Perspective.

If by chance you're checking in to see if I've blogged lately about the summer projects returning... I haven't! Sorry. Well, I guess this one technically is about them, because I just wanted to leave a quick note that I am so amazed at the things God's done this summer through our six international projects. I was reading some of the project director prayer letters the other day and got the more extreme case of goosebumps I've had ever! Pretty soon tears were streaming down my face after taking in all that they shared through a simple newsletter.

The Gospel going out into the world to people who are destined for death without it is one of the most important things in my life. The redemption that is possible through Jesus is the best news ever, and I never want to lose sight of that.

It's ridiculous how often I lose sight of this mission. Even in the midst of my role in ministry this summer with our projects, I lost sight of the purpose: bringing glory to God through sharing the life-changing Gospel with others.

More on this later, because this is supposed to just be a quick note. Stay tuned for stories from all around the world ... can't wait to share them!

A note from India

A staff friend of mine from Nebraska is leading an international summer project to her region's partnership location in India. Here's an excerpt from a recent e-mail of hers that I thought I'd pass on:

The past few weeks here in Bangalore we’ve had the opportunity to work on several campuses. Our company here is present and working on 6 campuses, we have such a unique chance to get to work with these students who are the future leaders of this country and get to help out with what the team is doing here. There are over 7 million people in the city and just about 2% of them are christians, which seems to be a bit daunting at times. To add to that, there are several different main religions here. One minute you could be talking with a Muslim student and the next you could be speaking with a Hindu student, both with very different beliefs and so it has been difficult to adjust to the many different ministry needs.

As many of you read in my last email, my passport was ruined during a monsoon while we were in Mumbai. I cannot thank you enough for your prayers, because I have really seen God’s provision in this area. I decided to continue to travel to Bangalore with the rest of my team, and once I got here I was able to get a train ticket from here to Chennai, the nearest US consulate in order to get a new passport. A LOT had to happen in order for this to work, for example, most of the time train tickets here are booked 3 months out simply because of the number of people that live here. I showed up at the train station one morning not really knowing what to do or where to go, and a random stranger at the station was nice enough to wait and help me for 45 min while I filled out all the paperwork. Also it just so happened that they have a special foreigner ticket here that I was able to get for the very same day. AND there is a Cru staff team in the city I was going to that was able to meet me at the train station and drive me straight to the consulate and the consulate who is normally booked solid just happened to have one appointment open that day. The Lord provided in unbelievable ways, and I already received an email that my new passport is already finished! Please continue to pray though, I need to courier my old passport to them in Chennai and wait for the them to send them both back to me. I’m not necessarily worried about the time as much as I’m worried about one of both of my passports getting lost somewhere along the way. Please pray for everything to go smoothly with that and I will continue to keep you posted.

Deep Roots.

Earlier this summer I finished one of the best books I've ever read about being single. Interesting fact: the author was actually involved in Campus Crusade in college but didn't have a real great experience. Which made me even more intrigued by her story.

Anyway, I didn't love the book because of it's writing style (unique and witty) or all of her dramatic stories (there were plenty!). The author consistently shared encouraging insights into the character of God and living the Christian life that she drew from her experiences in relationships (and her lack of relationships, at times).

Below is an example of what I mean- a short excerpt from the book in which the author compares living the Christian life to being a tree:

And you have to sink your roots into Him, after all. You have to find His water underground…only when your roots are drinking from that stream can you grow tall enough and strong enough to reach out into the world and maybe even make a little shade for others. To grow up tall and strong so as to bless the soil of others’ plots of ground – that’s what we’re meant to do. The branch or plant, after all, doesn’t worry so much about “growing” hard or stretching up strong, but sinking the roots down deep into the waters of life. And then, because of how God’s made us, the life and springing upward is a mostly natural consequence of that drinking, sinking, rooting.

If I had a favorite verse, this one from Colossians would be near the top of the list: "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."

That verse felt like the theme of my upperclassmen years in college. Looking back, meditating on this verse propelled me into a search for a deeper relationship with God. I had been feeling distant from God for several months, grown weary of ministry on campus and wasn't growing much emotionally even though I was growing spiritually.

I remember sitting at yet another fall leadership training my senior year (or maybe even super-senior year), and hearing from a speaker that the Gospel was not just for unbelievers, but for believers, too. We needed the Gospel every day. I was floored!! God had been bringing this up in my life for the last year but I didn't really understand until that day. Right away I thought about that verse, about being rooted in Christ each and every day.

