Book Review: North! Or Be Eaten

Though this site is generally used as a blog for my ministry with InterVarsity, I thought I'd pause and insert a review of a wonderful book that I just finished. Knowing that many of you that support me have young kids or are just lovers of great storytelling, it seemed like you might benefit from a little exposure to a wonderful (though perhaps lesser known) storyteller by the name of Andrew Peterson.

For a few years now, Andrew has been my favorite singer-songwriter (he is a man of many talents). His records shine with the marriage of eloquent, profound lyrical ability and beautiful melodies that seem to destine a musician far from the radar of CCM and pop music. As one of the songs on his new record, Resurrection Letters Volume II, suggests, Andrew's music has provided a "window in the world" through which I have seen the Kingdom coming in the simple beauties that fall on our senses everyday. Last year, Andrew released a children's book entitled On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. Being a fan of his songwriting and artistry, I wanted to support him in this new endeavor so I picked up a copy. After flying through the book in a few days' time, I turned the final page with a smile on my face. Andrew had drawn me into a world filled with strange creatures, far-off (though familiar) lands, and a heroic family that ached of that broken beauty that sits in the hearts of any of us who walk the earth in Hope of things to come. I knew that I would certainly be purchasing the second book in the series as soon as it hit the shelves.

Today, I finished the second book, North! Or Be Eaten. This time I did it with tears in my eyes.

The story has many facets that are worthy of praise and second readings. I want to highlight two for you. First, this is a story of broken people. Andrew captures an element of darkness, mystery, and tension that is at the essence of how we experience this life. Yet, so often it goes unnoticed or unspoken of in media and culture. Old and bitter family secrets abound; betrayal lurks around every corner; jealousy threatens to tear brothers apart. Redemption comes with a price and Andrew has engaged the ransom in a way that is bold in all realms of literature, let alone a children's story. Secondly, Andrew has captured what it means to be a boy better than any author I have ever read. I don't mean that as a light compliment paid to a songwriting hero of mine. I mean that as an English major with a decent familiarity with more than a few types of literature. The interactions between the brothers (Janner and Tink) in the story and the reactions and inner monologues of Janner, Andrew's major protagonist, struck me as exactly what it feels like to be a twelve-year-old boy. His insight into this mindset is uncanny and, in my opinion, unmatched. This element may be Andrew's greatest accomplishment in North! Or Be Eaten. It may sound like a small side detail, but it drew me in like I haven't been in some time.

If you have kids, or if you ever were a kid, you should make your way to your local bookstore and pick up a copy. Trust me, you will not regret it. Kudos, Andrew. This is a story that will be appreciated for generations to come.

We Knew It Was Coming

Yesterday was my first official day "off-campus." In case you are not too familiar with how the fundraising process works in InterVarsity, each staff worker is personally responsible for raising a ministry budget and salary. We gauge how far along we have come in the fundraising process in terms of the percentage of our total budget we have raised through one-time gifts and pledges. When I say I am at 41%, that means that if were June 30 (the last day of our fiscal year), I would have raised 41% of my total budget for the year. InterVarsity realizes how difficult the fundraising process is, especially for a full-time position, and therefore, in order for their staff to not become burned out in the long-term between campus ministry and fundraising full-time, they require that a staff worker be at 70% of their total budget before they engage in campus ministry. This ensures that people can do this job for a lifetime and not just collapse after a year. Staff are allowed to be involved with programming during the first two weeks of school in order to get the ball rolling, but must step away from direct involvement quickly thereafter if funds are not yet to the 70% mark. I am currently at 41% and so, though I am certainly making progress, there is still a ways to go. The first two weeks of school are past and now I will begin the process of full-time fundraising.

Technical details aside, even these first few days in have been a difficult transition. Our core group of leaders (The Edge) met last night for the first time and I was not able to be in attendance. My staff partner (Esther) handled things beautifully and we had eighteen students show up and commit to living a life of mission on campus! I was thrilled to hear the stories of the evening but being away from something I am so passionate about was incredibly difficult. I completely trust my staff partner and we have been blessed with more capable, visionary leaders than we have ever had but still, I long to be on the frontlines with them. I feel the tug on my heart for the student groups for which God has softened my heart. I seem to be standing on the sidelines; as encouraging and uplifting as coaching can be, I long to be in the game. But, I trust my supervisors and I know that God wouldn't have led me to a support-raising ministry unless He intended me to spend time raising support. Patience is the lesson and it is a bitter pill to swallow at times, but I know it will cure what ails me. I trust that God knows where we are going even when we can't see beyond these hills we tread.

