We as a staff just returned from our annual professional conference so of course we are bubbling over with new ideas to implement! Some better than others. One of these brilliant ideas is to use mediums of communication that we can all relate to and that transcend location. Something else that was of great emphasis and that convicted me was to create avenues of discussion for students that are open and safe; opportunities for students to voice doubts and ask genuine questions. Hopefully this blog can be that and more.
Our overall goal is to honor Christ and to lead others closer to him. We hope that through this process, we can sharpen our critical thinking skills, have deep and difficult discussions, and connect to each other and God as we process.
The Res Life Blog will not...
-be a place to attack, personally, anyone at OBU or anywhere else. Gossip is gossip, viral or human to human.
-be an advertising tool for ResLife. We won't announce anything here. You as a staff have been invited to read this and do not want to water it down with multifaceted use.
-be a forum to share ResLife war stories. Those are called staff meetings. Understand that this is a necessary process for healthy self-care, often better done in person anyway.
-be, hopefully, the only avenue to discuss critical issues, but it might be a good place to start.
The Res Life blog is...
-a place to hear from your ResLife leadership about issues on their hearts and that you might be facing
-a chance to, anonymously, ask questions, make comments, and create dialogue
-sensitive. As discussion become more serious in nature, the more sensitive they may become. Be mindful that even in this medium, people are affected.
-a resource of issues to think and pray about as you fulfill your position in ResLife.
What I would like for you all to begin thinking about is where the students that live on your halls, in your apartments are in their life stages. Some of you already know who is living near you. You have attended classes with them. Some of you will be around students who are entering college for the first time. We all understand what critical years of development these times can be; what challenges college students potentially face. Students are already dealing with critical issues. Family, sin, image, confidence, homosexuality are all issues they and you must balance with development academically, spiritually, emotionally, and socially. This can be a tough process for some and not for others. We hope that you will engage students in conversations that help them navigate their own development and their identity in Christ. Begin praying that God will give you wisdom and courage to know what to say and do.
We are excited for you and hope that these discussion are beneficial to you!
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