Thank you for praying this week for Denver Christmas Conference. God is already working in the hearts of our students at MSU. If you'd like to see what DCC is all about visitwww.godcc.com. If you scroll down on the right you'll see a link for live streaming. We are broadcasting the main sessions. Here is the schedule
Sunday December 30
9:00-11:00 AM
7:00-9:00 PM
Monday December 31
9:00-11:00 AM
10:00 PM-12:00 AM
Tuesday January 1
10:00-11:30 AM
7:00-9:00 PM
Remember we are in Denver so keep in mind there might be a time difference. Keep checking back for updates on DCC and please continue to pray for:
Students would have ears that hear from the Lord and hearts that are ready to surrender to his will.
Community and deep friendships would be built.
Students who don't know Jesus yet would understand the Gospel this week and ask Christ to be King of their life.
If you hadn't heard, the world was supposed to end yesterday. And yet here we are: me typing this and you reading it. Yesterday afternoon my family and I went and saw the Hobbit. I was completely floored on how many of the movie previews had to do with end of the world scenarios. I don't know what our fascination with the apocalypse and post-apocalyptic living are, but it's a trend I don't see dying out anytime soon (pun intended). And it got me thinking about the mindset of our culture when it comes to the end. What is this fixation on the end of the world? It seems silly, but I guess it's a valid infatuation. I mean death really is THE big unknown. It's the only thing someone can't come back from and tell you about; let you know what to expect. You can ask someone what it's like to go through college, or have surgery, or raise a child. We can read books on surviving war and break-ups and cancer and natural disasters but the one thing that no one really knows about is death and what comes next. There is not one living person who can tell you what to expect. I suppose it's reasonable to fixate on this big unknown... to make movies about surviving the apocalypse because for many fighting off zombies and eating MRE's in solitude for 20 years would be a better reality than facing the big question mark of death. So we speculate and wonder and entertain ourselves with all the possibilities. And since New Years is coming and I tend to get very reflective when seasons of life end and new ones begin, I shall offer my own take on the end of the world. I'm not really sure who reads my blog. I'm sure a lot of you have faith in Jesus Christ and some of you maybe not. Either way these thoughts are for all. They're not brilliant or incredibly original; they're just my thoughts.
The end of the world isn't going to come when we expect it. I don't mean Y2K or Mayan calendars. I don't even mean Matthew 24:36,42 which says "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." I don't mean a literal end of the world. I mean the end of your world. Of my world. Of our friends' worlds. Peoples' "worlds" end unexpectedly all the time. Charlotte Bacon, Daniel Barden, Rachel Davino, Olivia Engel, Josephine Gay, Ana Marquez-Greene, Dylan Hockley, Dawn Hochsprung, Madeleine Hsu, Catherine Hubbard, Chase Kowalski, Jesse Lewis, James Mattioli, Grace McDonnell, Anne Marie Murphy, Emilie Parker, Jack Pinto, Noah Pozner, Caroline Previdi, Jessica Rekos, Avielle Richman, Lauren Rousseau, Mary Sherlach, Victoria Soto, Benjamin Wheeler, and Allison Wyatt all had their world end in an act of evil last week. 20 sweet, innocent babies went to school on a Friday in December and never came home. 6 educators went to work in Connecticut and didn't clock out. We wait for the end of the world and we forget that our world is incredibly fragile. We're not guaranteed tomorrow and no amount of preparation can change that. We can't buy enough canned goods and we can't build concrete walls underground that would be thick enough to ensure that life will go on. Instead of preparing for an apocalypse, why don't we prepare for eternity? Because we get one shot here on earth. That might be 100 years or might be 7 years, but what we decide here determines our forever. I take comfort in the fact that I serve a Sovereign God and I fully believe that those dear children are in heaven being held by Jesus with no more pain or fear of evil. As for the rest of us, I hope we grasp how fragile life really is. I hope we don't take the years for granted. And above all else I hope we can answer the most important question there is to answer: what do I believe about God?
