Hello, friends!
With the end of the year approaching, it is time for one of my favorite annual traditions, Regional Staff Conference.
For those who are unfamiliar with the inner workings of InterVarsity, every chapter (ACF, BCM, etc.) is on a campus (in our case, Mizzou). Every campus is part of an Area (ours is Missouri). The Missouri Area (or the A-Team) is part of the Central Region, made up of all areas, and by extension, all campuses, and chapters, in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri. We share a regional vision and work together to accomplish goals that our Regional Leadership Team (RLT) sets out for us. Once a year, at the end of the first semester, we come together to refocus on our vision, share stories from our chapters, and play a lot of Settlers of Catan.
I love being a part of the Central Region. I have known many of these folk and worked with them for a number of years. We have ministered to one another, worked to serve students together, and had tons of fun on a number of different occassions. Regional Staff Conference is always a joy because it lets me reconnect in person not only with co-workers, but with friends. There is something reassuring about talking with people who can relate exactly to your situation because they are in the same line of work and experience similar things.
Every year each of us have different roles for Regionals. Some lead worship. Others do some teaching. Still others are in charge of games. Different folk fill different roles every year. However, there is one role that has been assigned to me that probably will retire with me. My job is to write the Welcome to Regionals Song Parody.
Apparently, one of my gifts is writing song parodies. I don't have many original thoughts, but if you give me a melody, I can promote a conference or wish someone goodbye with the best of them. I have done everything from Green Day to Jason Mraz to Bruno Mars. If it has a good beat and enough lyrics, we can make it work.
Over the years things have gotten fancier. It used to be just me and my guitar. Thankfully, now I don't even need to play because my good friend (and staff at Saint Louis University) Kale, who is a much better musician than I am, lays down some pretty amazing riffs. I come up with the words, Kale comes up with the guitar licks, and we rock the house.
Here's the problem though. Regionals is in under a week and I still haven't written the welcome song. I have a few ideas, but nothing is jumping out at me like it usually does. I don't know why inspiration has been so hard to come by, but I need some, and quick.
This may not be the deepest post you read all year, but the prayer request is real. I pride myself on my ability to entertain the good people of the Central Region. Prayers for inspiration would be much appreciated. =0).
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Here come the finish line!
Hello, friends!
I hope that you are all having a stellar start to December. 2011 certainly has flown by, hasn't it?! With finals starting this week, this marks the end of the semester for both ACF and BCM. There is always a temptation to coast during this time and focus on next semester. However, a lot can happen in one week. For example, here is my "to do" list for these last 5 days:
- Plan our final ACF Large Group
- Plan our final BCM Bible Study
- Meet with each potential ACF leader
- Make invitations to MOmentum, InterVarsity's evangelism training for the Missouri Area
- Plan a goodbye party for one of my BCM students who is going to be transferring
- Try to reconcile with another black Christian group over some misunderstandings
- Mail out ACF Christmas cards
So, you can see, the week is packed! A few prayer requests:
- Please pray for our leadership selection process. Pray for good wisdom and discernment here.
- Pray for the reconciliation between BCM and the other group. The last thing we need is disunity in the community.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
I hope that you are all having a stellar start to December. 2011 certainly has flown by, hasn't it?! With finals starting this week, this marks the end of the semester for both ACF and BCM. There is always a temptation to coast during this time and focus on next semester. However, a lot can happen in one week. For example, here is my "to do" list for these last 5 days:
- Plan our final ACF Large Group
- Plan our final BCM Bible Study
- Meet with each potential ACF leader
- Make invitations to MOmentum, InterVarsity's evangelism training for the Missouri Area
- Plan a goodbye party for one of my BCM students who is going to be transferring
- Try to reconcile with another black Christian group over some misunderstandings
- Mail out ACF Christmas cards
So, you can see, the week is packed! A few prayer requests:
- Please pray for our leadership selection process. Pray for good wisdom and discernment here.
- Pray for the reconciliation between BCM and the other group. The last thing we need is disunity in the community.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
National Spotlight...
Hello, friends!
Every month, InterVarsity highlights different staff and campuses around the nation to let people know what is going on in the ministry. I have the honor of being spotlighted for the month of December. If you go to InterVarsity's homepage sometime in the next few days but it is already on the staff website so I thought I would share it with you all to give you a "sneak peek."
