I am going to highlight a few lesser known aspects of the Web site, which will hopefully help you stay connected spiritually and academically to Cornerstone while you are a student and even after you graduate.

• Academics Tab

What I recently found on this tab will hopefully be a help to you as a student. It’s the Off-Campus Study link. When you click on this link you will find all of the organizations that Cornerstone partners with to help you as a student study abroad and receive credit for it. The steps are all there for you to find a country, city or state you’d like to study in and to help you figure out how you can make it work and still meet all your graduation requirements. You have the opportunity to go to places such as Egypt, Australia, China, Spain, Russia, Los Angeles and Washington D.C.

The other area to highlight is the Career Services link. By clicking on this, you have access to job postings, internships and job fairs. This is a great tool for current students and those closer to graduation to see what kind of jobs are available.

• Current Students Tab

On the top of the navigation on the Web site you’ll see a Quick Links tab and when you mouse over this you’ll see Current Students on the top of the list. Click on this link and you’ll be directed to a page that offers you access to everything you need to know as a current student.

What I want to highlight on this page is the Chapels link. When you click on Chapels you are directed to a page that shows you all the information you could want about how to get involved in spiritual formation on campus, the chapel schedule, cross-cultural ministries and discipleship.

Under the Chapel tab there is a link for Media, and when you click on this you have access to all the recordings from each chapel held on campus. The speakers this year have shared messages with us that have hopefully changed our lives individually and broadened our perspective of what God is doing around the world. Don’t let what they’ve shared go in one ear and out the other. This is a great resource for you to be able to meditate on the Word and fill yourselves with encouragement and hope to follow Christ in all you do.

Growing up I’ve always had this complex in which I needed to be the best. This has driven me to have a lot of success in school, athletics and in church because I was willing to incorporate disciplines within my life that would allow me to excel further than most. It’s nice to be praised by coaches, teachers and youth pastors, but that has easily become the driving force for achievement in my life. I don’t mind working hard, but it is ultimately in the hope that I will get recognized for the effort I have put forth.

Where this has been most devastating is in my relationship with God. I want to work hard through the pursuit of justice, evangelism, discipleship, prayer and spiritual disciples so that some day as I stand before my Savior he will say, “Well done good and faithful servant.” This is not a wrong desire, but this has gone beyond simply wanting to please God to wanting the Lord to praise me for who I am. This is demonstrated most profoundly as I was reading a textbook for my theology class. The author was suggesting that the possible reward for the good works we do on earth is the deep, intimate sense of the presence of God in eternity. Before I had any chance to realize my actions I felt my heart kind of sink. For some reason this seemed like a disappointment to me. Why would the beautiful reward of the eternal presence of Almighty God seem like a letdown? As I reflected on my reaction I realized what I hoped my reward was going to be. I hoped that as I came into eternity God was going to bring me before everyone and just talk about how great a life I lived. We would sit down and just chit chat about how I was so faithful and diligent during my time on earth. My hope was that eternity would be a time to enhance my glory instead of God’s.

Now, to be clear, God does talk in scripture about recognizing our good deeds and actually mentions eternal rewards as a motivation for being faithful in this life. But when that becomes more important than the honor of the Lord there is a problem. I was ashamed of my response. I really valued my praise above a deeper understanding of the Lord. Why would my desires be so horribly misconstrued? Through reflection I feel that it is mainly because of where I have placed my worth as a person. I want to be loved and appreciated and in the past I have sought this through accomplishing things in order to have worth in the eyes of other people. But my worth lies first and foremost in my identity in Christ! Because I am his child I am worth being loved. God has cared so much for me by pursuing me in my rebellion and seeking to reconcile this relationship by paying the penalty for my sin upon the cross. He initiated this relationship because he feels I am worth the sacrifice. I do not need to seek praise for myself because I am already valued as I am.

As this truth becomes genuinely pressed upon my heart I know that I will be freed from this need to achieve greatness for myself and instead be motivated to a faithful life in which I can better know the Lord. We can be encouraged by the fact that God is patient and loving towards us. He desires to give us a rich and satisfying life that comes only when we submit ourselves fully to his will. May we remember we have no need to work for praise because our value has been established in God and our good works can now pour out of a heart of gratitude for his generous love.

E-mail: jordan_a_cooper@cornerstone.edu

Sometimes it seems like we are just focused on us. Do we do this on purpose? I would like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and say no. We don’t want to be consumed with ourselves. We know we are supposed to be others focused, right?

