As my time with InterVarsity comes to an end, I wanted to pass on one more update on the work that God is doing in the lives of young men and women.

The school year at Hamline ended strong. I spent most of my last few months investing in next year's 6 student leaders and 4 volunteers. At the moment, it doesn't look like an InterVarsity employee will be stepping in at Hamline, but those 10 people are more than prepared to continue reaching the campus in the coming school year. I also spent a good amount of time saying goodbye to the graduating seniors. As they leave campus, it was great to say thank you over and over again for their years of service and to talk candidly about their expectations post-graduation. It's always a challenging time stepping away from a familiar community, but they all are lined up for great things.

The last major responsibility of my time on staff was Chapter Focus Week, the year-end retreat/training for students. As usual, this meant a long road trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula to join with approximately 140 students from around the Midwest as they explore how to be missionaries on their campuses. Specifically, I was helping with Converge, a week-long course designed for those who either don't have a relationship with Jesus or who are new to their faith. What was originally supposed to be 6 students turned in to 5 because of a change in registration (more on that later), and we had a blast. It all started by talking about our own stories, moved in to an exploration of the greatness of God's creation and the brokenness of sin, then on to Jesus' death and resurrection as a response to the brokenness. After all of that, we spent a day looking at God's call on each of us to respond to Jesus' sacrifice through a personal relationship and active outreach. There were powerful conversations about faith, personal challenges, and the realities of following Jesus, and significant decisions were made to either follow Jesus for the first time or to recommit to that relationship. All in all, a very exciting (and exhausting week).

The 5 students and 3 staff of Converge

Nate from Hamline was the one student of mine who was able to make it for the week, and along with his in depth exploration of the Old Testament, the two of us had the honor of getting to know the students from Franklin College. One of their students had been registered for Converge but switched to a study of the Gospel of Mark based on the advice of a friend. Throughout the week, I heard him share quite a bit about how he was learning about Jesus, how his questions about Christianity were being answered, and how he was realizing the need to follow Jesus with his life. Please be praying for all the students who encountered Christ that week, that they would not lose their motivation as they get in to their summer routines.

For me, life now involves a much more focused preparation for baby #2 (some time in the next 6 weeks) and a big question mark about vocational next steps. This past week in Michigan served as a good reminder of God's call to minister to others, and while I don't yet know what that looks like, I know that another door will be open (please forgive the cliche...it's the only words I can find at the moment). I've enjoyed my time with InterVarsity immensely and look forward to helping out in some capacity in the future.

Thank you all so much for your prayers, support, and encouragement these past several years.

As 2014 wraps up, I wanted to take a moment to look back at all I had the privilege to do this past year.

-In January, I got to gather with (usually) 10 students to discuss C.S. Lewis' 'The Screwtape Letters.' Our times together offered some great conversation and some practical challenges to the realities of being a college student.

-During the Spring semester, I had many opportunities for regular individual discipleship with students. From leadership development to spiritual formation, they were great meetings that I hope have long-lasting meaning in students' lives.

-Over Spring Break, 3 students travelled to Milwaukee for a service learning trip. The Milwaukee Urban Program has always been a place where students are challenged in their understanding of how to live out their faith, and it was exciting to process through with Spencer, Katie, and Alia as they looked to apply all they learned about God's heart for justice and reconciliation back on campus.

-3 Hamline students traveled to Michigan for Chapter Focus Week, where we talked extensively about what God's desire is for InterVarsity at Hamline. They also spent significant time studying the book of Mark, I worked closely with 5 students from different schools in Wisconsin as they learned how to lead small group Bible studies, and we got some great teaching from the book of Jonah.

-Lots of conversations with new students, hearing their stories of how they ended up at Hamline...and that's also meant a lot of new faces starting to show up at InterVarsity events.

-In October, I led worship for almost 500 students, staff, and volunteers at CrossTraining, IV's annual Fall Conference.

-And in November, IV at Hamline partnered with several other student organizations to pack 101 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. With service being a key component of student life at Hamline, this was a great opportunity to share more about God's Kingdom with others from around campus.

It's been yet another year of learning how to better do my job (aren't they all?) and a year of transition as I stepped out of the staff role at St. Olaf. Praise God for showing up in so many different ways and for having so many different opportunities to invest in the lives of students.

