Cedarville Magazine, Spring 2019

EmbracingWeakness Megan Orr ’19 – Clayton King, founder of Clayton King Ministries and teaching pastor at NewSpring Church in Anderson, North Carolina, spoke at Fall Bible Conference August 2015. King challenged students to embrace their weakness in order to find strength from God. For then-freshman Megan Orr ’19, it was a message that proved to be life-changing and life-saving. I grew up attending church, but by my junior year of high school, I felt like I was just going through the motions. I had tried to get involved with youth group at church, but I didn’t seem to fit in. By my senior year, I stopped going to church completely. When it came time to choose a college, my parents encouraged me to consider Cedarville. I reluctantly agreed. I thought maybe it would give me a clean slate where I could rewrite my story. I came to campus fall 2015 knowing I wasn’t a Christian. People welcomed me warmly, but I always wondered if it was fake. I wasn’t happy here; I wasn’t happy with myself. Everyone here seemed so good, and there was so much sin in my life. I just didn’t feel like I belonged. I questioned if I should be here. I even questioned if I wanted to live. That first week during Fall Bible Conference, Clayton King closed one of his messages by challenging people to invite Christ into their life. I’ve heard a lot of altar calls before, and I was really good at tuning them out. But this time was different. As Clayton prayed, I felt something stirring in me. I knew this was something I needed. After I got back to my room that night, I spoke with my Resident Assistant. She prayed with me, and I asked Jesus to forgive me for my sins and be my Savior. Prior to the service, I had decided that this would probably be the night I would kill myself. By the end of the evening, I was filled with an incredible peace from God. Since that night, God has given me an incredible thirst for Him. I joined a discipleship group and have been mentored by my church. I am growing more and more into the woman I know God wants me to be. I still have tough days, but I now know that I can take those feelings to God and receive His strength. I know that God brought me here to not just save my life, but to bring me into a close relationship with my Savior. I am so thankful. Michele (Cummings) Solomon ’91 is the Copy Editor for Cedarville University Marketing and Communications. M y fondest chapel memory was when Dr. Gromacki came on stage in a rather unkempt manner. Throughout his talk, he changed his clothes (in good taste, of course) into a nice suit and tie. It drove home the point that we are to make a transformation from the old life to new life in Christ! Sue (Orth) Boyd ’90