Inevitably we do have to face this reality of death. Whether it's because of the apocalypse or by the hands of evil men or of natural causes. And if there is no escaping it, that one question remains: what do I believe about God? Not all of you are standing in the same boat here. I'm not naive enough to think that every single one of you believe there is a God. So, for each school of thought I have some thoughts to offer up:
For those of you who don't claim any faith: I assume this decision is based on many hours of careful thought and reasoning. In any case, I ask that you would consider the consequences of your decision. What if you're wrong about this conclusion you've come to? I know you could ask me the same question. So here's my answer: If I'm wrong, if there really is no God, no life after death so what? Yes, that is my answer: so what? And here's why. If I'm wrong I've spent my life with hope. I've spent my life giving to others. And I've spent my life feeling completely fulfilled and joyful. I live a great life, die, and that's it. Sure, maybe I spent my life believing a lie, but I'll be dead and I doubt I'll care. But what if I'm right and you're wrong? There is a God (who, by the way, loves you more than you could ever know... even though you deny his existence). There is heaven and there is hell. If I'm right, the consequences for you after you die are much more serious than simply believing a lie and ceasing to exist. Now this decision is not one to be made based on fear. But I do hope that question at least gets your mind moving. I just have to ask when you consider the complexity of our world, can you really say that science answers every single one your questions about nature, mankind, the origin of the world, morality, etc.? Aren't there just a few things out there that you can't explain? I'm not asking you make a decision right this second that there is a God. What I am asking is that you would at least revisit the topic of the existence of God. Because like I said before, what we decide about who he is will determine our eternity. And maybe you don't believe that's true, BUT if it is... on the slight chance that it is... the consequences are weighty. It wouldn't hurt to dig a little deeper, decide where you stand on this, and yes... maybe even pray. Just to see if God shows up. If you do all that and still arrive at your same conclusion, then I'll be satisfied.
For those of you I know that have "religion:" please hear me because you are near and dear to me (I think specifically of a few of my friends and family that I pray are reading this). Why is religion in quotes? What do I mean by religion? Why would religion be a dangerous place to rely? I do all the right things. I go to church and I pray sometimes. I'm a pretty good person. Or I believe all that stuff I'm just going wait until I settle down before I start practicing it. I don't want to miss out. Here's what I mean: religion can't save you. Going to church and praying isn't going to get you to heaven. You could be the best person in world and not be good enough. Because really, how good is good enough? How can you be certain that you've done enough good deeds or made into that church building enough times to guarantee your spot in heaven? Where's the cutoff? May I submit to you God's word: Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death." Ephesians 2:1-3: "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath." Romans 3:10: "As it is written: 'None is righteous, no, not one.'" Jeremiah 17:9: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick, who can understand it?" 1 John 1:10: "If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." We're NOT good. We're not worthy. I deserve hell. I don't deserve heaven. No one does, except one: Jesus. And here lies the difference between religion and relationship. I'm not bashing the church or good deeds or anything like that. I believe in all those things. They are good things. But what I don't believe (and I think the Bible is pretty clear) is that those things grant you any merit before God. Here is the rest of that Ephesians passage, 2:4-10: "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.FOR IT IS BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED, THROUGH FAITH—AND THIS IS NOT FROM YOURSELVES, IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD— NOT BY WORKS, SO THAT NO ONE CAN BOAST.For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." You see that is where being "religious" and having a relationship with Jesus are different. I'm a religious person in the sense that I go to church and I try to do good things, but ultimately I know that those things could never save me. The only thing that makes me worthy of getting into heaven is that I have put my faith and trust in Jesus and his blood covers my sin. Grace: an undeserved good gift. I deserve hell and I'm given heaven instead. And it is FREE. I don't have to do anything to deserve or earn it. What a relief! Belief in that is where rubber meets the road. Religion says, "change first before God will accept you." Religion says, "be a good person and God will be happy with you." False. The Bible doesn't say that. A relationship with Jesus means that you are fully accepted by God and as a result he will mold you into the kind of person he desires. Jesus first, actions follow. Not the other way around. I had a conversation with some friends recently where they expressed discontentment with their religious experience. They went to church occasionally but always felt guilty because they knew they were just going to walk out those doors and "mess up again." What I pray they understand more than anything is that Romans 8:1-2 is true: "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him the power of the life giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death." If that had a relationship with Jesus they would know that not only are they free from guilt, but they are also free from repeating the same screw-ups over and over again. Sadly many people I know would rather put checks in boxes on their "good person list" than really follow Jesus because they're afraid of what that might mean. What he'll ask them to do. What he'll ask them to give up. These are the "I'll really follow it later" folks. I already talked about the fragility of life so I won't go there again other than to say there might not be a later, do you really want to take that chance? What I really want you to know is from personal experience I can promise you that God is completely good and completely trustworthy. I can honestly say that following God's commands is a joyful and fulfilling life. He isn't withholding good things from me. Because he is good, he has set out boundaries and guidelines for my benefit and protection. So if you're afraid of missing out I would ask you to consider what you're missing by not surrendering control of your life to him. From personal experience (I had a few wild years in there) I can honestly say that I've never been happier than I am right now. And trust me my life is far from perfect. But I know that a loving, all powerful God calls me by name and has a wonderful plan for my life. I know that the things he wants to give me are for my benefit and my good. And I know that when I die, I will spend eternity in heaven with him. Can religion offer you all that?