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, financial support, e-mails, jokes, texts, and everything else. I know without a doubt that it is a huge blessing to be able to work with college students, and you make that possible.

Wanted to pass along a quick update about what all has happened on campus in November.

In my last post, I mentioned our efforts to engage the campus in service through Operation Christmas Child. Our packing event was last week, and I have to say, it was a busy few weeks leading up to the event. We had a bake sale to raise funds for shipping boxes, collected donations to fill up the boxes, and spent time coordinating with other groups on campus to try and reach out to as many students as possible.

I think all of us involved in the planning were anxious going in to the evening. Our calculations were showing we were coming up short on all fronts, and we had no idea how many people were going to show up. Then people started showing up with bags of supplies. In a matter of minutes, we had 3 banquet tables piled high with toys, toothbrushes, crayons, soap, notebooks, and all kinds of other gifts. 

When 2 of our leaders started explaining what we were doing that evening, students started showing up. A lot of students. Lots of faces I’ve never seen before, including most of the women’s gymnastics team. It was all very overwhelming, and about an hour later, 50 people had helped pack 100 shoeboxes to send to kids all over the world.

Also, after taking pictures and giving lots of thanks, we added up all the financial contributions and found we were only a few (manageable) dollars short of our goal of $700. All in all, a pretty amazing evening.

Of course, there’s still plenty to do moving forward. Please be praying for opportunities to follow up with all of those new faces. We do this project not only because it’s a chance to serve kids from around the world, but also because it’s a way to invite others from around campus to partner with InterVarsity and hopefully build relationships that God can work in. 

Thanks for your prayers leading in to this.

What a Weekend...

Greetings. This past weekend, 450 students from MN, WI, ND, and SD gathered with about 80 staff and volunteers in Alexandria, MN, for CrossTraining. It would take too long to provide a thorough recap of the weekend, so here's some bullet points:

-150+ students in 'On Campus, On Purpose,' being challenged to a deeper understanding of the various ways God can use them on campus.

-30 students approaching graduation spent the weekend unpacking what it looks like to transition well, leave a legacy on campus, and continue following Jesus after graduation.

-15 young men and women making decisions to follow Jesus.

My main responsibility for the weekend was to lead the musical worship. It's something I've been preparing for since the middle of the summer, and it was a great honor to be able to serve those at the conference. It was pretty exhausting, but I had an excellent team of musicians to work with as we led students throughout the weekend. Knowing that students were coming from a variety of backgrounds, an emphasis was placed on experiencing many different forms of musical worship, helping students get a better understanding of how people from other ethnicities and cultures might draw close to God. It was reminiscent to a musical potluck (as we led songs like this, this, this, this, this, and this), and it was amazing to see students stretching themselves out of their comfort zones throughout the weekend.

4 students from Hamline were able to be there this weekend, and as I've talked with them about their time, they were all challenged about how God can use them back on campus. My next couple weeks will be full of unpacking this more and working with those students to cast vision for those who were not able to attend.

Thanks for all your prayers, support, and encouragement headed in to the weekend. Now it's time to finish resting up and hit the rest of the semester hard. Our campus-wide Operation Christmas Child event is just around the corner.

**My camera was not in attendance this weekend, but if you'd like to see a wide assortment of pictures and student responses, they're available here thanks to the wonders of social media.

I'm back and rested and excited to share about last week. Chapter Focus Week is always an exciting and exhausting time in the life of any IV staff worker. It's a week of jam-packed training, lots of student time, and beautiful Lake Huron.

3 Hamline students (Alia, Nate, and Ronnie) braved the 9 hour road trip and spent the week doing some in-depth study in the book of Mark. Each day they spent at least 5 hours in their track, working through the stories of Jesus with other students. I think it was difficult for each of them to fully wrap their minds around all the ways they encountered Jesus through their study, but I know that there's a deep stirring happening in each of them. Couple that with the excellent preaching from Jonah about God's call, passion, mission, and vision, and needless to say, I'm excited for how each of them will be used at Hamline this coming year. Please be lifting each of them up in prayer as they continue to process through all that God was working in them last week.

