During the Welcome Retreat in September, our Director Kathryn, mentioned a phrase that would stick with me to this day.
“Remember, the pressure is off.”
I laughed at first. It felt wrong to accept this phrase. I had just come off putting in my two weeks at my corporate finance job after two long grueling years. Now I'm 25, living in a new city once again, and considering becoming a teacher (I think). In summary, life has recently been full of “What are you doing?” questions from everyone. How can the pressure really be off?
When people asked what I wanted to get out of the Fellows program this year, my answer was always the same: I wanted to truly feel God’s presence in my life – not just mentally know He’s there. Naturally, I assumed that would happen through more intentional quiet time, prayer, or through involvement at church, but God had a different idea: feeling His presence through my dependence on Him.
I began this journey with a 10-hour drive from Memphis to Charlotte, filling that time with music, podcasts, and audiobooks with no real end in mind. One particular podcast stood out to me in a way I wouldn’t realize until much later. This episode was on the topic of prayer, in which the guest spoke about a woman who had a close, personal, and intimate relationship with Jesus. She said she developed that relationship by spending two hours a day walking in the woods, just talking to and spending time with God. When I heard this, I remember thinking, “That sounds great, but I don’t have that kind of time in my day”, then I carried on with the drive, not giving it a second thought.
I moved to Charlotte on September 1st to join the Charlotte Fellows program, and since then have met a plethora of people connected to my experience as a Fellow and to the larger community at our partner church, Hope. The number of people rooting for, supporting, and excited about me and the other Fellows was not something I expected.
Putting my thoughts into words has always been difficult for me, so when I was asked to write about the ways the Charlotte Fellows Program has impacted my life, I was left at a loss for words. How could I possibly articulate how just nine short months after graduating from college have changed the way I have lived these past six years? Though I entered the program hoping to figure out how to live a meaningful life in the “real world,” I left knowing that true meaning comes from living a life that has been radically transformed by the Gospel.
Beauty and the Bitch: Grace for the Worst in Me—oh yes, that was the eye-catching title of the book my counselor recommended to me during my time at the Barnabas Center. And it’s a book I want and need to read again and again. The title alone pretty much sums up a massive chunk of my experience as a Charlotte Fellow.
Every year the Charlotte Fellows take a mission trip to Chattanooga to work with an organization called Hope for Chattanooga, an inner-city, cross-cultural ministry. In the weeks leading up to our trip, we read through different quotes, Scripture verses, and thinkers on the topic of cross-cultural missions and the significance of racial diversity.
As we engaged with the material, my mind kept returning to a thought put forth by Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision. In his book The Hole In Our Gospel, he shares how his friend went through the entire Bible, cutting out pages that had any reference to social or racial justice. By the time he was finished cutting, there was barely any Bible remaining.
In the fall of 2014 I moved to Charlotte, NC to join the Charlotte Fellows program. Before that I had been living in Los Angeles and pursuing a career in sketch and improv comedy. While this may sound exciting and glamorous, I assure you it was not. The two years I spent in L.A. were extremely dark. When I finally moved away I was looking for something to fix me, to give me purpose, and to make me feel like I was a part of something really amazing. I could NEVER have predicted what the year had in store for me.
Studies have shown that the average person will spend over a third of his/her waking life at work. Since most Christians are not engaged in full-time vocational ministry, how do we integrate our faith into one of the biggest portions of our lives–our work?
Do you have questions about what life looks like as a fellow? Contact us by filling out the form below, and learn more about the Charlotte Fellows!