While masquerading as a book on singleness, this book taught me a lot about living the life God intends: not striving to grow and do and be externally- but seeking Him wholeheartedly. The Christian life is about letting the growth and good works and character traits we seek come from the love and life we can draw in with roots that grow deep.

How My Blog Got Its Name

If you've ever wondered how I came up with the title and tagline of this blog, wonder no more! Today's the day you find out.

It's pretty plain story, actually. A college friend, LL and I were talking about my blog, and how I could make it into a more focused ministry blog. I frequently talk about how much I love cubicles, so the title came together pretty quickly. LL is very familiar with Campus Crusade and our mission, so I was not surprised when she combined the admin side of ministry with the end goal to come up with the tagline. Pretty clever, that LL. I think she enjoys hearing about my trifling matters amidst working on her PhD.

The real question is: do I even use paper clips in my day-to-day job?

Little did LL know, the tagline she dreamed up was perhaps foreshadowing my role in ministry. I wasn't ever 100% sure of what I'd be doing at the Regional Office upon finishing my support, (I wasn't too concerned with the actual job, I knew it would be fabulous).

I mainly use paper clips every day when students send in their donation checks. It's pretty systematic (some would say boring, I suppose) - open the envelope, count the money, scan the checks, scan the form, mail the checks, file the form.

But this monotonous procedure represents a monumental faith step: college students trusting God to provide their finances in a way they probably haven't ever experienced. Knowing that each envelope I open has a story attached keeps me focused on what's important when they fill out the form incorrectly, or miscount their money.

So, the name of the blog is pretty accurate, with one clarification: I'm using the paper clips, in hopes that God will use me in the lives of college students, who will change the world by taking the Gospel everywhere. I just had to shorten it since all that wouldn't fit in the little bar at the top. :)

3 months until Summer Project!

Despite long-lasting feelings that winter is never going to end, summer is just 3 months away. So far, there are 85 college students accepted to participate in our six international summer projects in the Upper Midwest!

It's been so exciting to watch the numbers increase each week, knowing that these aren't just numbers. These are 85 lives that have been changed by God. Lives that want to be used by God to change other lives.

Let me throw another number at you: 132. This is the number of students accepted for the six U.S. summer projects that our region leads each year.

Would you say a prayer right now for these 217 students? Now that they finished the application process, the next part of their journey is raising their financial support. Pray that they'd be bold in stepping out in faith to trust God to provide. For many students, this is their first time inviting others to partner with them in reaching college students with the Gospel. Pray that God would use this experience to stretch and grow their dependence on Him.

losing to gain

"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." -Matthew 10:39

Until recently, I've always thought of this verse in terms of confessing a saving faith in Christ. It's important to grasp the concept that Christ gave up His perfect life for us. We are to give up our sinful lives in order to find true life in Christ.

But this is important for the rest of our lives after we make that decision to live for Christ. The Gospel is not only for unbelievers, but for believers, too. God calls us to give up comfortable patterns of our our lives from the time before we believed. This is a process, and not one that we can finished on earth.

I hope I am making sense here. I don't think I can fully describe the new way that I understand this verse now, as a part of my life in Christ.

As Jim Elliot said, He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

I think this quote has huge implications in the context of a way of life, being more than just a one-time decision.

Initiating.

"You just sat down at 11:11am on 1/11/11."

I looked over at the guy next to me, who showed me the clock on his phone. "That's so crazy!" He exclaimed, shaking his head. I thought to myself, who IS this guy?

I happen to love significant numerical moments, like 1:23pm on 4/5/06. That was a great moment. When someone recognizes one of these moments, I feel an instant bond with them.

I had just boarded the plane, flying back to Minneapolis from Dallas last week. Conversation continued to flow between this guy, who I'll call Andy, because he reminded me of Andy Bernard from The Office.

I've always wanted to share the Gospel with someone on an airplane. Bill Bright did it, after all. And I've heard a lot of big-name speakers tell stories about doing it. You've got this person in very close proximity to you, who can't leave, and it's kind of awkward if you don't talk about anything at all.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to share my faith with Andy. Mainly because I wasn't able to come up with a single simple, nonchalant segue into my faith, and never felt a prompting to go there.

There are moments in some conversations from which you can easily transition into a spiritual topic. Sometimes, there aren't those moments. What do you do then? Do you just bring it up anyway?