For those of you are sons and daughters of Jesus: I rejoice with you because although this world will burn and our bodies get laid to rest,I take joy knowing that we will be in heaven together for eternity. I don't have long thoughts for us in this category, only this: let's not waste our lives. We have been given a precious gift and it's meant to be shared. If I make it to an old age I don't want to look back at my life and think, "I wish I would have..." Whatever it is, fill in the blank. I pray that after my world ends, when I stand before my Savior he says to me, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" I pray that we live each day with an eternal perspective.
If you have questions, comments, or objections to anything I said here please let me know! I love to talk about these things and would be interested in knowing where you stand.
Pray for the families of those who lost their lives in New Town.
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
It’s distressing that I often forget how much God loves me. He doesn’t love me like I “love that song” or “love Chipotle burritos.” Sadly, I’ve cheapened that word to describe my feelings for music and food among many other things. Lately, God has been reminding me of his love for me; his fierce, unfailing, unchanging love. I’ve been blessed to realize at least a small fraction of the magnitude of his love these past few months. 1 John 3:1 tells us that “he calls us his children.” I don’t even understand how much my parents love me and my heavenly Father loves me EVEN MORE! I pray that as we celebrate Christmas we rejoice that God loved us so much that he sent Jesus Christ to earth. I pray that we “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:18-19). What a wonderful, loving God we serve!
I had the wonderful opportunity to surprise my parents for Thanksgiving. They had no clue. It was SO FUN.
Roommate dinner!
From Campus
Because of your support this fall:
Each member of the volleyball team heard from God’s word every week this season.
Shelby and Kiley shared their faith for the very first time.
Lauren F., a freshman in the dorm I minister to, surrendered her life to Christ.
At the beginning of the year Lauren P. said on a scale from 1 to 10 she wanted to know God at a 10, but thought that he only would want to know her at a 1. She now understands that God loves her more than she could ever imagine and wants a personal relationship with her.
We’ve had at least 30 athletes attend every Bible study this year. 9 of the 14 sports have at least one of their athletes attending.
7 girls I disciple are discipling girls younger than them: showing them what a passionate, intimate relationship with Jesus looks like.
Lauren W., Ruth, Kiley, Ashley, and Shelby stepped into leadership roles for the very first time. They are using their individual gifts to serve in Cru.
Strong friendships have been built in my dorm Bible study. Students are making friends that build them up and point them to Jesus.
135 students put the story of how Jesus changed their life on YouTube and then on their Facebook. They boldly proclaimed to follow Christ and opened the door to have spiritual conversations with their friends and families.
“Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious” (Psalm 66:1-2). Thank you for your support which makes all of this possible. Let’s praise the Lord together for working in the lives of students at MSU. “To HIM be the glory forever” (Romans 11:36).
Please pray for Denver Christmas Conference!
It is taking place December 28th through January 3rd. We have over 90 students attending this year. DCC is always a time of intense growth for students. Please pray for students to travel safely to Denver, surrender their hearts to Christ, and build strong community with other students. For more information on this conference check out: www.godcc.com
Here is the most recent talk I gave for the athletes. Last week was our last meeting of the semester. I wanted to focus on kingdom vision and eternal perspective. Hope you enjoy!