Sometimes in the midst of chaos there occurs a moment of clarity when the big picture comes into focus. Such a moment happened to Adam Leong in his junior year at Washington University in St. Louis.
Adam was a leader in the InterVarsity chapter and had been invited to consider a staff internship with InterVarsity after graduation. As he considered his decision he faced some resistance from his family. Then on Easter morning the campus was shocked by the sudden death of a freshman student.
Into Focus
Adam spent the whole day counseling and praying with students and wondering what else he could do. “In a moment of clarity I heard God say to me, ‘This is what I want you to do. I want you to serve college students. This is what I’ve called you into.’”
After graduation Adam was assigned to the University of Missouri in Columbia, becoming InterVarsity’s first undergraduate staff on the Mizzou campus in about 20 years. The campus is well-served by almost three dozen different ministries. But there are still groups of students on campus who need to hear the gospel.
“My mentality is to say, ‘Where is the gospel not; let’s go there,’” he said. Adam has planted an Asian Christian Fellowship chapter and is now developing a Black Campus Ministries chapter.
McEvangelism
His experience with InterVarsity has stirred up Adam’s interest in evangelism. “Evangelism is at the core of who Jesus is,” he said. “Through InterVarsity I realized God’s heart is for everyone to know Him.” Adam enjoys meeting with students in fast food restaurants and sharing the gospel with them.
Being a Christian student on a secular campus, surrounded by non-Christian friends, is not easy. Adam notes that Christian students look at the weekend in a totally different way than their non-Christian friends.
“There’s this tension,” he said. “The Christian student feels like, ‘I want to be in their world because I want to connect with them, but this makes me so uncomfortable and what they’re doing breaks my heart.’ They don’t enjoy holding their friends hair back so they can puke into the toilet because they had too much to drink. That’s not fun for them; but at the same time they know that they need to be there.”
Ready for More
Adam is glad to have students who are willing to share the gospel with their fellow students. But campus ministry is so much more than that. Sometimes the bigger picture of campus ministry comes into focus for only one student a year. But this year is different.
“Seeing six to eight students catch the vision, identify themselves with Asian Christian Fellowship, embrace the mission fully, and make a commitment that they were going to pursue it together is memorable,” he said. “When that happens, I can see the light go on. Then I believe God is going to do big things.”
Posted and last modified on: Nov 30, 2011
Thanks so much for being a part of the wonderful work of changing lives for the Kingdom at Mizzou!
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Every month, InterVarsity highlights different staff and campuses around the nation to let people know what is going on in the ministry. I have the honor of being spotlighted for the month of December. If you go to InterVarsity's homepage sometime in the next few days but it is already on the staff website so I thought I would share it with you all to give you a "sneak peek."
The Big Picture in Focus
Sometimes in the midst of chaos there occurs a moment of clarity when the big picture comes into focus. Such a moment happened to Adam Leong in his junior year at Washington University in St. Louis.Adam was a leader in the InterVarsity chapter and had been invited to consider a staff internship with InterVarsity after graduation. As he considered his decision he faced some resistance from his family. Then on Easter morning the campus was shocked by the sudden death of a freshman student.
Into Focus
Adam spent the whole day counseling and praying with students and wondering what else he could do. “In a moment of clarity I heard God say to me, ‘This is what I want you to do. I want you to serve college students. This is what I’ve called you into.’”
After graduation Adam was assigned to the University of Missouri in Columbia, becoming InterVarsity’s first undergraduate staff on the Mizzou campus in about 20 years. The campus is well-served by almost three dozen different ministries. But there are still groups of students on campus who need to hear the gospel.
“My mentality is to say, ‘Where is the gospel not; let’s go there,’” he said. Adam has planted an Asian Christian Fellowship chapter and is now developing a Black Campus Ministries chapter.
McEvangelism
His experience with InterVarsity has stirred up Adam’s interest in evangelism. “Evangelism is at the core of who Jesus is,” he said. “Through InterVarsity I realized God’s heart is for everyone to know Him.” Adam enjoys meeting with students in fast food restaurants and sharing the gospel with them.
Being a Christian student on a secular campus, surrounded by non-Christian friends, is not easy. Adam notes that Christian students look at the weekend in a totally different way than their non-Christian friends.
