, tell them about Jesus

• Offer free babysitting

• Cook a meal for someone who could use it

• Pick up litter – Most days I’ll walk around campus and see plastic bottles, Styrofoam cups, candy wrappers etc on the ground… let’s pick them up! It could be just 1 thing you toss in a trash can on the way to class, or you could even grab a friend and go around campus with a trash bag

• Be kind and courteous to other drivers

• Give others compliments, say encouraging things, write someone a nice message on facebook, make a little card or note for a friend and slip it under their door or in their mailbox of book bag

• Offer to help someone with their homework, maybe to understand something they don’t get, quiz them on material, or to keep them accountable and on task

• Help carry luggage for students going home/coming back on weekends, carry grocery bags for students.

• Sit next to someone at lunch you see sitting by themself. If you don’t know them, try to get to know them :)

• Start a conversation with the lovely cleaning ladies, lunch workers, outdoor maintenance people and others you see working on campus. They appreciate our smiles and interaction!

• If you live in a dorm, get to know all the girls or guys in your hallway.

• Make muffins, pancakes, cookies, or other treats to share with students in your dorm/hallway. You can also use that as a starting point for conversation to meet new people.

• Come to Bastrop this Spring Break! Or seek out another mission opportunity throughout the semester.


Enjoy spreading love around!

- SL

Take a Look at this Week!

Hey everyone!

This Thursday we are meeting at 5:30pm at Rosa's on Judge Ely to have dinner before heading over to ACU's Sing Song show at 7pm! It will be $10 at the door and $5 with a student id! It's gonna be a blast and everyone should come!

Friday at 7am there will be prayer and free coffee at John and Elya's house!

Join us Sunday morning at 9am for Bible Study! We are continuing with My Story before the lesson to learn about the people we live with! :)

FREE! meal on Sunday at 6pm! That is always a delight!

Sunday evening at 7pm in the cafe, we will have a Bastrop Interest Meeting for everyone planning to go on the trip. Be there to hear details!

Home Teams are still open to join if you have yet to do so!

Have a stupendous week, and try not to be too frustrated with the bipolar weather. :)

Laundry Day

Howdy all,
Today is laundry day for me. In need of fresh clothes and towels I decided it was time to begin the marathon that is doing laundry in Nix Hall. Doing laundry is not all that difficult but I absolutely dread doing it-- there is something about setting aside a couple of hours in my day, sorting through lights and darks, walking all the way up to the fourth floor and paying for the washers and dryers that just frustrates me. It's funny because when it is all said and done I am just fine, in fact I feel accomplished, I have have clean clothes again. If laundry day is the worst that ever happens to me then I have it made.
I often take for granted how blessed I am. I have so many great friends and family, people that are there in good times and bad, people that are simply real. I know that when I am going through a rough time those people are there for me, through thick and thin and through things MUCH worse then a few dirty clothes that need washing. I would do the same for them, including a load of laundry. Take some time this week and be thankful for the people in your life, tell them how much you appreciate them, it will surely make their day and it will help you remember how blessed you really are, it has for me. Until next time, I am off to switch the clothes over to the dryer.
Adios,
JS

Currently listing to "Everything We Have" by Ornan's Floor

Weekly Announcements!

Prayer is back at John and Elya's house this Friday at 7am! Free coffee!

Spring Break mission trip is at Bastrop this year and will be around $200. More details to come!

FREE! meal this week at 6pm. It will be great as usual!

Join us on Sunday for Bible Study at 9am! Free coffee and donuts!

We currently have a church-wide emphasis called My Story to learn about the people we live with! If you have a story about your life that you would like to share, contact John Whitten!

Everyone have a great week! :)

Weekly Announcements!

There's still time to sign up for Home Teams! Visit pdbc.org to find out which time works best for you!

Prayer starts this Friday at 7am at John and Elya's house! There will be free coffee!

The Super Bowl Party is this Sunday at PDBC! There's gonna be free food and lots of fun!

Spring Break Mission trip will be at Bastrop this year! It will be around $200!

Join us for Bible Study at 9am, and then come for FREE! meal at 6pm!

See you soon!

Light in the Darkness - January and John 1

It is a well-known fact that Texas weather is crazy. And sometimes, I am very thankful for it. I was pleasantly surprised, overjoyed actually, to find myself soaking up the sunshine on our 80°+ day last week. It’s the end of January, Winter is not supposed to bring amazing warm days. But sometimes we are blessed with them.

Now imagine if it were 80° every day, all year. We wouldn’t be too thrilled about the thought of yet another warm day ahead. Winter’s season of bitterness and cold, with a warm day sprinkled in, is a wonderful metaphor of how God’s light shines through our darkness. Sometimes we may feel we’re going through a dark or cold part of our life. Things may not be going as we hoped, plans get altered, we get sick or feel down. But what a great place to be in, because God can step in and brighten everything up. Cold days give us an appreciation for warm ones (or vice versa, if you actually love the winter season) and life’s struggles give us the chance to see God work in amazing ways

This Week!-FREE! Breakfast/Home Team Sign-Up

We welcome everybody back! We hope your semester is off to a great start!

Join us Sunday for a home-cooked FREE! Breakfast!!! We will start serving at 9a.m. followed by Bible Study! We begin our new series on the life of Christ!

FREE! Meal begins Sunday @ 6p.m. We will post our menu at noon on twitter (@PioneerCollege) and Facebook. Invite your friends,it's going to be awesome!

Our Home Teams begin next week (Monday, the 23rd)

Here are your spring semester Home Team options!

Monday - Ladies

Allen & Chris Wilson, Taylor Horn & Kaci Millay

Monday - Men

Blake Fox & JT Thornton (Begins October 3)

Tuesday - Ladies

Duane & Laura Donaway, Sarah Wesley & Hillary Ford, Traca Broadstreet

Tuesday - Ladies

Dawson & Rhea Rodriguez, Miranda Gibson & Allison Lovejoy

Wednesday - Men

Billy & Connie Stone, Chad Moore & Landon Long

Wednesday - Ladies

Dennis & Cynthia Laster, Autumn Taylor & Kelsey Evans

Wednesday - Ladies

John & Elya Whitten, Chelsea Barker & Kendra Holt

Thursday - Ladies

Alexa Gabaree, & Jessica Johnson

Looking for a Spring Break Mission Trip? We are headed to Bastrop! Cost will be around $200 and the dates will be March 16-22! Final details will be announced soon!

Pioneer College Ministry Staff