Yale Chi Alpha: Recent Episodes
Yale Chi Alpha
A good way to start almost every week. If you want to grow in devotion to God, connect with your Yale Chi Alpha community, and be inspired to take real responsibility in your faith then this is the show for you! Join us every Monday!
On our final episode of the podcast, Bonnie and Alaenna talk about what it means to share our testimony (and we will get to hear a bit of Alaenna's!)
In this episode of our series, "Christianese", Becca and Jasmin talk about the often-said word “agape". What does this mean? Why do Christians use this word for love? Are there other types of love?
To prepare for Holy Week we are bringing back our worship episode from the archives! Take some time this week to reflect on what God has been doing in your life. Songs featured: Here Again - Elevation, Champion - Dante Bowe, O Praise the Name - Hillsong.
This week, Bonnie and Alaenna chat about what it means to do the Lord's work. Does that mean doing "Christian-y" things? Or is the Lord's work more than that?
This week Becca and Jasmin talk about what it means to have fellowship with one another.
In this episode, Becca and Alaenna discuss the term "mercy". How does God show mercy? How does His mercy impact our day-to-day lives? And what's the difference between "mercy" and "grace"?
In this episode of "Christianese," Jasmin and Aleanna talk about what it means to live with joy.
In this episode of “Christianese,” Bonnie and Jasmin talk about what it means to “give things to God.” At the end, Bonnie walks us through an 8-minute prayer exercise called the Daily Examen.
Resources mentioned: Reimagining the Daily Examen
In this episode of our series, "Christianese", Bonnie and Becca talk about the often-said phrase "bearing fruit". What does this mean? What is fruit? Should we bear fruit and if, so how do we bear fruit?
In this episode of our series, "Christianese," Jasmin and Alaenna talk about the often-said phrase spoken just prior to times of prayer. Why do we say this? Are these instructions found in the Bible? And what is the deeper heart issue here?
Have your ever heard someone say “I felt led to pray for you” or “I felt led to this job”? This week we discuss the common “Christianese” phrase, “I Feel Led”. We talk about situations in which people use this phrase, who is leading us, and the biblical framework we see for being led. This episode will also dispel some misconceptions we may hold with this phrase and hear Alex & Steven discuss what it means to be led in their own life.
Welcome to our new series entitled, “Christianese.” During this series we will discuss words or phrases that Christians use often and explain what they actually mean. This week we discuss a common “Christianese” phrase, “Quiet Time.” We talk about whether we should have a quiet time, what can we do during that time, and whether it actually needs to be quiet.
Worship with us as we anticipate Christmas!
Songs:
O Holy Night
Joy to the Lord / Joy of the Lord
Doxology
This week Becca and Alaenna fonoah up our series "Living Life as Disciples" by talking about our responsibility of making discipleship who make disciples, as seen in 2 Corinthians 5!
It's our 100th episode! We celebrate by answering some questions on the "how's" of discipleship!
Following Jesus is hard to do alone. This week we talk about how to grow in our discipleship to Jesus together in community. It doesn't take special skill just intentionality!
Today we have missionaries Pat and Suzanne Hurst on the podcast! They have worked in Central Africa for 30+ years and they share how we can live life on mission here at Yale.
Today we talk about disillusionment - when we walk through times where things don't go the way we expect them to. Though it may feel tempting to not persevere in the path God has for us, these are key times to draw near to Jesus. We look to Jonah as an example of how to walk through disillusionment as a disciple.
The Holy Spirit is central to living as disciples of Jesus. In order to be like and act like Jesus the Holy Spirit transforms us, leads us and empowers us as disciples. Listen and discover that being “spirit-led” doesn’t have to be as complicated as we make it out to be!
Discipleship works—and grows—not because it is complicated, obscure, or hard to understand, but because it is practiced. So, what characteristics are required to maximize our growth “in the classroom” of discipleship, both with discipleship to Jesus and in human discipleship relationships?
On today’s episode Jasmin and Stevens discuss what it looks like to live as disciples in a world full of injustice. They discuss the questions that we all need to ask ourselves so we can reflect the example of Jesus as we fight for social justice.
