A video from yesterday during the student Welcome “red carpet” theme party. Note how tired everyone looks from traveling!
Bringing a knife to a gun fight.
I was paired with Patrick, who interned with Campus Crusade along with his wife Molly this past year at the University of Texas. We took turns sharing how we could use prayer. I shared how I need wisdom to balance ministry life with family life on project. I know how to do ministy (or at least I know more about that than I do about how to be a husband and father…) and so my tendency is to default to the campus minister version of a work-a-holic, pouring myself into ministry activity at the expense of my family.
I guess it’s a good thing he prayed. Who knows how poorly I’d be doing finding balance otherwise.
It’s been a difficult time so far balancing things like staff meetings, meeting with the two students I have been assigned to, helping Jacqueline set up and tear down for meal times (our portable high chair is paying for itself many times over), helping give leadership to the praise band, running sound at various events, spending quality time with my wife who feels most loved by quality time, changing diapers, and finding time somewhere in there to cultivate a relationship with Christ.
The speaker we had come to our “Monday Night Live” meeting two nights ago might as well have been reading from my journal as he described his walk with the Lord in his 20’s and 30’s. He confessed that his passion for ministry at times eclipsed his passion for his family, not intentionally, but slowly over time. He let his “one thing” become ministry instead of Jesus.
Walking by faith is tough, and scary. It’s much easier to find a counterfeit and follow after it. It helps me to understand how the Israelites, just days removed from the Lord’s leadership through Moses, could build a golden cow and worship it. It’s easier to walk by sight. My heart is so quick to build counterfeit deities to bow down to, like successful ministry, or a full bank account, or a good appearance to others. It’s tempting to only blog about the good stuff.
The Christian life is impossible. How often I forget that the only way to be victorious, to keep all the balls I’m juggling in the air at the same time is to surrender to Christ. I long for the day that I will selflessly serve my wife. I long for the day that my interests will be the last thing I think about.
One of the things that I have forgotten hundreds of times since I first heard it is the fact that Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, longs to give me the power I need to live this Christian life. He has placed in me a new heart, with new desires and new power to fulfill those God-honoring desires. I’m like a soldier using a knife to fight with, unaware of the assault rifle strapped to my back.
So, keep praying, Patrick.
Welcome to Santa Cruz.
John-Michael (that’s one guy) and Spenser, two students from the University of Arkansas, had no idea what to expect when they set out. Their assignment: get into spiritual conversations with folks in downtown Santa Cruz on a cool, summer Saturday night.
They walked slowly down the busy sidewalk, tentatively glancing around in search of the least intimidating group of people they could find. Two older gentlemen caught their eye, and they decided to initiate a conversation. John-Michael introduced himself by mentioning that they were with Campus Crusade for Christ, and interested in learning more about the spiritual beliefs of people in Santa Cruz. Quickly, one of the older guys piped up, “Well, what do you believe?” Taken aback, John-Michael tried to briefly and comprehensively explain his worldview.
“Well, if you are religious…” the old man interrupted, “then you must believe in the talking rocks…” Spenser and John-Michael looked at one another and silently came to the decision that nervous laughter was the appropriate response.
It was not.
See, this guy really believed in the talking rocks (whatever they are) and spent the greater part of 20 minutes berating Spenser for his disrespect of the speaking stones.
Meanwhile John-Michael had gotten into a much more civil conversation with the other gentleman. Civil, but no less fantastic. This guy was convinced that many years ago he met God while naked and on a Peyote trip in the forest. While Spenser “got the shaft” for carelessly addressing the talking rocks, John-Michael was busy hearing the therapeutic and spiritual benefits of a good naked romp in the redwoods with mother earth and the spirits (which sounds like a great name for an up-and coming rock band with a female lead… mother earth and the spirits).
Fellas, we are not in Arkansas anymore. Welcome to Santa Cruz.
I’ve never thought of God this way, yet I’ve heard about Him literally all of my life…
One of the guys in my “action group” Bible study last night.
Urgent Care for Sick People.
This has been the summer of Urgent Care.
Mike, our project director, has been to urgent care taking different students so many times this week they are starting to recognize him. From Chicken Pox to a nasty virus to fainting and head colds, we’ve seen a lot, and taken several trips to the hospital. But it appears this isn’t the first time we’ve been around this particular block.
Julie, one of the staff from Texas, went in with one of her girls who ended up having a mild case of pink eye. While in the room, she got into a conversation with one of the nurses. It turns out this nurse had cared for a person from the summer project last year.
That person (we don’t know who it was) had encouraged this sweet nurse in her faith, and the nurse had gone on to rededicate her life to Christ, and has been actively pursuing Him this year, gotten plugged into a local church, and is growing.
All because some sick student had taken a step beyond their comfort zone in an attempt to make Christ famous. It’s so fun to see the sapling from someone else’s seed!
While we don’t want to have to take any more trips to the Urgent Care, it’s our prayer that we will continue to be available to go and share the love of Christ, wherever he might send us.