Hello, friends!
In just 5 days, 18,000 students from all over the world will be converging upon the great city of Saint Louis for the Urbana global missions conference. This conference is put on by InterVarsity in conjunction with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, to which InterVarsity is a sister member. From December 27-31, these students will be studying the book of Luke, hearing from great speakers, worshipping together, and learning about God's heart for global missions as well as hopefully hearing from God about where He is leading them. It promises to be an amazing time.
This year, I will have 3 jobs for Urbana (I promise, it isn't as bad as it sounds). I will be working registration on the 26th and 27th, "on call" (read, doing whatever needs to be done) on the 29th and 31st, and taking care of the Mizzou students. I am looking forward to helping out wherever I can as well as spending time with Meg as she works with the International Student track.
Last Urbana, in 2009 (Urbana is held every 3 years), I was part of the prayer ministry team. For 5 hours a day I was praying with and for students, dealing with everything from depression to romantic issues to questions about people's futures. It was a time of great healing and hearing from Jesus but it was also absolutely exhausting.
My first Urbana was in 2006 as a Senior in college. I can honestly say that it was one of the worst weeks of my life. I was dealing with some relational drama and was feeling the pressure of hosting my entire family as well as a large group of students from my church. I was not in a place to receive from Jesus so when He came, I was a hot mess.
What does all this mean? It means that I really don't know what to expect this year. I know that God is going to speak to the students but I don't know how. I know that the Spirit is going to move but I don't know where. I know that lives are going to be changed but I don't know in what way.
Prayer Points:
- Pray that God will speak to the 18,000+ students there, especially the 14 Mizzou students and 6 UMSL International Friends students.
- Pray for Meg, me, and the rest of us staff as we put on this massive undertaking. Pray that God will give us rest and direction as we lead students.
If you'd like to give to scholarships for Urbana, there's still time! You can use this link.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Of Relationships...
Hello, friends!
There is one compliment that analysts give to athletes in team sports that, in my opinion, is the highest compliment that one can give. "He makes those around him better." Whether it be a quarterback who puts the ball in just the right place so his receiver can make a play, a basketball player who spreads the floor so his teammates can have more open looks, or a catcher who gives confidence to his pitchers and controls the running game, a player who makes those around him (or her) better may not be the star but is invaluable to the success of the team.
I've been thinking about relationships a lot lately. Not just of the romantic nature but of all types, from brother and sister to friend and friend to all points in between those. As I started to think about the relationships that are around me, that phrase, "He makes those around him better" kept coming to mind. In many ways, I think that this is the paradigm that Jesus asks us to follow when we enter into relationship with people.
When I think about it, there are two questions that come to mind. The first is "Should I be in relationship with this person?" The second is "What should the nature of our relationship be?"'
Should I be in this relationship with this person? Well, that depends on your answer to this question: Does this person draw you closer to Jesus or take you further away from Him? Hear what I am not saying. I am not saying that Christians should only hang around with other Christians. I am saying that those who follow Jesus should be legitimately asking ourselves the question as to whether or not the people who are around us make us love Jesus more or less. If they are, then rock on. If they aren't, then maybe that isn't the best place for you to be.
Let me give an example. I have a friend who I've known for 6+ years now. When we met, he wasn't a Christian but he was one who drew me closer to Jesus. How? My heart broke so much for my friend that I started praying more, for him and then for others I knew who didn't know Jesus. I studied the Word more so I could talk to him about his faith and tie it into the Bible. When he made the decision to follow Jesus, I almost cried and thanked God for his grace. If someone asked me whether or not being friends with my friend drew me closer to Jesus, the answer would be an emphatic "Yes!"
Answering the second question is similar to the first. "What should the nature of our relationship be?" To me, the answer is simple. Our number one goal should be to bring everyone, EVERYONE, closer to Jesus. Boyfriend, brother, roommate, whatever. Each and every one of your interactions should point them to Jesus.
Now, I am not saying that you have to be that guy or gal who tries to turn everything into a deep spiritual conversation and eventually no longer gets invited to social gatherings. I've been that guy; it isn't fun. =0).
Going back to my friend, I did a bible study with him for a while and invited him to church a few times but that wasn't what got him interested in Jesus. It was how calm I was when things went poorly and how I attributed that peace to Jesus. It was asking if we could pray before meals. It was offering to be a designated driver and making sure folk got home safely. It was trying to genuinely love his friends who were hostile to Christians. It was playing football with guys and not cussing up a storm. These were things that were showing him life with Jesus. It was a mix of the explicit and the implicit but it was an intentional effort to show him, as well as those around me, Jesus.
So, what does this have to do with anything InterVarsity related? In many ways, these are nothing more than the reflections of a 27-year-old married guy in Saint Louis. But, I think that on another level, if this is the sort of thing that I can teach college students, we would see a mighty different campus and a mighty different world.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
There is one compliment that analysts give to athletes in team sports that, in my opinion, is the highest compliment that one can give. "He makes those around him better." Whether it be a quarterback who puts the ball in just the right place so his receiver can make a play, a basketball player who spreads the floor so his teammates can have more open looks, or a catcher who gives confidence to his pitchers and controls the running game, a player who makes those around him (or her) better may not be the star but is invaluable to the success of the team.
I've been thinking about relationships a lot lately. Not just of the romantic nature but of all types, from brother and sister to friend and friend to all points in between those. As I started to think about the relationships that are around me, that phrase, "He makes those around him better" kept coming to mind. In many ways, I think that this is the paradigm that Jesus asks us to follow when we enter into relationship with people.
When I think about it, there are two questions that come to mind. The first is "Should I be in relationship with this person?" The second is "What should the nature of our relationship be?"'
Should I be in this relationship with this person? Well, that depends on your answer to this question: Does this person draw you closer to Jesus or take you further away from Him? Hear what I am not saying. I am not saying that Christians should only hang around with other Christians. I am saying that those who follow Jesus should be legitimately asking ourselves the question as to whether or not the people who are around us make us love Jesus more or less. If they are, then rock on. If they aren't, then maybe that isn't the best place for you to be.
