What's God doing on campus / What's the campus atmosphere? In dealing with the Greek side of campus, the feel I get from some students is one of general indifference regarding personal and spiritual growth. Others, even within the same fraternity, may be striving to develop all areas of their life while in college. All have been open to meet, however, and I am confident that over a period of time... these young men will begin to see areas in their lives that only Jesus can fill.
Campus wide, this year has been marked by a very high number of alcohol poisoning issues. Thus far, almost 150 students have been sent to the hospital for these cases... in the first month there were more cases than all of last year combined. In the some 20 sorority and fraternity houses on campus, students are making both incredibly wise and destructive choices for their lives. This is why it is so important for us to simply be there for them.
On a positive note... there are numerous Christians in every chapter on campus not only living in the house... but making an eternal impact on other brothers or sisters. It's been incredible to see how mature both personally and spiritually so many of the Greek students are. Being new to ministry myself, a large number of these fraternity and sorority members have helped me get my bearings in my new role and have also helped to open the doors of their chapter houses to our team during these first few months.
Through these students, it is clear to see that God is doing some amazing things at Arkansas. This year, one student had an idea to promote unity among all students and ministry organizations by holding prayer nights on campus. At the first event held, hundreds of students came to Old Main lawn in order to have fellowship and time of prayer for the campus and each other. Individually, these leaders are also investing in the next generation through one on one discipleship, accountability groups, and encouraging others in their faith.
As well, numerous students have made the decision to either re-dedicate or give their lives to the Lord this year. Again, with so many tough situations happening daily on our campus, it's awesome to see so many students that are living for the right things and sharing their faith with others. Finally, Campus Crusade at Arkansas is seeing unprecedented numbers of involved seniors this year. Almost 40 seniors made the trip to Quapaw, OK last month for our Fall retreat... compared to only a few last year.
What's God teaching James / Doing through James? I am learning a ton right now, which is part of the reason I have not sent out a support letter to you (candidly). For example, I will put together a letter to send out and the very next day... my perspective will have changed on what was written just the day before. The Lord is working daily on a few areas of my life: humility, forgiveness, grace, patience with others and myself, believing the best in people and myself, pride, etc. I am getting very comfortable with the fact that I do not need to have control of things at all times... that living with some unknowns is acceptable... that giving all credit to others (and especially the Lord) is very liberating... and that seeking advice does not show weakness. I am amazed daily that not having a strong grasp on a few concepts (not relying on myself for answers, letting go of control of my life for His greater and grander purposes, and keeping the big picture goals in mind) can get me in over my head... but through all trials... the Lord always guides and supplies His best for our lives. It's also been great to realize that life is truly a journey and not a destination, that making mistakes along the way is just part of personally developing and growing... and when mistakes are made... to own them but also to live in grace and forgiveness.
What He is doing through me is to daily spend time with fraternity men that are now where I was almost a decade ago. I pray daily for wisdom and the humility and foresight to continue to invest in their lives. I have been able to be part of conversations where young men open up about their lives, their journey, their struggles and what excites them. It's amazing how often young men, when given the chance, will really let you into their lives and sometimes offer you the opportunity to provide feedback or ideas to them. Most of the time, though, just being there and listening is the best thing one can offer. My hope is that others will see in me the same thing I saw in others who I once (and still do) looked up to: consistency, kindness, an engaging and selfless spirit, a friend.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
A Few Staff Members... To Be Continued
Lindsay Powers - Texarkana, TX - a member of our student staff team (alongside Noel and Samantha), she has been very involved in our ministry during her time at UA and has done a great job of developing her own ministry within her sorority house (Kappa Delta) and other leaders across the Greek system.
Samantha Swartzwelder - Conway, AR - Sam has done an incredible job of serving as a member of our student staff team this year, has been involved in Cru while in college, and has a strong desire for reaching out to and investing in those around her.
Noel Gieringer - Little Rock, AR - as a member of the student staff team, Noel has done a great job in whatever job she has taken on. Whether it is coordinating an event or leading bible studies, she is always up to the job.
Collin Prater - Dallas, TX - he has done an incredible job of helping to develop plans for and lead bible studies in the fraternity houses. An alum of Phi Delta Theta, he has a strong passion for investing in the men of the Greek system and helping them in whatever way he can.
The Crew - Part 2
Collin Pitts - Chicago, IL - Collin is a freshman pledging with Phi Delta Theta. I was able to meet him early in the year at a dorm cookout, and immediately had a great conversation with him. He has developed and matured a great deal during his time pledging both personally and in his faith.
Thomas Cole - Fayetteville, AR - A senior at Arkansas and in the blue shirt seen here, he has been of immense help in reaching out to his fraternity chapter (Sigma Chi) to provide names, ideas, etc.
Seth Murdoch - Cabot, AR - a senior as well, he has been very involved in Cru during his time at Arkansas and is extremely focused on building up others in their faith and his own as well.
