Campus Ministries Working Together

How does a ministry decide on which students they will focus? How do staff members who can limited time and resources make certain their resources are used effectively on campus?

I love the intense focus within Campus Crusade of winning students to Christ. Our organizational focus is evangelism and discipleship. This is what God called Dr. Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, to focus on when the ministry started in 1951, and this is still our focus today.

I've heard a quote from Bright stating his interest in helping a believer understand and live in the power of the Holy Spirit over bringing someone to Christ. His reason was strategic; the more believers that are actively sharing their faith, the more people that could potentially be reached.

So if we're about reaching students in college and training them to be life-long laborers, the strategist (is that a word?) in me says train them while they're in high school so they can jump right into ministry in college.

A good thought, but there's an alarming statistic to consider: around 80% of Christian high school students leave their Christian faith in college.

So what do we do? How do we balance what God's called us to as a ministry and the current needs of university students?

This issue has been in the back of my mind throughout my college days, and even more now as a staff member with Campus Crusade. Several months ago, a friend shared with this article with me from the InterVarsity website about the importance of the first 72 hours on campus. The story also highlights a great organization partnering with existing Christian ministries on campus. (I love hearing about Christian mission organizations working together. It just makes sense to team up in reaching people with the Gospel).

Youth Transition Network (YTN), was created by Jeff Schadt to help students transition from high school to college. Schadt, a former Campus Crusade for Christ staff, explains that freshman often assume the adjustment to life on campus will be easy, but they often find themselves overwhelmed.

YTN partners with more than 65 organizations, including InterVarsity and Campus Crusade, to help students transition well. "For the second year in a row, YTN is offering SUCCEED 2010 to give high school juniors and seniors and their parents an opportunity to attend a live simulcast that covers the social, spiritual, financial, academic, and time-management issues that students face. “We address their practical needs as well as their spiritual needs,” Jeff said." (From the InterVarsity website. The Article in its' entirety can be found here. More information on this simulcast is available at YTN’s parent and pastor website www.YTN.org).

I'm grateful I had a textbook experience, because the transition to college can be a tough one. My first 72 hours set the course for my college career, and totally changed my life. If my then-Christian roommate wanted to party hard the first few months of college, I probably would have tagged along, I desperately wanted to fit in at that point, so I was willing to take huge steps out of my comfort zone and experience new things. I'm so thankful the Christians on campus were putting themselves out there to meet new people and trusting God to work amongst the new freshman on campus.

Debt.

A few months ago I finished the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace class. Thirteen weeks of learning financial phrases and budget busters. As with anything that prompts you to make changes to your daily life, it's been really hard to put into practice what I learned. I will say, when I hear the word 'debt,' my ears perk up. :)

I loved the class, because it's incredibly applicable. I've never had to take out a loan before, but I understand how it works. I've owed people money at various times in my life. I understand the heaviness that weighs on your shoulders. The next payment that's due is always on your mind. Constant number crunching and pencil pushing.

After my recent financial learning, I see the concept of Jesus canceling our debt in a new light. The heaviness is gone. The guilt is gone. The constant worry is gone. Can you imagine if you owed someone $10,000? (That's a huge number to me [and is why owning a house and paying on a mortgage scares me to death!!]). Now imagine someone saying "Oh, yeah. I have $10,000 in this briefcase. Here, you can have it."

So it is with Jesus. All we have to do is reach out and take it. And not only does He pay for our debt, He offers a life full of riches, not earthly like we imagine or even desires sometimes, but rich in love and grace (eph 2:7), of His kindness and mercy (eph 2:4).

And Ephesians 1:7 says that in Jesus we have redemption, through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.

And 2 Corinthians 8:9 says this: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich."

Despite the size of our bank account, student loan balance or mortgage status, we are richly blessed by God, and the debt we could never pay back on our own is paid in full.

My First Sermon.

I have a toothache. I don't think I've ever had one before (seriously!), so you can imagine my annoyance. It's 5am, I've been up for an hour and can't get back to sleep.

So...I thought I'd be productive. I've been working on a "sermon" (I use that term incredibly loosely) for my home church for a few weeks now. It's been on my mind a lot, but I haven't actually sat down to do any writing until this week. I have no idea why I actually have a toothache at this time and on this day, but I just sat down and wrote a majority of the sermon. I'm amazed at how easily it's coming together.