All semester we have been talking about the question Jesus asks in Mark 8:29: “Who do you say that I am?” I hope that most of you have come up with an answer to that question. If not that’s ok, I encourage you to keep wrestling with and thinking through it. For those of you that have answered that question I want pose another question to you: now what? What are you going to do with that answer? If you believe Jesus:
•Came to earth as a baby
•Lived a perfect life without even one sin
•Died a gruesome death on the cross for our sin
•Rose from the dead cancelling out our debt making us completely blameless and righteous in the Father’s sight
The question I have for you is now what?
This talk tonight is the “so what” of everything we’ve talked about all semester. If we answer Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” by saying “I believe you are God. I believe that you did all that the Bible says. I put my faith in you, surrendering control of my life to your purpose and plan.” If you can say all of that Jesus has a command for you. And that’s where we’re going to pick up our text tonight. Turn with me to Matthew 28:18-20. This is right after Jesus was crucified and then rose from the dead.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Jesus is talking to his disciples and he tells them to go and make disciples of all nations BECAUSE “I am with you always.” I read this text so often and pass right over it. “Okay I get it… people need to hear about Jesus and I should be the one telling them.” Blah, blah, blah.
I understand how calloused we can become to hearing that. I know that there are a million things in your life that you have to worry about: school, your sport, family, finances, friendships, dating relationships, your future, the list goes on. It’s a lot and I get that. I understand the demands you guys face and I understand how tempting it is to pass off the end of Matthew 28 as a suggestion. But that fact is Jesus’ words are not a suggestion. They’re a command. Jesus doesn’t say, “Go and make disciples if you feel like it. Or if it’s comfortable and convenient.” He says, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” With no qualifying statements afterward. So tonight I want to show you a few illustrations to hopefully reopen our eyes to this passage because trust me I’ve read this a million times and I’m the biggest culprit of skimming right over it. Hopefully, the Lord renews our passion for sharing the good news of Jesus with the people in our lives.
Let’s pretend that one grain of sand represents your lifetime, the 70-100 years you get to live on this earth. Take this handful of sand. Experts estimate that there are 12,000 grains of sand in that one handful.
Now imagine a beach volleyball court. It is estimated that there are 512 billion grains of sand on that court. What about on every beach in the entire world? The University of Hawaii did a study and estimated that there are 7,500,000,000,000,000,000 grains of sand. However, as mere mortals it is impossible to know the actual number.
[At this point I did an illustration with the students. Since I can’t really do it properly on a blog, I’ll just explain it to you. I borrowed this from Matt Thiesen, a Cru staff member who works in our regional headquarters. After you read this you might consider attempting what I did and reflecting on what I wrote. This exercise is much more effective when you experience it firsthand.]
I used trash bags to cover any place light might come into the room: windows, exit signs, door cracks, etc. I turned off all the lights and it was completely pitch black. You literally could not see anything; not even your hand in front of your face. I allowed students to take in how dark it was in the room then I asked them to imagine I kept them there overnight. I asked them to think about how they would feel. They wouldn’t be allowed to talk to anyone or use any source of light. Then I asked them to imagine I kept them there through Christmas. In that darkness. No light. Next I told them that we were going to do a little exercise. The guys would get up and move to the left side of the room and the girls would get up and move to the right side of the room. When they got there I would teach them how to do a line dance, all in the darkness. Before they could move I stopped them. I explained that we couldn’t do that because they would get hurt and I would be in trouble with every single one of their coaches. We wouldn’t do that exercise but I explained to them this reality: people are walking in darkness who don’t know Jesus; who don’t know the Light. They stumble around, putting their hope in things that don’t satisfy them until they end up hurting themselves: spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally.
Then I asked them to imagine I kept them there until they graduated. Anywhere from 6 months to 4 years. Finally I asked them to imagine I kept them in that dark room for their entire life with no light; no interaction with anyone. Just darkness. I’m sure by that point a person would lose their mind. But here’s the sad reality: people they know [people you know] are in darkness like this. They don’t know the light. They don’t know Jesus.