So why don’t we spend time doing things for others? The truth is, for as many excuses as we could come up with, there are that many needs and then some that just keep multiplying, not only around the world, but locally as well.

Jesus didn’t tell us in Mark 16:15-18 to stay inside of our comfortable bubble and reach only those people that come up to us asking questions about Jesus and our faith. No! He told us to G-O, Go! To go into the world requires action on our part. We have to take the initiative.

The needs are great, but unfortunately the workers are few. There needs to be that sense inside each of us that our lives are about others.

I think for each person this sense comes through different ways. Maybe you’ve been on a mission trip, or done volunteer work and had a life-changing experience. Maybe you heard a convicting message and made a stand. Or maybe you just heard that still small voice on the inside telling you what you should do.

Regardless of the how or when, it’s this sense that there is something outside of ourselves that should motivate us to serve others.

It says in Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

So where do we start?

Well there are many ways to find places to volunteer online. If you have a specific ministry or organization you want to work with just visit their Web site and find out how to volunteer.

A great Web site that I want to highlight is VolunteerMatch.org. When you visit this Web site you can type in your address and find places that need volunteers. They have a wide variety of opportunities to fit your interests.

This is just a starting point, but I have no doubt that when we decide to give to others we’ll truly understand what the Christian life is all about.

Well time is not on your side with only one week left. But have no fear, with a few Web sites I’ve found and a few creative ideas the college spring break you’ve always dreamed of, well kind of, is still at reach.

Depending on your budget and spontaneous nature, there are trips southward to warmth and sun for a couple hundred dollars. But it takes some tenacity to search the Web sites I’ll give you and find a sweet deal. Many times these hidden gems are but a mouse click away, but you have to be persistent.

Web sites we’ve all heard of like Expedia.com, Orbitz.com, Hotwire.com and Priceline.com do indeed have steals for vacations. Sometimes the last minute trips get you the best deals, if you do your research. Packages are even available through these Web sites to hook you up with airfare, automobile and hotels for reasonable prices.

Make sure to check specific airline Web sites as well. They always have low priced last-minute trips. Spiritair.com has roundtrip flights from Chicago to Florida for just over $200.

Web sites such as us.lastminute.com and studentcity.com allow you to choose your departure city, destination, budget and available week and do the deal searching for you.

Not a fan of the better late than never when it comes to taking a trip for spring break? Well forget the flight south and think locally.

Sometimes the best trips are the ones when you take time to visit places close to you that you wouldn’t normally see during the semester.

Even a trip from Cornerstone University to downtown Chicago will only take you about three hours. Grab a few friends and drive down for the day, even if it’s only to take pictures and window shop you’ll still be able to say you did something for spring break.

Check the calendars for your towns online and see what events are taking place during the week. In Grand Rapids you can visit events.grnow.com and visitgrandrapids.org. Take time to visit areas of your hometown you’ve always wanted to check out, or go to a concert or two.

Even better, take time to serve others. Spring break isn’t always the cliché trip to Florida. There are plenty of opportunities locally to find somewhere to serve. You’ll probably find it more rewarding than spoiling yourself with sun, shopping and relaxation.

What’s better than reading…free stuff. But now you can combine the two. All you have to do is read a book, which you receive for free, and then write a mini review on it. Keep reading, and keep receiving free books.

Thomas Nelson Publishers is a popular publishing company for Christian authors. They boast authors such as Donald Miller, Chuck Swindoll, Doug Fields, Billy Graham, Max Lucado and Ted Dekker.

This company is offering you the chance to be the voice of their books. You have access to a select number of new releases from their company to read for free, and then write a review on. It’s a great way to give your truthful honest opinion on their products and receive a free book that you get to keep.

All you have to do is agree to read the book of your choice and post a 200-word review on your blog and a consumer retail Web site (amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, buy.com, borders.com, etc). The books offered are updated as new ones are released and you can choose which book you’d like to read.

Sign up online using the online registration form at www.brb.thomasnelson.com. Once your application is approved you’ll receive a confirmation email to confirm your registration as a Book Review Blogger.

Then you just visit the Web site and sign up for the Thomas Nelson product that you’d like to review. The products on their Web site are available for review, but some titles will only be available in limited quantities, so I encourage you to read those books and post your review quickly so you don’t miss out on any books offered.

After you have requested a review copy you will receive your brand new book in the mail. Your reviews can be positive or negative but just have to be based on the book as a whole.

Once you visit the site and post your review link you can sign up to receive another book of your choice.

