You are SENT

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.  

A Special Request

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’s story 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!

November Newsletter

Fresh Bread

“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

If you'd like to see my video click here: Melissa's Story: Hypocrite and Free

Enjoy some photos from before and after:

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).

PLEASE PRAY THIS WEEK

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

If you'd like to watch my video click this link: Melissa's Before and After

Thank you for your prayers and support! I can't wait to give you an update next week and share with you the impact this outreach had. 

Thankfulness and BIG Asking

The talk I gave at the athlete's Bible study a few weeks ago:

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful. At my house we go around the table and say one thing we’re thankful for before we pray and eat. It gives me warm fuzzy feelings inside until I stuff myself so full I’m going to explode. I was on Pinterest the other day, just wasting time looking at some-ecards?I think they’re so funny. A lot of them are super inappropriate, but I have found one that I find is both humorous and appropriate.

The sad part is it’s SO true. I have never been shopping on black Friday and one of my life goals is to keep that streak alive. But, I think one of the biggest issues in our culture today is lack of gratitude. We think we deserve all these good things and we’re just not thankful for the ways we have been blessed. Tonight we’re going to talk about the ten lepers that are healed by Jesus. This story is definitely about thankfulness, but I want to dig a little deeper and look into the way we pray and what that tells us about the way we view God. Open your Bibles to Luke 17. We’ll be in verses 11-19.

Luke 17:11-19

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”  Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

I don’t know how much you guys know about leprosy, but one piece of advice: do not search it in Google images. Seriously, worst idea ever. It’s gruesome and so very, very sad. This story starts off with Jesus and his disciples on the way to Jerusalem. We see this interaction between Jesus and ten men with leprosy. Leprosy is a skin disease that causes skin sores, nerve damage, and muscle weakness that gets worse over time. Imagine these ten men calling out to Jesus and they have skin sores and large bumps all over their bodies. Not exactly the most comfortable position to be in. And you notice that they are outside the village because they come in contact with each other as he was walking into a village. It was common to send lepers outside of the city because they were considered unclean. It was not just that they thought this disease was contagious. It was more than that. The Jewish people put a big emphasis on being clean: not eating certain foods, not touching things that were dead, etc. They had a lot of rituals and customs so lepers were considered to be unworthy to be in the presence of people who were “clean.” It was a common belief that leprosy was a sign of God’s disfavor. So these guys have been cut off from the community and sent out of the village. If you look back in the Old Testament, 

Numbers 5:2-3 actually contained instructions from God on how to deal with people who had leprosy. 

“Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has a defiling skin disease or a discharge of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean because of a dead body. Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.” 

So before you’re like, “well that’s rude!” These were the instructions they were given by God because leprosy is actually somewhat contagious and in order for the presence of God to dwell there the camp had to be clean. The people in this village were doing what God told them to do. The lepers call out to Jesus saying, “Jesus, master, have pity on us!” I find it interesting that they ask for pity and not healing. Being outside of the city they were very reliant on other people for supplies, food, and shelter. They were used to asking for pity. But here is Jesus who has time and time again healed people of a myriad of things. He has a reputation for healing the sick and they ask "small." They ask him for surface level needs when their greatest need is to be healed and restored to the community. 

They kind of miss the greatness of Jesus there, but then Jesus tells them to go show themselves to the priest. You only showed yourself to the priest for one reason and that was when you were healed. The custom was when you were cured of leprosy you would show yourself to the priest. Priests, according to Jewish law, were the only ones who could declare a person healed of leprosy -- clean, and fit to re-enter society. Jesus doesn't actually come out and say that they are healed, but he certainly implies it. Therefore, they must go to receive a clean bill of health from the official who can grant it. I’m amazed at the leper’s faith! They did not actually receive the healing and then go. Jesus told them to go and they obeyed. It would be a waste of their time to go to the priest if they were not actually healed. So it’s pretty cool to see them in faith go, trusting that Jesus would heal them. And he did! It says, “as they went, they were cleansed.”

The lepers go show themselves to the priest and what we see next is their response to the healing. Notice that only one of the ten men come back to thank Jesus. It says, “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.” Can you believe that? Only one out of the ten men came back to praise Jesus. And then Luke throws in the point “and he was a Samaritan.” In those times Jews and Samaritans hated each other and did not spend time around each other. This was mixed company and some of the other lepers were Jewish. Even those who knew God and claimed to follow him did not come back and praise Jesus for healing them. I think how often I am exactly like those other 9 lepers! I ask God for things and when he answers I’m off to the next thing! I don’t bother praising him for what he has done for me. I don't want that to be true of me anymore.

