Day of Prayer

Today was the CCC Worldwide day of prayer. Being able to pull away from the craziness of ministry and gather with like-minded people to pray for our world was incredibly encouraging.

Last week was so busy, by the time Easter rolled around I was so emotionally and mentally spent I couldn't reflect on the significance of the day. I didn't get a chance to go to a Good Friday service, so getting to spend an hour or so this morning reflecting on the cross and events leading up to Jesus' death and resurrection really made up for that.

I was able to lead the group in 30 minutes of worship this morning. I can honestly say it was one of the best worship sets that I've ever experienced. I sensed that hearts were really engaged in worship; people were connecting with the heart of God, which was my prayer the whole time. And everyone sang so loudly, I could barely hear myself at times...and that just makes it fun. It was about as far away from a performance as you can get, which can be a struggle.

To stop in the midst of a super busy week and sit before God for several hours is very humbling. It leads me to admit that I am only able to do my job because He enables me to; and He can do more in a minute than I can do in a month. He doesn't need my work- He wants my worship. There are times that the two don't gel like they should.

What's Really in a Name.

At the end of office prayer yesterday, we spent a few minutes praying about the new name for Campus Crusade for Christ. (If you haven't heard, the name may be changing this summer).

A few people at the table quickly confessed a need to pray for a better attitude about the whole situation. There have been a variety of reactions to both the selection process of the name, and the samples that were included in a recent staff survey.

So, we just spent a few minutes in a small group praying about it. And in those few minutes, I sensed God drawing out some much bigger issues than a lame new name.

Why are we getting so worked up about the name change? I can’t lie; my ears perk up when I hear Campus Crusade for Christ. It’s an organization that God has used to totally change my life. It will always be an important, significant organization to me, and the name evokes a certain response.

But, at the end of the day, it's just a name. Campus Crusade staff labor to make Christ’s reputation known, not ours. No matter our name, the work stays the same: building spiritual movements everywhere.

I do wonder if the core DNA of our organization will change in an attempt to become more relevant through changing the name. I don't think it will happen, but it's a slippery slope sometimes.

Whether the name changes or not, I think there's a deeper issue at hand. Do I work to make my and Campus Crusade's name great, or God's? Who really gets the glory in the work I do?

March Prayer Letter

Imagine dozens of student leaders of a major Midwestern university gathered in one room. Three people take the stage; each have made millions of dollars in the business world. They share with the ins and outs of being successful in life after college.

But not only do they share their successes, they share their failures, their struggles, and their belief that pursuing Jesus Christ is the best aim in life. The final speaker at the forum clearly shares the Gospel with the group of students, and invites them to receive the Christ into their lives.

These speaking engagements are called Executive and Entrepreneurial (EII) Leadership Forums, and are sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ. There are typically 8-12 forums around the five-state Upper Midwest region. This week there are two on Thursday night. One forum will be hosted at the University of St. Thomas, with over 60 students in attendance. St. Thomas is a Catholic school with over 10,000 students in attendance. The other school with a forum this week is the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, with over 6,500 students enrolled.

We partner with business men and women to host these forums for a variety of reasons. They are strategic, as they focus on reaching important student leaders who have an influence on the rest of the campus. They give us the chance to work closely with students on campus to plan and prepare for the outreach, which gives them ministry experience for the future. These forums also increase the number of spiritual conversations on campus, and provide another venue for students to hear the Gospel.

Last week there was an EII forum at North Dakota State University in Fargo. After the speakers shared their stories, students filled out info cards giving feedback and contact information. Over 40 students indicated a decision to receive Christ at the forum! The following is an e-mail from the Student Body President at NDSU:

“I wanted to extend my gratitude for your invitation to the Executive and Entrepreneurial Leadership Forum. It really was a great outreach event that brought together a cross-section of emerging campus leaders to hear stories of faith and success.

Faith is a crucial component of life, and especially so in college, where the big questions are asked about life's ultimate purpose and direction. Thank you for putting forth three individuals from whom we can learn by example. Your important ministry is much appreciated on our campus.”

Cubicle Confessions: Prayer

Three days a week, the CCC regional office gets together to pray for a half hour. We take turns leading and most often pray for our staff and movements on campuses around the region and the world. It's really interesting to hear about what God's doing all around our five states.

Last week I found myself typing out an e-mail at 1129am, thinking I wish we didn't have prayer today, I have so much to do!

As soon as I thought it, I realized my pride. I don't have time to pray? Seriously! Needless to say, I had a moment of prayer to get my head on straight before I went to the office prayer time.

Why don't I pray more than I do? I talk about my problems a lot more than I pray about them. I surely pray when faced with a something too tough for me to deal with on my own. But even then, I find myself pleading with God to just take away the situation and make things easier. I noticed during MPD that I give up easily when faced with challenge; as soon as I heard I "no," I would give up for the day.

Too often, I accept life for what it is. If I don't believe things can really change, why would I pray?

I could just become more disciplined in my personal prayer life. I could set times throughout the day, like office prayer, when I stop what I'm doing and spend some time before the Lord. I could probably call someone and ask them to keep me accountable in this area. I could read more books about prayer, different methods of praying, etc.

All those things are great, but I think I should just learn more about prayer by praying. I think the issue is that I'd pray more if I truly believed that praying did any good. Prayer changes things, including us. Maybe praying more is a good place to start.

prayer.

"Prayer is not made so that God can find out what we need, because Jesus tells us, "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:8). God wants us to pray because prayer expresses our trust in God and is a means whereby our trust in him can increase. In fact, perhaps the primary emphasis of the Bible's teaching on prayer is that we are to pray with faith, which means trust or dependence on God."

-Wayne Grudem