Not only is this a rare opportunity, but it’s a chance for you to gain some knowledge on a range of topics and also be able to relate that to your faith. Readers are leaders, so visit www.brb.thomasnelson.com today and sign up to receive your first free book.

So what do you do when you don’t have a pen and paper in the car or aren’t near your computer?

You use Jott.com, and “turn your words into action.”

Capture thoughts, create to-do lists and set reminders with a simple phone call. You simply speak into your cell phone and Jott converts what you say into text. This service takes anything you say, converts it to text and sends it to the recipient as an e-mail or text message if you so choose.

Visit www.jott.com and sign up for the account that works for you, then call the toll-free number (866-JOTT-123). Jott recognizes you through their Caller ID information and asks you to begin speaking.

Once you are done the audio file is passed through a quick system of voice recognition software to assure your message is clean and clear before it is sent to your e-mail or phone as text.

This quick and easy service not only allows you to remember all you have to do, but doesn’t require you to add any applications to your phone unless you so choose to do so.

The personalizing options with your Jott account allow you to create transcriptions as e-mails, to-do lists, reminders, inserts into appointment calendars. You can even update your social networking sites such as services like Amazon, Twitter, blogs and Facebook.

Many of these services are free, and a few come with a charge. Jott also offers free iPhone applications on iTunes that make their service even faster.

Another service Jott offers is Jott Voicemail. Instead of being fixed on one way to get messages from people you can use this service and voicemail messages are easily read or listened to and are delivered to you however choose.

This service lets you get your messages when and where you want them and allows you to set callback reminders, share messages, reply, search and forward them. You can also control which callers’ voicemail messages you want transcribed.

This service is set up quickly from their Web site and works with almost all phone carriers. It is $9.95 per month, but there is a one-week free trial of this service available.

So start remembering those great ideas you get while driving and sign up for Jott.

Until we see more “green” on our campus, there are ways you can help the environment on your own.

CarbonRally.com posts challenges, for example, cutting your shower time by two minutes, going a week without using any disposable coffee cups and turning off your car whenever possible to reduce idle carbon emissions. These simple challenges are laid out for you, showing you how to do it and why it helps the environment. You can compete on your own or as part of a team.

Ecologue.com shows you easier ways to live green. An easy Web site to navigate through shows articles and videos on many aspects of going green to help you make it a reality. You can type in your zip code to find local resources about each topic. Learn how to conserve energy, recycle and reduce waste and create a greener living environment.

TheDailyGreen.com is the consumer’s guide to the green revolution. You’ll find information on living green, new green cuisine, tips and advice and green in the news. With the holiday seasons approaching you can find 100 plus green gift ideas. Seek out ways to naturally remedy your illnesses. You can also sign up for the daily green newsletter by e-mail. Take fun quizzes to discover how green you are and how green you want to be. Also find simple ways to reduce your carbon emissions.

Zwaggle.com is a Web site where you can donate used merchandise, clothing, appliances, books and more to other members and then “buy” stuff from other Zwaggle members with the points you earn. Just by signing up you’ll receive 50 free points to start buying. Zwaggle is all about doing your share and is an easy way to do your part.

Treehugger.com/gogreen.php shows in depth articles to move you towards action in the green revolution. There are buying guides and tips on how to go green in every aspect of your life.

Your carbon footprint is your personal impact on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide. To calculate your carbon footprint and start on the road towards a greener environment visit www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/carboncalculator, www.whatsmycarbonfootprint.com and www.carboncounter.org.

Mission Network News is a facet of Cornerstone University radio dedicated to keeping you informed on mission activity around the world.

Their goal is to “educate and motivate Christians to prayer, participation, and support of missionary work to help further the Great Commission.”

As a university who seeks to be culturally aware, this Web site is a great tool for those of you interested in missions in any form. Even if you don’t feel a calling to go into missions, it is still important to seek out information on what God is doing around the world and to catch a vision for how you can be involved, even if it just means through prayer.

Mission Network News (MNN) not only shares the joy of lives being changed, but also how the church is being persecuted around the world.

For MNN, the goal is to inform people and get them motivated to get involved. Their Web site and radio station provide current, relevant and impacting news.

God is working around the world through missionaries, mission organizations, evangelists and others, and through MNN you can receive more insight into what exactly is going on. The church is growing and the perspective on missions is changing and as it does MNN provides that news to keep you informed.

