Training, Fellowship, & Exhortation
a 'silly' picture of all the Central Region Staff
I was truly blessed to spend 5 days with my fellow Central Region staff in Southern Missouri at the beginning of December. It was great to be with one another and be reminded once again by all the stories of how God is at work in & amongst the students and to learn from each other about all the different ways we can share the gospel with and train our students. Thank you Jesus!
Prayer, prayer & more prayer!
The picture to the left is a drawing one student drew during our 24-hour prayer room we had on campus to join with thousands (if not many, many more) students praying around the world for IFES World Student Day. We kicked the event off Thursday Nov. 4th at 7pm with worship & a prayer walk around campus. A highlight was stopping to pray at the "Victory Bell" on campus, and praying out of the story of Jericho, where Joshua & his army sounded trumpets & yelled, and then God brought the walls down & the Israelites to victory. I prayed that God would bring down the walls that prevent God from being victorious on campus & in students lives at Coe.
Talking & Listening :: Starting this Thursday, November 11, I'll be starting a 2-hour prayer meeting with a student, Tyler, where we'll explore 6 or more different types of prayer & scripture disciplines. My hope is that this will once again energize the chapter to prayer: a primary & foundational aspect to the ministry at Coe. Pray that students will grow closer to God through this & that God will make himself known through answered prayers. Pray also that students would find healing as they encounter God through scripture & prayer and be like the Samaritan woman in John 4 who goes and tells everyone about Him!
Talking & Listening :: Starting this Thursday, November 11, I'll be starting a 2-hour prayer meeting with a student, Tyler, where we'll explore 6 or more different types of prayer & scripture disciplines. My hope is that this will once again energize the chapter to prayer: a primary & foundational aspect to the ministry at Coe. Pray that students will grow closer to God through this & that God will make himself known through answered prayers. Pray also that students would find healing as they encounter God through scripture & prayer and be like the Samaritan woman in John 4 who goes and tells everyone about Him!
Flying Melons!
One of my favorite new additions to New Student Outreach this year was "Ultimate Cantaloupe". Basically students split up into two teams and tossed around cantaloupes, trying to score a goal on a make-shift field (sort of like a football field). Each team had a wacky-colored head-band as well as optional face paint. And whenever a cantaloupe fell to the ground and busted open...students just picked up the biggest piece and kept playing! It was a blast and a great way to meet & gather students we'd never met.
To the left is a picture of one of the teams getting ready to toss some melons!
To the left is a picture of one of the teams getting ready to toss some melons!
Year-End Recap
Click HERE to see the Year End Newsletter with campus & praise & prayer requests. More pictures coming soon...
How well are you?
This past Monday & Tuesday, April 12th & 13th, students joined me as we engaged the campus with the topic of wellness. We used an interactive art display to ask them questions like: "What about your body are you grateful for?" "What about it makes you groan?" "What is your mental noise?" What brings life to your body, mind, or soul?". And then when they were done going through the display we would ask the participates questions like, "If you could miraculously transform one area: body, mind, or soul, which one would it be?" "What role do you think God or spirituality plays in achieving wholeness or wellness?"
One student ran up to me during the outreach and said excitedly, "I just talked with one of my sorority sisters and she's really excited about going to church with me on Sunday. There might even be a possibility of doing a bible study." Later that day, this same student texted me and said, "I can't wait to do this again tomorrow!"
We were on campus for two days during the lunch hour, and I had the chance to talk with one student who had a hindu background and didn't see the difference between the Christian God and any others, two football players, and two female students who said they thought God/Spirituality played a huge role in their wellness. They had never heard of InterVarsity and thought maybe they should learn how to live out their faith more, but weren't sure how: I invited them to check out InterVarsity...
That's why I love engaging the campus this way. So often I meet & talk with students I've never met before and meet students who have maybe never heard of InterVarsity on campus. After this experience, many of my students are pumped about using something like this during September when students come back and freshman are just arriving. Pray for students over the summer, both those involved in InterVarsity that they will grow in their faith during a time that's often difficult for them to stay on track, and pray for the incoming class of freshman, that God would provide laborers for the harvest, and prepare hearts to hear the gospel and be transformed.
One student ran up to me during the outreach and said excitedly, "I just talked with one of my sorority sisters and she's really excited about going to church with me on Sunday. There might even be a possibility of doing a bible study." Later that day, this same student texted me and said, "I can't wait to do this again tomorrow!"