Let me give an example. I have a friend who I've known for 6+ years now. When we met, he wasn't a Christian but he was one who drew me closer to Jesus. How? My heart broke so much for my friend that I started praying more, for him and then for others I knew who didn't know Jesus. I studied the Word more so I could talk to him about his faith and tie it into the Bible. When he made the decision to follow Jesus, I almost cried and thanked God for his grace. If someone asked me whether or not being friends with my friend drew me closer to Jesus, the answer would be an emphatic "Yes!"
Answering the second question is similar to the first. "What should the nature of our relationship be?" To me, the answer is simple. Our number one goal should be to bring everyone, EVERYONE, closer to Jesus. Boyfriend, brother, roommate, whatever. Each and every one of your interactions should point them to Jesus.
Now, I am not saying that you have to be that guy or gal who tries to turn everything into a deep spiritual conversation and eventually no longer gets invited to social gatherings. I've been that guy; it isn't fun. =0).
Going back to my friend, I did a bible study with him for a while and invited him to church a few times but that wasn't what got him interested in Jesus. It was how calm I was when things went poorly and how I attributed that peace to Jesus. It was asking if we could pray before meals. It was offering to be a designated driver and making sure folk got home safely. It was trying to genuinely love his friends who were hostile to Christians. It was playing football with guys and not cussing up a storm. These were things that were showing him life with Jesus. It was a mix of the explicit and the implicit but it was an intentional effort to show him, as well as those around me, Jesus.
So, what does this have to do with anything InterVarsity related? In many ways, these are nothing more than the reflections of a 27-year-old married guy in Saint Louis. But, I think that on another level, if this is the sort of thing that I can teach college students, we would see a mighty different campus and a mighty different world.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Friday, December 7, 2012
Waiting...
Hello, friends!
On Wednesday was our last Large Group of the semester. I had the pleasure of teaching although it was a little stressful because I wasn't told that I needed to teach until Tuesday afternoon. To be honest, I offered to do it but it was because students are in that mode right now where asking them to do anything beyond breathe and study makes them give you this look like you shot their cat. But anyway, I digress.
It is the Advent season, which means it is a time of waiting and preparation. As I was thinking about what I wanted to teach, what kept coming back to me was the idea that oftentimes we are waiting and preparing for the wrong thing.
Right now students are waiting and preparing for finals and final grades for the semester. There is nothing wrong with studying, in fact, I wish I had done more of it when I was a college student, but here's the problem. Usually what we are preparing and waiting for is something that is temporary. Grades only last until the next test. Finals come back next semester. We spend all of our time preparing and waiting and stressing and anticipating and losing sleep over stuff that does not satisfy and ulitmately doesn't matter a ton in the grand scheme of things.
What if we focused on preparing for the eternal instead? What if we spent less of our energy focused on grades and the temorary and more time focused on Jesus and what is eternal? I can't guarantee that we'll end up with all of our current dreams realized but I'll bet that we would end up with bigger and better dreams because they would be Jesus' dreams for us.
Anyway, to all the college students out there, blessings on finals. Remember that grades are not the end of the world and that above all, you should be pursuing Jesus.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
On Wednesday was our last Large Group of the semester. I had the pleasure of teaching although it was a little stressful because I wasn't told that I needed to teach until Tuesday afternoon. To be honest, I offered to do it but it was because students are in that mode right now where asking them to do anything beyond breathe and study makes them give you this look like you shot their cat. But anyway, I digress.
It is the Advent season, which means it is a time of waiting and preparation. As I was thinking about what I wanted to teach, what kept coming back to me was the idea that oftentimes we are waiting and preparing for the wrong thing.
Right now students are waiting and preparing for finals and final grades for the semester. There is nothing wrong with studying, in fact, I wish I had done more of it when I was a college student, but here's the problem. Usually what we are preparing and waiting for is something that is temporary. Grades only last until the next test. Finals come back next semester. We spend all of our time preparing and waiting and stressing and anticipating and losing sleep over stuff that does not satisfy and ulitmately doesn't matter a ton in the grand scheme of things.
What if we focused on preparing for the eternal instead? What if we spent less of our energy focused on grades and the temorary and more time focused on Jesus and what is eternal? I can't guarantee that we'll end up with all of our current dreams realized but I'll bet that we would end up with bigger and better dreams because they would be Jesus' dreams for us.
Anyway, to all the college students out there, blessings on finals. Remember that grades are not the end of the world and that above all, you should be pursuing Jesus.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Sports is a funny thing...
Hello, friends!
Funny thing. Apparently, my last post was actually post number 100 for this blog! It has been a great time posting and sharing with y'all about my life and ministry. Here's to 100 more posts! =0).
Many, if not all of you, know that I am a HUGE sports fan. Like, huge. Really big. It may be a bit of a problem. I am unabashedly a fan of the Saint Louis Cardinals, the Miami Dolphins, the Saint Louis Blues, the San Antonio Spurs, Matt Kenseth, and Tottenham Hotspur. I have also been known to root for the LA Galaxy, the United States in any international competition, and Canada when the US is not present.
Earlier today, I went to a Rams game with a few friends from out here. For a fan who didn't have either of his teams involved (the Rams beat the 49ers 16-13 in overtime), the game was actually really fun. Of course, for my friends who were 49er fans, as well as my brother-in-law, the game was probably much less fun. This post isn't about my gametime experience though. It's actually about what happened after the game.
After the game, my friends and I were walking out of the stadium and we saw things get a little out of hand between 4 fans. 2 of them were obviously drunk and I wouldn't be surprised if the other 2 had thrown back a few too many at the Dome as well. From what I could see, the 2 Rams fans got into the faces of the Niners fans. The Niners fan pushed the Rams fan and thankfully a level headed citizen got between them before punches were thrown. However, that didn't stop the Rams fans from chasing down the Niners fans and exchanging a few more choice words before heading in the other direction.
There were a few thoughts that struck me.
1) Sports makes us do funny things. The Rams fan was literally half the size of the Niners fan but he was definitely the aggressor. I don't think that in a million years these guys would have had more than a quick "how do you do" but because one guy was wearing the "wrong jersey" they got into it.
