Blessed to Bless

( picture from Pinterest)

About a week ago, I was at my bible college group. I love going to this group when I come. It is a great time of fellowship and being in the Bible together. We were in 2nd Corinthians 9:6-13 and on verse 13 someone summarized that verse in these words "Blessed to Bless".

2nd Corinthians 9:13 says "Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all"

This verse really stuck in my mind this week and this verse was convicting me.  God has blessed us through Christ and we are suppose to share that good news. There are many ways to share the gospel. You don't have to preach a sermone to someone. You can share about the gospel in 5 minutes while checking out. My dad likes to wear shirts with a spiritual message and people ask him what the shirts mean. This gives him a chance to share the gospel in a short amount of time.  These are subtle ways to share the gospel. I think that this verse can apply to other blessings that God has given us in life. In this world, it can be hard to be grateful. There is so much advertisement for the newest model of something and that we should buy the new model. We have so many blessings in our lives. Family, the gift of life,  food, the opportunity of education, and having a place to live are some of the blessings that many of us and sometimes take for granted. I have caught myself complaining so much even though I have so many blessings in m life. I need to stop and think about them. If you don't have one or more of these blessings, you can still bless someone. You can comfort someone who is going through a similar struggle and being able to relate to someone can impact someone in big ways. This is such a good reminder for me. Though my struggles are hard, I can help someone with the same or similar struggles.There are so many ways to bless people besides giving money. Giving your time to help them, send an encouraging text or card, or just listening to them are ways to bless people.

Have a wonderful week.

~Liu Miao~

Half way there

For many of us in college(at least in the US), October signifies the midpoint of the semester. This means midterms are coming up. Midterms is the week that professors give exams at the midpoint of the semester. This can be a very stressful time if you have all your exams in one week. Not all professors give exams during midterms. I was very happy that I had my exams early this semester. I actually like midterm week because it means that the semester is half way there.  Today, I will share some tips that can help you prepare for this week

1. Study ahead of time. it will be less stressful if you study in chunks and not all at one.  One will learn more when taking time to learn the material.

2. Don't do all nighters. This is not good. You need sleep to function. Being to exhauseted can cause a person to do poorly on an exam.

3. Eat food. healthy foods help your brain to function. It is so tempting to eat a whole bunch of junk foods or just not eat at all. Fruits are a good snack or salad.

4. Take a little  time for fun. There needs to be a balance. It is not good to study for 8 hours straight. Your brain needs a break. Take 10-15 minute breaks then go back to study.

5. Stay hydrated. This is very important. Water helps your body to function properly.

6. Try to eliminate distraction as much as possible. If you get distracted by your phone, keep your phone on silent for a little bit in order to study. If you need a quiet space, go study somewhere quiet. If friends distract you, don't study with them. It is good to find out what distracts you from studying and try to eliminate it. 

Have a good week of midterms. The semester is almost halfway there.  I would love to hear about any tips that have helped you during midterms week. Celebrate afterwards for surviving a stressful week(s) of exams. Have a good weekend full of studying and FUN.

~Liu Miao~