New Beginnings in Knoxville!

When people think of college there are some common perceptions that come to mind: booze, parties, sex, and more booze. Personally, that doesn’t exactly appeal to me nor does the idea of walking 15 minutes uphill to my 9 o’clock Biology class hungover. Call me crazy! However, when I made the decision to attend a public university I knew what I was getting myself into; I knew the temptations of the flesh were going to be extremely overwhelming. So, sometime before I made the move to Knoxville I started hardcore praying for God to show me how to avoid this temptation and to allow me to find a solid group of Christian friends. Well let me just tell you, God is so faithful! Two days after I moved in I met an intern from a campus ministry group called Vols4Christ. She was so genuinely nice and I immediately felt comfortable talking to her and sharing things about myself with her. She then invited me to a vfc meeting later that week. I went not really knowing what to expect; just curious. There was a worship band and a speaker and it was just a great time of fellowship with other Christian students here at UT. I met tons of people. I found out later that vfc was an outreach group from a local church called Cornerstone Church of Knoxville. Sarah, one of the vfc interns called me Saturday night and invited me to go to church with her. I eagerly accepted. So, today I went to church and absolutely marveled at the presence of the Holy Spirit within the church. The people were friendly, the service was amazing, and the message really challenged me to look beyond a life of worldly enjoyment and open my heart up even more for the Lord.

And also, the church is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I am so thankful that my God has shown me where I fit in and where He wants me to be and to have done it so soon. I’m beyond excited to see how God uses me and changes my life in the next 4 years. I want so badly to be a tool for Him and to show others what a life with Jesus is like; to be a shining light!