2) Apparently, we don't grow up all the way. What would possess a man to drink too much, swear in front of children, pick a fight with someone he'd never met, and almost get arrested? I would like to think that as we get older we get smarter. That may not be the case. It actually got me thinking about how important the work that InterVarsity is on the college campus. My hope is that we are graduating people who are less stupid and more Christ-like than when they started.
3) It's amazing what a few weeks can do. Today, the Edward Jones Dome was the home to public drunkenness and a verbal altercation. In just 25 days, it will be home to 15,000 delegates from all over the world praising Jesus at Urbana. It will go from a place of anger to a place of love. It will go from a place of selfishness to a place of sacrifice. It will go from a place of brokenness to a place of new life. Hooray! =0).
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Funny thing. Apparently, my last post was actually post number 100 for this blog! It has been a great time posting and sharing with y'all about my life and ministry. Here's to 100 more posts! =0).
Many, if not all of you, know that I am a HUGE sports fan. Like, huge. Really big. It may be a bit of a problem. I am unabashedly a fan of the Saint Louis Cardinals, the Miami Dolphins, the Saint Louis Blues, the San Antonio Spurs, Matt Kenseth, and Tottenham Hotspur. I have also been known to root for the LA Galaxy, the United States in any international competition, and Canada when the US is not present.
Earlier today, I went to a Rams game with a few friends from out here. For a fan who didn't have either of his teams involved (the Rams beat the 49ers 16-13 in overtime), the game was actually really fun. Of course, for my friends who were 49er fans, as well as my brother-in-law, the game was probably much less fun. This post isn't about my gametime experience though. It's actually about what happened after the game.
After the game, my friends and I were walking out of the stadium and we saw things get a little out of hand between 4 fans. 2 of them were obviously drunk and I wouldn't be surprised if the other 2 had thrown back a few too many at the Dome as well. From what I could see, the 2 Rams fans got into the faces of the Niners fans. The Niners fan pushed the Rams fan and thankfully a level headed citizen got between them before punches were thrown. However, that didn't stop the Rams fans from chasing down the Niners fans and exchanging a few more choice words before heading in the other direction.
There were a few thoughts that struck me.
1) Sports makes us do funny things. The Rams fan was literally half the size of the Niners fan but he was definitely the aggressor. I don't think that in a million years these guys would have had more than a quick "how do you do" but because one guy was wearing the "wrong jersey" they got into it.
2) Apparently, we don't grow up all the way. What would possess a man to drink too much, swear in front of children, pick a fight with someone he'd never met, and almost get arrested? I would like to think that as we get older we get smarter. That may not be the case. It actually got me thinking about how important the work that InterVarsity is on the college campus. My hope is that we are graduating people who are less stupid and more Christ-like than when they started.
3) It's amazing what a few weeks can do. Today, the Edward Jones Dome was the home to public drunkenness and a verbal altercation. In just 25 days, it will be home to 15,000 delegates from all over the world praising Jesus at Urbana. It will go from a place of anger to a place of love. It will go from a place of selfishness to a place of sacrifice. It will go from a place of brokenness to a place of new life. Hooray! =0).
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Monday, November 26, 2012
Thankful...
Hello, friends!
It has been a LONG time since I've posted, hasn't it? Sorry about that. I am still getting used to this whole marriage thing and the time to post isn't coming as easily as it once did.
What probably won't make things better is the Thanksgiving post coming the week after the turkey has been carved, the football has been played, and the belts have been loosened. But, hey, better late than never, right? Here, in no particular order, are some of things things I am most thankful for this year.
- New Life! In 2012, I have had the pleasure of witnessing 6 students and 1 very good friend make decisions to follow Jesus. Words cannot express the joy and gratitude in my heart when I think of these 7 new brothers and sisters. What an awesome God we serve that He lets us participate in the good work that He is doing and that we get to walk alongside those who we love as they make steps toward Jesus.
- New Work! This year, I have helped younger staff start work on the campuses of Columbia College, Florissant Valley Community College, Maryville University. On top of that, I was able to spend the first part of my year working with Black students at Mizzou. I am so thankful that God has given me the opportunity and the ability to move His work to other parts of Missouri, beyond ACF. It hasn't all been easy but it has been a lot of fun.
- New Wife! You knew this had to be coming, right? I have posted about this before but it is still true. I am the luckiest guy in the world. I am married to a woman who is not only smart, a great cook, compassionate, hospitable, loving, and kind, but I also married a woman who gets along great with my family, is super sacrificial in how she loves me, and is also drop dead gorgeous. =0). If I'm not thanking God every day for her, then there must be something wrong with me.
Friends, I am also thankful for each of you. The fact that you are reading this blog shows me that you care about me as well as the work that I am doing with InterVarsity. Thank you for your love, for your support, and for your prayers. I am honored and so thankful that I get to call you family, friends, and fellow co-laborers with Christ.
Prayer points:
- These are the last few weeks of the semester. Please pray for students as they prepare for finals and for some, the end of the college careers. Pray for peace and that they will not succumb to stress.
- Urbana is just a month away! Please pray for the final preparations and that God will begin to work now in the hearts of those who are going to be attending.
- December will be a crazy month for Meg and me. We have staff meetings, Christmas in South Dakota, and Urbana all stacked up in December. Please pray for journey's mercies as well as quality time together.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
It has been a LONG time since I've posted, hasn't it? Sorry about that. I am still getting used to this whole marriage thing and the time to post isn't coming as easily as it once did.
What probably won't make things better is the Thanksgiving post coming the week after the turkey has been carved, the football has been played, and the belts have been loosened. But, hey, better late than never, right? Here, in no particular order, are some of things things I am most thankful for this year.
- New Life! In 2012, I have had the pleasure of witnessing 6 students and 1 very good friend make decisions to follow Jesus. Words cannot express the joy and gratitude in my heart when I think of these 7 new brothers and sisters. What an awesome God we serve that He lets us participate in the good work that He is doing and that we get to walk alongside those who we love as they make steps toward Jesus.
- New Work! This year, I have helped younger staff start work on the campuses of Columbia College, Florissant Valley Community College, Maryville University. On top of that, I was able to spend the first part of my year working with Black students at Mizzou. I am so thankful that God has given me the opportunity and the ability to move His work to other parts of Missouri, beyond ACF. It hasn't all been easy but it has been a lot of fun.