“There’s this tension,” he said. “The Christian student feels like, ‘I want to be in their world because I want to connect with them, but this makes me so uncomfortable and what they’re doing breaks my heart.’ They don’t enjoy holding their friends hair back so they can puke into the toilet because they had too much to drink. That’s not fun for them; but at the same time they know that they need to be there.”
Ready for More
Adam is glad to have students who are willing to share the gospel with their fellow students. But campus ministry is so much more than that. Sometimes the bigger picture of campus ministry comes into focus for only one student a year. But this year is different.
“Seeing six to eight students catch the vision, identify themselves with Asian Christian Fellowship, embrace the mission fully, and make a commitment that they were going to pursue it together is memorable,” he said. “When that happens, I can see the light go on. Then I believe God is going to do big things.”
Posted and last modified on: Nov 30, 2011
Thanks so much for being a part of the wonderful work of changing lives for the Kingdom at Mizzou!
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Crazy Uncle Adam Presents...
This is my niece, Vienna (with her mama). She is the most beautiful little girl in the whole entire world. If anyone would like to dispute this fact, I will gladly fight you. =0).
Vienna Lin Chuang was born on November 18, 2011, coming in at a whopping 8 pounds. I spent my Thanksgiving in Hartford hanging out with Vienna and her parents (my sister T and brother-in-law Zeus).
This really doesn't have anything to do with ministry. I just really wanted to show of my niece.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Blessings on You and All of Your Ilk!
Hello, friends!
You guys know I work for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, which has chapters all across the United States. I am part of the Missouri Area (startling, I know...) which is pretty much St. Louis and Mizzou. One of the schools in the Missouri Area, or A-Team as we like to call ourselves, is Saint Louis University, or SLU. Their staff is one Kale Uzzle. (@kaleuzzle for all you Twitter folk out there).
There are a number of things that I appreciate about Kale. For a long time he and I were the only single men on the A-Team, which led to a certain amount of bonding. He is a big baseball fan, which makes for fun conversations. He is also ridiculously witty and we share a similar style of humor. As anyone on the A-Team can tell you, we can take a ridiculous conversation WAY too far, acting as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Well executed deadpan is a beautiful thing and Charlamagne (my nickname for Kale) is one of the best.
Another one of the things that I appreciate about Kale is that he is a really good worship leader. Not only is he gifted musically, but he knows how to lead well and he really enjoys leading too. I always take the opportunity to play on Kale's team whenever I can because it is tons of fun. We play well together and with him leading, I don't have to worry about anything but the drum (or the bass) in front of me.
I was thinking about this because last night I led worship for ACF Large Group for the first time in quite some time. Paula, our Worship Leader has been doing an excellent job, but we felt like she needed a week off. It's good to get some rest in, y'know? So, I decided to strap on the old guitar and give it a whirl, just like old time.
Many of you know that I actually used to be a worship leader, all the way through college. In fact, even my first year or two here at Mizzou I led worship for ACF. Back then, I loved picking sets, running rehearsals, and all the things that come with the job. I'm not sure what happened, but somewhere along the way I lost my knack for leading worship. My skill with the guitar has waned. I have much more trouble picking sets than I used to. The truth is that something that used to give me much joy now is more of a burden than anything else.
Which is why I appreciate Kale, Paula, Andrew (volunteer staff/roommate/worship leader), and everyone of that worship leader ilk. It's something special to see folk lead out of the Spirit and bring the rest of the fellowship to a place of worship. It is a gift that I no longer posses, but one that I am happy to give up, knowing that there are folk like these fine individuals whom God has blessed in this way.
A few points of prayer:
- It's almost Thanksgiving week! Please be praying for students as they travel all over the country.
- We are starting our leadership selection process. Please pray for good wisdom and discernment as we move forward with next semester.
- Personally, I am going to be an uncle soon! My sister T is going to be induced tomorrow which means I should have a niece by Saturday at the latest. Praise Jesus!
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
You guys know I work for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, which has chapters all across the United States. I am part of the Missouri Area (startling, I know...) which is pretty much St. Louis and Mizzou. One of the schools in the Missouri Area, or A-Team as we like to call ourselves, is Saint Louis University, or SLU. Their staff is one Kale Uzzle. (@kaleuzzle for all you Twitter folk out there).