CFW 2014 Small Group...yeah, they're pretty great

As for me, I once again joined with 6 other staff to train a new group of small group leaders for ministry back on their campuses. I worked with 5 students from the Milwaukee School of Engineering, Carthage College, and the University of Wisconsin - Marshfield. They learned how to prepare sound and productive Bible studies and had a chance to lead and get feedback from their peers. More than that, we discussed what other responsibilities come with leading a small group -- building community, worshipping together, and engaging in outreach to others on campus. It is always amazing how quickly the groups come together during the week, and this group in particular was able to find support and encouragement from each other on some pretty critical things (and they have some good communication set up to continue that support over the summer). Please be in prayer for Bailey, Marissa, Drew, Jacob, and Jordan as they process through everything we challenged them with over the course of the week.

Now that summer has come around, my schedule adjusts to a strong focus on preparing for next school year. That means a lot of reading and praying as everything comes together for reaching out to new students and continuing to pour in to returning students. There will also be the usual checking in with current and future ministry partners. Please join in prayer for this time of preparation and sharing the vision of God changing lives on campus.

Thanks so much for partnering with God's work at Hamline and St. Olaf. It was a great school year, and that brings a lot of hope and confidence for the years ahead. If you ever have questions about more specifics, please e-mail me. And if you would like to partner financially, click here.

Thanks Again!

The last of the finals wrapped up yesterday, and the past several days have been spent getting ready for Chapter Focus Week. Tomorrow, I leave for Michigan to spend the next week working with students from around the Midwest. In total, 79 students will be at Cedar Campus, and I'll be part of a staff team leading small group leader training. We'll spend the week helping students understand how to facilitate Bible studies, build community in groups, and join in with Jesus' mission for outreach on campus.

There are also 3 students from Hamline coming. They'll spend their time at camp doing some in-depth study of the first half of the book of Mark. The Bible study skills they learn there will be a great asset to ministry on campus in the coming year.

I know from experience that these weeks can be exhausting and exciting. Please join in prayer for safe travel (about a 9 hour car ride), rest, and for God to be at work in the lives of each of the students there. I'll have more to report the first week of June.

Thanks.

March Update

To start, a quick look back...during J-term at Hamline, 10 students got together each week for discussions based on C.S. Lewis' book The Screwtape Letters. As many of you may know, this is a unique book that deals with fictitious correspondence between two demons and their efforts to influence a young man. The content of the book lends itself to many conversations about the realities of life as a college student, and our times in January proved to once again be challenging and formative (both individually and for building relationships).

St. Olaf students finding joy in the midst of the
frigid Minnesota Winter

J-term at St. Olaf provided time for a small group of students to study through the book I Once was Lost. It's a book that discusses many of the realities that postmodern students face on their journey to knowing Christ. I was not able to be a part of any of these discussions, but from what I hear, there were many good revelations that will have an impact on campus.

The transition between semesters is sometimes an interesting one as peoples' schedules change, but one big bright spot is that we welcomed back several students from their studies abroad in the Fall. I think every one I talked to expressed regret at leaving behind the various places they were staying (India, France, England, etc) to return to Minnesota in the dead of Winter, but it's been great to hear how God was at work in their lives beyond the borders of campus. 

Small groups started once again the second week of February, and at Hamline we've also had a few larger group gatherings. I personally have had many more opportunities this semester to interact with students on an individual basis, and God has been providing more clarity about how to support and disciple those students. Those meetings have touched on components of leadership training, personal growth, evangelism & outreach, and interpersonal communication...all important aspects of raising up students who have a deep understanding of how God has called them to reach their campuses. I'm excited to see how the rest of the semester plays out.

In a couple weeks (March 22-28) a few students from Hamline and St. Olaf will be traveling to Milwaukee for the Milwaukee Urban Plunge. It's an InterVarsity program that combines service with significant time in scripture. This year they'll be investigating the realities of Jesus' calls to invest in neighbors. Students who have gone in the past have come back with many positive reports, so please be praying that God would again be at work in the lives of all who go.

Look for further updates in mid-April on how God continues to work (and from students about their time in Milwaukee). In the mean time, please join in prayer for the student leaders as they balance the realities of being students and ministers on their campuses. It is taxing at times, but pray that God would affirm their calling.

Thank you so much for your prayers, support, and encouragement. To find out more about partnering in prayer, e-mail me. For financial partnership, click here.