Why A Lifestyle of Worship Is Important For Our Students

Natalie leads the worship and missions departments at AU Chi Alpha and is passionate about taking students deeper in their relationship and love for Jesus.  She loves writing music, John Steinbeck, good coffee, and her family.

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I’ve been thinking about worship a lot lately. About what it is and why I do it, about why I want students to do it, about where music fits into it, about how the Psalmists did it.

This past school year, I’ve been praying for ways to go deeper in worship, to stretch myself and understand how to praise God more fully.

I’ve been praying about how to use our creativity and talents to worship more.

And I’ve been praying for opportunities to push students deeper into worship - that it’s not only a thing we do before and after services, but that it’s a lifestyle.

The more I think about it, the more I’m coming to understand that worship is just an overflow of what’s in our hearts. The way we worship reflects how we feel about God and what we believe and know to be true about Him.

“When know and understand the Lord, we should be bursting at the seams in reverence to Him.”

When know and understand the Lord, we should be bursting at the seams in reverence to Him. And worship is our way of showing that and placing ourselves in environments where we learn and know God more fully.

My pastor talks about the idea of “Christian Karaoke” when we worship through song. It’s so easy for worship to become three songs we sing at church by watching the screen and reading the words that we see but not letting those lyrics penetrate our souls. We’re often not singing them out of the overflow of our hearts; we’re stuck in a routine that has become meaningless.

But I think creativity and music can break down walls. I think worship is our greatest way to connect with the Father, whatever form it’s in. So my prayer is that we don’t become familiar with it in a way that makes it meaningless.

My prayer is that our familiarity with it is a product of our love and praise to God, and that it becomes more than singing songs on a Thursday night at Chi Alpha. It should be a lifestyle. When we’re living a lifestyle of worship, our hearts are overflowing with praise, and that should be reflected in every part of our lives, if we’re doing it right. People will notice it, and it has the power to break down walls and reach to others, defeating the work of the enemy and giving God victory.

In 2 Chronicles 20, we read about Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, going to war with Moab and Ammon. In verse 21, it says this: “After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: ‘Give thanks to the Lord for his love endures forever.’” When the people of Judah began to sing and praise and entered the battle with worship, the Lord defeated the Moabites and Ammonites. When we enter the battle with worship, we’re giving God the victory.

I believe we are doing the same by teaching students to live a lifestyle of worship. When praise is a habit, they have the power to break down barriers in their own lives, and also in the lives of people around them - classmates, professors, employers.

How amazing would it be if college students, who hold the fate of the future in their hands and will have an impact in every influential field and career path, were overflowing with praise and brought that to wherever they go? I think we’d be dealing with a force to be reckoned with.

When we teach students how to worship and push the boundaries that we’re used to and go deeper, we’re showing the world how good God is.

Our hearts will overflow in reverence to Him, and the world will see and feel the knowledge we have. And I think they’ll want in.

Four Years Can Change A Lifetime

Neve graduated from Georgetown University in May and was a key member of Georgetown Chi Alpha. At Georgetown, she used to take care of Jack the Bulldog, the school mascot. She is now working with veteran affairs in the DC Metro Area.

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The other day as I was packing up my things in order to move to my first post-grad apartment I stumbled across a letter. It began: “You’ve been here for 6 days. College. It came so fast…”

Having graduated from Georgetown University 3 weeks ago, I share a similar sentiment with freshmen me on that 6th day of college: “it went so fast.”

Those four years seemed to speed by, but as I look back at them through reflection and prayer, I cannot help but see God in every circumstance, decision, moment of laughter, tear cried, exam taken, and memory made.

And that, my friends, is no small thing for me. And here’s why:

I found my faith at Georgetown. More specifically, I discovered my faith within the welcoming, accepting, and loving Chi Alpha family which became a community for me to ask the deep, hard questions and pursue on infinite God.

I affectionately refer to the stage I am in my faith as being a “toddler Christian:” eager to learn, to know God more, and to see joy in the life He has given me every day regardless of circumstance. These are grand ideas, but they are present in my life because a friend of mine asked me to come to a Protestant service with her one night called “Open Table.”

“I soon found myself asking questions, meeting for one-on-ones with staff, pouring through books, praying for the first time, and wondering if this was what I had been searching for, even without always knowing it.”

