I have been around EBC long enough to know that this campus can be a very lonely place. I know there are always people around and lots of people to talk to, but sometimes a loneliness that transcends social contact has a way of creeping into our lives. No disrespect to the community here, the people are wonderful, the teachers care about us and I have found wonderful friendships. But still, I remember many times I walked through the cluster of maple trees and just felt utterly alone.

If anyone feels this way, please take a suggestion: learn to refresh yourself in the Lord. This may involve getting on your face before God. It might mean taking advantage of the student counseling services (that are free for students, by the way). It might mean taking a personal retreat between you and God. It might mean confiding in a friend and being transparent. Whatever it means, it will involve pressing through and holding onto the truth that God is still for you, he loves you and will not give up on you. I know the refining fires of life are not fun in any respect, but I am certainly glad we have a Saviour who is with us in it all. With Christ there will always be better days ahead, if not in this life then in eternity. Our hope as Christians lives on.

I love this community.

-Tim Chester