- New Wife! You knew this had to be coming, right? I have posted about this before but it is still true. I am the luckiest guy in the world. I am married to a woman who is not only smart, a great cook, compassionate, hospitable, loving, and kind, but I also married a woman who gets along great with my family, is super sacrificial in how she loves me, and is also drop dead gorgeous. =0). If I'm not thanking God every day for her, then there must be something wrong with me.
Friends, I am also thankful for each of you. The fact that you are reading this blog shows me that you care about me as well as the work that I am doing with InterVarsity. Thank you for your love, for your support, and for your prayers. I am honored and so thankful that I get to call you family, friends, and fellow co-laborers with Christ.
Prayer points:
- These are the last few weeks of the semester. Please pray for students as they prepare for finals and for some, the end of the college careers. Pray for peace and that they will not succumb to stress.
- Urbana is just a month away! Please pray for the final preparations and that God will begin to work now in the hearts of those who are going to be attending.
- December will be a crazy month for Meg and me. We have staff meetings, Christmas in South Dakota, and Urbana all stacked up in December. Please pray for journey's mercies as well as quality time together.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Friday, November 16, 2012
Update Time!!!
Hello, friends!
Here is the latest update that Meg and I have sent to our support team. Thanks so much for all of your partnership!
Here is the latest update that Meg and I have sent to our support team. Thanks so much for all of your partnership!
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God has definitely been doing good work at Mizzou ACF, FloValley, Columbia College, and Columbia College! 
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Happy Election Day!
Hello, friends!
In high school, I was president of JSA for 2 years, or the Junior Statesmen of America, where we spent one lunch a week debating politics. When I went to WashU (Go Bears!) I studied Political Science and Economics. When I was deciding if I should join staff with InterVarsity, the other option for me was to be a congressional aid for William Lacy Clay, in Missouri's First District. It is pretty safe to say that I really like politics. =0).
Election day is one of my favorite days of the year (or every 4 years) for a number of reasons. One is because I love politics. Another is because I really love strategy and game theory. It is so interesting to me to look at all the projections and see how victory is still possible for some candidates. The entire election season is super interesting to me because I love seeing how candidates move throughout the country and try to play the games. The gamesmanship and the makes me really happy.
One could say that I should probably not have as much fun with this because the fate of the country hangs in the balance and this is a serious matter. Honestly, I think one of the reasons why I have so much fun with this is because I don't exactly see it that way.
The selection of our president (and of congress) is an important issue but it doesn't exactly change who I am or what I do in my day to day life. If Obama is re-elected, I will still be a follower of Jesus. If Romney claims the presidency, I will still live my life trying to be like Jesus. If Ron Paul wins a massive write-in upset, I will still work my hardest to love God and love my neighbor. My tax rates may change and I may be given more of fewer liberties but that should not change my goal of following Jesus.
Something that bothers me immensely about the state of politics is how many people on both extremes are convinced that if the "other guy" wins, the country will be doomed and that our best bet is to move to Canada. While I love Canada, I think that's a bit silly. If we as people commit to following Jesus and letting Him rule us as opposed to any political figure, I promise that things will not be as bad (or good) as we think they will be.
Prayer Points:
- Honestly, please pray for our nation. Pray for our president, no matter who he is. Pray for Congress and pray for all of our elected officials.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
In high school, I was president of JSA for 2 years, or the Junior Statesmen of America, where we spent one lunch a week debating politics. When I went to WashU (Go Bears!) I studied Political Science and Economics. When I was deciding if I should join staff with InterVarsity, the other option for me was to be a congressional aid for William Lacy Clay, in Missouri's First District. It is pretty safe to say that I really like politics. =0).
Election day is one of my favorite days of the year (or every 4 years) for a number of reasons. One is because I love politics. Another is because I really love strategy and game theory. It is so interesting to me to look at all the projections and see how victory is still possible for some candidates. The entire election season is super interesting to me because I love seeing how candidates move throughout the country and try to play the games. The gamesmanship and the makes me really happy.
One could say that I should probably not have as much fun with this because the fate of the country hangs in the balance and this is a serious matter. Honestly, I think one of the reasons why I have so much fun with this is because I don't exactly see it that way.
The selection of our president (and of congress) is an important issue but it doesn't exactly change who I am or what I do in my day to day life. If Obama is re-elected, I will still be a follower of Jesus. If Romney claims the presidency, I will still live my life trying to be like Jesus. If Ron Paul wins a massive write-in upset, I will still work my hardest to love God and love my neighbor. My tax rates may change and I may be given more of fewer liberties but that should not change my goal of following Jesus.
Something that bothers me immensely about the state of politics is how many people on both extremes are convinced that if the "other guy" wins, the country will be doomed and that our best bet is to move to Canada. While I love Canada, I think that's a bit silly. If we as people commit to following Jesus and letting Him rule us as opposed to any political figure, I promise that things will not be as bad (or good) as we think they will be.
Prayer Points:
- Honestly, please pray for our nation. Pray for our president, no matter who he is. Pray for Congress and pray for all of our elected officials.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Thursday, November 1, 2012
One Month In!!!
Hello, friends!
Normally, I would take this time to talk about Large Group last night and how awesome it was. BUT, since we didn't have Large Group last night on account of Halloween, I guess I'll just have to find something else about which to write. A popular subject appears to be my wife, so now seems like as good a time as any to write about our first month of marriage. Our first month of marriage was actually celebrated on Monday but you'll give me a few days grace, right? =0).
Now that I've been married for a few weeks, there are a few things that I've noticed about me, about Meg, and about being married. Here are a few highlights:
- Meg and I share a lot of things in common but we are also REALLY different. This one may seem like a bit of a no-brainer but as we spend more and more time together, I have noticed more and more things. She likes to get up early while I prefer to sleep in a bit. She is super active and gets a little antsy if she doesn't think that she's moved much all day. I am perfectly content on the couch with a book. Her idea of quality time is actually doing stuff together. For me, if we are in the same room and can see each other, it totally counts. This has led to a number of miscommunications and such but it has also given me a greater appreciation for the gal I call my wife.