It can be easy think of our lives as separate categories—we often pursue careers, money, health, relationships, and faith all as unique entities that compose the whole. But what would it look does it look like to live as disciples in every area of our life? Today's episode looks at the ways healthy disciples live integrated lives.
This week, kick off a new season and a new series of the podcast! Join us these next few weeks as we explore what it means to live as disciples of Jesus!
Today we have both Rob and Sarah on the show to wrap up the school year and send you off to a great summer. From the Yale Chi Alpha team to you, have a great summer!
Today we have seniors, Feyi, Megan and Tomeka sharing advice they would give their first year selves. We are so blessed to have had these three ladies as part of our community and we hope that hearing their tidbits of wisdom will multiply the fruit that God has cultivated in each of them.
Today we talk with Stevens about how to plan for the summer and cultivate good spiritual habits for when you're not surrounded by your typical college community.
In our last Ask a Pastor episode of the season we ask Rob, "how do we read the bible well?" This is a great starting point for you if you are wondering how to read the bible well on your own especially as you go into the summer months!
We also ask, "how do we reconcile the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament?" If you've ever wondered about this, take a listen!
Today we bring you another worship episode where we feature songs from different worship leaders in Yale Chi Alpha. Take time to worship with us today.
Songs featured:
Promises by Maverick City Music
Reckless Love by Cory Asbury
Living Hope by Phil Wickham
Over the next few weeks we will feature some seniors in Chi Alpha to hear their parting words and advice the would give to their first year selves. We are so sad to see them leaving but glad to learn from what God has done through them during their time at Yale. Today we hear from Courtney how authentic relationships and being truly present with others was so important for her time at Yale.
Today we sit down with Rob and chat about how God gives both justice and mercy and how we must learn from him, and how our hope is firmly grounded in Christ.
Today we rerun our episode on gratitude. We are nearing the end of the semester and we encourage you to take some time to give thanks to the Lord. Take a breath, see the gifts from God and may it encourage you as you finish out the semester.
In the spirit of welcoming the class of 2025, Steven and Alex talk about advice they wish they heard before coming into college.
In short, find Christian community, seek out spiritual mentors, use college to grow holistically and prioritize your devotional life!
If you are an incoming freshman, we'd love to connect with you! http://xayale.com/2025
Congratulations, Yale class of 2025! Today Steven and Bonnie answer your questions on what Chi Alpha is. No, it is not a fraternity or sorority. Join a Christian community at Yale to grow in your faith and make lifelong friends and have a home away from home.
If you want more info go to http://xayale.com/2025, we'd love to connect!
Today on the podcast we get to chat with Sam! Listen to hear about how gospel truths became real to him and what he has found to be crucial for surviving Yale.
Today we ask Bonnie questions about her sermon on work and life after college. What does it mean to be Christ to others? Should I consider a career in ministry first before a non-ministry career?
We conclude our series on the Common Rule by talking about failure. In light of God's grace, the failure we experience as we practice these new habits can become beautiful.
We encourage you to listen back on the episodes starting with "Common Rule Practice" to learn about the 8 different practices and implement one or two practices at a time.
Here is a handout that summarizes all of the practices.
And make sure to check out Justin Early's book that this series was based on.
Today we have T on the podcast sharing about how the gospel became 100% real to him. Also hear his advice to first years and his thoughts on productivity culture and how seeing Jesus as the center brings freedom.
We introduce the final Common Rule practice of turning off your phone for an hour daily. It's more than just about turning off your phone! Listen to hear about how being people of presence is essential to who we are and how this helps us practice presence.
Today we have Sarah on the show and we ask her questions about Anxiety: Am I bad Christian if I get Anxious? How should I practically deal with anxiety, especially when the anxiety is tied to getting an assignment or task done? What is the role of seeking counseling in all this?
Today it is our pleasure to have Deon on the show! He shares some great insights about not doing Yale alone and seeing how God is in the center of everything that you are doing and going through.
Today we talk about another Common Rule practice, kneeling prayer! Listen to hear the heart behind this practice and how it is useful for structuring your days around prayer.
Today we have Jenny on the show to ask questions about racial reconciliation - how do we navigate questions about racial reconciliation with our nonchristian friends? What are practical ways we can celebrate each other's diversity? How should we approach conversations about race if we are afraid of offending others?
