Category: ministry

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We’re On a Mission from God. And Our Obstetrician.

My wife is 32 weeks pregnant this week.  For the non-parent males in the audience, that’s 8 more weeks until full term.  Additionally, non-parent males, it’s not a cakewalk to carry around a child that is literally snuggling with your bladder, and punching it from time to time.

Yet today we hit the road on a support trip.  I’m carting her all the way up to Asheville for a few days, and then down I-26 on Sunday to South Carolina for a couple of days.  During that time we’ll be meeting with interested folks to share the amazing things God is doing around our region, and challenging folks to partner with us financially and prayerfully. On Tuesday we’ll be coming back through Winston-Salem.  How long we stay around here is up in the air.

Here’s where you come in.  I’d love it if you’d do one of three things:

  1. If you are into praying (I hear it burns calories and is good for circulation) I’d appreciate it if you’d pray for God to lead us to the right folks with whom to partner.
  2. If you are in Asheville or the Upstate, and you’d like to hear about all that God is doing in and through us, shoot us a message to holler@benandjacq.com and let’s schedule a time.  Better yet, see where you fit into our schedule (and propose a time to meet) by clicking here.
  3. If you are not in one of those places and want to see us get back to our assignment fully funded by August (our prayer goal), put your money where your heart is by clicking here. (follow a three step process that follows.  All the cool kids are doing it)

I’m carting around a very pregnant wife and a toddler, because I think this mission is worth it.  We’re so thrilled by what God is doing, and we really want you to know about it.  Prayerfully, this can be a trip that catapults us closer to being fully funded, so that we can be about reaching college students with the greatest story ever told. Now go on back up there and click a link or two.

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How to Score a Free iPad.

Once I got a free MacBook Pro.  Well, I had to spend 350 bones to get one, but I’d call that a win.  No, I can’t teach you how, because they changed the rules.  You’d probably have to spend $1000, and that wouldn’t be worth the headache (still getting calls once a year or so from folks claiming that I owe them money–but I kept the confirmation numbers confirming that I don’t. While I’m on this topic, don’t ever do business of any type with Active Periodicals.  It’s a total scam.)

But I love my computer (typing this into my pseudo-free MacBook Pro)

My new mission in life is to score a free iPad.  After noodling around on Jacq’s mom’s iPad this week, I can confirm that eventually I will own one.  If I have to save up for it, I will.

If you agree with me that an iPad could be of great use for the Director of Social Media (ahem… me) in the Midsouth Region, then let’s make my quest for a free iPad a reality.  An iPad is a reimbursable expense within Campus Crusade guidelines, but the catch is that we still have to raise that money with which we reimburse it.  So if you give a one-time gift of 300 bones or so, and a friend of yours does the same, I’ve got enough money to get my iPad and reimburse it.

This is not the place or time to defend why I think it is a great purchase and will be a huge help in my new role.  And if I’m being honest, there is about a 50/50 business to personal split in my motives for owning it.  But if you are one of the folks that agrees with me that I should have one, let’s make it happen. Click here (and write a personal note where you mention the iPad)

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Gadget Idolatry. My favorite of the idolatries.

I need to clarify that my last post was hastily written, poorly thought out, and not reflective of my heart at all.  While I do want an iPad, there are far more pressing financial concerns that have to be dealt with first.  In my zeal over having actually touched an iPad, I neglected to think about what it might look like to others for me to be simultaneously looking for funding to cover basic needs and funding to cover what, to many people, is a luxury item.  I can’t justify such a purchase right now, and I fear I may have caused people to rethink supporting us.  I definitely don’t want to do that.

About those more pressing financial concerns–pray that when I take the Minivan to the shop on Monday, I can afford to pick it up.  🙂

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Are BenandJacq Leaving the Field? Far from it.

I got a letter last week from a ministry partner that indicated they are coming off of our team, because we were “going to be working in the office for Campus Crusade and not out in the field with college young people.”  He went on to explain how he will be supporting some folks from his church that are “out in the field as a strong witness for the Lord.”

It of course saddens me that folks would leave our team financially (especially while we are in the midst of trusting God for more folks on our team), but I am far more saddened that I have done an obviously bad job of explaining our new role within Campus Crusade.

Unfortunately, because I didn’t know any better, I’ve often referred to the new role as a “job,” and the regional team as an “office.”  Those two terms go a long way toward alienating folks who have nothing but negative associations with “jobs” and “offices.”  I am working now to change not only how I talk about our new role and new team, but how I relate to others the vibrant environment that I am moving to with the singular goal of maximizing effectiveness and reach of our staff on campuses all over the region.

I’m going from reaching 40,000 (ish) students in Western NC to having direct impact on 1,100,000 (ish) students in NC, SC, TN, KY, and WV.  I’m not leaving the field, I’m broadening the scope.  Utilizing the latest in technology, I’ll literally be able to reach students in their pocket with the gospel.  Never before have we had more of an ability to get the message of Christ to more people, more relationally.  Through technology like twitter and facebook, we are able to not only bring a relevant message, but bring it with the “thumbs up” of your 5 closest friends.

So, while I understand that for some my move to Apex will be seen as a move away from the front lines, and that they will feel called to support others; I assure you that, for me, this is a strategic move closer to students, to a place where I will be able to use my unique gifting to reach the most people, most urgently.

Pray with me that though I lost $50 per month, I will gain (and learn from) a new perspective on how I ought to communicate my passion for students to folks that don’t “get” social media.

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Join our new Facebook Page, and enter to win one of three Free Books!

In an effort to distill just the ministry related content from our blog, so that our ministry partners can stay on top of how God is using their giving, I have made a brand new facebook page.  (you can get there by clicking the ‘frotastic “advertisement” to the right.  Or you can click here.)

On this page, you will find links to all the latest ministry updates, ministry vision, and stories from the “front lines” of our ministry.

Here’s what’s in it for you.  I will be updating the blog once per week with a specifically ministry-related insight, tip, or story.  These will be geared toward our ministry partners, but accessible enough to encourage anyone.  By joining the facebook group (by clicking “like”) you’ll be assured that you don’t miss any of that content, and you’ll be able to easily recommend to friends and others a great place to come for ministry updates from a guy with a stunning wife and easily one of the top five cutest kids on the internet today.  Also, by joining the group, you’ll be able to start discussions, post photos (embarrassing or otherwise), and otherwise connect with folks who share a common interest in Benand(or)Jacq.

Finally, I am going to be randomly selecting three of the group members to win a free copy of one of three books. (there will be three drawings)

  • The first book: the hilarious Stuff Christians Like book by my friend Jon Acuff. This book will definitely resonate with anyone who has ever been in or around church culture.  And it will make you laugh.
  • The second book: Christian Beliefs by my friend and pastor-for-a-month Elliot Grudem and his dad Wayne Grudem.  This book is a fantastic treatment of basic doctrine that every Christian should know, written in a way that every (English-speaking) Christian can understand.
  • The third book: Jesus Without Religion by Campus staff member Rick James.  This is a great book for discussing who Jesus is with folks who misunderstand him to be the leader of a religion.

All you have to do is be in the group, (here’s hoping I don’t have to mail this book to Asia).  I will draw the free book winner on Tuesday July the 27th.

Ready, set, Click!

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