- I am eating a lot better... a LOT better. If you know two things about Meg and me, it is that Meg likes to cook and I like to eat. Meg also likes to cook healthy, which is fine by me. What this means is that instead of eating out a lot, which I did a fair amount, now I am eating lots of delicious home cooked meals. (For the record, I cook too, but it never tastes as good as what Meg cooks) There are pros and cons to this. I (actually, "we") are spending more on groceries but less on fast food. I am eating better so I am not as inclined to execise as much. You see, this right here is a double edged sword.
- For better or worse, I my father's son. It is the craziest thing. Apparently I hung around Papa a bit too much because now as a married man, I am doing things very similarly to him. Meg has noticed it too. The sibs and I used to joke that I was absolutely the most like Papa. It appears as though the transformation continues. Meg finds it funny everytime I catch myself doing something Papa would do and then yelling, "NOOOOOOO!!!!!" I don't see quite the humor. =0).
- A little service goes a long way. I think that Meg and I have done a good job of trying to serve one another best we can. She'll cook and I'll do the dishes. We'll watch her shows but if she knows a game is on then she doesn't mind switching. Whoever gets up last (usually me) is sure to make the bed. Honestly, these things are kind of fun. I like making my wife happy.
- Jesus requires even MORE intentionality. In 1Corinthians 7, Paul talks about how the married man has more concerns than that of the single man. I am absolutely seeing that now. I would do anything for Meg, which is a good thing, but not when my efforts to serve her mean that I am not being intentional with Jesus. I think I have been doing a good job of making sure that I stay disciplined but it is definitely different from a month ago.
So, there you have it. Being married is awesome. Here's to many more months of learning like this!
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Normally, I would take this time to talk about Large Group last night and how awesome it was. BUT, since we didn't have Large Group last night on account of Halloween, I guess I'll just have to find something else about which to write. A popular subject appears to be my wife, so now seems like as good a time as any to write about our first month of marriage. Our first month of marriage was actually celebrated on Monday but you'll give me a few days grace, right? =0).
Now that I've been married for a few weeks, there are a few things that I've noticed about me, about Meg, and about being married. Here are a few highlights:
- Meg and I share a lot of things in common but we are also REALLY different. This one may seem like a bit of a no-brainer but as we spend more and more time together, I have noticed more and more things. She likes to get up early while I prefer to sleep in a bit. She is super active and gets a little antsy if she doesn't think that she's moved much all day. I am perfectly content on the couch with a book. Her idea of quality time is actually doing stuff together. For me, if we are in the same room and can see each other, it totally counts. This has led to a number of miscommunications and such but it has also given me a greater appreciation for the gal I call my wife.
- I am eating a lot better... a LOT better. If you know two things about Meg and me, it is that Meg likes to cook and I like to eat. Meg also likes to cook healthy, which is fine by me. What this means is that instead of eating out a lot, which I did a fair amount, now I am eating lots of delicious home cooked meals. (For the record, I cook too, but it never tastes as good as what Meg cooks) There are pros and cons to this. I (actually, "we") are spending more on groceries but less on fast food. I am eating better so I am not as inclined to execise as much. You see, this right here is a double edged sword.
- For better or worse, I my father's son. It is the craziest thing. Apparently I hung around Papa a bit too much because now as a married man, I am doing things very similarly to him. Meg has noticed it too. The sibs and I used to joke that I was absolutely the most like Papa. It appears as though the transformation continues. Meg finds it funny everytime I catch myself doing something Papa would do and then yelling, "NOOOOOOO!!!!!" I don't see quite the humor. =0).
- A little service goes a long way. I think that Meg and I have done a good job of trying to serve one another best we can. She'll cook and I'll do the dishes. We'll watch her shows but if she knows a game is on then she doesn't mind switching. Whoever gets up last (usually me) is sure to make the bed. Honestly, these things are kind of fun. I like making my wife happy.
- Jesus requires even MORE intentionality. In 1Corinthians 7, Paul talks about how the married man has more concerns than that of the single man. I am absolutely seeing that now. I would do anything for Meg, which is a good thing, but not when my efforts to serve her mean that I am not being intentional with Jesus. I think I have been doing a good job of making sure that I stay disciplined but it is definitely different from a month ago.
So, there you have it. Being married is awesome. Here's to many more months of learning like this!
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Freedom in Service
Hello, friends!
This weekend I had the pleasure of helping Meg and the rest of the Missouri International Student Ministry staff put on their Fall Retreat. There will be an update about Fall Retreat coming a little later but I wanted to share a little about something that struck me while I was there.
My role this weekend was pretty much to be a jack of all trades. My official title was tech guy but I also helped with a number of things from snacks to photos to logistics to games. Pretty much, wherever help was needed, I would do what I could to help.
I got back this morning after driving the speaker to the airport (another job) and had a little time to reflect on my job(s). The conclusion was that I really liked my role at Fall Retreat. There was something really freeing about just doing what I was asked to do and not being asked to make any decisions. I knew that I was making an impact but at the same time I also knew that it wasn't me who was really the one responsible. While it meant that I couldn't take all the credit, it also meant that I was free from worrying about whether or not what I was doing was right.
The thought that came to mind was whether or not that was an ok feeling to have. Is it ok to feel free and enjoy not having responsibility? Does it mean that I am lazy or irresponsible? As I thought about it more, the more I came to see that this is actually EXACTLY how we are supposed to live life.
Hear me out. What if we went through life just doing what Jesus told us to do and didn't worry about if the things we were doing were the right things because we trusted the one who gave us the directions? Wouldn't we be more free to love sacrificially, take risks, and talk openly about all the cool things that Jesus has done in our lives? It seems to me like living with the freedom of knowing that our decisions are not our own is a pretty sweet way to live.
Of course, it isn't quite that simple. I am definitely NOT advocating doing what we want and then saying that it was God who made us do it. That would be irresponsible and a misudentstanding of God's soverignty. What comes first is us actually listening to Jesus' voice and knowing what He is asking us to do. THEN comes us doing it free from worry or anxiety.
It sounds like a pretty sweet way to live. Join me in trying to live this life, won't you? =0).