There are a number of things that I appreciate about Kale. For a long time he and I were the only single men on the A-Team, which led to a certain amount of bonding. He is a big baseball fan, which makes for fun conversations. He is also ridiculously witty and we share a similar style of humor. As anyone on the A-Team can tell you, we can take a ridiculous conversation WAY too far, acting as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Well executed deadpan is a beautiful thing and Charlamagne (my nickname for Kale) is one of the best.
Another one of the things that I appreciate about Kale is that he is a really good worship leader. Not only is he gifted musically, but he knows how to lead well and he really enjoys leading too. I always take the opportunity to play on Kale's team whenever I can because it is tons of fun. We play well together and with him leading, I don't have to worry about anything but the drum (or the bass) in front of me.
I was thinking about this because last night I led worship for ACF Large Group for the first time in quite some time. Paula, our Worship Leader has been doing an excellent job, but we felt like she needed a week off. It's good to get some rest in, y'know? So, I decided to strap on the old guitar and give it a whirl, just like old time.
Many of you know that I actually used to be a worship leader, all the way through college. In fact, even my first year or two here at Mizzou I led worship for ACF. Back then, I loved picking sets, running rehearsals, and all the things that come with the job. I'm not sure what happened, but somewhere along the way I lost my knack for leading worship. My skill with the guitar has waned. I have much more trouble picking sets than I used to. The truth is that something that used to give me much joy now is more of a burden than anything else.
Which is why I appreciate Kale, Paula, Andrew (volunteer staff/roommate/worship leader), and everyone of that worship leader ilk. It's something special to see folk lead out of the Spirit and bring the rest of the fellowship to a place of worship. It is a gift that I no longer posses, but one that I am happy to give up, knowing that there are folk like these fine individuals whom God has blessed in this way.
A few points of prayer:
- It's almost Thanksgiving week! Please be praying for students as they travel all over the country.
- We are starting our leadership selection process. Please pray for good wisdom and discernment as we move forward with next semester.
- Personally, I am going to be an uncle soon! My sister T is going to be induced tomorrow which means I should have a niece by Saturday at the latest. Praise Jesus!
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Bipolar Tabling
Hello, friends!
Here is a post about a great up-and-down day I had yesterday with BCM. Enjoy reading!
Bipolar Tabling
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Here is a post about a great up-and-down day I had yesterday with BCM. Enjoy reading!
Bipolar Tabling
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Busted Lips and Broken Hearts...
Hello, friends!
Here's a post for ACF. I hope you enjoy it!
Busted Lips and Broken Hearts...
Also, please be praying for BCM tomorrow (Monday). We are going to be doing spiritual surveys on campus. Pray that God will bring about divine appointments and that our current BCM students will be inspired to share their stories with black community on campus.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Here's a post for ACF. I hope you enjoy it!
Busted Lips and Broken Hearts...
Also, please be praying for BCM tomorrow (Monday). We are going to be doing spiritual surveys on campus. Pray that God will bring about divine appointments and that our current BCM students will be inspired to share their stories with black community on campus.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Hooray for Invitation!
Hello, friends!
Here's a really great story about some momentum being built at Mizzou BCM. Enjoy!
Mizzou BCM: Invitation at its Finest
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Here's a really great story about some momentum being built at Mizzou BCM. Enjoy!
Mizzou BCM: Invitation at its Finest
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Hooray for Fall Conference!!!
Hello, friends!
My apologies for not posting about Fall Conference sooner. Things have been non-stop ever since I got back and I am just now able to sit down and write about the weekend. In fact, I am in Seattle rioght now as I do it, showing you just how crazy things have been for me lately. =0).
What can I say about Fall Conference? It was an amazing time where the Spirit moved in a number of different ways both expected and unexpected. In an effort to keep things succinct, I'll highlight three of the areas where I felt like Jesus really broke through.
#1: Major decisions for Jesus! This starts off our list because it is the most important! Fall Conference is usually a time where many students make decisions to follow Jesus, either for the first time or as a recommitment. This year was no different. 8 ACF students made recommitments to following Jesus. Our one BCM student commited to being a part of the planting movement for BCM. One student said that he heard from Jesus for the first time, and ONE STUDENT ENTERED THE KINGDOM!!! Praise Jesus for new life!
#2: Community established! We broke up our group of 25 into 4 smaller groups so that people would have the chance to process. I couldn't have asked for things to work out better than they did. Our leaders did such an excellent job building community and leading the groups. THere was actually a tangible change in the groups as the weekend went on. I saw the Freshmen bonding together as well as our international students. I saw leaders step up and ask tough questions while sharing their own stories. I saw real community being established.