Jake Williams - Dallas, TX - the chaplain of Alpha Gamma Rho, he indicated an interest to our team just recently to start doing bible studies in his chapter. We have gotten to meet with him over the past few weeks and he has an incredible desire to help shape the lives of his friends in the fraternity.
The Crew - Part 1
Michael Dodd - Kansas City, MO - Michael has been extremely involved in the Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) house, on campus, and within the Campus Crusade ministry. He has shown extreme passion for reaching out to the freshmen in his house and taking time to invest in them.
Luke Fulcher - Benton, AR - Luke has been very involved with Cru during his time in college and has both been a disciple and discipled other young men around him. He is a regular at both our weekly student leadership meeting and our student wide meetings.
Chase Phillips - Fort Smith, AR - Chase has done a great deal during his time in the Sigma Chi house here at Arkansas, and has provided a large amount of help to our team this year in gathering contacts and ideas.
Jason Aist - Cabot, AR - Jason has also been very involved in the Campus Crusade ministry and also his fraternity, Brothers Under Christ (Bucks). He attends all of our weekly meetings and consistently invests in the lives of others on campus.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Photos and lessons - Fall Retreat
Keith Roehrenbeck and I at our annual Fall Retreat, held this year in Baxter Springs, Kansas. An awesome weekend for students to refresh, recharge, and have a great time doing it. Speaker Rick James also gave numerous lectures on topics central to the lives of college students. 
You are looking at the staff flag football team, better known as the winners of the tournament during the Fall Retreat. This retreat was an incredible personal time of learning as well. I realized how important it is to always look out for the interests of others before my own... that when someone walks into the room they think either "here I am, or, there you are"... I want to be a "there you are" kind of person... looking out and for the needs of someone else.
Rookie Blogging - First Day
My hope for this blog is to keep my friends and family updated as to what's going on in my life through stories, learnings and pictures. I also want to keep a daily journal because... it's so hard to get in a rythym of doing it. Writing down everything that goes through my head in a day would take all day long and then some, but I'll try.
Another goal is to keep people who are supporting me with Campus Crusade updated and in the know of what they are paying me to do... as yesterday was a 7am - 11pm day... I can assure you it's being well used.
I am learning a great deal right now. Mainly, humility and grace with other people. All people, not just my friends or people I want to be nice to. I am trying to see everyone as God sees them... as people full of potential for amazing things. I try to give up control of things daily as well... in all situations... knowning that sometimes my way of doing things is best and others its not. There's always room for the opinion and feelings of others.
My need for quiet time, prayer, and time in the Word is increasing daily though sometimes not well attended to. If life can be approached from a quiet place, where peace abounds... anything situation can be viewed as a chance for growth and not a struggle... and things that once frustrated me sometimes do not and by that prove the very value of just slowing down and being still. It's a tough lesson for someone who wants to run at every chance.
It's interesting to me how often times in life we cannot see what's going to happen in the next week, day or minute... yet we continue to try to forecast and project our goals onto an already perfect plan... and are puzzled when that adds to the confusion. In a season of my life right now where so many things are in the air... it's easy to wonder and let my mind wander. But it's refreshing to stop and realize all has been taken care of so far in life, and that by holding onto a few key principles (loving others unconditionally, forgiveness, being humble and hopeful) life turns out perfectly.
My day to day role in campus ministry is teaching me a large part of this. During any given week, our team of 6 other men, 3 student staff women, and a few hundred involved students at the UA, will go through a few hours of concentrated prayer time, an equal amount of planning meetings (discussing our minstry as a whole, ways to improve and forecasting future opportunities and obstacles), time for personal development (there are both guided development cirriculum and then simple personal development opportunities), and the remainder of my time is spent with students in the fraternity houses, meeting with fraternity alumni in an effort to prepare for and plan our Greek ministry, and reaching out to leaders on others campuses to get thier best ideas and practices.
Tuesdays are our busiest days... I personally worked on finding new ways to reach out to fraternity men from 7 - 9, had a campus ministry prayer group from 9:30 - 11, from 11:30 - 1:30 did more contacting of undergrads to set up individual meetings, from 1:30 to 2:30 went to one of our fraternity houses and visited with some of the pledges and setup a lunch today out of that time, worked more on contacting guys from 2:45 to about 4:30... then from that time until 11pm we had our weekly student leaders meeting from 5:30 - 8:15 and then at 8:30 held our weekly student-wide meeting featuring praise and worship, a speaker, and time visiting with the students before and after. So, our days are hectic to say the least.
I am enjoying what I am doing (a great deal). It's a pleasure and a privelege to be able to invest in the lives of young people... young men with the world ahead of them... men that are now where I was almost a decade ago (yikes!). It's interesting to see how smart and up to date on everything students are these days... with technology, entertainment, etc. The same struggles still continue though, especially in fraternity houses. On the same campus, people are making both incredibly wise and incredibly destructive decisions for thier lives. Within the same pledge class, the same can be seen. My heart goes out to the student who doesn't realize thier own boundaries until they are crossed and decisions are made that can't be undone. However, I am learning to view each person as a clean slate... as someone in search of something... maybe an identity, maybe a friend, maybe a simple smile. Maybe they already have these things... but looking at my time as an undergrad it was often times spent wondering and wandering.