Remember the grains of sand we talked about? How each grain represented one life? People who don’t know Jesus aren’t in darkness for one lifetime (70-100 years). They’re not in darkness for 12,000 (a handful) lifetimes. They’re not in darkness for 512 trillion (a beach volleyball court) lifetimes. They will be in darkness with real pain and real suffering for as many lifetimes as there is sand on every beach in the entire world. They will be in darkness for an infinite amount of lifetimes. We can’t even assign a number to it. We can’t even comprehend it. I know this is a really hard truth to think about especially with people you love. I hate thinking about friend of mine who I love dearly being in darkness like this, but the truth is because they doesn’t know Jesus this is the reality they faces. But there is good news.
[At this point I lit a small tea light candle]
The good news is that light pierces darkness. One candle can make all the difference. Look how this one tiny candle illuminates so much. I can see my hand. I can see some of your faces. And when that light spreads eventually the darkness will disappear.
[I lit ten more tea light candles. The room lit up and we could see everything clearly including the water bottle I knocked over when I was trying to find my way back to the podium I was at after I turned out the lights.]
You who love Jesus are like these candles. You are surrounded by darkness, but Christ has made you a light. This is why he commands you in Matthew 28 to go and make disciples. Because people who are in darkness long for the light and you have been sent, commissioned, to tell people about the good news of Jesus.
It is not an accident that you are an athlete at this school. It’s not a coincidence you’re sitting in this room today. There are 370 athletes and 45 coaches at this school. And there are 30ish of you sitting in this room tonight. This is your mission field. These are the people God has put in your life to love and to care for and to share the good news with. You didn’t just come to Missouri State to earn a degree or to play football or field hockey or to swim. God has purposed your time here, to make a difference in the lives of your teammates. When we surrender out lives to Jesus he doesn’t just zip us up to heaven. Why is that? If the goal is that we might know him, why won’t he take us to be with him as soon as we decide to ask him into our lives? Because others need the light. Because you are meant to share with others what Christ has done for you.
I used another illustration to put this into perspective. Fortunately I don’t have to describe this one because pastor Francis Chan has a YouTube video using this illustration. Please watch:
What I want you guys to hear tonight is what you do during this tiny red part determines what you’ll do for the rest of eternity. What we decide about Jesus here on earth determines the rest of our forever. We don’t get this chance over again. We get one shot to make a decision and then eternity. Now for a lot of you that’s great news. You’ve made your decision and you get to spend your eternity living in the light with Jesus. So: use this life to take as many people with you as you can. When I stand before Christ in heaven at the end of my life I want the people I love standing next me.
I also want your teammates, coaches, friends, and families to be standing there too. I want them to have what you have here on earth. I want them to have hope. I want them to be cared for and protected by a God who loves them. And ultimately I want their eternity to spent with Jesus. Revelation 21:4 describes it this way “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Can you imagine that? A place with no more pain. No more suffering. No more death. No more heartache, or disappointment, or bitterness, or evil, or fear.
Think about those people in your life that you love; the ones that don’t know Jesus, the ones that haven’t surrendered their lives to Christ. You have the opportunity to bring others out of darkness and into the light with you. But here’s the thing: you get one shot. If you’re lucky you’ll get 70-100 years on this earth and that’s it. What I want you to encourage you with tonight is don’t waste your time here. Not just at Missouri State… I mean don’t waste your life on earth clinging to things that don’t matter. I’m not saying all of you should become missionaries and move to South America. I’m not saying you should shove your religion down peoples’ throats or use a “turn or burn” type of message. I’m not saying that you guys don’t have real things to worry about in your life. All I’m saying is that Jesus has given you a precious gift and he’s given you the ability and position in peoples’ lives to tell them how Jesus has changed you.
Some of you may be saying, “Jesus’ command must have been for someone else because I’m not the best speaker. Or I don’t know very much about the Bible. Or I’d feel like a big hypocrite because I don’t have it together. Or you don’t know my friends, they don’t want to hear about all that stuff.” But those are lies from the enemy!
This is what Isaiah 61:1-3 says about you:
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”
Paul was in the same boat. And remember he used to murder Christians! Even that didn’t stop him. Here is 1 Corinthians 2:1-5:
“And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.”