Their radio broadcast and internet posts are updated daily with a variety of stories from missionaries and evangelical organizations. The best part is that it is all located in one spot, so if you were to miss it on-air you can easily check their Web site for the latest news.

On their Web site you can search for news by region, including Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Oceania, Europe, North America, South America and worldwide. You’ll find the most current news, information on mission groups, mission trips they are offering, radio stations and even podcasts.

The MNN podcast is a free subscription which is delivered to your desktop or portable mp3 player automatically each day. MNN Daily News is offered every weekday. There are different time lengths for your choice: 1 minute, 2 minute and 4.5 minute broadcasts as well as interviews.

Visit this Web site often and make sure to check out all the great things that God is doing around the world at www.mnnonline.org.

The following sites were chosen based on their features and ease of use:

LunaPic.com

LunaPic is a simple Web site which allows you to upload a photo and edit it in your browser. Along with the normal editing basics you can add cool effects to your photo such as a photo booth layout, Andy Warhol style, Polaroid picture, comic book and more. You can also add animation to your photo or text to your photo.

Snipshot.com

Snipshot’s greatest feature is its simplicity. Upload a photo and choose from six different editing categories. Finish by clicking the save to your computer button and you’re finished!

Splashup.com

Splashup is a powerful editing tool and photo manager. It has the look of Photoshop without paying the price. It has many of the features the professionals use, is easy to use and works in real-time so you can edit many images at once.

Picasa.google.com

Picasa is a free photo editing tool which you download to your computer. The benefit of this tool is that it goes right onto your computer so you don’t need the internet to get to it. You can organize your photos, edit them with many ideal features, and even choose to create a web album to share with family and friends. You can turn your photos into collages, slideshows and movies.

FlauntR.com

FlauntR has thousands of one-click effects and photo editing options. Its features are fun and easy and its integration with Web sites makes it extremely easy to share photos. This site has a ProfilR editing tool to create profile pictures in one click for 30 different social networking sites.

Picnik.com

Picnik is an attractive and easy site to edit your photos with. The free version of the site features only the basic editing options, but is still more than enough to get the job done.

EasyPhotoResize.com

This site is simple. Browse to find your image, choose a percentage of its current size or pixel length, get an option to convert it to black and white and submit. Your resized image appears at the bottom of the page for you to right-click and save.

As a college student with a busy schedule it can be hard to set aside that time with God each day. We all know we should be in the Word each day if we want to keep our relationship and walk with God fresh, but how many of us actually do it consistently?

Many ministries and Christian Web sites are offering free e-devotionals which are sent right to your inbox. Depending on your preference you can choose an e-devotional that is sent daily or weekly.

Other Web sites offer a daily Bible verse instead of a devotional. Regardless of what you do choose it’s a great way to insure that you have the Word before your eyes each day.

The greatest part about signing up for these subscriptions is that they are consistent. We all desire to be consistent, yet I’m sure we’d all say we struggle with it. Let’s just be honest, most of us have a hard time reading the Bible each and every day. But if there’s one thing we college students do best it’s being on our computers, especially at Cornerstone University. I hope I don’t just speak for myself, but we check our e-mails all the time, and what better way to spend a few minutes each day than reading a quick devotional in your inbox.

Another benefit about receiving an e-devotional is that it gives you some scripture but also lines up stories with it. It’s a fresh mix of scripture and also ties it into things that we face. Many of the e-devotionals include a prayer to help you use that scripture throughout the day.

A few resources I found for you to check out are:

Beth Jones Ministries

Bethjones.org

A daily e-devotional. Visit this homepage and click on the link that says “sign up for the free get a grip daily e-devo.”

Ed Young Ministries

http://www.edyoung.com/newsletter.php

An e-votional for your inbox. Visit this site and sign-up at the bottom of the page to receive your free e-votional.

Christ Notes Daily Bible Verse

http://www.christnotes.org/email.php

A daily bible verse for your inbox. Visit this site and choose which translation you’d like your daily bible verse to be in.

Joel & Victoria Osteen

Joelosteen.com

A free daily e-votional from Joel with monthly video clips. Visit the homepage and sign up in the lower left hand corner.

Max Lucado

http://www.maxlucado.com/email/

Visit this site and sign up for free weekly devotional emails.

This Web site is a simple social networking tool which gives you 140 characters, called a ‘tweet’ to answer the question “What are you doing now?”  You may use those 140 characters to share what you are doing, feeling, eating, watching or even respond to someone else’s tweet.