#3: Personal Growth! One of the things that I have been learning as a staff worker is that it is dangersous to think that God is only going to speak to the students at a conference like this. There is a temptation to get into a "martha" kind of mode and only be thinking about work, thus missing out on what God has in store for me personally. Thankfully, God spoke to me a ton during FC11. I heard words about teamwork, about repentance, about forgiveness, and about submission. I still haven't processed through everything yet, but I'd like to think that FC11 was as transformative for me as it was for the students.
A few ways you can be praying:
- Praise God for new life in the kingdom! Please pray for W, our new believer as well as Rachel, Jordan, Grace, Paula, Tracie, Julie, Amy, and S, who made recommitments. Pray that God will continue to grow in them and will protect them from the tricks of the evil one as they retun to campus.
- Please pray for a continued sense of community. Pray that the community established at FC11 will lead to more community in ACF as a whole. Also, pray for Shawn as we work together to establish a BCM community.
- Praise Jesus, we are 2 weeks into October and I am migraine free! Pray that God will continue to protect my head.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
My apologies for not posting about Fall Conference sooner. Things have been non-stop ever since I got back and I am just now able to sit down and write about the weekend. In fact, I am in Seattle rioght now as I do it, showing you just how crazy things have been for me lately. =0).
What can I say about Fall Conference? It was an amazing time where the Spirit moved in a number of different ways both expected and unexpected. In an effort to keep things succinct, I'll highlight three of the areas where I felt like Jesus really broke through.
#1: Major decisions for Jesus! This starts off our list because it is the most important! Fall Conference is usually a time where many students make decisions to follow Jesus, either for the first time or as a recommitment. This year was no different. 8 ACF students made recommitments to following Jesus. Our one BCM student commited to being a part of the planting movement for BCM. One student said that he heard from Jesus for the first time, and ONE STUDENT ENTERED THE KINGDOM!!! Praise Jesus for new life!
#2: Community established! We broke up our group of 25 into 4 smaller groups so that people would have the chance to process. I couldn't have asked for things to work out better than they did. Our leaders did such an excellent job building community and leading the groups. THere was actually a tangible change in the groups as the weekend went on. I saw the Freshmen bonding together as well as our international students. I saw leaders step up and ask tough questions while sharing their own stories. I saw real community being established.
#3: Personal Growth! One of the things that I have been learning as a staff worker is that it is dangersous to think that God is only going to speak to the students at a conference like this. There is a temptation to get into a "martha" kind of mode and only be thinking about work, thus missing out on what God has in store for me personally. Thankfully, God spoke to me a ton during FC11. I heard words about teamwork, about repentance, about forgiveness, and about submission. I still haven't processed through everything yet, but I'd like to think that FC11 was as transformative for me as it was for the students.
A few ways you can be praying:
- Praise God for new life in the kingdom! Please pray for W, our new believer as well as Rachel, Jordan, Grace, Paula, Tracie, Julie, Amy, and S, who made recommitments. Pray that God will continue to grow in them and will protect them from the tricks of the evil one as they retun to campus.
- Please pray for a continued sense of community. Pray that the community established at FC11 will lead to more community in ACF as a whole. Also, pray for Shawn as we work together to establish a BCM community.
- Praise Jesus, we are 2 weeks into October and I am migraine free! Pray that God will continue to protect my head.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Go Bears!!!
Hello, friends!
Last Friday I had the opportunity to speak at my alma mater, WashU ACF. I figure, instead of just telling you about how things went, why not let you see for yourselves! =0). Apologies that the last minute or so is cut off. My camera only allows me to record 29 minutes at a time.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Last Friday I had the opportunity to speak at my alma mater, WashU ACF. I figure, instead of just telling you about how things went, why not let you see for yourselves! =0). Apologies that the last minute or so is cut off. My camera only allows me to record 29 minutes at a time.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Friday, September 30, 2011
Mizzou BCM: The simple joy of frozen yogurt...
Hello, friends!
Here's a quick post about a great night I had with the folk from the LBC Gospel Choir at Mizzou. Click here to read more.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Here's a quick post about a great night I had with the folk from the LBC Gospel Choir at Mizzou. Click here to read more.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Oh Mama, why?!?!
Hello, friends!