I think Jesus’ response is funny. I just makes me laugh when he asks questions sometimes. It’s like he already knows the answer, yet he still asks. He says in verse 18, “Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?’  Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’” At the end he makes this statement about his faith making him well. As far as we can tell all the lepers were healed (and stayed healed )of their leprosy, but here Jesus give a little more to the thankful Samaritan. Jesus offers more to him than the others. The Samaritan’s faith has prompted him to return to the feet of Jesus and by Jesus’ response we see that healing he gives this man is more than skin deep. He cared about the Samaritan’s physical body, but obviously he also cared about his spiritual condition and making sure he was “well” in that area too.

This passage causes me to ask myself a couple questions. And I hope you take the time to answer them as well.

#1 – What am I asking God for? I am asking small? I think so often I put God in a box. I limit him to what I think he can or will do for me. Ephesians 3:20 says that he is able to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” So I have to ask myself, “I am like the lepers?” I am asking for pity when I could be asking for healing?  I want you to hear that I am NOT saying this: "God does not care about your tests or safe travels or injuries or tiredness." He does care about those things. He cares about that stuff because he loves us and I know he delights in all requests being brought before him. But why don’t I ask for the big stuff? For the things I really need? For things that are internally going on inside? Why don’t I ask him to help me fight temptation? Or take away my bitterness towards that one person I can't seem to forgive? Or to fix a broken relationship within my family? It’s great to ask for help in school as you’re taking tests, it’s great to ask God to heal broken bones and stress fractures. So please do not hear that I don’t think you should ask for those things because you should. But I don’t want to be like the lepers. I don’t want to ask for only the skin deep stuff. I want to ask for real healing.

#2 – Am I thankful? The lepers shouted out to Jesus in a loud voice asking for pity. The one leper that came back to thank God shouted his praise. I like to imagine his praise was louder than that of his request. Do I do that? Is my praise and thanksgiving as loud or frequent as my requests? How much time do I spend praising God? He has given me an innumerable amount of good gifts. Do I take time to worship him for those things? For salvation? For being rescued from my sin? For a roof over my head? For a family and friends who love me? The list could go on forever! Do I thank him for those? In this passage it’s pretty clear that Jesus expects our praise. He asked where the other 9 lepers where. They were expected to come back. God is beyond worthy of praise. He deserves our worship and it’s expected of us. Will Arthur Ward said, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” That would be pretty lame right? 

#3 – And finally the question we have been asking all semester: who do you say that I am? What am I believing about Jesus? Do I believe he has only good things for me? When I don’t believe that he is good I tend to stop praising him and I tend to stop asking him for things. If I don’t believe he answers why would I pray? Do we believe that he hears and cares about our needs? Skin deep and beyond? Do I believe he’s able to immeasurably more than all I ask or imagine? The lepers had not been healed yet when they went to the priest. They went in faith, trusting Jesus that he would heal them. Do I believe God has the power to do those things? And am I willing to be obedient when he tells me to do something? Even if I don’t see results quite yet?

So here's the recap, number one: am I asking for more than the skin deep? Number two: am I thankful? And number three: what am I believing about God?

One thing my discipler, Kate, told me this year is praise and worship of Jesus leads to bold asking. When we rattle off the list of things we’re thankful for and remember the things he’s done for us we realize how good he is to us. It renews our faith and helps us ask for big things. The book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament constantly says, “Remember, remember, remember” over and over again. It’s a reminder to the Israelites to remember how God had saved them from the Egyptians and slavery. We should remember and thank God for all he’s done because he’s worthy of it, but also it helps us become faithful askers. So tonight  I’d love for you to honestly answer those three questions: Am I asking for more than the skin deep? Am I thankful? What am I believing about God? After that spend some time praising God. Thank him for the ways he’s blessed you. And after that I want you to ask for that big thing you have grown weary of asking. Sometimes I get tired of praying the same thing over and over because I doubt that God will really answer. When I remember all he’s done I know that he is beyond capable of answering. God has been so good to me and has answered so many prayers of mine, even ones I've forgotten I have prayed. He is able to do immeasurably more than all I ask or imagine. So I want to keep asking and I want to encourage you guys to keep asking. To be thankful and to ask big.

Service Week

Two weeks ago our Cru students participated in Service Week. Each small group Bible study took a evening or afternoon and spent it serving the community of Springfield. We invited other groups on campus to come with us to serve. It was so cool to build relationships with students in other campus organizations while honoring the Lord through service projects.

