On Feb. 20, Mount Pisgah Senior Aliya Blevins spoke to students about being intentional and authentic with their faith at Fresh Air. While this was not the first time a student has spoken at Fresh Air, it is a rare occurrence that always has a profound impact on students and faculty.
“Students connect with a peer speaker in a different way than they do with adult speakers. Sometimes peers can relate to what other students in the room are experiencing better than an adult,” said Nathan Hilliard, Mount Pisgah Upper School Fresh Air teacher, “Listening to how a peer is wrestling with the Word and living out their faith has some serious power. It takes courage to get up and be vulnerable in front of your peers.”
After Hilliard approached Blevins with the special request, she spent a lot of time reading the scripture, taking notes, and studying commentary to fully understand the topic she would be speaking on. While excited, no task comes without its challenges.
“One of the most difficult parts of prepping a message is figuring out what order and structure makes the most sense that people will receive the best.” Said Blevins, “Practicing out loud and in front of other people was super helpful for me, too.”
After being inspired by a creator she came across on TikTok, Blevins decided to center her message around being intentional about your faith.
“I was inspired by a guy on TikTok who interviews people on the street asking if they believe in Jesus.”
The creator often posted videos of himself approaching strangers in public and asking them if they knew Jesus or other religiously focused questions. Seeing how the individuals responded, Aliya felt called to speak on the topic and encouraged the audience to ask themselves the question: If a stranger were to observe their behavior, would their relationship with God be apparent?
Many high schoolers are anxious about public speaking. But Blevins took a good approach to facing those feelings.
“Before speaking, there’s a lot of nerves,” Blevins said.
After preparing herself mentally and spiritually for her message, Blevins felt all those nerves vanish.
“But, once you feel prepared, there is lots of excitement. The confidence that the Lord gives you is not something I feel in any other setting.He truly is faithful in bringing me peace when I ask, and knowing that I am obedient to Him calms most of my nerves.”
Aliya shined her light incredibly with the audience – giving them questions to ask themselves, God’s truthfulness, and a lesson to walk away with. This is not to say that it was not challenging, though.
“The most challenging part was probably reminding myself it’s not about me. It wasn’t about my willingness, how ready I felt, my anxiety, or any of my feelings. We are naturally selfish, so letting go of myself and jumping into what God asked of me was hard because everyone loves control,” Blevins said.
Despite the challenging parts, there were rewarding ones, too. Feeling loved, honored, valued, and appreciated by her peers and the faculty showed Blevins that her nerves and hard work paid off.
“The most rewarding part, honestly, was just how honored I felt through this whole experience that God is including me in his plan for our school.” Blevins said, “He has a plan for Mount Pisgah that will happen with or without me, and to know that he thought of me in this process is humbling. To hear that other people were just as blessed to hear it as I was to give it has brought me so much joy.”
Blevins’s courage and wisdom inspired not only her classmates but also the adults in the audience. Student-led messages have the real power to impact others and draw them closer to their faith.
Listening to Blevins speak on living as a Christian and being authentic with one’s faith, every member of the audience walked away with a lesson they will not soon forget.