If you know me, you know that I love my Mama. In fact, I am proud to call myself a Mama's boy in the best sense of the word. I owe Mama everything and would do anything for her short of killing a man (and even that I'd have to think hard about).
But, there is one thing that I wish Mama didn't do growing up, and that's give me so much medicine. If I had a sniffle, a cough, or anything higher than a 98.6, I was getting drugged up and drugged up good. This was great when I was growing up because I was able to gather my fair share of sick days, but now I can see that the short term gains were not worth the long term losses. For you see, my friends, I have no immune system.
I'm sitting her in the Student Center right now, fighting off a flu with everything I have. I can feel the body aches. My thyroids are a little sore and I'll bet if you took my temperature right now it would be just a touch high. All signs point to me being bedridden tomorrow.
Of course, I'm only joking about blaming Mama for this (mostly). But, I am someone who gets sick fairly often. I have a history of migraines and am good for at least 1-2 sick days a season. I have two theories as to why this happens. The first is that Mama gave me to many meds as a kid. There could be a little bit of truth to this, but T, Phuzz, and the Kid don't get too sick too often, so that may not hold as much water as I would like.
My second theory is that God likes to remind me of who is in charge of His ministry at Mizzou. When I have a migraine or the flu I'm not much good on campus. In fact, I'm pretty worthless. I can get a little bit of work done on the computer, but most of the time I'm spending is sleeping. One nice thing about these days is that I get to spend some good time in prayer too. This is when God reminds me that prayer is super crucial to ministry and that even though I'm not on campus, He still is.
Typically, October and March are my worst months for migraines, usually averaging a little over 2 per week. Please pray this month that God will be show me mercy and that I won't have to deal with these bad boys this month. Also pray that in the midst of the pain, I will be seeking Jesus and be reminded of who is in charge.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
If you know me, you know that I love my Mama. In fact, I am proud to call myself a Mama's boy in the best sense of the word. I owe Mama everything and would do anything for her short of killing a man (and even that I'd have to think hard about).
But, there is one thing that I wish Mama didn't do growing up, and that's give me so much medicine. If I had a sniffle, a cough, or anything higher than a 98.6, I was getting drugged up and drugged up good. This was great when I was growing up because I was able to gather my fair share of sick days, but now I can see that the short term gains were not worth the long term losses. For you see, my friends, I have no immune system.
I'm sitting her in the Student Center right now, fighting off a flu with everything I have. I can feel the body aches. My thyroids are a little sore and I'll bet if you took my temperature right now it would be just a touch high. All signs point to me being bedridden tomorrow.
Of course, I'm only joking about blaming Mama for this (mostly). But, I am someone who gets sick fairly often. I have a history of migraines and am good for at least 1-2 sick days a season. I have two theories as to why this happens. The first is that Mama gave me to many meds as a kid. There could be a little bit of truth to this, but T, Phuzz, and the Kid don't get too sick too often, so that may not hold as much water as I would like.
My second theory is that God likes to remind me of who is in charge of His ministry at Mizzou. When I have a migraine or the flu I'm not much good on campus. In fact, I'm pretty worthless. I can get a little bit of work done on the computer, but most of the time I'm spending is sleeping. One nice thing about these days is that I get to spend some good time in prayer too. This is when God reminds me that prayer is super crucial to ministry and that even though I'm not on campus, He still is.
Typically, October and March are my worst months for migraines, usually averaging a little over 2 per week. Please pray this month that God will be show me mercy and that I won't have to deal with these bad boys this month. Also pray that in the midst of the pain, I will be seeking Jesus and be reminded of who is in charge.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Sunday, September 25, 2011
The Sweetness of Sabbath
Hello, friends!
My freshman year I was at a Fall Conference and the speaker talked to us about Sabbath. I don't remember everything that he said about it, but I remember being convicted and deciding at that point that I would regularly take Sabbath seriously. Since then, I have seen my Sabbaths go through a number of different phases but I have done what I could to keep Sabbath being a part of my life.
This year I have found myself looking forward to my Sabbath in a way that I haven't in quite some time. I think that with the added responsibilities that I have undertaken this year, including trying to plant in a cross cultural situation, getting regular rest is now more important than ever.