The Bible speaks of idolatry ALL THE TIME. People are trying everything they can to fulfill a need only Jesus can fill. They are desperate for a Savior whether they know it or not. Romans 1:23, 25:
“They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator.”
I’m not the most eloquent speaker. I don’t have all the right answers and I’m definitely not perfect but I’ve seen the Lord use me when I just get over myself and ask people simple questions. It doesn’t have to be a big debate or long talk. It can be as simple as one question that opens up the door to future spiritual conversations. It can be as simple as mentioning your relationship with God in everyday life. Your religion doesn’t have to be something you turn on and off with different people. You don’t have to wear your “Christian hat” when you walk into church and take it off when you leave. Be passionate about your relationship with Jesus and people will notice. Be willing to ask people about their lives.
•What was your spiritual background growing up?
•What do you think happens after death?
•How do you view God?
•Who do you think Jesus was?
•How does a person become a Christian?
•Can I pray for you?
Invite them to things. You never who would say yes to coming to this Bible study, Cru, or church with you just because you ask.
You get 80 years and that is a blink of an eye compared to the rest of your eternity. Spend your life doing something that matters. Because at the end of your life all your accomplishments and awards will amount to nothing. No one is going to remember your win/loss record or how many yards you rushed or goals you scored. All your money and possessions will eventually burn. The one thing that is really going to matter is the way you invested in the people in your life.
The past four months have brought new challenges, unexpected joys, and countless learning experiences for me. I am extremely thankful for this job because I get to see students meet Jesus for the first time and continue to grow in their relationship with him. I want to tell you about Shelby, a girl I met at the beginning of this year when she started coming to my dorm Bible study each week. I was immediately intrigued by this petite, blonde, cellular molecular biology major who took avid notes during Bible study. Shelby didn’t grow up going to church or knowing Jesus her entire life. In fact, she didn’t really commit her life to Christ until this past summer.
Shelby lived in the dorms last year with Charissa, a friend from high school. Charissa got involved with Cru pretty much right away. As the year went on Charissa consistently invited Shelby to come with her to Cru, but each time she refused. At the very end of last year Shelby finally came to Cru. She really enjoyed it, but the year ended and she went home to a faithless environment.
The summer brought spiritual dryness and a really tough break-up. It wasn’t until the middle of the summer that Shelby finally surrendered her life to Christ. As Shelby put it, “I was heartbroken. I really had no where to turn to or to go, so I turned to God.” She realized for the first time that she was in need of a savior and a life with Jesus as her Savior brought joy and security. She knew she needed to get involved in Christian community when she got back to school and made up her mind to get involved with Cru.
In addition to seeing Shelby each week at Bible study I have had the privilege of meeting with her for discipleship every Tuesday and have seen her grow immensely this semester. She is excited about sharing her faith and wants to step into leadership. Even more than that I have seen Shelby grow more in love with her Savior. Shelby says, “God has truly provided me with an awesome and powerful community of people that I can be myself around and grow.”
It is girls like Shelby that bring me so much joy in this job and it is because of the numerous students like Shelby that I have committed this year to sharing the life-changing message of Christ with college students. God is at work, drawing students to Himself and transforming a generation of future leaders. I know that you too continually answer the call, partnering with me. In fact, integral in Shelby’sstory are your prayers and financial support. As 2012 comes to a close I ask that you prayerfully consider helping me with a year-end gift. Right now I am asking the Lord to bring in $4,500. Those needs include:
·Three scholarships for students who have the desire to go Denver Christmas Conference but lack the funds to be able to make that happen.
·An upcoming vision trip to our overseas partnership in Cote d’Ivoire, Africa at the end of February. The purpose of the trip is to encourage the local staff team, share the Gospel with students on campus, and plan for the summer project (short term mission trip with Cru) that we will be sending our students to this summer.
·Funds to cover a one time gift deficit I had from this past summer when I was raising support. As travel and ministry expenses come up the additional support is needed and would be much appreciated.
If you feel led to give please go to my secure Cru giving page at https://give.cru.org/0641262 and follow the simple instructions. To insure a 2012 tax credit, please submit your gift by December 31, 2012. It is such a great privilege to share my prayer needs as well as my financial needs with you.
