The madness begins!

School has officially started, and in many ways that means craziness reigns.

Trying to coordinate with a large staff team and trying to make sure the 150 or so small group leaders we have are up to the minute with the latest news is sometimes a daunting thing. What did Christian workers in the past do without texting and facebook?

This time of year is exciting for lots of reasons. We are meeting new students that will be the leaders of our movement and the kingdom of God at OSU for the next few years. We are reconnecting with students after their summers. We are reconnecting with other staff members and living out ministry together. In short, we are riding a wave of momentum to faithful service to Jesus.

Our schedules are packed and I like that. Sometimes I lose focus and drive when things are unscheduled or unplanned. I can tend to get stagnant.

My brother-in-law commented on not wanting to go to work Monday. "Yeah?" I said. "Of course, do you want to go to work?" "Actually yes! Man my job tomorrow consists of waking up to study the word, leading a staff prayer meeting, meeting with 3 different students for an hour or so each, and then chatting about evangelism with 65-70 students at night. It'll be a long day, but man it's fun." I meant it too. This is a long and trying period of the year in ministry but in many ways the most life-giving and enjoyable. Would you pray that Melissa and I would continue to be faithful and bold in proclaiming the gospel on campus? Could you pray for continued joy in Christ and in ministry?

Movement Summit

Our movement summit is tonight. What is the movement summit? It's a time when all of the students in our movement gather together for the first time before school starts. It's ripe with energy, excitement and just reconnection.

Would you pray for the summit and our movement tonight? This event can be a catalyst toward great things at OSU this year, or, without God's grace and hand on the move, it could be just another thing we do.

I look forward to dreaming with these south campus students about how we can see God move this year. I said it last post, and I'll say it again; I love my job!

Something about camping

Men have some interesting ways of connecting. Sure it's a broad generalization, but mostly women connect by spending time face to face in conversation. Men, on the other hand, seem to just need something to do together; we don't even have to talk.

Me and 13 other guys from south campus took a camping trip this past weekend. This was a time of refreshment, refocus on the Lord and his beauty, and just general fun. It really lived up to that.

These guys are great, and quite frankly I have to do very little to refocus their attention on ministry for this coming year. We talked a bit about what it means to be "ministers of reconciliation" and "ambassors for Christ" but these are things these guys already live out.

Honestly, that's what struck me most from the weekend. See, I knew most of these guys before they were like that. Before they had dreams of the gospel saturating and reaching every student on south campus they had quite other dreams--those much like your typical 19-20 year old male would dream about. Now, almost across the board, these guys have been reoriented to dream gospel dreams. To think and plan and talk about the way in which the kingdom of God can advance and the love of Christ can penetrate every sphere of life and culture.

I love these guys, and I'm humbled. God is good. I love my job.