I have often had conversations with different folk about the need for Sabbath and whether or not we as Christians are commanded by God to take them. I won't go into too much detail, but I absolutely believe that God commands the Sabbath in the Old Testament (in fact, it's one of the 10 Commandments), and Jesus and Paul both affirm the need for a Sabbath rest for God's people. I have seen firsthand the beautiful benefits of taking a regular day of rest and I encourage my students to do the same. We live in a society that asks us to constantly be working. I do not believe that God asks us to do that. I believe that God knows what is good for us and wants us to spend a day in sweet fellowship with Him.
Saturday is my normal Sabbath this semester but it occasionally I switch it up. Different folk will argue about whether or not Sabbath needs to be on Saturday or Sunday. My personal thought is that more important than which day you are resting is that you are doing it. Rest is a good thing. Get it when you can.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
My freshman year I was at a Fall Conference and the speaker talked to us about Sabbath. I don't remember everything that he said about it, but I remember being convicted and deciding at that point that I would regularly take Sabbath seriously. Since then, I have seen my Sabbaths go through a number of different phases but I have done what I could to keep Sabbath being a part of my life.
This year I have found myself looking forward to my Sabbath in a way that I haven't in quite some time. I think that with the added responsibilities that I have undertaken this year, including trying to plant in a cross cultural situation, getting regular rest is now more important than ever.
I have often had conversations with different folk about the need for Sabbath and whether or not we as Christians are commanded by God to take them. I won't go into too much detail, but I absolutely believe that God commands the Sabbath in the Old Testament (in fact, it's one of the 10 Commandments), and Jesus and Paul both affirm the need for a Sabbath rest for God's people. I have seen firsthand the beautiful benefits of taking a regular day of rest and I encourage my students to do the same. We live in a society that asks us to constantly be working. I do not believe that God asks us to do that. I believe that God knows what is good for us and wants us to spend a day in sweet fellowship with Him.
Saturday is my normal Sabbath this semester but it occasionally I switch it up. Different folk will argue about whether or not Sabbath needs to be on Saturday or Sunday. My personal thought is that more important than which day you are resting is that you are doing it. Rest is a good thing. Get it when you can.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Friday, September 23, 2011
Mizzou ACF: Serendipity and Second Chances...
Hello, friends!
Here's a new post about a great ACF encounter I had today. It's called: Serendipity and Second Chances.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Here's a new post about a great ACF encounter I had today. It's called: Serendipity and Second Chances.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Prayer is one of those things...
Hello, friends!
I'm sure that I've mentioned this before, but I've been finding that the longer I work in ministry, the more true this statement becomes: I am lost without prayer.
Prayer is not something that comes easily to me for a number of reasons. I think that I struggle with viewing it as a passive form of ministry. The temptation is for me to believe that prayer is what one does before the real work gets started and after the real work gets done.
The fact is that nothing could be further from the truth. We are truly hopelessly and utterly lost without prayer. It is impossible to do the will of God if one does not know what the will of God is. One cannot know the will of God unless one seeks it out. Prayer is how we seek out God's will.
As I grow in my responsibilities on staff and the fellowships grow in number, a sort of absurd irony arises. On the one hand, I find myself more in need of prayer when there are more things to do. On the other hand, the temptation to consider prayer passive and to forgo it in order to "get more stuff done" grows as well. For those to whom prayer comes naturally, this is not a tension at all. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people.
One of the things I have heard many times from older staff is that fellowships tend to take on the personalities of their staff workers. This seems to be the case so far with ACF. We are a fun loving group who is highly competitive and a little bit awkward at times. We love games and we love food. We are also pretty bad at prayer but we are getting better. BCM doesn't have a culture yet since we are only a few weeks old, but I am happy to know that already we are starting to develop a dependance on prayer for what we need.
Join me in prayer friends. It may seem a little weird, but join me in praying that the Mizzou fellowships and I will become better at prayer. Please pray that God will grow our dependance on Him so that our first move is always to our knees and not to our planners.
Have an excellent day
~Adam
I'm sure that I've mentioned this before, but I've been finding that the longer I work in ministry, the more true this statement becomes: I am lost without prayer.
Prayer is not something that comes easily to me for a number of reasons. I think that I struggle with viewing it as a passive form of ministry. The temptation is for me to believe that prayer is what one does before the real work gets started and after the real work gets done.
The fact is that nothing could be further from the truth. We are truly hopelessly and utterly lost without prayer. It is impossible to do the will of God if one does not know what the will of God is. One cannot know the will of God unless one seeks it out. Prayer is how we seek out God's will.
