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Christian student calls religion something he lives everyday |
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Thursday, 01 March 2007 |
Editor’s Note: This is the third of a five-part series focusing on members of the Appalachian community who practice religion in college.
by MILLIE TOLLESON
News Reporter
While he is well known across campus for his long, curly hair and outgoing demeanor, what many may not know about Matthew Q. Short is that he dedicates his life to Christianity.
“If you never study, you are going to fail the test. For us, it’s the test of life,” Short, a junior organizational communication major, said.
Short spent Feb. 23-25 in Durham at Metamorphosis, an annual weekend for sixth through 12th graders.
Short worked with a group of ninth-grade boys throughout the weekend.
“We would go to church and have games and events going,” Short said.
“We played basketball for a while, then we would come back and have
Bible study.”
The proudest moment of the weekend for Short was when a boy in his group was one of about 50 students to be saved.
“He was crying and very sincere about it,” Short said.
Short attempted to answer any questions the boy had as well as prepare him for life as a Christian.
“He asked me ‘how could ministers molest little boys?’” Short said. “I
had never thought about how a non-believer would think about that.
Those men who did those horrible things and said they were Christians
have given Christians a bad name.”
Short also attends the praise and worship service at Alliance Bible
Fellowship in Boone each Sunday, although he said the most important
part of being a Christian “is not attending church every week, it is
what we do in our lives.
“We got to keep building ourselves up and become stronger in our faith,” Short said.
Short said he enjoys the minister at Alliance because of his ability to “relate well with both young and older people.”
Short also participates in New Life Ministries activities each
Wednesday night and weekly Bible study sessions, which provide him the
opportunity to “socialize with fellow believers.
“These people go out of their way to serve God a little more,” Short
said. “We get to know each other and make new people feel welcome and
help to motivate them.”
Short also reserves time each night to perform personal devotions.
“I have a new story to look at and pray about every night,” Short said.
Short said he was faced with many choices when he arrived at college.
“When I was with my parents, I had rules. When I got to college, I saw
that there were many things I had the option to do, but in the end, you
reap what you sew,” Short said.
While college life is closely associated with drinking and partying, Short chose not to partake in these.
Short said one of the reasons for this is to honor his mother and father, the fifth commandment in the Ten Commandments.
“My parents didn’t want me to drink, so to honor them, I don’t,” Short said.
Short said it is also considered a sin to get drunk.
“Drinking moderately, you will get drunk,” Short said. “When you get
drunk, there is a good chance you might do things you will regret
later.”
Short plans to incorporate his faith into a career as a motivational
speaker after graduating from Appalachian and may specialize in the
area of business ethics.
“I don’t want to be a preacher, but I know I want to apply God to my life somehow,” he said.
“There are things you can use from the Bible that will not offend
secular people,” Short said. “For example, ‘do unto others as you would
have them do unto you.’”
Short called his faith the strongest aspect of his religion.
“I have faith. Sometimes it’s faint, but it’s there even if you can’t
see it. I have never seen my God but I know He’s there,” Short said.
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