Today we have Jazmin on the show, sharing about how the gospel became real to her and her words of wisdom to first years about valuing friendship at Yale.
We continue our series on Common Rule practices and talk about the spiritual practice of fasting! Listen to find out what is at the heart of fasting and how it is a great practice for recalibrating and cultivating a healthy hunger and desperation for God.
We have pastor Rob back on the show and we ask him about identity. How do I know if I'm putting my identity in the wrong things? What do I do if I am placing my identity in things other than Christ? Why are we so attracted to saving ourselves? Asking the hard questions this week!
Today we have Andres on the show! Listen to hear about the importance of community in his life and what it means to pursue others as Christ pursues us.
Today we have Jasmin & Steven on talking about another Common Rule practice, sharing a meal with a friend. Listen to hear them unpack why this is a great and important practice to start now!
Today we have Sarah on the show and we ask her about calling. How do I know what my calling is? How should I think of my future vocation? The answer might be different than what you expect but everything you need to know for your future.
Today on the show we have Amelia talking about who Jesus is and about how she learned that the need for Jesus is universal during her mission trip to North Africa last year.
Want to participate in missions week? Here is a list of all of the events that Yale Chi Alpha is hosting. Pray for the nations and get to know missionaries!
http://xayale.com/missions
Today is the kick off of We Live Missions week here in Chi Alpha. Steven and Bonnie talk about the importance of missions and how the story of missions is throughout the whole Bible.
We will spend this whole week talking about missions, and if you are a Yale student you are invited to come out to our TNL in which you will hear from a missionary, pray with us at noon Wednesday for a nation and chat with a missionary on Thursday! Learn about God's heart for missions and about countries that are in need of hearing the good news.
Today we sit down with Sarah where we ask her YOUR questions from Philippians or their Tuesday Night Live sermons. Sarah talks about what it means to properly study the Bible and not get caught up in reading the Bible in a non-life changing way, and about Philippians 1:5, what those 'preaching out of envy' could even look like!
If you have questions from Philippians or their Tuesday Night Live sermons, feel free to email us at yalechialpha@gmail.com
Get to know another member of our community, Katherine. Listen to hear how the gospel became more real to her as she discovered the biblical concepts of justice. She is an inspiration with so many good insights from God!
With every medium we are consuming we are letting stories shape us. Listen as we discuss the importance of curating the media we consume on today's episode.
Today we sit down with one of the Yale Chi Alpha pastors, Jenna, to talk about giving a year after graduation to ministry. Would giving a year to ministry be wasting a Yale education? What if you don't feel called to ministry longterm is it still worthwhile? You'll find that ministry is actually quite resume-building!
If you missed her message on calling and giving a year to ministry, listen here.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeRCfOG5Xz8&ab_channel=YaleChiAlpha)
Today we get to know Ben, who is a PhD student at Yale. Get to know his story, how he fell in love with Jesus and his advice for first years. Ben is such a blessing to our community so we highly recommend you "get to know" him through this episode.
We are back today talking about another common rule practice: one hour conversation with a friend. We talk about what friendship means and what it takes to build a meaningful friendship. It is a simple practice but harder to commit to, but so worth it!
Today we sit down with Rob to ask him follow up questions from his TNL sermon that talked about investing in real community. We ask him the following: If we are only here for four years for university, why should I care about investing in community especially if it takes sacrifice? We are called to not have selfish ambition, but is wanting to do well in school and steward our opportunities well examples of selfish ambition?
We have you all back on the show! This week we get to hear from Nickolina, she has some wise words to share about how to walk out your time at Yale.
Continuing our series on habits to build into our lives, we talk about Sabbath. Why it's important, what it can do for your life and how to get started. We hope this is a timely word for everyone who is feeling busy and overwhelmed.
We are back asking Pastor Sarah and Rob follow up questions from their sermon series. This semester we are talking about the book of Philippians where we will be challenged to "Think Again."
Today the host becomes the guest! Bonnie and Alex get to know Steven and how the gospel has affected his life. Listen to hear how bringing doubts about God to God led to a deeper faith.