We were on campus for two days during the lunch hour, and I had the chance to talk with one student who had a hindu background and didn't see the difference between the Christian God and any others, two football players, and two female students who said they thought God/Spirituality played a huge role in their wellness. They had never heard of InterVarsity and thought maybe they should learn how to live out their faith more, but weren't sure how: I invited them to check out InterVarsity...
That's why I love engaging the campus this way. So often I meet & talk with students I've never met before and meet students who have maybe never heard of InterVarsity on campus. After this experience, many of my students are pumped about using something like this during September when students come back and freshman are just arriving. Pray for students over the summer, both those involved in InterVarsity that they will grow in their faith during a time that's often difficult for them to stay on track, and pray for the incoming class of freshman, that God would provide laborers for the harvest, and prepare hearts to hear the gospel and be transformed.
Leadership Lessons from David
February 24-26, 2010, I traveled to Columbia, MO to meet with 1st, 2nd & 3rd year staff around the area to fellowship, retreat together, & learn about my upcoming participation in Foundations of Campus Ministry, a continuing education program I'll be taking part in through Fuller seminary with staff from around the Central Region (Iowa, Missouri, Kansas & Nebraska).The program will commence next fall, so in the meantime we spent three days studying the life & leadership of David. It was so wonderful to talk & share with fellow staff after a season of ministry on campus and to learn from both David's successes & failures. Being "after God's own heart" doesn't mean I won't make my share of mistakes along the way, but I do know how & where to turn when I stumble & fall.
Learning to be a "very hungry caterpillar"
October 29, 2009
I recently came across a children's book entitled, "THe Very Hungry Caterpillar." The caterpillar in the story has a very simple mission: eat as much as possible. Throughout hte book he maintains a "ruthless focus" on this mission, which results in his transformation.
After spending my first semester on campus at Coe, I have learned & observed a couple of things. The first is about students at Coe. Many of them will discuss truth, but very few of them are ever transformed by it. The Samaritan woman in John 4 knew the truth, but it wasn't until she was transformed by truth that she went and witnessed to her entire hometown, despite the fact that she was an outcast.
The second thing I learned is about ministry. After spending some time in Acts studying Paul & the early church, I saw their "ruthless focus" on the vision & instructions God had given them. God has started to give me vision for how He wants His kingdom to come on campus at Coe and I need to maintain my focus on that as we move forward this semester.
The first step in becoming "very hungry caterpillars" will be "devoting ourselves to prayer"... (Acts 1). We'll start off the semester exploring many different types of "missional" prayer as we seek God for eyes to see where & who he's moving in on campus.
I recently came across a children's book entitled, "THe Very Hungry Caterpillar." The caterpillar in the story has a very simple mission: eat as much as possible. Throughout hte book he maintains a "ruthless focus" on this mission, which results in his transformation.
After spending my first semester on campus at Coe, I have learned & observed a couple of things. The first is about students at Coe. Many of them will discuss truth, but very few of them are ever transformed by it. The Samaritan woman in John 4 knew the truth, but it wasn't until she was transformed by truth that she went and witnessed to her entire hometown, despite the fact that she was an outcast.
The second thing I learned is about ministry. After spending some time in Acts studying Paul & the early church, I saw their "ruthless focus" on the vision & instructions God had given them. God has started to give me vision for how He wants His kingdom to come on campus at Coe and I need to maintain my focus on that as we move forward this semester.
The first step in becoming "very hungry caterpillars" will be "devoting ourselves to prayer"... (Acts 1). We'll start off the semester exploring many different types of "missional" prayer as we seek God for eyes to see where & who he's moving in on campus.
Preparing for Growth
October 29, 2009
About four weeks ago, I felt God's call to feed his sheep. What this translated to was that my leaders were tired and really needed a drink of living water, to hear once again what it is that Jesus offers them. So I took some time to focus on that with them while continue to work with all students about what it looks like to reach out to the campus. It has felt like God is cultivating something, building something, preparing us for growth. I am excited to see what will lie ahead come Spring Semester...
About four weeks ago, I felt God's call to feed his sheep. What this translated to was that my leaders were tired and really needed a drink of living water, to hear once again what it is that Jesus offers them. So I took some time to focus on that with them while continue to work with all students about what it looks like to reach out to the campus. It has felt like God is cultivating something, building something, preparing us for growth. I am excited to see what will lie ahead come Spring Semester...