Each person’s profile page on Twitter has a “follow” button. When you follow someone on Twitter that means you receive their Twitter updates. You choose whether you want to receive those updates on your phone, through and instant message or just on the web. You set your preferences and can personalize them for each person you follow.

Over time, the more you tweet, people will start to find you and follow you. People will find you interesting and your tweets will appear on their page and vice versa. Through this exchange you can create interesting relationships.

These basic updates are a fun way to update people on your life quickly. All you need is an Internet connection or a mobile phone. You can send updates via the Internet from your logged-in home page or from your phone, similar to other social networks which encourage the duality of both forms of communication.

Like every social network you choose what you want the public to see. If you so decide there is the option to only allow your friends to receive your updates and if needed you may block people if you feel invaded.

Your homepage is created by you and you can personalize it uploading your own photo and choosing from a custom background or you may create your own. If you see an update you like from a fellow tweeter you can star that update and mark it as a favorite. There is the option to put a personalized Twitter badge on your blog, website and Myspace as well.

Similar to “status updates” on Facebook, this social network is an expansion of that idea which helps create a quick update and fun way to spend time on the Web.

Check out my Twitter account at http://twitter.com/lovenvrfails.

Ten years ago Google was just like any other internet start-up fad, beginning with two uber smart college students out of a prestigious university.

Now it is one of the world’s most recognizable brands worth around $150 billion. The 10th anniversary of Google was celebrated on Sunday, Sept. 7, and has people wondering what the company will come up with next.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin created Google as a research project at Stanford University. They initially developed the search engine to pick up content that Yahoo! and Excite were passing over. It’s hard to believe where Google is today.

Google is even dominating the market in the mobile phone industry. The number of people using mobile devices to search for information is steadily rising. In June 2008 20.8 million US mobile subscribers accessed the search option on their phones.

Google is the ultimate source of unanswered questions. As college students it is a vital lifeline for us in crunch time. Procrastinated for too long and are in desperate need of research for a paper? Google it. Need the lyrics to a song? Google it. It’s amazing how that search engine has wormed its way into our vocabulary.

It’s also easy to navigate. Simply type your topic in the box and browse through pages of information. Something I’ve found handy about this site is the options to narrow your search into images, scholarly articles, news stories, and maps. When it comes to those late night, last minute searches for paper sources and articles, searching Google’s Scholar is key.

Another aspect of Google is their free email system, Gmail. Along with email you can also personalize Google as your homepage, including the weather in your area, news that relates to you, and add fun themes to make it your own.

Google also offers a free software download called Picasa, with which you can organize, edit and share your photos. This is a fun way to add effects to photos like you see people do with Photoshop, but sold at a college student price, free.

After just ten years of being active, it’s amazing to see how two college student’s dorm room project has changed the way the world finds information. However few and far between these college student success stories are, it is a good reminder for you young entrepreneurs that your idea could revolutionize the way the world exists.

Frustrate. Educate. Motivate. That is the mission of Church Marketing Sucks, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping the church matter. As a part of the Center for Church Communication, their goal is primarily to help the church not suck.

Offended? Good, the website states, “So are we. For too long the church has been the object of scorn and Christians have been the reason people turn away from Christianity. It’s time to change.”

Their site is full of numerous articles and blogs unearthing the problems seen in church’s marketing strategies from stealing designs to “hellfire and brimstone” messages layered across the front signs.

They offer help and ideas on a range of subjects, such as advertising, public relations, mass media, social justice, church business and more. All with the mission in mind: to frustrate, educate and motivate the church to communicate, with uncompromising clarity, the truth of Jesus Christ.

They also offer a church marketing lab where users can share their ideas, photos, designs and offer feedback to help one another out.

So what does this have to do with you, a college student? Well you don’t just have to be going into the ministry or work at a church to utilize this website. At some point in our lives, each one of us will have the opportunity to shed light into what it means to follow Jesus Christ.

Regardless of your profession, be it a teacher, businessperson, creative pastor, doctor, the point of this Web site isn’t to get everyone inside the church, it is to bring the message and truth of Jesus outside the church without compromising the Word.

We’ve all had a chance to criticize something we’ve seen in the church, and heard of the reason why people wouldn’t want to become a Christian. You may have even been a part of the problem. But the purpose of Church Marketing Sucks is to take those criticisms and put them into constructive action.

It’s also rather entertaining to see how some people spread the message of Jesus, and to read the responses. See the website for yourself and get involved by commenting on posts, becoming a guest blogger and spreading the word to your friends. Help the church matter.