Time to Make a Shift

"I didn't realize I could have a personal relationship with God - Growing up, it was just sort of this communal thing, something everybody did."

"I've been panicking about my future a lot lately. Asking a lot of questions. God's showing me how to ask the right ones, and he's interrupting that feedback loop that just fuels the panic."

"That seminar really helped me... usually when I talk to people who don't believe in Jesus, I just debate it with them. But now I get that I can have compassion, and ask questions. I can stop trying to 'win' the conversation, but see them like Jesus does."

These were a couple of the realizations that York students had at shift this past weekend. Our topic, "real faith for real life," was about cultivating a faith that can flex with our ups-and-downs experience of life.

Moving from a static faith to a dynamic one...

... from shallow relationships to deep ones...

... from an inherited religion to a personal relationship...

It was a weekend of looking at the psalms and understanding how David could go from "I will praise the Lord at all times" to "Dash my enemies infants on the rocks!" and still be right with God. To realize that God isn't impressed by how filtered and reserved we are in prayer - He wants in on the most raw, sensitive, real parts of our experience of life; it's there that healing can happen.

It was such a joy to see the kinds of transformation God was working in students' lives this weekend, and I am so excited to see where God leads them from here. Pray with me for "fresh fruit" from students' experience of real, shared faith.

Characters in a Bigger Story

"Then I had a realization. We go through life as if we’re the main character in a story.  But God let me be a supporting character in Sam’s story - the story of her journey toward Jesus!”

Becca sat across the table as we debriefed the week’s events and her face lit up.  It had been a difficult week for sure, but also one in which she’d seen God work powerfully.  She was reflecting on what God’s been doing in (and through) her the last few semesters, and her realization that God’s been using her in the lives of family, classmates, and even friends from home (Sam!) was spot-on.

Becca became part of some new friends' stories at Sexy Pizza!

God has been at work in Becca.  I’ve been so privileged to see her grow in skill, maturity, and boldness.  Just last week, she and some friends took snacks around to every room in a freshman dorm.  They were inviting students to Sexy Pizza, an evangelistic event centered on God and sexuality.  One of those who came the next night thanked them for inviting her.  The conversation at Sexy Pizza had given her a taste of true community and a reminder of God’s love for her!

Sexy Pizza had been a stretching experience, but Becca saw God show up.  Through the honesty of her peers’ questions and the enthusiastic encouragement of her not-yet-Christian roommate (who’d attended Sexy Pizza last year and loved it), God showed up big-time.

As we talked, Becca’s take on the role we play in others’ lives struck me as wonderfully, beautifully true.  We’re all characters in our own story, for sure, but we’re part of our friends stories too.  “And really,” Becca said, “God’s the main character in this whole story - it’s the story of God redeeming the world!"

Jesus is EVERYWHERE

It's been a whirl-wind month around campus! Lots of late nights, lots of deep conversations, lots of new faces. I've had pizza for fully 1/3 of my meals this week. And I've noticed something pretty cool.

Jesus is everywhere.

I saw it when we distributed free water bottles to thirsty freshmen as they moved in (a million years ago, in August). It continued as we knocked on every door in the newly built dorm at the edge of campus, inviting them all to come play night-time tag by the fountain. As the connections strengthened, the conversations deepened. And Jesus was in all of it.

8 days ago, I listened while a freshman from western Africa shared how much she'd been struggling with disorientation and depression since getting to campus. I'd only known her for a week and a half, but already she knew that I and others in our community cared. We prayed together, and Jesus was there.

3 days ago, a student I'm discipling and a guy he's discipling walked down Jackson Street with me to grab some pizzas. As we walked, we dreamed together about how Jesus might want to meet the needs of the students who live there. Later that night, as we studied scripture together, we saw Jesus invite himself to Levi's house for a party, though it hurt his reputation with the religious elite. If Jesus came to be with the sick, where might he spend his time on campus? The shady pizza place on Jackson? A party in the basement of a dilapidated rental house? Jesus is there? Would we follow?

Jesus is changing hearts. He's changing minds. School's only been in session a month, but Jesus has been getting around!

Over the next 2 weeks, it'll be a very busy time for me. Would you pray with me for the many things on my plate, and a keen awareness of the presence of Jesus as I'm working on the following...

• Sunday, 10/2 - Megan and I are doing an hour-long presentation for a church that's considering supporting us. A lot is riding on it, as we'd love to see Megan have more hours on campus (a direct result of increased support for her ministry).
• Sunday, after the presentation, we're leading the student leadership team in an 1.5 hour training on the character of a leader. The topic? Humility.
• Monday - Thursday - I'm co-leading a training conference for 8 new InterVarsity staff. As new staff, I and my partner Shannon will be teaching them to train up missional small group leaders to more effectively reach every corner of their respective campuses.
• Wednesday night, as part of their training, Shannon and I are taking them to York's campus to host 3 large-scale evangelistic events (we're calling them "Sexy Pizza"). They'll facilitate an open conversation about sex and spirituality for rooms full of students who are faithful, skeptical, and searching.
• Friday will be a catching up day - all the things I normally do during a given week of ministry will be put into that day, due to the new staff training conference.
• Saturday, pray for me as I rest and Sabbath, reflecting and preparing...

It'll be an intense week. I'm grateful for your partnership so far - your confidence in our mission, your commitment to its success, and your compassion for York College's 4,600 students is humbling and encouraging!

Thanks for following along!

What Comes Next?

This May, I gave the message at York College's graduation chapel service. Here's what I shared:

So, what comes next? You are here standing on the edge of graduation, you’ve paid your dues, and now it’s time to get moving. You may have a picture in your head of what your life should look like a year or 5 from now. I know I did!