However the Lord may lead you to respond, I am so very grateful and take comfort in knowing you are standing with me for the Gospel. Because I consider it a joy to seek the Lord on your behalf, please provide me with your immediate prayer requests, as well as those for the coming year by email at melissa.gmur@cru.com. Please send me your prayer requests whether God leads you to give financially or not because I love praying for you. Please know how so very thankful I am for you!
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, it is he that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:4-5
I think the thing that’s been on my mind most recently is the word: ABIDE. Jesus tells us in John 15 to “abide in me… for apart from me you can do nothing.” More than ever I’m realizing how true His words really are. I’ve been blessed this year to see fruit in ministry, but I know all of that has been the Lord’s gracious provision because I often struggle with self-sufficiency, trying to do things in my own strength, which is so tiring. I wasn’t made to be independent from the true vine. I was meant to be given life and strength as I abide in Him. I’ve heard the word abide defined as “the habitually adhere to” or “to be at home.” As the semester comes to a close things only seem to get busier. Please pray that I will abide in Christ, rely on him for strength, and make myself at home in his love so that I may bear much fruit and bring Him glory.
Blessed to be living with these ladies, From L to R: Carrie, Tina,
Me, Kelsey, Chrissy, and Lizzy
From Campus
I want to apologize that this newsletter is later than normal. I wanted to wait to send this one out until after our YouTube outreach because I knew the Lord was going to do some really amazing things last week and I wanted to share them with you. We had 157 students sign up to participate in this outreach November 5-9. Students picked one word that described their life before a relationship with Jesus and one word that described their life after a relationship with Jesus. Students wore green t-shirts that looked like the photo to the left.. Except instead of “before” and “after” they had the words they chose. Students wore these shirts for the whole week .Imagine walking on campus everyday and seeing 150+ people walking around in green t-shirts with strange words on them. As you can imagine MSU students and faculty were very curious. Many people asked our students, “What is with all the green t-shirts?” Students got to answer that question and share with them how Jesus has changed their lives. Students also recorded a short 2-3 minute video sharing their story and the transforming power of the gospel. Every student posted their video on the same YouTube channel and then on their Facebook page. Usually a person's religion is something you can read about in their Facebook profile, but have no clue how that actually impacts their life. The point of the t-shirts and the videos was to get students into spiritual conversations with their friends, classmates, roommates, teammates, and family. We’ve had over 13,000 views on our YouTube channel. It’s been so cool to see God use our students, taking a huge step of faith, to put the gospel in arms reach of so many people. And not just on Missouri State’s campus but all over the internet.
Check out some of the stories from this week:
Ashley is a leader in our athlete Bible study and the libero for the volleyball team. Last week Ashley was able to share her story with one of her teammates, Karen, over dinner. Karen believes there is a God, but doesn’t know Jesus as her personal savior. She is willing to talk more about spiritual things and Ashley is excited to continue having spiritual conversations with her.
Kiley, another leader in our athlete Bible study (pictured front row, center with other MSU athletes who participated in the outreach), saw her video reach farther than she could have imagined. Kiley posted her video on Facebook and one of her friends from high school who is going to school at University of California at Berkley. Kiley’s friend sent her a message, saying how the video really impacted her and was making her think about her own relationship with God, which is struggling right now. Kiley is excited to talk more with her friend over Christmas break.
Allie is a junior in Cru. Only a few people asked her about her shirt during class (not the best time to have an in-depth spiritual conversation). Allie was a little disappointed she didn’t have more deep conversations, but said, “The outreach helped me learn to trust God more. I was wearing a shirt that had my story on it and putting a video about my story on the internet, and I learned to rely on God through those experiences and put myself out there for Him.” Not only was this outreach great for Allie’s spiritual growth, but now she is equipped to share her story with people wherever she goes.
Jess is a junior on the soccer team at Missouri State. One of her teammates saw her video on her Facebook page. She wanted to talk more about what Jess shared in her video. After their initial conversation, her teammate wants to meet up on a regular basis for discipleship because she wants to grow in her faith. Jess is really excited that she gets to invest in a girl on her own team.