And a few weeks before that I was handed a bubble tea in Red Square by a campus pastor. A few days later I was invited to a life group to share milkshakes and talk about what life is like as a Christian. I soon found myself asking questions, meeting for one-on-ones with staff, pouring through books, praying for the first time, and wondering if this was what I had been searching for, even without always knowing it. Two years later I was a life group leader, the GUXA “Fun Colonel,” a Sunday school teacher, and a proudly baptized Christian.

So why do I give back to XA? Because it gave everything to me: a safe space to ask my questions, to be myself, to express my doubts and beliefs. It gave me a family and a home away from home. And more than anything else, it is where I became a Christian and rooted my life in my faith.

Reach the City, Update

Online fundraising for Reach the City - 2015

My belief in Christianity and my relationship with God give me life and purpose. There is no amount of money or accolades that could ever equal the worth of God’s love. I give back because without XA I would never have known that. Through the simple acts of handing out snow cones, bubble tea, or a burger and starting a conversation, Chi Alpha leaders and staff very literally can change lives.

I can make that claim because it changed mine.

Support-Raising: The Good, The Bad, and the Godly

Becca lives and works in our nation’s capital. She spent the past two years working with Chi Alpha, ministering to students at American University. She studied International Studies and Arabic language there, and is now stepping into her field professionally. In her free time, you can find her hanging out with friends, browsing Eastern Market and drinking lots of coffee. 

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The Good 

Support-raising is not easy, but it  is good.

The best thing about it for me was the relational aspect.

After attending a support-raising training for Chi Alpha and learning that the whole process is really more about building up a team of people than getting enough money, I became excited for the journey.

Support-raising wasn’t just a time of raising my full budget before I began the internship in August- it was a rare opportunity to reconnect with people I hadn’t seen or spoken to in years.

If it wasn’t for Chi Alpha, I don’t know that I ever would have reconnected with them. But this ministry on campus allowed for new opportunities to build relationships with them and be a part of each other’s lives again in a very special way.

“I don’t think that those relationships ever would have been as significant if there wasn’t such a strong sense of purpose. We weren’t just making a financial transaction - we were uniting for a mission. ”

I don’t think that those relationships ever would have been as significant if there wasn’t such a strong sense of purpose. We weren’t just making a financial transaction - we were uniting for a mission. 

The Bad

Like I said before, it’s not easy. The most difficult part for me was the lack of control over how much money I would receive and when I would receive it.

I had no control over people’s decisions or how much they wanted to give. I had no control over getting in touch with people and getting a response. There was no way for me to earn my income.

I put in my work and made the ask, but ultimately I had to trust God to provide. And that’s really hard, especially when I’m so used to the conventional method of earning income.

It becomes easy to doubt the calling when you aren’t sure if a way will be made for you to do it. That’s where faith comes in. 

The Godly 

In order to overcome my doubt and my struggle to trust God to provide, I had to daily be in God’s word and reminding myself of the heart behind support-raising, and the kind of heart and attitude God desired for me to have towards it.

I didn’t have to carry the weight of making sure I got all of the money. That was God’s responsibility. I just needed to work hard on the things that I did have control over (letters, phone calls, asking in person), and trust God to provide.

It sounds so simple, but when I was in it I really needed to rely on the Holy Spirit to remain in the right spirit.

Prayer was the most important aspect, because it showed God that I was trusting Him with the people I was asking, and trusting Him to make things happen. And of course, He did.

Love Them So They Can Love Others

Mary is a Sophomore at Georgetown University studying Nursing and Health Studies. She enjoys running, being around any body of water, and spending time with her one-eyed dog Myrna (preferably all in the same day.)

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“To love another person is to see the face of God” –Victor Hugo

My high school stressed the achievement of community service hours in only a small number of nonprofits around the community, as if to say that giving back to one’s community was only valued in certain locations with certain signatures. 

Coming to DC, however, completely changed my views on the matter.

When studying began to overwhelm any of my spare time and volunteering every Saturday became a thing of the past, I looked for fulfillment elsewhere. 

Soon, I realized two things. First, giving back didn’t have to occur during an allotted time in an allotted place. Second, my giving back benefitted me as much as it benefitted those who I helped. 

Christ came to Earth and served people, and, as we all call ourselves “Christians,” we should be doing the same. There is no book on how to serve, where to serve, or when to serve- rather, just go out and do.

Guiding someone as they parallel park or helping somebody carry their bike up a flight of stairs can not only make their day, but yours as well. Even if only for a few minutes at a time, stopping our lives to help others can remind us once again of our purpose here on earth: to spread the love of God.

“Even if only for a few minutes at a time, stopping our lives to help others can remind us once again of our purpose here on earth: to spread the love of God.”

