Ch-ch-changes

How have you changed as a person of Christ this past year?

Live to be forgotten" was the advice one of the speakers at the Urbana Conference shared. The speaker was not asking us to be average, unlaudable, couch potatoes, but rather servants that are willing to love without self-interest nor self-gain. This impossible lesson happens to be the one I've been trying to grasp for the better part of my year. A supervisor in InterVarsity is not a glamorous jobs. We’re not having the heart to hearts with the students, and we’re not witnessing their testimonies first-hand. And yet, even as I serve in this more forgettable role, I see that God gets His work done. Students’ lives change, faculty want to know more about God, and staff finances come through. I think this past year God is teaching me that I may be living to be forgotten, but He will always be remembered.

My "big" advice..

“What do you have to lose?”

“Everything.”

“What do you have to gain?”

“...everything.”

This is the conundrum that I think most students encounter when they come face to face with our faith. It’s costly to be a person of faith... our resources, our talents, our lives no longer belong to ourselves, but to God. Yet at the same time we gain the peace, companionship, and love of an Amazing Supernatural Father. My biggest “advice” to students is simply to pose the question... “What do you have to lose?” It’s a question I ask myself daily when I feel selfish, anxious, angry, fearful. And I am made to confront the anemic state of my faith. And in that confrontation, I am offered a trade - to trade my anemia for hope, a hope in God. I pose the question so that students might see not only what they’re clinging to, but also the hope they receive if they let go.

What I love most...

"I'm a freshman. I'm missing God in my life. Can you help me find him?" was the email one of my staff (Amy) received earlier this semester.

After weeks of observing the Christian community on campus, the freshman (Sam) decided she wanted to say yes to Jesus. Amy, in her wisdom, brought one of her new Christians (Courtney) to pray with Sam. Courtney proceeded to share how her life hasn’t been the same since saying yes to Jesus. Sam then prayed to do the same. Now Courtney believes that sharing her joy in following Christ is a normal part of being a Christian.

These stories are what I love most. I know the 7 staff workers that I mentor across the region are having interactions just like Amy’s, whether it’s in Big 12 schools, small private colleges, or community colleges. We are seeing people give up addictions, become incredibly generous, and be freed from fear. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.