A question that is asked quite often is what should we pray for when we pray. So many times it is easy to get caught up in praying for the things we need and want in our lives. When you look at Scripture however, the things that are prayed are often about advancing the Kingdom of God and bearing fruit individually and corporately for His name and renown, not their own. Dr. Piper lists off a number of things in the New Testament that the early church prayed for. Check them out and may they help guide your prayers this week.

^“34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. ³⁵ One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^[a]38 This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:34-39

Kaity Robbins, Senior, Speech Pathology, Duncanville, TX

What drew you to Woodway?

Freshman year, I was invited by a new friend, Grace Bono, to join her for small group on Wednesday. After that first night, I couldn’t resist but to go back every week.  The small group took me in, accepted me, encouraged me, challenged me, and became the community that I was desperately looking for. That close community was what drew me to Woodway and allowed me to be truly a part of this body of believers.

What’s your favorite book? Why?

I don’t know if I could choose a favorite book, but I’ve recently read Through the Gates of Splendor by Elizabeth Elliot.  This book shares the testimony of a group of men and women who move to Ecuador to share the Gospel with the Auca people.

The desire of these men to share the name of Jesus Christ is convicting, their pursuit of the Lord is beautiful, and the radiance of God’s glory brought about is incredible.  God brought about His purpose even though it didn’t look exactly how everyone had planned, but was so much more beautiful the way He did it.  This book challenges me to share His name and be burdened for other people, encourages me that God is going to bring about His purposes, and the way He desires to do so is far better than the way I have things planned out.

What is something cool that God has done in your life?

Wow.  Well, I’ll go with what’s most recent.  To put it simply………my understanding of who God is will always expanded.  A prayer that I’ve tried to adopt in my life has been that God would continually show me more of whom He is, and that He would define Himself for me rather than me defining Him myself.  If I try to figure out for myself and decide who God is with my own understanding, I won’t get it right and I’ll miss out on so much!  The awesome thing is, God wants me to know Him more, and He answers that prayer – it’s absolutely incredible!!  God has shown me so many characteristics of who He is and brings to remembrance things He’s shown me before, man He’s GOOD!

The other awesome thing about prayer never having to stop is that there is no end to who God is, there’s always more. I will NEVER be able to know whom God is fully on this side of Heaven, so what does that mean for me?  I want as much of Him as I can get, so I keep asking, and what does He do?  Enlightens my eyes to more things I haven’t seen, it’s beautiful!  I get so wrapped up in asking God to deliver me from this….encourage me today…..strengthen me through this, these aren’t bad prayers, but when I’ve turned my prayers to being about Him and not me, He’s blown me out of the water!  Pray this and see what He does!

Where do you see God taking you in life?

Well, I have no idea.  Tangibly, I graduate in May and then I’ll stay at Baylor for another year to get my master’s in speech pathology, after that, who knows where I’ll be?  Right now, I have passions for the future the Lord’s ignited in me that aren’t about where I’ll be but what I’ll be doing.

As I’ve said, I’m a speech pathology major, I didn’t choose that major because I was super passionate about it or felt the Lord calling me to it, I researched it and thought it made sense and matched me well.  Not until last semester did the Lord ignite a passion in me for speech pathology.  How did He ignite this passion you ask?  Well, for the first time in my life I’m loving my classes and learning, I can’t get enough of it, that’s not a very normal thing for me, its evidence of God stirring my heart.

Last semester I had to get a certain amount of hours of observation of therapy for a class. At one point during a therapy session I was observing, the Lord weighed heavily on me a deep joy and excitement for the opportunity to work with these people.  Being a speech therapist at the bare roots is basically helping people be able to communicate.  I have so much excitement to be able to offer this to people, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”  I’m stoked about that, but even more so, I’m so excited about the relationships I’ll be able to build and the opportunities to share an even GREATER gift, the Gospel!

More and more the Lord keeps showing me ways that He can receive glory through me being a speech therapist, and I can’t wait!  So, I may be in US, I may be somewhere else, all I know is that God’s preparing the way for Him to receive more glory, and I can’t wait to be a part of that as a speech therapists, BUT I also want to be a part of that NOW.

