Today I'm working at Latta Java in my hometown of Marion, IL. It's a day of logistics and last minute details as it is now 25 hours until students from SLU arrive here for our annual Pre-Fall Retreat. We will spend Tuesday through Thursday processing our summers together, planning for the year of ministry, and praying after the heart of God as we seek to be His hands and feet on campus at SLU. I am excited to share this piece of my history and relationships with my students. Marion has been a kind of refuge for me in my years in college and the idea of being "home" is one of the most powerful metaphors through which God speaks to me, as evidenced by the title of this ministry blog. In just over a day from now, this place of rest will offer its hospitality to students from a variety of backgrounds and ways of life; students who may have had wonderful summers and be in places of great peace and joy, as well as students who may have had terrible summers of hopes disappointed and family strife. The tragic beauty of being in ministry with other human beings is that we all bring to the table what we have to offer, as beautiful or broken (usually both) as it may be.
Please pray for us this week. Pray that Esther and I maintain a level of enthusiasm and a countenance of servant leadership as we seek to bless our students and motivate them toward the vision God has given us for SLU. Pray for both a spirit of rest and a spirit of excitement as our students come from their summers and prepare for the coming year. Pray for the members and staff of Third Baptist as the interact with my students and staff partner for the first time. May this only be the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship of love and hospitality. As always, thanks for reading and for your love and support of me and of the ministry of IV at SLU. I will keep you posted as I can throughout the week.
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