If you'd like to see some of our students' testimony videos click here: MSU Cru Before and After
If you'd like to see videos from the athletes involved in our athlete small group Bible study click here: Cru Athletes
Morgan one of our students took this photo. She was watching the video of the girl
sitting across from her in the student union.
Everyone has a story. What's yours?
Ruth (L) and Becca (R) having lunch with some friends.
The wood "t-shirt." An attention grabber.
Found this in the hallway of one of our dorms: love our students getting the word out.
Students and staff manning the outreach table. Students had the change to write a word that describes their lives on the wood "t-shirt." This opened the door to questions and spiritual conversations.
Allison looks on as an MSU students writes his word on the t-shirt.
Ways You Can Pray
Pray that this before and after outreach will have an impact past this month. Pray that the people who watched the videos and saw the t-shirts will continue to seek out what it means to have a relationship with Jesus. Pray that our students will use their stories to share the gospel with people for the rest of their lives.
I love December because December means Denver Christmas Conference. We want to see students' lives changed. We want to see the world changed. Every year college students have the chance to grow closer to Jesus Christ through prayer, powerful worship, passionate Bible teaching and community at Denver Christmas Conference (DCC). Students will be equipped with life and ministry skills, have the opportunity to connect and network with other students and reach out locally and globally. DCC is a chance for students to have an uncommon winter break! Check out this years promo video:
If you would like to scholarship a student who wants to go to DCC but might not be able to afford it please email me: melissa.gmur@cru.org. If you'd like to find out more about DCC click this link: Denver Christmas Conference.
Cru's Annual Halloween Party
My roommates and I were Disney villains this year. From L to R: the witch from Snow White (Kelsey), the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland (me), Yzma from the Emperor's New Groove (Chrissy), Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians (Carrie), and Ursula from the Little Mermaid (Tina).
Hello friends! I'm so excited to share with you what is happening this week. We are doing an outreach at Missouri State using YouTube and green t-shirts. Let me explain:
Cru students who have had their lives transformed by Christ signed up to participate in this outreach. They chose one word that represented their life before Christ and one word that represented their life after Christ. We had t-shirts printed that look like the photo below, except instead of saying before and after it says the words they chose.
Students also recorded a short video sharing their story: what their life was like before Jesus, how they met Jesus for the first time, and what their life is like now that they know him. Students uploaded these videos to a YouTube channel and will post their video on their Facebook page. They will also wear their t-shirts on campus for this whole week: November 5-9. That's right! Every day for a whole week. Some people might have to do some laundry come Wednesday.
We had 157 people sign up to do this outreach. You can imagine the kind of impact that would have on campus and on the internet? Our goal is that students would have an easy transition into talking about what they believe with friends and family. Usually a person's religion is something you can read about in their Facebook profile, but have no clue how that actually impacts their life. When students see their Facebook news feed blowing up with these "Before and After" videos or walk on campus and see 150+ people wearing the same green shirt with strange words on the front there will be quite a buzz. Our prayer is that people who have never surrendered their lives to Christ will ask our students questions about their shirts and videos and that ultimately our students will get to share their stories with them and then the gospel. Will you please diligently pray this week for our outreach?
Here's a few specific things you can pray for:
This is a really big step for many of our students. Some of them have never shared their faith before. Some of them have never boldly claimed to be Christians and letting the whole world know is going to be hard for them. Will you pray for our Cru students who uploaded videos and will be wearing the t-shirts? Pray Ephesians 6:19-20 for them: "that whenever they speak, words may be given them so that they will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel... Pray that they may declare it fearlessly, as they should."
Pray for a HUGE impact. University of Illinois did this outreach last year and had about 12,000 views on their YouTube channel. Pray for an impact like that for us too. Also, pray that our students get to have A LOT of conversations about their shirts. Pray that students at MSU would be curious and ask questions about the t-shirts. Each student who signed up was challenged to pick 3 people they wanted to talk to about their shirt. Pray that they actually take a big step of faith and talk with those people.
Pray that students would hear the gospel, place their trust in Christ, and surrender control of their lives to him.
Pray against any spiritual warfare that might happen this week.
If you would like to check out our channel and hear from some of our wonderful students click the link: MSU Cru Before and After
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