The athletes' Bible study invited Missouri State Athletes and went to a center for at risk and homeless youth called Rare Breed. We played board games with the kids and asked them about their lives. It was cool to hear their stories and encourage them to stay in school. Springfield youth really look up to Missouri State Athletes so it was very special for them to interact with these kids. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from that night as the center doesn't allow for photos.

Hammons/Hutchens Bible Study went to 2nd Baptist Church's community garden and helped prep it for winter. The Victory Garden was donated by a family within the church. Each year the crop is given to a variety of local organizations that serve Springfield's hungry and homeless population. As winter approaches, there were no crops for us to harvest, however, we were able to prep for next year. We spent a Saturday morning with the International Student Bible Discussion group, Asian American Pacific Islander Organization, and Spectrum (the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, and Transgender group on campus) cleaning out planters. The garden is all set for next year's planting season. It was a lot of fun to be with such a diverse group. Our students were able to serve alongside other groups on campus, some of which they would never come in contact with otherwise.

Please enjoy the photos from this fun outreach!

October Newsletter

FRESH BREAD

Ephesians 2:4-5

“But God, is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!”

In our small group Bible studies and at our Cru meeting we  have been going through Ephesians. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of reading Ephesians 2:1-10. Paul starts off by describing our condition before Jesus: dead in our sins,  gratifying the sinful nature, and children of wrath. Then in verse 4 comes the best two words in all of the Bible: BUT GOD.  We did nothing to deserve God’s grace and yet he freely gave it making us alive in Christ. What a wonderful, amazing thing! Because of those two words, we are now described as alive, God’s masterpiece, and in possession of incomparable riches of grace. My prayer is that the students at Missouri State really understand these truths.

My beautiful roommates. From L to R: Tina, Chrissy,
 Me, Kelsey, Lizzy, and Carrie.

Missouri State students at Fall Getaway.

FALL GETAWAY

Fall Getaway was a major success! 130 students from Missouri State attended. I was so encouraged to see students worshipping God together during the sessions and hanging out during free times. Solid friendships were built  that will last long past one weekend in the woods. This is what Shelby (pictured below, center), a sophomore in my dorm Bible study, had to say about her experience at Fall Getaway:

“This was my first year going to Fall Getaway and I loved it. I had a chance to meet a lot of new people, build a great and supportive community around myself, and worship the Lord with my brothers and sisters in Christ. God really put it on my heart to be a leader that weekend and through Him, I succeeded. It was truly impactful on my growth, because now I STRIVE to be a student leader with CRU and eventually I would love to be intern after graduation.”

Students from my dorm Bible study stargazing at Fall Getaway.
From L to R: Aaron, Kate, Shelby, Spencer, Thomas, and Daniel.

Me, Tina, and Carrie at Fall Getaway.

MISSOURI STATE ATHLETES
The athletes’ Bible study and the weekly devotional I’ve been doing with the volleyball team have both been going really well. We’ve consistently had around 40 athletes each week at our athlete small group. We’ve been challenging athletes to  answer Jesus’ question in    Matthew 16: “Who do you say that I am?” It’s been really cool to see the athletes at MSU dive deep into their relationship with God and invite their teammates to come out to hear God’s word. In my weekly devotional with the volleyball team we’ve been working through John Wooden’s pyramid of success. Each principle is rooted in God’s word and it’s been great to see the girls discuss what it looks like to honor God through volleyball and being a good teammate. Please continue to pray for the athletes at Missouri State. God is moving and big things are happening.

PRAISE GOD FOR:

• The amazing words, “But God.” His grace is so undeserved!
• A new addition to our staff family. Nicole and Danny, full time staff at Missouri State, had their baby boy. Charles Keith Goeking was born on September 26th. He is healthy and both mom and baby are doing great!
• Fall Getaway. Students were challenged in their relationship with God and built some really meaningful friendships.

Our newest staff baby Charlie.

Proud parents Danny and Nicole.

WAYS YOU CAN PRAY: 

• The athletes at MSU would have a passion for sharing the gospel with their teammates. Also for one member from each team to attend Bible study on Wednesday nights.
• The YouTube outreach happening October 29—November 2. Students will be sharing the gospel using social media. For more information on this outreach and specific ways you can pray check back here in the next few weeks.
• For me please pray Ephesians 6:19-20: “That whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel… Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”

We love Fall! Carving pumpkins with my roommates.