Les États-Unis pour France

I'm sure by now, if you're awake, you've heard of the heartbreaking news out of France. Multiple attacks by terrorists ripped through Paris, with early estimates putting the death toll at 158, but that is sure to rise before all is said and done. 

I am writing this post to call people to action. I have seen tweets, pictures shared, statuses made, and hashtags calling for prayer. Now I ask you, have you done what you posted? Have you #PrayedForParis?

I was shocked and a little overwhelmed when I first heard. I was unsure of how to react. I have now reacted. I got to my knees in my floor with my face on the ground and cried out to God for the people of France. If you are a Christian and you have shared a post that said #PrayForParis and you haven't yet fallen on your face or wept for those affected, then you're doing it wrong. 

The people of France need prayer tonight, and our continued support. I say the people of France because, while yes, Paris was attacked, all of France is reeling. France is crying. France is mourning. Europe as a whole will be affected. I want the people of France to know that I, and America, are with them. 

I am deeply saddened over the horrific loss of life. I am a French minor, have a great desire to travel to France, and have multiple friends from France. Some of whom have not yet replied to my messages. Morgane, Stéphanie, Elodie, Emmanuel, Claire, Gael; please know I am thinking of you. 

Tonight as you pray, pray for peace, pray for guidance, pray for love to abound. Pray that this event will help a nation, an alliance, and our world stand together against acts of hate. Pray that amidst the chaos and confusion that the love of God would permeate all. Pray that instead of turning to anger, people will turn to Christ. Pray that the Holy Spirit descends and is so tangible that people can no longer deny the presence of Christ. Pray for the families that are hurting, pray for police and military, and pray for God's will to be done. 

France, know that America is with you. I am with you. I am in mourning with you, and I will continue to pray for you. 

Allons enfants de la Patrie, le jour de gloire est arrivé! Contre nous de la tyrannie, l'étendard sanglant est levé. L'étendard sanglant est levé.

-

Aux armes, citoyens, formez vos bataillons. Marchons, marchons!

#USAforFrance Je t'aime.

We Are America

Hi again, everyone. Today I wanted to write about something a little more serious, but I feel like it's a message that everyone needs to hear.

Photo: Greg Ogletree

As you all know, today marks the 14 year anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks on our great nation. When I woke up this morning (not having class or work I slept in a little) I changed my Facebook profile picture to a photo I took at the WTC memorial and displayed the hashtag #NeverForget like nearly everyone else on social media. You all probably did this, too. Or, at the very least, some form of this. Whether you tweeted #NeverForget or added the 9/11 filter on Snapchat or gathered this morning to pray for our country, we all issued our condolences and thoughts of remembrance.

Right after I changed my picture I realized that we all do this every year as a sign of solidarity, a sign of unity. Then I began to think of the state of our nation; how we were 14 years ago, and how we are today. In many ways we have made enormous strides towards equality, strength, and patriotism, but in many others ways we have regressed. I don't really want this post to be about race, but I do need to address it. Today we are all battling between the #BlackLivesMatter and #AllLivesMatter movemenet, riots, police brutality, profiling, gang violence, gay marriage, not to mention campaign season getting into full swing.

While each side has their arguments and their pros and cons, I implore you all to stop the talking and arguing, and listen. Open your eyes ears. For every one instance of hate, there are 10 acts of love that go unnoticed. I personally blame the media. I believe they only show the negative and instigate more
hatred. Just look at this picture that was taken during the middle of a protest. This is what the media needs to show more of: love. Yes people make mistakes, yes people say the wrong thing, yes people act out of emotion, but if we truly think about it, are we any better? We all mess up every day in some way or another. To steal a line from my favorite movie speech ever: "We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests." And our common interest, as Americans, should be the betterment of our country through love. All we have is each other. When are we going to stop tearing down what built this country? We had to stand firm against injustice in order to become the United States of America, and if we want to continue to be recognized as the greatest country on Earth then we must stand together again!

As I sat and thought about all these things this morning while posting my photo it hit me that 14 years ago we were still worried about color, but it wasn't about black and white. It wasn't about how we differed from each other. It was about how we were the same, and how we all felt the same sense of being wronged. It was about how we all showed an outpouring of love that rocked our nation. 14 years ago we were all the same color. We were all Red, White, and Blue.


I don't know if you remember where you were and what you were doing when those planes hit, but I do. I don't know if you remember the mass panic no matter where you were in America, but I do. I don't know if you remember the following days and months, but I do. And what I remember about those following days and months was EVERY store running out of flags. I remember streets and houses being lined with the American flag. Row after row, house after house. We bonded together and showed the world that terror would not be tolerated. We showed the world that, even though we had taken a major hit, we would stand strong and not be intimidated. What would our country look like if we did that again? I know everyone screams 'Merica and posts bald eagle memes, but what if we all stood together against hate. What if we united under one banner again and said that we aren't going to tolerate terror, coming from home or abroad.

Photo: Greg Ogletree

Not to forget about what this anniversary is about, I would like to offer prayers and condolences to the families of those lost, as well as a thank you to those who perished while selflessly trying to save others. The casualties of September 11th, 2001 number nearly 3,000. 2,606 in the World Trade Center and surrounding areas, 246 on the four planes, 125 in the Pentagon, 343 firefighters, 72 law enforcement officers, and 55 military personnel. Overall, citizens from over 90 countries lost their lives in the attack.

