STEP: STudent Ecumenical Partnership

Let light be made

Chrissy Stonebraker "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." -Matthew 5:13

What does it mean to be salt? When the Bible was written salt was used for preservation purposes. To me, being the salt of the earth would be an important thing when thinking about this statement in the context of historical meaning.

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven." -Matthew 5:14-16

The motto of my school (Hiram College) is Fiat Lux. Literally translated it means, let light be made. In English we get the translation from the Hebrew phrase yehiy 'or, which means let there be light. Recently I decided to research some of the history of Hiram College since it was founded by the Disciples of Christ, which is why I started looking into coming to Hiram in the first place.

Hiram College's campus is set on the top of many hills for a reason. The founders of the college wanted the motto to really be the goal of the institution. The top of a hill or a mountain overlooks the city where it stands. The Disciples of Christ wanted to educate the church and the community, then go out and be a light for a better world.

As I learn more and more everyday how to be a more productive world citizen, I also try to strive to learn about what being a productive citizen means as a Christian. We are often faced with different ideas and opinions about what is truth. We are brought up to be products of our surroundings; mostly products of our parents, friends, close family, then our churches, schools, and communities. Sometimes the ideas we are brought up to believe clash and we are left feeling unsure. Throughout the past two years, I have been working hard to figure out where I stand as a result of my upbringing and my own opinions.

This is what I have come up with:

It is my hope that we will recognize all religions and all spiritual paths, because they all lead to the same place. That is, a guideline for how one decides to live their life. Unless you've been hiding under a box, it's hard to not notice a debate arising about the need for an emerging Christianity. I have truly found that Christianity is where it's at; whether or not I believe the same things as every other Christian does not matter. But I can still accept all of my friends whether they are Hindu, Zoroastrian, Baha'i or what have you. I have Jesus in my heart, and I'm going to let that light shine to help my community in anyway that I can.

Shine, make 'em wonder what'cha got, make 'em wish that they were not, on the outside looking bored. -Newsboys

A student at Hiram College, Chrissy Stonebraker is a member of the Student Ecumenical Partnership (STEP) Leadership Team and is a member of First Christian Church, Niles, Ohio, and Hiram Christian Church, Hiram, Ohio.



		Let light be made "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." -Matthew 5:13 What does it mean to be salt? When the Bible was written salt was used for preservation purposes. To me, being the salt of the earth would be an important thing when thinking about this statement in the context of historical meaning. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven." -Matthew 5:14-16 The motto of my school (Hiram College) is Fiat Lux. Literally translated it means, let light be made. In English we get the translation from the Hebrew phrase yehiy 'or, which means let there be light. Recently I decided to research some of the history of Hiram College since it was founded by the Disciples of Christ, which is why I started looking into coming to Hiram in the first place. Hiram College's campus is set on the top of many hills for a reason. The founders of the college wanted the motto to really be the goal of the institution. The top of a hill or a mountain overlooks the city where it stands. The Disciples of Christ wanted to educate the church and the community, then go out and be a light for a better world. As I learn more and more everyday how to be a more productive world citizen, I also try to strive to learn about what being a productive citizen means as a Christian. We are often faced with different ideas and opinions about what is truth. We are brought up to be products of our surroundings; mostly products of our parents, friends, close family, then our churches, schools, and communities. Sometimes the ideas we are brought up to believe clash and we are left feeling unsure. Throughout the past two years, I have been working hard to figure out where I stand as a result of my upbringing and my own opinions. This is what I have come up with: It is my hope that we will recognize all religions and all spiritual paths, because they all lead to the same place. That is, a guideline for how one decides to live their life. Unless you've been hiding under a box, it's hard to not notice a debate arising about the need for an emerging Christianity. I have truly found that Christianity is where it's at; whether or not I believe the same things as every other Christian does not matter. But I can still accept all of my friends whether they are Hindu, Zoroastrian, Baha'i or what have you. I have Jesus in my heart, and I'm going to let that light shine to help my community in anyway that I can. Shine, make 'em wonder what'cha got, make 'em wish that they were not, on the outside looking bored. -Newsboys A student at Hiram College, Chrissy Stonebraker is a member of the Student Ecumenical Partnership (STEP) Leadership Team and is a member of First Christian Church, Niles, Ohio, and Hiram Christian Church, Hiram, Ohio.