Happy Thanks-GIG-ing!

Here in Saint Louis, where the temperatures in the past week have yet to fall below highs in the 60s with plenty of beautiful sunshine, there was some question as to whether or not November would ever actually arrive. However, as I write to you today, the skies have darkened with rain and this coffeeshop is filled with students in sweatshirts. Starbucks is pushing their red-cupped peppermint mochas. Target is aglow with tinsel and holiday music echoes through the aisles. The word "finals" is starting to float around campus, simultaneously encouraging and unnerving SLU students. All signs indicate: winter is officially on its way.

But, November didn't usher in just white chocolate and angst-ridden college kids; it also welcomed me back on campus at SLU! Thanks to your prayers and generosity, I am officially working on campus with students for 16 hours each week (Confused? Read this blog entry). Praise God for His great provision through the gifts of His people! While I'm very grateful for the 16 hours I get to spend with my kids each week, I do ask that you continue to pray for my fundraising so that I can bump up my hours on campus each week. At 85%, I get to spend 28 hours with them. At 100%, it will move to 32 hours on campus each week. I can't wait!

One of the reasons I was so anxious to get back on campus by November 1st was that my staff partner and I had consciously set aside November for a special evangelistic push way back in August when we were planning out the year. We pur our heads together and christened it "Thanks-GIG-ing Month" (clever, I know). In case you are unaware, a GIG (Group Investigating God) is how InterVarsity designates an evangelistic Bible study aimed at allowing people to encounter Jesus in Scripture for the first time while being guided by someone who is already following him. There is this fantastic story in the book of Acts where a guy named Philip meets an Ethiopian eunuch who is studying the book of Isaiah but having trouble understanding it (see picture above). Philip begins telling him the story of Jesus and how he has fulfilled the prophecies of Isaiah and the other prophets in coming to earth, dying for the sins of the world, and then being resurrected for our salvation. The man ends up giving his life to Jesus and Philip baptizes him before being whisked away by God. This is essentially what we were hoping our student leaders would do: find some friends who were interested in figuring out Jesus in community and then facilitate that in a GIG. So, Esther and I highlighted November on our calendars and prayed...

We started introducing the idea a little bit at a time back in September and October. We encouraged our students to begin talking about spiritual ideas with their friends. We took them to have evangelistic conversations with other folks in the student center. We went for prayer walks around campus. They seemed excited about reaching out to their friends but we had no idea whether or not they would actually respond to inviting their friends (or even acquaintances) into these potentially intense relational situations. On the last day of October, we held a GIG-training session and eight students (around half of our core group) showed up. Esther and I were blown away as they excitedly absorbed the information and proceeded to make phone calls a list of friends they were wanting to invite to study Jesus together. By the end of the morning, their nerves were shot but a few of them managed to set up times to meet with some of their friends. A week later, one girl had five students lined up to meet on Friday afternoons. One of our guys had arranged two separate GIGs to lead. Flash forward to halfway through November and ten of our core group members are currently leading GIGs. That means that somewhere around twenty SLU students are checking out Jesus for the first time on any given week this month. Praise God! Check back here in December to read whatever incredible stories He brings from this month. We're so proud of our courageous and faithful student leaders!

A Confession: Some Incredible News

I'm sitting in the coffeeshop I used to work at enjoying the sugar cookie of my life. Honestly, if you live in Saint Louis, venture down here sometime and get a Caramel Apple Cider with a sugar cookie on a beautiful sunny day and experience the magic for yourself. That being said, I want to begin this entry by thanking you for your prayers over the past few weeks. God has been so abundantly faithful to me in the month of October and I see your prayers as the catalyst to so many wonderful happenings over the last little while. Thanks for your love of me and of the ministry of InterVarsity at SLU. It is an honor for me to call you a friend and to have you sacrificing those two great Western idols - time and money - all for the sake of supporting a young, inexperienced missionary with a heart for sharing Jesus with college kids in Saint Louis. I thank my God every time I remember you.

I'm saving the story of Fall Conference for my prayer email update, which you will receive this week as well. But I have to confess to you a piece of incredible news that I have known for a month or so but wanted to wait to surprise you with it. When last I wrote you, I was at 50% and begging for your prayers to make it to 55% by last Thursday to increase my stipend and feel secure after quitting my job at the coffeeshop to focus on fundraising full-time. What I did not tell you at the time was that I was also in a race to raise $5000 as quickly as possible. Why this specific amount of money, you may ask? In mid-September, the Missouri state-level leadership of InterVarsity decided to use a part of some surplus money raised by my staff partner to give me a matching grant of up to $5000 (10% of my total budget) to help me get back to campus as soon as possible. What does that mean practically? In mid-September, I was at 45%. This incentive was all I needed to put my nose to the grindstone and try to meet the challenge of raising $5000 in one month. Last week, I hit my target, which put me at 55%. InterVarsity came through and matched me with a $5000 grant. That means that in one month, God answered your prayers by taking the money I raised and doubling it putting me at 65% as of this writing. Isn't that amazing? Because of your prayers, I am now within 5% ($2500) of being back on campus. God is so faithful!

I cannot even tell you how often I have wanted to email you and tell you the great news along the way. But, I decided I would wait and surprise you with this unexpected blessing after the goal was reached. I hope this confirms in your heart (and mine) how important and powerful prayer really is. I feel a bit like the disciples in the midst of collecting the baskets of fish sandwiches left over after Jesus fed the five thousand with only a little boy's lunch in hand. God truly does take whatever small things we offer to Him and multiply them to overflowing abundance. May we only learn to trust Him.