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
This weekend I had the pleasure of helping Meg and the rest of the Missouri International Student Ministry staff put on their Fall Retreat. There will be an update about Fall Retreat coming a little later but I wanted to share a little about something that struck me while I was there.
My role this weekend was pretty much to be a jack of all trades. My official title was tech guy but I also helped with a number of things from snacks to photos to logistics to games. Pretty much, wherever help was needed, I would do what I could to help.
I got back this morning after driving the speaker to the airport (another job) and had a little time to reflect on my job(s). The conclusion was that I really liked my role at Fall Retreat. There was something really freeing about just doing what I was asked to do and not being asked to make any decisions. I knew that I was making an impact but at the same time I also knew that it wasn't me who was really the one responsible. While it meant that I couldn't take all the credit, it also meant that I was free from worrying about whether or not what I was doing was right.
The thought that came to mind was whether or not that was an ok feeling to have. Is it ok to feel free and enjoy not having responsibility? Does it mean that I am lazy or irresponsible? As I thought about it more, the more I came to see that this is actually EXACTLY how we are supposed to live life.
Hear me out. What if we went through life just doing what Jesus told us to do and didn't worry about if the things we were doing were the right things because we trusted the one who gave us the directions? Wouldn't we be more free to love sacrificially, take risks, and talk openly about all the cool things that Jesus has done in our lives? It seems to me like living with the freedom of knowing that our decisions are not our own is a pretty sweet way to live.
Of course, it isn't quite that simple. I am definitely NOT advocating doing what we want and then saying that it was God who made us do it. That would be irresponsible and a misudentstanding of God's soverignty. What comes first is us actually listening to Jesus' voice and knowing what He is asking us to do. THEN comes us doing it free from worry or anxiety.
It sounds like a pretty sweet way to live. Join me in trying to live this life, won't you? =0).
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Go Home!!!
Hello, friends!
Happy Thursday to you all. I am writing from here in Saint Louis, just like I normally do on Thursdays. I woke up this morning, and as I was reflecting on Large Group last night, I was struck by how much life has changed for me in the past month.
To break it down, last night, my good friend and fellow InterVarsity staff, Chioma Chukwu came in as a guest speaker for Large Group. If you know Chioma, you know that she is a terribly fun person to be around, pretty much all the time. What you may not know about her is that she is a Mizzou ACF celebrity. When the leaders found out she was coming to speak, everyone immediately tried to schedule some "Chioma Time" with her. I don't think it's a coincidence that we had one of our largest groups in a while in attendance last night.
Chioma spoke on persecution, namely about how it is not actually a bad thing and that God can, and does, use times of us being put down for our faith to further His kingdom and grow us. It was a great message and we had a good time of prayer and reflection afterwards.
The part that really struck me as evidence of how much things have changed in the last month is what happened after Large Group. One of my big vvalues for ACF is the community aspect. I love seeing ACFers hang out with one another after the programming is done and oftentimes I measure how "well" ACF is doing by what time I finally get to leave the building for the night.
Last night, things were definitely rocking in the after party. Our new students were hanging out with our veterans. Our international students were hanging out with our Americans. Chioma was hanging out with everyone, even learning a few new moves in the process. By all accounts, ACF was doing "well" when everything ended. We could have easily gone on having conversations and such until 10 or so.
But, once we broke for the night, as much as I loved seeing folk connecting to one another, I only had one thought on my mind: I need to get home to see my wife. I miss her.
Of course, I'm not going to completely shut down a party. That would be selfish. But, I did start to shuffle groups of people to the exit so they could continue their conversations elsewhere. I don't think anyone minded (well, except maybe Chioma). =0).
So, there you have it. We are almost 4 weeks into marriage (hooray!) and I am still very much in love with my wife as well as loving my job with ACF. I am so glad that we have students who love being around one another and desire community. To me, it is proof that we are making an impact, sharing Christ's love with the Asian and Asian Americans on campus.
Prayer points:
- Tomorrow, Meg and I leave for Fall Retreat. Praise Jesus, there are 21 students from UMSL going! Please pray for a great time of community and that the Spirit will move in a big way.
- Praise Jesus, October is almost over and I have been relatively migraine free! Please pray for continued good health, especially this weekend.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Happy Thursday to you all. I am writing from here in Saint Louis, just like I normally do on Thursdays. I woke up this morning, and as I was reflecting on Large Group last night, I was struck by how much life has changed for me in the past month.
To break it down, last night, my good friend and fellow InterVarsity staff, Chioma Chukwu came in as a guest speaker for Large Group. If you know Chioma, you know that she is a terribly fun person to be around, pretty much all the time. What you may not know about her is that she is a Mizzou ACF celebrity. When the leaders found out she was coming to speak, everyone immediately tried to schedule some "Chioma Time" with her. I don't think it's a coincidence that we had one of our largest groups in a while in attendance last night.
Chioma spoke on persecution, namely about how it is not actually a bad thing and that God can, and does, use times of us being put down for our faith to further His kingdom and grow us. It was a great message and we had a good time of prayer and reflection afterwards.
The part that really struck me as evidence of how much things have changed in the last month is what happened after Large Group. One of my big vvalues for ACF is the community aspect. I love seeing ACFers hang out with one another after the programming is done and oftentimes I measure how "well" ACF is doing by what time I finally get to leave the building for the night.
Last night, things were definitely rocking in the after party. Our new students were hanging out with our veterans. Our international students were hanging out with our Americans. Chioma was hanging out with everyone, even learning a few new moves in the process. By all accounts, ACF was doing "well" when everything ended. We could have easily gone on having conversations and such until 10 or so.
But, once we broke for the night, as much as I loved seeing folk connecting to one another, I only had one thought on my mind: I need to get home to see my wife. I miss her.
Of course, I'm not going to completely shut down a party. That would be selfish. But, I did start to shuffle groups of people to the exit so they could continue their conversations elsewhere. I don't think anyone minded (well, except maybe Chioma). =0).
So, there you have it. We are almost 4 weeks into marriage (hooray!) and I am still very much in love with my wife as well as loving my job with ACF. I am so glad that we have students who love being around one another and desire community. To me, it is proof that we are making an impact, sharing Christ's love with the Asian and Asian Americans on campus.
