Ten College Survival Tips
1. Go to class. Surprise your parents!  
2. Don’t procrastinate! It’s the No. 1 enemy of good grades.
(Proverbs 15:19, 13:4, Colossians 3:23) 
3. Be considerate of your roommate. Don’t be a slob, don’t borrow money (or clothes) from them and learn to compromise! (See Matthew 22:36-39.) 
4. Never sign up for a class that starts before 10 a.m.* 
5. Take care of yourself. Eat the right foods. Get plenty of sleep.
(See 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.) 
6. Get involved. Build a social network of friends.
(See Proverbs 12:26, 22:24, 27:9, Ecclesiastes 4:10)
7. Reduce your stress levels. (See Matthew 6:25-34.) 
8. If you don’t already have one – or you’ve lost the one you had – buy a planner! Stay organized. 
9. Stretch your – and your parents’ – dollars. (See Isaiah 55:2.) And here’s a practical suggestion: Stop by Pizza ‘n’ B.S. from 6-6:45 Wednesdays at Prairie – and Meals & Music from 6-8 Sundays at Woodland. 
10. Give yourself – and God – five minutes of quiet time each day. Reflect on the day’s events. (See Mark 1:35, Luke 4:42 and Matthew 14:13.)              

* Unless you have to!

1. Seeing is believing. After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to the apostles and 500 witnesses (1 Corinthians 15:3-6). Paul was inviting people to check with these witnesses!

2. Most of the disciples died for their beliefs. Christian tradition says that all but John were martyred. Would they have willing to die for a lie? These are the same guys who were huddled together in fear after the crucifixion. Something changed them profoundly

3. The Old Testament contains several dozen references to the Messiah – all of which came true with the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. See Isaiah 53:3-9, Micah 5:2, Psalm 22:18, Jeremiah 23:5-6 and Zechariah 11:12-13.

4. Jesus said himself that he was the son of God. (Matthew 16:15-17)

5. How do we know the New Testament hasn’t been doctored over the last two millennia? Well, thousands of copies exist and experts say they’re 99.5 percent the same. How about that for a test grade!

6.  How was the tomb emptied? Well, it was guarded by a Roman soldier. (Matthew 27:65-66) It would have taken a supernatural event to clear the guard and roll away the stone, let alone resurrect a body.

7. Many skeptics were converted, including James, the brother of  Jesus, and Saul, better known as Paul. Both James and Paul were martyred.

8. Could Jesus have faked his death and resurrection? The Romans who flogged and crucified Jesus were experts at pain and death. It’s hard to believe that he would have been alive when he was taken down from the cross, wrapped in linen and entombed.

9. The Gospels were written within a half century of Jesus’ death and resurrection. If the accounts were lies – remember there are four separate accounts – they would have been disregarded and Christianity would be nothing more than a tiny historical blip, if that.

10. Beyond the Bible, evidence exists that Jesus lived from Roman historians Tacitus and Pliny the Younger, as well as the Jewish historian Josephus.

  *Adapted from “The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus,” by Lee Strobel, 1998, Zondervan.

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born." -- From Paul's first letter to the Corinthians 15:3-8
If you're looking for the heart of the Gospel, here it is from the apostle Paul, along with the statement that Christ appeared not only to his disciples but to hundreds of his followers.

Today's 24/7 world can be tough to disconnect from. Maybe you're juggling a full academic load and working 20 hours a week and texting friends, checking Facebook or MySpace, listening to music on your iPod during the walk from your car (or residence hall) to the University Center or class. Try, though, for just a few minutes each day at first to carve out a few minutes for yourself and God.