During my first year at AFLBS, I also continued my studies for a second year at the University of Minnesota. On one afternoon, I went over to a friend’s apartment in Minneapolis to hang out with her and some of her friends. She introduced me to them, and pretty obnoxiously added that I was a student at a Bible school, as well. This wasn’t the first time one of my friends introduced me this way and often the way they said it didn’t reflect the light it had truly become in my life.

After introductions were made everyone began treating me just a little differently, and it didn’t take long for one of the guys there to tell me his opinions on church and how, for him, the “iron gym” is the real church. He recited a prayer he created using the Lord’s Prayer but replacing several words with his own to make it fit.

For the next hour this group challenged my way of thinking by sharing all of the reasons why they believe God just can’t be the God the Bible makes Him out to be. They asked questions like: Why would a God who is apparently so loving not allow all of us to enter the kingdom of Heaven if we’re good people?

I haven’t gotten the chance to talk further with them since then. However, I realize how blessed I am to be here at AFLBS, where I am being equipped with the knowledge of what God’s Word really says, and learning more about the loving, compassionate God we serve.

Maddy Rehr [AFLBS Senior]

This article first appeared in Kinship Magazine, Winter 2019 Edition.

Kinship is a magazine of the Free Lutheran Schools. Stay up to date on latest news, student stories, classroom highlights, and fun tidbits about life on the AFLBS and AFLTS campus.

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