Where: 2nd floor of the Sub

When: 8:00am every Friday

Who: Anyone is welcome!

Here’s something I have been learning lately: we can live missionally in Waco, Texas.  It does not take moving overseas to be the salt and the light. Over the past year or so, this concept has invaded my mind and heart.  It’s something I always knew but the fullness of it has only recently become more clear.  When Chris and I bought our home in Waco, we prayed fervently for God to place us on a street among neighbors where His light was needed. When I was searching for a job after graduation, we prayed that I would be placed on a staff somewhere that I could serve and be different. I have learned that being a follower of Jesus is a marked difference in the way I act and speak.  When I choose to actively do my job to the best of my abilities ever day or let only wholesome speech exit my mouth, I am different.  When I choose to see my clients as having inherent dignity because they are formed by my Creator, I am different.  When I choose to bring up the gospel in everyday conversations, I am different. These things have lead to meaningful conversations with those around me.  They have also lead to awkwardness. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”  Sometimes, being different will be seen as foolishness and in those times it can be a joy to be foolish for the cross.  In a small way, it is suffering for the gospel right here in Waco, Texas.  The truth is, I fail at this.  A lot.  There are days that I complain about my job or I don’t act Christ-like and there are days that Chris and I let our neighbors just walk by without talking to them because we’re tired. What I have learned in these failures is that there are always opportunities for grace and repentance. I am humbled in my failures and reminded that God’s grace calls me, sustains me, and urges me forward on mission.  That rings true as a believer in Waco, your hometown, or serving across the globe.

Nick Norris, 19, B.S. Biology, Lewisville, Tx

What drew you to Woodway?

After visiting several places in Waco, the people and atmosphere at Woodway were what finally drew me in.

What’s your favorite book? Why?

I’d probably say the Harry Potter series, but that seems pretty generic, so I’ll go with my favorite movie instead. The Tree of Life directed by Terrance Mallick is probably my favorite. I think it’s a unique blending of faith and science that just blows my mind. I think everyone should see this movie. There’s my shameless plug.

 What is something cool that God has done in your life?

Honestly, I could go on for a while with this one. We could start with the fact that he’s given me life, which is pretty cool. I’m just glad that God has put a ton of unique people and perspectives in my life that I can learn and grow from.

Where do you see God taking you in life?

I have strong aspirations to the medical field, but I have no idea what I’ll be doing in the next few years. God will take me wherever I need to go. Of that, I am confident.

If you are for sure going to be helping us out tomorrow, email Abigail_Pitzer@baylor.edu and let her know! If you find tomorrow night that you actually didn’t think of anything to do, you can still help out!

This year I became involved with the college ministry at First Woodway. The college years are a unique period for students to expand their intellectual and spiritual horizons. It is during this time that many students wrestle with very profound questions about what they believe, why they believe it, and how those beliefs affect their day-to-day lives as well as the overall purpose of their lives.

Thankfully, Baylor offers a unique environment in which to engage students on topics like these, so I’ve had many discussions with students on “discipleship of the mind” topics such as apologetics. Broadly speaking, Christian apologetics aims to provide rational explanations of why the Christian faith is true, how we can know it is true, and aims to answer the call of I Peter 3:15 to “…always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you…” as well as Christ’s instruction “…to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37).

It is important for Christian students to understand why their faith and worldview are rational and reasonable–to have reasons for what they believe and why they believe them, especially in a culture that is increasingly dismissive or even hostile toward the Gospel. In that sense, students who give serious thought to nontrivial questions about God are in a position to serve as salt and light to the college world. Together with several of my Baylor colleagues, we hold discussion groups each semester in Heritage Hall on topics ranging from arguments for the existence of God to the problem of evil (how can a good God allow bad things to happen?) to the uniqueness of Christianity. I certainly don’t claim to have all of the answers, but I enjoy thinking and learning about these things.

I have really liked working with some great First Woodway college guys in small group discipleship this academic year. It has been a blessing getting to know them, where they are in life, and how they love the Lord. I have learned way more from them than they have from me, and I look forward to us continuing to grow in grace together.