Steven and Bonnie discuss the value of following a "rule" in your life and how it leads to true freedom. They unpack the first rule of the Common Rule series of reading scripture before looking at your phone in the morning. Follow along with us!
We continue our conversation on establishing good rhythms to start of the semester well. What makes a good rhythm? Where do we even start with creating those good rhythms? Jasmin and Alex discuss!
Today we get to know another Yale Chi Alpha staff member, Jenna! Her stories of God gave us all chills (good chills). Hear how saying 'yes' to the little things prepared her for the big 'yeses' of her life.
We have talked a lot about different spiritual practices from different types of prayer to solitude to our Hearing God practices of meditating on scripture, listening prayer and spiritled encouragement. But how do we put it all together to practice in our daily lives? Today we introduce the idea of a common rule - rhythms and ways of ordering your life that orient you towards God.
As we wrap up the Hearing God session with the practice of spirit-led encouragement, we gathered the interns together to talk about their own experiences with the practice. If you are still growing in this practice, we hope their discussion is an encouragement to you and helpful as you continue on your journey to hearing God for others.
This week we have another Yale Chi Alpha staff on our show, Stevens! Hear how the gospel became real and dynamic in his life. He has an incredible story of how Jesus met him and spoke to him through another person. Get to know Stevens, you will be blessed.
With our last week of the Hearing God session we talk about the practice of Spirit-led encouragement. In addition to hearing from God through scripture meditation and listening prayer, we also believe that God speaks to us through others. Listen to see how you can begin practicing this.
We answer your questions regarding actually practicing listening prayer. How do we know what we are hearing is actually from God and not something else? Steven and Bonnie discuss.
This month we get to hear from the Yale Chi Alpha staff on how the gospel has transformed their lives. Today we get to talk with Jenny! She has an incredible testimony of how God pursued her in her college years and also shares her experience with listening prayer.
This week we take a step further in this hearing God journey and talk about how to do listening prayer. Steven and Bonnie talk about ways we can tell it is God speaking versus ourselves and some practical first steps on how to get started on this practice.
We answer your questions regarding actually practicing scripture meditation. How do we pick what scripture to meditate on? What if it doesn't seem like we're hearing anything special from the scripture? And finally, why does it seem so hard to sit down and meditate?! Bonnie & Steven discuss.
This month we get to hear from the Yale Chi Alpha staff on how the gospel has transformed their lives. Today we get to talk with Chi Alpha intern, Jasmin! You will be blessed by her story and how God spoke to her through scripture during a key time in her life.
And we're back! Today we revisit meditation and walk through practical steps to take to meditate on scripture. If you are participating in the Hearing God winter session you can listen to help kick off practicing hearing God through scripture.
Merry Christmas from all of the Yale Chi Alpha staff team to you. We will be back on January 4th with new episodes, but until then God bless you and your families and have a great break.
If you are a Yale student, register for the Hearing God Winter Session if you haven't already here: xayale.com/winter
We conclude our series on Advent today with Bonnie and Jasmin talking about Joy. Hint: Joy is more than seeing weenie dogs in Christmas sweaters.
"In our culture, love always wants something back." Continuing our advent series we have Rob on talking about the true meaning of love we find in the life of Jesus.
Today we have Jasmin on to interview first year Toni! She has a passion for God that is inspiring. We have loved getting to know Toni this year and you get to learn from how God has been working in her life in this episode.
Love is perhaps one of the most overused word in our society today. How do we understand the love that comes from God this advent season through the birth of Jesus? Tune in to find out!
Hey friends. Today we have Sarah on to talk about how we manifest joy in the midst of this advent season.
Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. What does that mean for us, especially in the midst of so much chaos? Tune in to find out as Alex and Steven discuss together.
Today we have Rob Malcolm back on to talk more about hope during this advent season. What is the difference between optimism and the hope we have in Jesus? Tune in to find out!
This week we get to talk to Jocelyne! From childhood through Yale we hear stories of God's faithfulness. Praise God for the work He has done in her life!
Today we kick off our Advent series with a message of hope in a weary world. We’ve got some quotes from Tim Keller’s “Hidden Christmas” (a recommended read for this month!) AND guest appearances from not one, but two Alexs.