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." - John 14:12-14

Mile Marker One

It's been about a month since I've updated you on ministry-related news and thoughts (though I hope some of you picked up a copy of Andrew Peterson's fantastic North! Or Be Eaten after reading my previous post). I do have a bit of news and several prayer requests to share with you.

First, today was my last day working at the coffeeshop. As you may or may not know, I have been working at a wonderful coffeeshop for nearly a year now. The job was one of those obvious oases in the midst of a lot of desert wandering and transition that took place in my life as I got used to being out of school, fundraising here and there, and beginning work in a ministry that (like all ministries) can be quite emotionally draining. The staff and working environment were encouraging and fun at a time when I needed them to be. At the same time, though I loved my job, it has proven quite an able distraction from the fundraising and ministry to which God has called me. As this school year got started, I could sense that the time was coming to transition out of the coffeeshop and into surrendering to a life of full-time fundraising so that I can get back to campus as soon as possible. This realization came with the equally strong arrival of bills and other financial constraints that also needed to be satisfied. My supervisor and I met and determined that if I could get to 55% of my budget, I could live reasonably from my InterVarsity stipend alone and be free to quit my second job. As of today, I am within 5% of that goal. In faith, I have quit the coffeeshop praying that God will move in the midst of my risk to provide the remaining 5% before October 15th so that my stipend can be increased by the end of the month and I can feel the freedom to breathe easier as I continue following Jesus in fundraising and campus ministry. Will you pray with me that God will meet me here and blow all of us away with His grace and generosity in providing for and through His people?

I have a few other prayer requests for you to consider as you lift up both me personally and the ministry of IV at SLU.

• This weekend is our annual Fall Conference. Praise God - SLU is taking 21 students! This is the most students we have ever taken to an event! Please pray that those among our students who don't know Jesus would meet him this weekend! Pray that all of the 130+ students from across Missouri in attendance would feel the call to follow Jesus in mission on campus. Pray for me and the rest of the worship team as we attempt to usher our fellow worshipers into the very throne room of God.
• Though I have reached a significant barrier in fundraising, there is still a ways to go. Please pray for the next 20% necessary for me to get back on campus would come quickly. I have set a personal goal of arriving there by November 1st. Will you join me in praying toward that goal?

I will be sure to update you as we move into Fall Conference this weekend. I'll be leading the worship team and am excited to see how God moves in the hearts of students. I wish I could transmit my excitement and heart for my students to you through this blog. Keep us your hearts as we seek the Lord this weekend.

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.

Pre-Fall Wrap-Up

I never cease to be amazed by the fact that the longer it takes to plan events, the quicker those events tend to fly by. My staff partner, Esther, and I spent weeks planning our Pre-Fall Retreat and it is now officially over. The students headed back around 1pm this afternoon and, after cleaning up the church where we stayed, I promptly crashed on a couch at my parents' house here in rainy Marion, IL. I'll give you a brief overview of how these last few days have been (including some pictures):

Tuesday
Esther and I, along with our supervisor, Tammy, arrived early at Third Baptist to put together last minute details and pray for our students as they traveled. The retreat is geared to prepare our leadership team (The Edge) for the upcoming two weeks of New Student Outreach, where we will meet dozens of new freshmen and transfer students to love and serve as they step on to campus for the first time. It is also a great time to reconnect and process our summers together. Tuesday had a little bit of both as we spent time sharing stories, studying Scripture together, and casting vision for the new year. Esther and I shared the vision that we felt God had laid on our hearts for the campus at SLU in our desire that every student and faculty member know that they are "loved by God and sent with purpose" to take that love to a broken world. We ate at one of my favorite Marion restaurants (Tequila's) and concluded the evening with a tour of some Marion highlights, including the high school, the house I grew up in, and the country's fourth-largest Wal-Mart. We had a blast and it was so refreshing to see our core group so motivated by reaching out to their friends on campus with the Gospel of Jesus.

Wednesday
On Wednesday morning, Patty Mitchell, our guest devotional leader, took us through Isaiah 6, inspiring us to embrace the path along which God sends us and to listen closely to hear His voice as we go. This was quite timely as we were preparing to head to Southern Illinois University at Carbondale that afternoon to share the Gospel with students that we met on campus. Our team of 8 split into pairs and ended up sharing Jesus with about 10 SIU-C students. My partner, Robert, and I met several interesting people, including an Indian grad student who, though he was raised Hindu, expressed interest in learning more about Christianity and who Jesus is. We had a great conversation with him and passed his information on to the IV Staff at SIU. Who knows what amazing things might happen at SIU this year simply because 8 college students and staff were willing to give up an hour to share the Gospel on campus? God is so good! We arrived back (much later than expected) to find an incredible spread of food cooked up for us by Quetta Karcher, another amazing woman of God. After a pretty intense morning and afternoon, this was well met and quite refreshing. We concluded our day by planning some of our New Student Outreach and attending the Pastor's Wednesday night Bible Study. A great day overall.

Thursday
On our last morning of Pre-Fall Retreat, we began with a devotional led by Rob Jones, youth minster at TBC. He took us back through John 4 and reminded us of our call to go beyond stereotypes in reaching every corner of campus. I was inspired and I know the students were as well. We concluded our time together by finishing up some logistics and spending time in prayer for the upcoming year. All in all, we had a great time at Pre-Fall Retreat. Several incredible stories from Wednesday afternoon (write me for more if you are interested!) and a few incredible meals shared along with a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with each other under the umbrella of the wonderful hospitality shown to us by the members and staff of Third Baptist. Thanks to everyone who was involved and has helped us along the way. We are gearing up for New Student Outreach tomorrow and we desperately need your prayers. I will update as I can.

IV Leaders @ Tequila's in Marion, IL