Several times this week, I've just pulled out my Bible at the end of a long day and paged through some passages-and I somehow stumble upon a verse that becomes a major pillar of the message. I'll be writing an e-mail, and remember that a book I read once years ago might have something good for the sermon, so I dig it out and page through it and happen to find exactly what I needed to include in the message.

I don't think I've just been 'happening' to stumble upon or remember these things. It's been encouraging to see God work things out in front of me as I am faithful in working on the sermon. I haven't actually been all that faithful, but it's really coming together nicely. This makes me even more excited because the fact that I don't really have to work hard for it shows me that He's the one orchestrating the events. I like to write, and research various topics, and speak in public. But even with these advantages there's absolutely no way that I could create a decent, thought-provoking sermon without His guidance and influence.

Say what you want about the way God interacts with individuals- whether or not he opens up parking spaces for you at the mall, or cares about which refrigerator you buy. Some days it's easier to doubt His faithfulness (we know then we won't feel let down if He doesn't come through) than it is to believe He will do what we really need Him to. But when you actually see Him come through for you several times in different ways, you know He cares. And it helps you trust Him to be there in other ways, too.

To sum: God wants your availability, not your ability. In my case, I'm amazed that He would even work through my level of incredibly distracted, disinterested availability.

Food.

I love food. Too much. I fully admit that I eat all the wrong foods for all the wrong reasons. The only thing I want to do at the end of a long day is sit down on the couch with a diet coke and a bag of Baked Lays Cheddar & Sour Cream Ruffle Chips.

I joined the website myfitnesspal.com It's an easy way to keep track of your calorie intake, exercise and overall weight loss goal. This website is how I learned that just because chips are baked doesn't magically make them healthy.

Sad to say, this late-night chip raid generally appeases my hunger for feeling good. It doesn't occur to me to go to the Lord with any of my various needs, hurt feelings or good news at the end of the day.

As if my day-to-day food intake wasn't hard enough to monitor, it's officially that time of year; you know, where every weekend is marked by another spread of wonderful homemade food. Graduation season. Last night I was at a graduation party with the best macaroni and cheese ever. Seriously. Best. Ever.

I was sitting in a laundromat today, knocking out some of the Psalms on my chronological reading plan. I hit Psalm 63 and the following verse stuck out to me in a new way: "My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods." Like my chips. And homemade macaroni. And turtle cheesecake.

Other versions say 'my soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,' and 'I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy.' I seldom feel as good after I spend time with God compared to a delicious homemade meal. Or even frozen pizza.

I'm not really sure how to end this post. Maybe with the words of Jesus from John 6:48: "I am the bread of life."

Small Blessings: Conversation

I was doing a morning devotion today at a local coffee shop when a man came up to me and asked if I was reading "Funding Your Ministry." I won't lie, I purposely bring the book along every time I sit in a public place in hopes that it will lead to conversations. You never know, right?

Finally today, someone noticed. We chatted a bit about the author and another up-and-coming resource for those raising financial support. He commented on my Kansas City shirt (he grew up there) and also made sure he mentioned his fiance several times.

Anyway, it was just really fun to meet another missionary in a random location at a random time. And I was just commenting to my roommate last night that I'd been lacking in social interaction, hence the hanging out in a coffee shop today. I also ran into a friend from church which was also a nice conversation.

do we need psychics?

If you knew what would happen in the future, would you live life differently?

A friend and I were talking awhile back about people who decide to remain single for the rest of their lives. Not necessarily that we wanted to decide this, but just how people come to this conclusion.

The conversation led me to wonder how I would live my life differently than I am right now if I knew I would be single the rest of my life. I'd spend a lot more time with God, making sure He's number one in my life. I'd want to make sure I had solid friendships with other single women, but I'd also make sure I spent time with young couples, and families, too.

Then I thought about the flip side; if I absolutely knew I would get married someday, would I live my life differently? Yes. Definitely. I'd spend a lot more time with God. I'd make sure I was seeking Him each day and putting Him first.

I'm making a broad generalization here, but I think the point is an important one to make. Preparation for what life will throw at me down the road doesn't hinge on me knowing what's coming. I probably wouldn't believe it even if I did know what was coming!