As I grow in my responsibilities on staff and the fellowships grow in number, a sort of absurd irony arises. On the one hand, I find myself more in need of prayer when there are more things to do. On the other hand, the temptation to consider prayer passive and to forgo it in order to "get more stuff done" grows as well. For those to whom prayer comes naturally, this is not a tension at all. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people.
One of the things I have heard many times from older staff is that fellowships tend to take on the personalities of their staff workers. This seems to be the case so far with ACF. We are a fun loving group who is highly competitive and a little bit awkward at times. We love games and we love food. We are also pretty bad at prayer but we are getting better. BCM doesn't have a culture yet since we are only a few weeks old, but I am happy to know that already we are starting to develop a dependance on prayer for what we need.
Join me in prayer friends. It may seem a little weird, but join me in praying that the Mizzou fellowships and I will become better at prayer. Please pray that God will grow our dependance on Him so that our first move is always to our knees and not to our planners.
Have an excellent day
~Adam
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Mizzou ACF: 09-17-11
Hello, friends!
Happy Saturday to you all! I have a new post for Mizzou ACF! You can get there by following this link.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Happy Saturday to you all! I have a new post for Mizzou ACF! You can get there by following this link.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Welcome, welcome!
Hello, friends!
Happy Thursday to you all! I'm sorry I didn't post last week, but I was contemplating a switch to a new blog and didn't want to post too soon in between switches to confuse things.
The focus of this new blog is actually going to be a little different than the previous one. Now that I have two chapters, I find it difficult to succinctly sum up my week. ACF and BCM are in two different places right now, with different prayer needs and different seasons of ministry.
I have also noticed that during this season, God is doing as much IN me as he is doing THROUGH me. I would love to share a little more personally about this journey I am taking as a follower of Jesus.
So, what we effectively have is three separate blogs. Mizzou ACF will chronicle the life of ACF, with occasional guest blogs from staff and students. Mizzou BCM will be about all the sweet things happening in BCM. This blog will be a random assortment of stuff related to the staff life.
Of course, it would be silly of me to ask you to keep three separate bookmarks and be moving back and forth between blogs, so consider this the main blog. Whenever I post something on either of those blogs, you'll know about it here. Oh, and if you want an escape from the intense stuff and just want to read something fun, there's always Penny Peddling, my blog about the money I'm saving by biking everywhere instead of driving.
A blog post wouldn't be proper without a few prayer requests, so here goes:
- Fall Conference is soon upon us! Here at Mizzou, we are hoping for 30 attendees, a very achievable number. We already have 15 ACFers and 1 BCM registered and ready to go! Please pray that God will put on the hearts of students a desire to deepen their relationships with Jesus and join us.
- September is already halfway over, which means October, or migraine season, is on its way. Please pray for protection as I battle my own body.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Happy Thursday to you all! I'm sorry I didn't post last week, but I was contemplating a switch to a new blog and didn't want to post too soon in between switches to confuse things.
The focus of this new blog is actually going to be a little different than the previous one. Now that I have two chapters, I find it difficult to succinctly sum up my week. ACF and BCM are in two different places right now, with different prayer needs and different seasons of ministry.
I have also noticed that during this season, God is doing as much IN me as he is doing THROUGH me. I would love to share a little more personally about this journey I am taking as a follower of Jesus.
So, what we effectively have is three separate blogs. Mizzou ACF will chronicle the life of ACF, with occasional guest blogs from staff and students. Mizzou BCM will be about all the sweet things happening in BCM. This blog will be a random assortment of stuff related to the staff life.
Of course, it would be silly of me to ask you to keep three separate bookmarks and be moving back and forth between blogs, so consider this the main blog. Whenever I post something on either of those blogs, you'll know about it here. Oh, and if you want an escape from the intense stuff and just want to read something fun, there's always Penny Peddling, my blog about the money I'm saving by biking everywhere instead of driving.
A blog post wouldn't be proper without a few prayer requests, so here goes:
- Fall Conference is soon upon us! Here at Mizzou, we are hoping for 30 attendees, a very achievable number. We already have 15 ACFers and 1 BCM registered and ready to go! Please pray that God will put on the hearts of students a desire to deepen their relationships with Jesus and join us.
- September is already halfway over, which means October, or migraine season, is on its way. Please pray for protection as I battle my own body.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
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