I was definitely thinking about bringing it up. He shared with me that he'd just gone through a divorce and had flown back to Dallas for a custody hearing with his ex-wife. I felt for him in his tough situation, and probably could/should have offered some comforting or hopeful or encouraging words. I couldn't think of anything in the moment.

I'm not very good at initiating conversations, let alone spiritual ones. Maybe whipping out the KGP in this conversation wouldn't have been appropriate. But I think taking the initiative to share the hope I have in Christ with someone, even when there's no clear segue, is totally fine.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." -Colossians 4:5-6

Transformed.

Two weeks ago we had a women's conference in Minneapolis called "Transformed: Laboring for a Lifetime." (Insert your witty comment here about a women's conference with the word "laboring" in the title).

As far as conferences go, this one was pretty typical- worship, a speaker, breakout sessions, campus time, free time, a dance party, lots of laughing, definitely some crying, etc.

It was a really encouraging experience for me as I wait for the last bit of funding to come in. My calling to ministry was definitely confirmed. I'm a passionate person, but not excites me more than hearing about a student coming to Christ in her dorm and seeking to be used by God to reach her friends and family.

I'd love to be able to solve the economic, political and social problems we face in America and around the world. I can't do much about those problems, but I can help college students discover the truth about Jesus. And someday, maybe they can make a difference in the economic, political and social arenas.

Jesus didn't give up his time in heaven to suffer, die, and then come back to life to give me a peaceful, safe, comfortable existence. One day I will have all those things in Heaven. But He came to earth for redemption. And because of this I can glorify God with my time on this earth, which ends up having a lasting difference in the lives of people I meet.

Here is a photo from the women's conference (I am in the bottom left, in front of a laptop at the sound booth).



This is what it's all about. A sea of college students, learning about Jesus. Some realizing their need for redemption for the first time in their lives. Some considering how God might want to use them to make a difference, for the first time in their lives. So awesome.

This Little Light Of Mine

Astounding, isn't it?

flashback

Below is a part of a post I wrote back in Nov '09 about a realization that the Gospel is more than a one-time decision/prayer, which I brought up in my post from Jan 6 this year.

Last fall I read Francis Chan's book Crazy Love. It's great.

I recently listened to one of his sermons about living reverently.

His passage of choice was Philippians 2:12-13... Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.



Somewhere between Jesus' time on earth and today, somebody made the mistake that salvation is about a one-time decision made through prayer. He asks the would you get that from reading the Bible?

Salvation does come at a point in time; there is a moment when your eyes are opened and you understand that Jesus took your place on the cross. There is a moment of decision. But the rest of your life is you working out this salvation. The rest of your life is about following Jesus.

Midway through the sermon, Chan explained a great analogy with the decision making of a New Years' Resolution. The one-time decision is important, but the rest of the year is following that decision- changing what you need to do to act on it. Your actions will show how serious you were when you made that decision.

Paul wrote this letter from prison, and is encouraging the believers to work out their salvation in his absence. He is saying work out your own salvation. He isn't around anymore to help and encourage them. And they can't depend on him in the same way. And we can't depend on the people around us for our salvation. When it comes down to it, each of us will stand before Christ individually and have to answer for our lives.

Will He really tell you, well done? Are you a good and faithful servant? Or will He say "Depart from me, I never knew you. I know your parents, your grandparents, your pastor, your friends. But I don't know you."

Chan says he has "a responsibility as your pastor. I will probably be judged more strictly than you, according to James 2. I have a responsibility to try to lead you into the right place before God. At the same time, when you stand before God, you are not going to be able to blame me."

When I started walking with the Lord, my motives were shady. I had found great friends and a great social outlet. I always felt like I belonged. God started working in my life, and while I knew I had found something that would change me, I did a lot of things just because of the people.

I think that was ok, to begin with. It always amazes me how God can work through poor motives and irresponsible people. But had I continued to depend on those around me, I'm not experiencing a true relationship with God.

Would I follow Jesus despite all the believers around me? Am I making my salvation my own? A priority of my life?

Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Chan says "I don't see a lot of fear and trembling in today's church. I see a lot of arrogance when people talk about God...like Scripture says, it's a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

We have no excuse to not work out our salvation. We have endless opportunities to serve our neighbors, give to the needy, support missions. We have never had so much knowledge at our fingertips to encourage and challenge us in our relationship with God.