Prayer points:
- Tomorrow, Meg and I leave for Fall Retreat. Praise Jesus, there are 21 students from UMSL going! Please pray for a great time of community and that the Spirit will move in a big way.
- Praise Jesus, October is almost over and I have been relatively migraine free! Please pray for continued good health, especially this weekend.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Dealing with Loss...
Hello, friends!
Last night, my boys, the Saint Louis Cardinals, played their final game of the 2012 season, losing to the San Francisco Giants 9-0 in a game that ended in a downpour. It was a season full of highs and lows, as well as great potential squandered. There is always next season but the loss of a chance at #12in12 is still a disappointment.
Watching my Redbirds go down without a fight reminded me of how much I have grown in the past few years. In 2004, the Cardinals were swept by the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, ending an 86 year drout for Boston but meaning the first chance I ever got to see the Cards play in the World Series (I was alive in 1985 and 1987 but was but a baby) ended in heartbreak. I was a sophomore in college at the time and did not respond to failure well. What was my response? I stayed in my dorm room for a week, only leaving my bedroom to eat and go to the bathroom.
Thinking of THAT made me think about 4 years prior to that when I was tried out for Drum Major in the marching band. I was the Assitant Drum Major that year and definitely the band favorite. I was skipped over by a gal who was less than popular with the people and felt like I had let down the band. My response then was to go into shock and spend about 36 hours crying.
Of course, THAT episode made me think about a year later when, in a rare instance of cleaning, accidentally pitched my merit badge "blue cards" which are proof of earning the merit badge. Not having those cards meant that my quest for Eagle Scout was in a dire position. My response then was to run away from home for 4 days.
Needless to say, I do not have a strong track record of dealing well with failure. However, I would like to think that this is an area where God has been growing me. Without sounding cocky (although it probably will anyway), growing up, I didn't deal with failure much. While on the one hand, I was blessed in a number of ways, on the other hand, when failure did hit, I was unprepared and did not deal with it well.
I think that the thing that God has been teaching me over the years as I have dealed with other failures (and many more of them, for that matter) is that nothing is ever as bad as it seems when it happens. Losing the blue cards did not exclude me from getting Eagle (Class of '03!). I still had fun in the marching band. The Cards made it back to the world series in 2006 (and again in 2011). Life goes on, God is still good, and eventually time heals all wounds.
At least, I think that's the lesson I have learned. Doing college ministry, you deal with loss in a number of ways. There are the students who fall off the face of the planet. There are leaders who decide they don't want to follow Jesus anymore. There are the non-Christians who get so close to following Jesus but then graduate. There are the lost donors. In the midst of all of those things, while they hurt when they happen, God continues to be good.
In my 27+ years of existence, the goodness of God has far exceeded any hardships I have faced. I have a beautiful wife and a wonderful and loving family. I have a job that I love. I have friends who deeply care about me and a community that I care about just as much. I have seen dozens of students make decisions to follow Jesus. God has been very good to me.
Besides, there's always #12in13. =0).
Prayer points:
- Meg and I are going to be leaving for the Missouri International Student Ministry Fall Retreat this weekend. This is a great opportunity for international students to come together and hear God's word, many for the first time! Please pray that God will work in the hearts of students this weekend.
- Guess who needs a root canal?! If you guessed me, you're right! I am not looking forward to this. Please pray for a painless procedure.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Last night, my boys, the Saint Louis Cardinals, played their final game of the 2012 season, losing to the San Francisco Giants 9-0 in a game that ended in a downpour. It was a season full of highs and lows, as well as great potential squandered. There is always next season but the loss of a chance at #12in12 is still a disappointment.
Watching my Redbirds go down without a fight reminded me of how much I have grown in the past few years. In 2004, the Cardinals were swept by the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, ending an 86 year drout for Boston but meaning the first chance I ever got to see the Cards play in the World Series (I was alive in 1985 and 1987 but was but a baby) ended in heartbreak. I was a sophomore in college at the time and did not respond to failure well. What was my response? I stayed in my dorm room for a week, only leaving my bedroom to eat and go to the bathroom.
Thinking of THAT made me think about 4 years prior to that when I was tried out for Drum Major in the marching band. I was the Assitant Drum Major that year and definitely the band favorite. I was skipped over by a gal who was less than popular with the people and felt like I had let down the band. My response then was to go into shock and spend about 36 hours crying.
Of course, THAT episode made me think about a year later when, in a rare instance of cleaning, accidentally pitched my merit badge "blue cards" which are proof of earning the merit badge. Not having those cards meant that my quest for Eagle Scout was in a dire position. My response then was to run away from home for 4 days.
Needless to say, I do not have a strong track record of dealing well with failure. However, I would like to think that this is an area where God has been growing me. Without sounding cocky (although it probably will anyway), growing up, I didn't deal with failure much. While on the one hand, I was blessed in a number of ways, on the other hand, when failure did hit, I was unprepared and did not deal with it well.
I think that the thing that God has been teaching me over the years as I have dealed with other failures (and many more of them, for that matter) is that nothing is ever as bad as it seems when it happens. Losing the blue cards did not exclude me from getting Eagle (Class of '03!). I still had fun in the marching band. The Cards made it back to the world series in 2006 (and again in 2011). Life goes on, God is still good, and eventually time heals all wounds.
At least, I think that's the lesson I have learned. Doing college ministry, you deal with loss in a number of ways. There are the students who fall off the face of the planet. There are leaders who decide they don't want to follow Jesus anymore. There are the non-Christians who get so close to following Jesus but then graduate. There are the lost donors. In the midst of all of those things, while they hurt when they happen, God continues to be good.
In my 27+ years of existence, the goodness of God has far exceeded any hardships I have faced. I have a beautiful wife and a wonderful and loving family. I have a job that I love. I have friends who deeply care about me and a community that I care about just as much. I have seen dozens of students make decisions to follow Jesus. God has been very good to me.
Besides, there's always #12in13. =0).
Prayer points:
- Meg and I are going to be leaving for the Missouri International Student Ministry Fall Retreat this weekend. This is a great opportunity for international students to come together and hear God's word, many for the first time! Please pray that God will work in the hearts of students this weekend.