Many of us have been told that the path to a life of comfort and success is through higher education. And now, you are here – tomorrow, you’ll be receiving the most expensive piece of paper you’ll ever own (unless, perhaps, you go to grad school). What will life hold for you? What comes next? And how will you define success?

Many of us, grew up believing that success looked like owning your home, not renting. Owning a car for each driver in the household, not resorting to the bus. Being salaried, not paid hourly (or God forbid, in tips). Marriage, kids, maybe some dogs. Respect of your peers, approval of your boss, getting a leg up on retirement.

What comes next?

Jesus once told a story about how to live a life well… or not.

The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, "What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops." Then he said, "This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, 'You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.'"

But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?"

This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

- Luke 12:16-21

By any objective measure, this guy was living the dream. Well provisioned, master of his destiny, the means to achieve anything that he could want. He spent a life pursuing the dream that our culture markets to us from every imaginable angle today. But the story ends with a grim reminder – what good does all of that do you? The story calls into question many of the yardsticks by which we measure success. We all die, eventually, and what have we done with our lives, besides seeking comfort?

An uplifting thought, for sure.

Fortunately Jesus continues with words of hope and wisdom:

God loves us even more than
the Ravens ;)

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
 

- Luke 12:22-34

Where do you keep your treasure? In your wallet or your relationships? In your car and home equity, or in care and social equity? In your retirement account or an account of your service of God and others?

What if, instead of working so hard to measure up to this one popular conception of success, you spent your life in pursuit of God’s kingdom righteousness? What if you put this privilege, these resources, this means to affect change in the world in service of God and others, rather than our collective obsession with accumulating “stuff?”

This used car (an '82 Nissan Sentra)
got me through some tough times.

“Sell your possessions and give to the poor?” What if, instead of buying that new car, you picked up a ride from the classifieds and began supporting a world-vision child with the surplus? What if instead of taking the job that simply pays the highest salary and has the best location, you instead took the job that pays poorly but serves those who are in the greatest need?

What if you took as your own our collegiate motto – Servire Est Vivere. To serve is to live. To make it your life’s goal to view your privilege as a sacred trust, a holy stewardship, a means by which you would live as a blessing to those around you. This is the challenging call that God directs toward each of us. Just a few verses later, Jesus phrased it this way: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (Luke 12:48)

Friends, you have received much. And you have many choices ahead of you. Where to work, who to befriend, how to live. So I pose the question once more to you, and perhaps share the challenge – What comes next?

This is my prayer for you. That you would find contentment in God, and not succumb to the pressure to measure you life according to outward appearances. Rather, that you’d know the joy and contentment of living simply, using your privilege, position, and provision in service of God, and in caring for those who are unable to provide for themselves.

God bless you as you step into what comes next.

Kegs and Eggs... and Jesus?

Is it beer? Is it anti-freeze?
Guessing is half the fun!

by Evan

Saint Patrick's Day is upon us, and in 3 days, York College students will join in the venerable tradition of drinking themselves to the brink of consciousness - and some will drink a bit further. It's an annual ritual that dates back to, well, whenever someone had the bright idea of putting green food-coloring into cheap beer.

Actually, many students have been 'pre-gaming' for a week already, possibly so that their livers will be good and hard by the time the actual day arrives. In fact, many will start with a newer tradition called "Kegs and Eggs," beginning with a hearty breakfast of omelets and oat sodas.

Really, it's just one more pulsating symptom of a collegiate culture that's whole-heartedly committed to a life in pursuit of a particular kind of fun. As more and more young adults become convinced that this is the one and only standard by which to measure the good life, we see campuses devolving into communities of nascent alcoholism, addiction, and escapism. St. Patty's Day offers an excuse get drunk in so spectacular a fashion that friends will be talking about it for weeks, though you yourself will have no memory of it.

What is a Christian to do?

Should good Christian students stand at the fringes, loudly condemning their peers? Maybe they should join in on the pub-crawls as a way to 'show relevance to the culture.' Or (and this is the more frequent response) perhaps the faithful should gather in someone's room for a movie or game night, thanking God that we aren't like those sinners?

What would Jesus do?

In Luke 5, Jesus meets a man named Levi. Levi's a notorious guy in his community. As a tax collector, he's considered a traitor to his people, a collaborator with the enemy, collecting crushing taxes for the occupying army's emperor. He is certainly a despised figure, avoided by the powerful and the poor alike. Oddly, Jesus decides he'd like to befriend Levi. Naturally, Jesus catches some flak for it, but that's okay. Because Levi leaves his lucrative, if unpopular, trade and follows Jesus.

Later, in Luke 19, we meet another treasonous tax-man. When Zacchaeus hears that Jesus is passing through, he decides to have a look. Perhaps Zach had heard about how his low-life colleague Levi had abandoned his post (a move that certainly would have caused waves in the shady tax collection community), or maybe he had heard stories about this controversial and polarizing miracle-worker/heretic. Whatever the reason, Zacchaeus (being extremely short) climbed a tree to get a good look at Jesus as he was coming through. And, before long, Jesus had another tax collecting hooligan for a friend.

You see where this is going... Jesus managed to hang with some pretty unsavory types. He liked them. He went where they lived, he ate their food, he sat on their couches, and he listened to their stories. Jesus loves broken folks, dirty folks, poorly-behaved folks. Why? Because like a doctor making house calls, he's come for the sick.

As a broken, dirty, poorly-behaved dude myself, I'm grateful.

Fast forward 2,000 years to this Thursday. Based on the kind of folks Jesus went out of his way to befriend, where would you see him? Some student friends and I have decided where we're spending our Saint Patrick's Day - How about you?