Photo: Greg Ogletree

As we go through this day and see the countless posts of remembrance and love, let us also think about today's world and how we can change it. Let's remember that we made this country great and it is up to us to keep it that way. It's time that we unite again. It doesn't matter if you are black, white, democrat, republican, gay, straight, Christian, or atheist; we are all Americans. We are all Red, White, and Blue.

In Loving Memory of Jamie Lynn Ferguson

Hello, all! I know it's been many months since I've posted anything, but today I have feelings I just need to get out. This blog seems like a good way for me to express my adoration for a great friend of mine.

As most of the UAM community knows, our beloved Jamie Lynn Ferguson passed away on Monday. I've been holding off on posting this because it would make it seem too real, but it's time to tell others how great Jamie​ was.

I first met Jamie when I attended a BCM worship service my first semester of college, and I was astounded (because I didn't know anyone) that she knew every person there, and everyone knew her. As soon as we were introduced she gave me a hug and said how glad she was to meet me. She immediately motioned for a high five and when I went in to slap her hand she coolly pulled her hand away and said "gotcha." She got me alright. Every time I saw her since that day she gave me a fake high five and a hug. Never once did I see Jamie without a smile on her face - well, unless someone took her phone or her sonic drink. Not long after meeting, I learned of Jamie's debilitating condition; Huntington's Disease. As I learned about the disease and what it was doing to her, I wondered if she was ever in pain or sad, because she sure didn't show it.

Jamie did everything she possibly could all the time. She was a staple at all of the UAM sporting events, especially the softball games. If a homerun or foul ball was hit, you better get out of the way because Jamie was on a mission to get it before anyone else. She loved the sports teams and athletes with intense fervor. She went with us to Passion which included 11 hours in a bus, standing in line, walking countless steps on the concourse, taking the stairs to the floor seats, then getting back to the hotel late and getting up early the next morning to do it again. She played games with anyone that was around. And she loved everyone. Everyone.


Jamie was a walking, glowing example of Christ at this university. She had a warm smile, a kind word, or a hug waiting on every person she saw throughout the day. Despite her physical limitations, and almost certain pain, she carried herself with the utmost positivity. Instead of complaining, each day she sought to make someone smile, and she succeeded.

Even though Jamie's passing is terribly sad, I can cry tears of joy knowing that she is running full speed into the arms of Jesus. And you can bet He has a route 44 raspberry peach sweet tea waiting on her!

Jamie, you made an impact in so many people's lives that we cannot begin to measure it. I hope that we, as Christians, can follow in your example and love wholeheartedly without bias, and without complaint. I know you will continue to teach us until we see you again. Oh, and save a high five for me.

Power of Prayer #PoP

Hey guys! So, I know it's been a while since my last post (finals, mission trip, snowboarding, starting a new semester), and I apologize. Tonight something just hit me and I was going to post a Facebook status - which I rarely do - then I thought that I would display it to a wider audience.

"Pray without ceasing." I Thessalonians 5:17 The Bible clearly states the importance of the act of prayer. It is necessary for growth in our relationship with Christ.

I'll begin this post with a little backstory again. Last semester a core group of students from the BCM, or Baptist Collegiate Ministry, on the campus of UAM decided to commit to more fervent prayer. There is a group message that we are all in and we send prayer requests to each other all the time. We began this endeavor with small acts, like if a situation arose where something could be prayed about, instead of waiting, we stopped what we were doing and prayed right then. Then we downloaded the Pray app, which allows you to put in multiple prayer requests and then it gives your phone a regular notification about that request to help your prayer habits. When a prayer was answered we started saying "Power of Prayer" among ourselves or in the text message. Then my roommate, Jeremy, and I instituted a hashtag #PoP for "Power of Prayer". I sent out a group message that asked everyone when they encountered an answered prayer to post it on social media with #PoP.

The event that transpired tonight was one of these moments of prayer. There was a group of friends at my apartment and we were all talking and listening to music and procrastinating from homework; you know, the usual. Our friend, Jessie, asks if we can pause for a moment and pray for someone, so I pause the music and we all become silent and she starts to pray. During her prayer I thought of a prayer request, so when she finished I asked everyone to keep their heads bowed while I prayed for a friend. I am an RA on campus and Thursday is my duty night, and I'm on call all night long for 3 housing facilities. Well, about 15 seconds into my prayer the duty phone starts blaring its extremely annoying and insanely loud ring tone from my dresser. I interrupted my prayer for my friend and asked that God take care of the situation of whomever  was calling "because I'm not going to stop this prayer."

Once I finished my prayer I ran to my bedroom and immediately returned the call I had just missed. The person answered and I asked "did you just call the duty phone?" She replied that yes, she did, but that she called because she was locked out of her room because her lock was messed up, and after I didn't answer the door opened and she was able to enter her room.

#PoP

Now, I realize that this is a really, really small thing, but it absolutely rocked my world. I had literally just asked God to handle that situation so we could lift up a friend through prayer and the request was answered.

The willingness of God to have a relationship with us is mindblowing enough, but when a prayer is answered like this - even something as seemingly insignificant as a locked door - I can't help but be pumped about it.

I encourage you all to start praying more and see how God can impact your life, and I'll be praying for you as well. Goodnight and God bless.