In this last day of our Genesis questions we ask Sarah Malcolm two tough questions. First, how do we recognize our pride? Second, how does God view our suffering?
Today we get to talk with Anthony and hear about how he made God the Lord of his heart back in high school through prayer and God's word.
Today we have Steven and Bonnie back on to talk about the importance of gratitude during this particularly difficult season. We also get to hear some of the things you all are grateful for!
We are back today with Rob for our Ask a Pastor series on your Genesis questions. We discuss some very interesting questions like the issue of Abraham sinning and if God took human form before Jesus.
Today we get to talk with Grayson and hear about how going on a mission trip made the gospel real to her and what God has been teaching her amidst covid isolation.
Today we have Alex on with Steven to talk about how to invite God into everyday moments of our lives through prayer. We have some great, simple prayers that you can use to pray in every moment!
Also, email your voice memo moments of gratitude to yalechialpha@gmail.com.
Today we ask Sarah a fun question about temptation in the garden. We also talk about tithing in the Old Testament. We have four great questions we ended with that you can refer to below.
- Have I become too emotionally attached to my possessions?
- Has consuming become more important than character building?
- Has self indulgence replaced self control?
- Will your source of security outlive this world?
This week we get to talk to David, one of our Chi Alpha first years! We enjoyed hearing about how God has been faithful in all seasons of his life.
Today we get to hear from Steven and Bonnie about how financial generosity has a powerful effect on community. We talk about the discipline of tithing and take it one step further!
Today we have Rob Malcolm back to answer a couple of questions. Is enjoying the journey a bad thing? What does God want to do with our woundedness?
This week we get to hear from Courtney, one of our Chi Alpha seniors! Tune in to hear her understanding of the gospel and what it has looked like for her to surrender herself to God.
Submission is not a popular word these days, but today we talk about the Christian discipline of submission and how it brings freedom to our lives.
This week we enjoyed asking Sarah Malcolm these two questions. First, how can we incorporate our spiritual life with our everyday life? Second, what does it take to truly surrender our status and identity to God?
This week we get to hear from Hannah T, another core member of our Chi Alpha family. Tune in to discover how the gospel became transformative for her in high school.
Today we have Jenny on the show to talk about what missions are and how we can partner in God's work abroad.
We sit down with Pastor Rob and ask him about the concept of dying to self. We also ask if God was being gracious to Cain when he said no one shall kill him. Stay tuned for a surprise answer!
Today we have a special guest, Mark! Listen to his beautiful, thoughtful answer to what the gospel means to him and how walking with other guys at Yale helped him grow in his faith.
Today we talk about a spiritual fruit we need to cultivate in the midst of uncertainty. Hint, it's connected to hope!
We get to bring the following questions to Sarah Malcolm. Why did God create us if he knew we would sin? And, were our various languages and nations birthed at the tower of Babel?
Today we chat with Kelsey about how her faith became real to her in college (and why fall and winter are her least favorite seasons).
Today we talk about the spiritual discipline of solitude and how it can turn our times of being alone into meaningful times of being present with God.
As a follow-up from their talk on Cain and Abel, we talk with Rob Malcolm about the following questions: How do we put others before ourselves? And, what role should anger play in our lives?
Today we get to talk to Charlie about how the gospel became real to him through summer camp and how his faith has grounded him during his time at Yale.
Prayer is central to a devoted life to God and something that we grow in over time. Today we talk about the transforming work of prayer before we practice praying through scripture.
Today, we talk with Sarah Malcolm about how repentance brings more freedom to your life and why God put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the garden. This is another round of our Ask a Pastor series where we ask Pastor Rob or Sarah Malcolm your burning follow-up questions about their sermon series in Genesis.
This week we get to talk with a member of our community, Hannah A. We have so much to learn from her story about how losing identity ultimately leads to gaining true identity. We also get to hear her crazy birth story!
Today we talk about the heart behind meditation and spend some time reflecting on Psalm 23:1-3.
We sit down with one of our pastors, Rob Malcolm, and ask him two questions related to Genesis. What is the imago dei? How important is sabbath?
On our first episode we look at Psalm 1 to learn about what real devotion to God looks like and the heart behind meditating on Scripture.