Please continue praying for me as I work hard to get back to campus as soon as possible. Pray for the Edge as these eighteen students look to grow their group and take the Gospel to the far corners of campus. Pray for unity of vision and the movement of the Spirit in leading these students to the groups on campus to which Jesus would send them. Pray for strength, vision, and rest for my staff partner Esther as she does much of the leading and training of SLU InterVarsity for the time being. Pray for revival at SLU - we want to see the Kingdom come this year! Thanks for supporting us.

I Had to Tell You...

I'm sitting in the coffeeshop that I also work in part-time while I continue raising support for my ministry with InterVarsity. I have been here for about twelve hours now. I came in at 5:30am this morning to open the coffeeshop and have stayed since 1:30pm to meet with my InterVarsity supervisor and work on a few loose details. One of those details was writing this blog. You see, faithful reader, the past two weeks have been some of the busiest I have known and so much has happened that it can be hard to summarize in such a seemingly self-indulgent package, like an internet journal. For the last ten days or so, our IV leaders have been involved in what we call "NSO" or New Student Outreach (we love acronyms in InterVarsity!). Though activities were many (too many to be honest), I wanted to highlight a few that bear repeating.

Last Tuesday night, the umbrella organization at SLU that InterVarsity and other similar national organizations and churches are affilliated with, Campus Ministry, held an open house and worship festival to give students an idea of the spiritual landscape around them at SLU. Several IV leaders showed up to meet new freshmen and participate in the worship festival, which included a few local worship bands playing some songs and lifting up praise to God at a very well-traveled location on campus. After the root beer float social, we invited our new friends back to one of the leaders' apartments for a game night and a few hours of hanging out. I was blown away (and continue to be blown away) by the amount of participation and "buy-in" that my leaders have in the mission of reaching students on campus this year. Though it shouldn't be, it is sometimes a strange sight to see seniors and freshmen interacting like they've known each other for years. It reminds me of that great passsage in Philippians 2 where Paul talks about Jesus "emptying himself" into humanity in order to become like us. In a way, that's what InterVarsity is all about, and moreover, what being an engaged member of the Kingdom is all about. We empty ourselves into those around us in order to bring them to the feet of the King. We pour out in order to pull up. It is a beautiful sight.

As incredible as it was to share this intimate evening in an upperclassmen's apartment with a few new freshmen, last night's event proved an even greater outpouring of God's grace to my staff partner and I. All week we had been building toward the first Gathering of the year. The Gathering is SLU InterVarsity's large group gathering on campus. We only have a few of them each year and mostly use them to build relationships on a larger scale with people along the fringes of belonging to InterVarsity. We met nearly one hundred freshmen in just a few days time on campus and passed out flyers all over campus concerning this one event where they could come and figure out what exactly InterVarsity is and what we believe God calling us to be on campus. The wild thing about college ministry, however, is that you just never know what might be happening any night of the week and you can never know if you'll have 5 or 50 people come to an event. So, we prayed and planned and hoped for the best. Ten of our leaders showed up an hour ahead of time to prepare the room, pray together, and be reminded of why even setting up chairs and making nametags can be a holy sacrifice, an aroma fragrant and pleasing to the Lord. We set up the room and then we waited.

Eight pm arrived and brought with it nearly 40 students that we barely (emphasize barely) fit into a tiny meeting room in the Campus Ministry building. I watched with a melting heart as our ten leaders welcomed and engaged students they had never met. We played games, we laughed, we worshiped, we built relationships, we listened as my staff partner (Esther) brought the Word in a way that was vulnerable and piercing and transformative. We became a family for a couple of hours on a Monday night. I saw the Spirit move in the hearts of freshmen and transfer students as around ten new students stood to acknowledge the call of Christ on their life and commit to following him into mission this year on campus. I saw seniors drinking juice boxes and eating cookies with brand new freshmen. I saw Black students and Asian students and White students and Latino students blending into that borderless-yet-colorful mosaic of the Kingdom that we desperately pray to take root at SLU. For a couple of hours on a Monday night. But I had to tell you about it. I had to tell you the Kingdom is coming. It comes. It came for a couple of hours on a Monday night.

Where do we go from here? No idea. But we will continue to follow that same Spirit that fell like flames on the heads of a small gathering of Jewish peasants a couple thousand years ago. We will continue to listen like they did and love like they did and pray for that Spirit to move like he did and does and will do until we all go home. Stay tuned - there is more to come. More and more, forever more to come.