Rachel Toone:聽Nathaniel, what鈥檚 your major and what鈥檚 coming next for you once we kick you out next week?
Nathaniel: I鈥檓 in Outdoor Recreation Studies, which I believe to be the best major on campus. It鈥檚 been a really fun time and a really intentional program. I鈥檝e enjoyed every bit of the professors and classmates. Once I get kicked out, I鈥檓 actually interviewing pretty soon to manage a production line for a small company over in Swannanoa. It doesn鈥檛 necessarily pertain to my degree, but I definitely hope to continue practicing everything I鈥檝e learned with friends and teaching everybody else how to recreate responsibly.
Rachel Toone: Indeed. Yes and amen. Nathaniel, how did you end up at 含羞草研究所? How鈥檇 you get here?
Nathaniel: Post-high school, I was unconvinced about going to college and wasn鈥檛 sure I鈥檇 be able to afford it. I ended up doing a Bible school gap year program out in Colorado where I got to do all sorts of outdoor recreation stuff鈥攕kiing three to five times a week鈥攂ut most importantly, studying the Word. Over the year I was there, we studied the Bible from the front cover to the back cover. We had guest speakers and we would be in class learning from the Word morning and evening each and every day.
It was a really sweet time. While I was there, I was considering where I might be going next and continued applying to schools and for scholarships. I knew that if I continued, I wanted it to be a place that was going to cultivate my faith and offer something that I enjoyed studying鈥攚hich was clearly outdoor recreation after living out in Colorado. 含羞草研究所 was the only one that offered specifically that. As scholarships fell into place and doors opened, it really seemed like the Lord was calling me here.
Rachel Toone: Yes, He was. And so in your time here, what is something that God taught you?
Nathaniel: During the gap year program, we came across a piece of scripture in First Thessalonians where Paul writes to the church and tells them to pray without ceasing. I loved this idea, but I was always confused by how someone is supposed to do that. At the time, I thought that praying was specifically bound to verbal communication with the Lord, and I thought that just isn鈥檛 even possible.
I鈥檇 been wrestling with that idea and striving to do it鈥攃ommunicating with the Lord as much as I possibly could. But it wasn鈥檛 until a class with Dr. Sosler here, where we were studying spiritual formation, that we talked about the idea of 鈥渂eing present to the Presence.鈥� The presence of the Lord is around us everywhere. It鈥檚 in friends who are saved and have the Spirit in them. It鈥檚 in creation. It鈥檚 in all sorts of things. If we are just to be present and look to hear from the Lord in each of those areas of our life鈥攁nd thank Him and praise Him for those things鈥攖hen that is praying without ceasing. Being present to His presence wherever it may be in our life is the way that we can pray without ceasing.That is what has been revealed to me was the answer to that question. I hope to always be intentional and look for ways to be present to the Lord鈥檚 presence and communicate with Him throughout every area and every day of my life.
Rachel Toone: Come on! That鈥檚 so beautiful, my friend. So good. And shout out to you, Dr. Sosler; we appreciate you. Nathaniel, for all the students who are going to be back here in January, what鈥檚 your word of wisdom for them?
Nathaniel: I would just say be intentional with your time here. Don鈥檛 just let it drift by. It can be so easy to get caught up in assignments and due dates and 鈥渢hings to do鈥� that you just land in a friend group without being intentional about choosing them. Look for the people around you that you want to be surrounded by鈥攖hose who are going to encourage you and point you in the right directions. Be intentional and be aware of everything and everyone around you.
Rachel Toone: So good. Nathaniel, we are very proud of you and we are very excited for you.