I was talking to a student recently that is a Christian but really wrestles with the idea that the Gospel just isn’t fun. Being a Christian doesn’t have the spark that the party lifestyle does to many.

We decided that we need to find a way to show that the Gospel is more powerful than Grey Goose or any other type of alcohol, sexual addiction, or escape from life. 

How do you show that the Gospel is powerful in your life. Or maybe a better question:

Is the Gospel powerful in your life? Is it more powerful than any other influence?

Way back in the summer, I was a counselor for a week of summer camp. There, I started to realize how much these kids were teaching me. I learned how important the generations were.

Children offer youth and vitality. They keep us young. They remind us of the scale of problems. They keep life simple. They help us to have high energy levels.

Our peers offer deep friendship. They offer commiseration. They share a common history. They are the people we’ll change our world with.

Our elders offer wisdom. They keep us young, too. They give us perspective that has been there and done that. They show us the mistakes we don’t want to make. They have so much to give.

Are you friends with people younger, your age, and older?

Don’t you think we live in a hyperbole culture?

Everything is the best ____ ever. When will we reach the peak? When will we have to look back and say “actually, that was better?” What happens when we encounter something truly spectacular? How do we describe that?

I was watching a movie a while back (Unknown) and this quote came up:

It’s like a war between being told who you are and knowing who you are.

I was looking forward to blogging about it and sure enough, the Fall Retreat with Illini Life gave me an opportunity. We talked a lot about spiritual warfare and how God’s truth needs to be implanted in us. There are so many lies we can believe and bad messages that get thrown at us. The reality is that we are God’s masterpiece and a wonderful creation. That’s who we are, and yet there are so many things telling us we’re not worth it, we’re dumb, we’re ugly, and we should just run away.

Praise God for His Truth in the Word and in the counsel of the Holy Spirit and other believers. I pray that the students that attended the Retreat are truly affected by knowing that they are wonderful in God’s eyes, no matter how wicked they’ve been and how far they’ve run. He’s been there all along and He wants to help you win that war by helping you to know who you are.

Hey friends,

I know it’s been some time since I last wrote. I want you to know that things are going well here at the U of I. I’ve been busy meeting with student leaders and new students as well as my co-workers to help to have the best ministry to campus that we can. On top of all of that, I’ve been trying to maintain relationships with my close friends here and find some time to work out and sleep.

I had one fun piece of information I wanted to share with you. It relates to the diversity of this campus. After our Saturday Night Grace worship service, I invited my Home Fellowship over to the DawgHaüs to make homemade pizzas. As I surveyed our group, I realized that there were 5 countries represented (S. Korea, Panama, Belarus, Brazil, and the US). There were guys and gals. Christians and seekers. There were friends and new people.

I’m so thankful that God has given us the chance to influence people for His Gospel in this place.

Our Fall Retreat is this week, and shortly after that, I should have a prayer letter extravaganza for you.

I said that to a student I was meeting this week. We were talking about personal devotion and I realized that I had revealed my heart. Time spent with God is more important to me than I want it to be. I don’t want to do it, but it is key to how I desire and need to function.

Are there things for you that are more important for you than you want them to be?

I’d mentioned yesterday that we talked about serving God or ourselves at SNG this past week.

One concept that struck me in particular is the idea of being a blob. Wayne at first mentioned the idea that we could be a blob that comes home and sits in front of the tv or computer all day. But then he talked about other blobs. He said we could be athletic blobs that make our whole lives about training and physical fitness. We can be social blobs that make our whole lives about what others think of us. We can be self-serving blobs that only think of our own needs. Heck, we could even be church blobs that are really good at going through the motions and going to church.

The anti-blob though, is one who lives for something more. One who serves a great King and considers the needs of others. It makes me think of a phrase that I love: Life Giving. Are you going to be a blob, or are you going to give life?