In our vocabulary the word ‘grace’ typically has a very positive feel to it and the word ‘debt’ has a very negative one. Whereas grace describes a beautiful movement or a person with elegance, debt refers to something owed, to a lack sometimes impossible to fill. With the economy like it is the word ‘debt’ is thrown around more and more often, and any grace shown...

This past weekend I attended Altitude, a weekend retreat, with many of my Chi Alpha peeps, and it was phenomenal. Such an amazing time of worship, hearing the Word, fellowship, and just a flat out fun time! The entire weekend focused on equipping ourselves for the incredible adventure that God has for our lives. One speaker in particular spoke directly to my heart, he really challenged me. He spoke...

Yesterday morning, listening to a sermon at a local church, I heard one of the most incredible illustrations of what exactly salvation looked like in a practical sense. One of the illustrations the pastor used was the anecdotal story of a prominent evangelist as a young boy. When he was probably 13 years old, this evangelist was approached by a girl who said to him, Why would I ever want to become...

This past week my Life Group did our very first service project. We made a pot of spaghetti and fed some hungry college students in the dorms. It was simple, but it was also great! I love my life group and the time we have together on a weekly basis, but there is something so incredible about actually getting out of my living room and serving someone. It is awesome to see my girls get so pumped about...

I’m finding it hard to believe, right now, that we’re already 5 weeks into the new school semester. The idea of going to class seems so fresh and new, with memories of summer ever so clear. I have a confession to make: I don’t want to go to class. The only incentive I’m feeling now is the fact that I’m slated to walk across the stage this December to pick up my Bachelor’s...

1 Where are you from? I’m from San Angelo TX. Terrie Martinez 2 How did you get involved with Chi Alpha? I was invited out by my friend Courtney one week. 3 Favorite XA memory so far? I’m not sure I’ve been here long enough to make a favorite memory. 4 Favorite thing about XA? I fell in love with the worship; it’s amazing how open everybody is. 5 Tell us about your family....

If you know me at all, you probably know that I love having my morning coffee. In fact, I can’t start the day without a cup. As soon as I wake up I just crave it, and so I may need to admit that I have a slight addiction. The other morning, while sipping my coffee and reading my Bible, I came across Psalm 84:1-2. “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints,...

One of the first things I do when reading a new novel is look for the author’s bio. Maybe this is only because I’m used to studying literature in a classroom setting, but regardless understanding a story’s background before reading it is important to me. I like to know the answers to questions such as Where and when was it written?, Who is the author?, and To whom was it originally...

1 Where are you from? I’m from Merritt, Michigan. I just moved to San Angelo in January of 2009, and started attending ASU during the fall semester of the same year. Taylor Millen and Caleb VanDuinen 2 How did you get involved with Chi Alpha? My cousin Talyor was already involved when I moved here to come to live with him, and so he got me coming out. 3 Favorite XA memory so far? I really enjoyed...

In ancient times the city gates were built in honor of the deity of that city. Walking through the gate meant you were paying tribute to and accepting lordship of that deity while making the effort to go through the smaller gate meant you were not admitting that deity's lordship. Earlier this week I read the statistic that although 95 percent of Americans claim to believe in God, only 45 percent...