I don’t know if you are familiar with the “Pay it Forward” videos (I think they’re actually ads for an insurance company?); they’re very simple yet extremely powerful.

One person does a small good deed for another, and the other person gives back elsewhere. Giving back is contagious, and if you start the chain, the whole city benefits.

Not only are so many individuals helped, but these people also benefit by helping others. 

Jesus renewed the chain of kindness that started with the creation of man, and it’s continued two thousand years later. However, it’s up to us to preserve his legacy. 

In ‘God’s Promises for You’, Max Lucado talks about his time visiting a cathedral marking the supposed birthplace of Jesus. He says that behind the altar is a small cavern with a star embedded on the floor that recognizes the birth of Jesus. However, to enter the cavern, one must stoop, for the door is low.

“You can see the world standing tall, but to witness the savior, you have to get on your knees.” Serve others, give back, and you will see the light of God.

Advice To My Younger Self

Kevin came on staff at American University Chi Alpha in 2012 after graduating with a Bachelor's of Science in Business. He is the director of Chi Alpha International  and also disciples student leaders. In his free time he likes to cheer on his Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Twins. He also has an impeccable bowling form.

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Dear Pre-Staff Kevin,

I wish I could say that I’ve lived a life without regret. That every decision I’ve made has been beneficial for me and that I never spend time reflecting and wishing that I had done things differently.

But sadly I cannot say that. You know how they say that mistakes are moments of learning? Well that is very true.

Without these mistakes I would’ve never become the man I am now. I truly believe like it says in the book of John, that God will “prune every branch that does bear fruit.”

These mistakes have been God’s pruning process for me so that I might bear even more fruit. But I don’t think these lessons were simply meant for me to withhold for myself, I’ve been blessed with these lessons so that I can share them with others.

So follow along carefully, learn these lessons without making the mistakes I made.

1. Don’t Compartmentalize People in Your Life

You should not be the judge on whether one group of friends will get along with another group. And I fully understand what your reservations are.

You’re scared that your non-Christian friends will think that your christian friends are lame and boring. Or you somehow think that you can minister to your non-Christian friends better as an individual than as a community.

Let go of your pride and doubt. You will come to realize that the best form of ministry is when people are grafted into your faith community and come to realize the genuine joy they can experience being with people who love God.

2. Be Quick to Apologize

I once heard a quote, “Do you want to make a point or do you want to make a relationship?”

The quote was more about the social issues that the church chooses to engage in, but it is very relevant in our daily relationships. How often have you refused to apologize for something you don’t think you are at fault for?

How many relationships have you let peter out because of unaddressed resentment? As I look back on all the friends I no longer speak to, it saddens me to think that those friendships were lost over very trivial matters.

3. Love Intensely

Loving hurts. Love comes at a price. In loving someone deeply you make yourself vulnerable. And in that vulnerability the betrayal, disappointment and deception of others hurt exponentially worse.

“And so you calculate just the right amount of love to give someone so that when they leave or hurt you, the pain will be manageable. Don’t do that. Love well and love frequently no matter how short a person’s stay in your life is. ”

So you guard yourself a little, you love a little less, because then the pain wouldn't be so bad. Sometimes your friends don’t even do anything to maliciously hurt you, instead they just graduate and move on with their lives, but that hurts even more!

And so you calculate just the right amount of love to give someone so that when they leave or hurt you, the pain will be manageable.

Don’t do that. Love well and love frequently no matter how short a person’s stay in your life is. Trust that the Lord will give you the strength to keep pouring out love, because He will. Even if it doesn’t make sense to love somebody, even if it hurts you more to love them, choose to love them all the more. It is amazing what the Holy Spirit will enable you to do.

As you can tell there are some similarities between all three lessons. The danger of pride, the need to love well, the importance of relationships. As I am preparing to leave this university for the last time, I do not remember my accomplishments as a Kogod student, nor as a Chi Alpha staff member. I do not remember my first sermon nor my last small group.

I remember Emily. I remember Joey. I remember XY. Shriyan. Josh. Kevin. Steve. Nick. Paul. Jared. Dylan. Natalie. Sarah. Blane. Hannah. Becca. Phoebe. Liz. Nati. Chris. Allyson. Reina. Katie. Javier. Jackson. Jacob. Sam. Ian. Marcus. Jesse. Tyler. Jake. Taylor. Lauren. Chris. Laura. Tim. Mike.

Don’t miss them because you're busy with school. A life without relationships is not a life at all.

Your Future Self,

Kevin