Apart from serious times, there are a ton of fun/goofy/joking times we are having daily. I was in a house this week where one of the members had ordered some duck calls from Mack's shop in Stuttgart (the Bass Pro Shops of duck hunting)... needless to say I ended up feed and hail calling (very very loudly) in the hall of the fraternity house... to the amusement and enjoyment of the guys. They got a kick out of it for sure!
I am enjoying the men on the staff team as well, and have made a large number of new friends through our ministry. I find myself continually amazed at how mature these students are that come to our weekly meetings, prayer times, etc. They have a depth of understanding of scripture and life in general, each with incredible talents and interests, that is beyond amazing.
As the days go on, I will continue to post different ideas and things learned along the way.
On to the day -
Another goal is to keep people who are supporting me with Campus Crusade updated and in the know of what they are paying me to do... as yesterday was a 7am - 11pm day... I can assure you it's being well used.
I am learning a great deal right now. Mainly, humility and grace with other people. All people, not just my friends or people I want to be nice to. I am trying to see everyone as God sees them... as people full of potential for amazing things. I try to give up control of things daily as well... in all situations... knowning that sometimes my way of doing things is best and others its not. There's always room for the opinion and feelings of others.
My need for quiet time, prayer, and time in the Word is increasing daily though sometimes not well attended to. If life can be approached from a quiet place, where peace abounds... anything situation can be viewed as a chance for growth and not a struggle... and things that once frustrated me sometimes do not and by that prove the very value of just slowing down and being still. It's a tough lesson for someone who wants to run at every chance.
It's interesting to me how often times in life we cannot see what's going to happen in the next week, day or minute... yet we continue to try to forecast and project our goals onto an already perfect plan... and are puzzled when that adds to the confusion. In a season of my life right now where so many things are in the air... it's easy to wonder and let my mind wander. But it's refreshing to stop and realize all has been taken care of so far in life, and that by holding onto a few key principles (loving others unconditionally, forgiveness, being humble and hopeful) life turns out perfectly.
My day to day role in campus ministry is teaching me a large part of this. During any given week, our team of 6 other men, 3 student staff women, and a few hundred involved students at the UA, will go through a few hours of concentrated prayer time, an equal amount of planning meetings (discussing our minstry as a whole, ways to improve and forecasting future opportunities and obstacles), time for personal development (there are both guided development cirriculum and then simple personal development opportunities), and the remainder of my time is spent with students in the fraternity houses, meeting with fraternity alumni in an effort to prepare for and plan our Greek ministry, and reaching out to leaders on others campuses to get thier best ideas and practices.
Tuesdays are our busiest days... I personally worked on finding new ways to reach out to fraternity men from 7 - 9, had a campus ministry prayer group from 9:30 - 11, from 11:30 - 1:30 did more contacting of undergrads to set up individual meetings, from 1:30 to 2:30 went to one of our fraternity houses and visited with some of the pledges and setup a lunch today out of that time, worked more on contacting guys from 2:45 to about 4:30... then from that time until 11pm we had our weekly student leaders meeting from 5:30 - 8:15 and then at 8:30 held our weekly student-wide meeting featuring praise and worship, a speaker, and time visiting with the students before and after. So, our days are hectic to say the least.
I am enjoying what I am doing (a great deal). It's a pleasure and a privelege to be able to invest in the lives of young people... young men with the world ahead of them... men that are now where I was almost a decade ago (yikes!). It's interesting to see how smart and up to date on everything students are these days... with technology, entertainment, etc. The same struggles still continue though, especially in fraternity houses. On the same campus, people are making both incredibly wise and incredibly destructive decisions for thier lives. Within the same pledge class, the same can be seen. My heart goes out to the student who doesn't realize thier own boundaries until they are crossed and decisions are made that can't be undone. However, I am learning to view each person as a clean slate... as someone in search of something... maybe an identity, maybe a friend, maybe a simple smile. Maybe they already have these things... but looking at my time as an undergrad it was often times spent wondering and wandering.
Apart from serious times, there are a ton of fun/goofy/joking times we are having daily. I was in a house this week where one of the members had ordered some duck calls from Mack's shop in Stuttgart (the Bass Pro Shops of duck hunting)... needless to say I ended up feed and hail calling (very very loudly) in the hall of the fraternity house... to the amusement and enjoyment of the guys. They got a kick out of it for sure!
I am enjoying the men on the staff team as well, and have made a large number of new friends through our ministry. I find myself continually amazed at how mature these students are that come to our weekly meetings, prayer times, etc. They have a depth of understanding of scripture and life in general, each with incredible talents and interests, that is beyond amazing.
As the days go on, I will continue to post different ideas and things learned along the way.
On to the day -
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