- Guess who needs a root canal?! If you guessed me, you're right! I am not looking forward to this. Please pray for a painless procedure.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Sunday, October 21, 2012
It's About Time!
Hello, friends!
Guys, has it really been almost 2 weeks since I last posted? My apologies. Between trying to get back into a rhythm (more on that here), Fall Conference (more on that in just a bit) and all the new stuff that is happening in my life, apparently time has gotten away from me.
With all the craziness that has happened thus far, there is far too much to post in just one blog entry. So, I am going to post about the most important thing that has happened since I got back from my honeymoon... New life in the kingdom!
Two weeks ago we had our Fall Conference. 140 students from Saint Louis University, Washington University, Mizzou, and University of Missouri - Saint Louis, gathered together to fellowship, get away from the hustle and bustle of school, and worship God together. Our teachers were Kevin and Jen Blue, a couple who used to be on InterVarsity staff and currently lead a church in inner city Los Angeles. It was a time of great fun and great decisions for Jesus.
On Saturday night, Kevin and Jen shared from Luke 9, when Jesus asks the disciples who they say he is. Kevin laid out for the group exactly what it means that Jesus is the "Christ" or the "Annointed one" and Jen shared some amazing stories about what it means to actually give Jesus every part of your life. At the end of the night, Jen asked if there was anyone who wanted to give their life to Jesus, whether for the first time, or the first time as an adult.
Friends, it was an amazing sight to see THREE Mizzou students decide that they wanted Jesus to be the center of their lives.
- One student was an international student who was actually invited and pursued by another international student who gave her life to Jesus at last year's Fall Conference.
- Another student was one who grew up as a cultural Christian but never made a conscious decision as an adult to follow Jesus.
- The third student started coming to our Summer ACF and decided that Saturday was the night to make the jump and be a follower of Jesus.
My favorite part of Fall Conference was definitely singing "Happy Birthday" to all of our new believers as well as to our international student who gave her life to Jesus last year at Fall Conference. (NOTE: A second favorite part of the weekend was being there with my wife).
This is what we do. We spend the hours on campus, hanging out with students, doing life with them, buying meals and driving miles back and forth so that they will have a chance to come to Jesus when He calls. To say that I love my job would be an understatement. Honestly, right now I couldn't see myself do anything else.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Guys, has it really been almost 2 weeks since I last posted? My apologies. Between trying to get back into a rhythm (more on that here), Fall Conference (more on that in just a bit) and all the new stuff that is happening in my life, apparently time has gotten away from me.
With all the craziness that has happened thus far, there is far too much to post in just one blog entry. So, I am going to post about the most important thing that has happened since I got back from my honeymoon... New life in the kingdom!
Two weeks ago we had our Fall Conference. 140 students from Saint Louis University, Washington University, Mizzou, and University of Missouri - Saint Louis, gathered together to fellowship, get away from the hustle and bustle of school, and worship God together. Our teachers were Kevin and Jen Blue, a couple who used to be on InterVarsity staff and currently lead a church in inner city Los Angeles. It was a time of great fun and great decisions for Jesus.
On Saturday night, Kevin and Jen shared from Luke 9, when Jesus asks the disciples who they say he is. Kevin laid out for the group exactly what it means that Jesus is the "Christ" or the "Annointed one" and Jen shared some amazing stories about what it means to actually give Jesus every part of your life. At the end of the night, Jen asked if there was anyone who wanted to give their life to Jesus, whether for the first time, or the first time as an adult.
Friends, it was an amazing sight to see THREE Mizzou students decide that they wanted Jesus to be the center of their lives.
- One student was an international student who was actually invited and pursued by another international student who gave her life to Jesus at last year's Fall Conference.
- Another student was one who grew up as a cultural Christian but never made a conscious decision as an adult to follow Jesus.
- The third student started coming to our Summer ACF and decided that Saturday was the night to make the jump and be a follower of Jesus.
My favorite part of Fall Conference was definitely singing "Happy Birthday" to all of our new believers as well as to our international student who gave her life to Jesus last year at Fall Conference. (NOTE: A second favorite part of the weekend was being there with my wife).
This is what we do. We spend the hours on campus, hanging out with students, doing life with them, buying meals and driving miles back and forth so that they will have a chance to come to Jesus when He calls. To say that I love my job would be an understatement. Honestly, right now I couldn't see myself do anything else.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Top Ten!!!
Hello, friends!
Did you miss me? I missed you all. Where have I been? I got married!!! Hooray! Yes, the past few weeks have been a bit of a blur as I got married, went on my honeymoon (Jamaica!), got back, went to Fall Conference (more on that later), and spent pretty much all of yesterday trying to get my new married life in order with my awesome wife.
It's been 10 days since I tied the knot, so I thought it would be fun to do a Top Ten list of the Ten Best Things of These Past 10 Days.
10) Playing with My Ring. I don't wear much jewelry beyond my watch but this ring is really cool! It is made out of titanium, which has a number of advantages. It is way cheaper than gold, which was nice, but it also can't be adjusted, which means I have all sorts of incentive to not let my hands get fat. =0). Seriously though, I have been having a lot of fun getting used to my new bling.
9) Reception Flash Mob. Apparently, my sister (The Kid) choreographed a flash mob and sent it to everyone at the wedding so they could participate. It was so cool seeing so many of my friends and family dancing together. I think my favorite part of the whole thing though was that the Kid found the ONE Kelly Clarkson song that makes sense to play at a wedding.
8) The Generosity of Our Friends. We have some great friends. We were flabbergasted by the generosity of everyone. We now have way too much stuff in our apartment but it's full of stuff that shows how much people love and care about us. Hooray!
7) Family Reunion! Meg and I have a lot of family. Her parents are both 1 of 9 children and on my side we apparently breed like bunnies so there was family galore at the wedding. It was so great to see grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and everyone together to celebrate with us.
6) Paying for Stuff. Ok, this may seem really odd but I have gotten a kick out of paying for stuff, knowing that my money is now Meg's. We haven't officially joined the bank accounts yet but the thought that Meg and I share our finances along with everything else is pretty cool.
5) No More Curfew! When Meg and I got engaged and once Meg moved into the apartment, we decided to set a curfew so that we would not be tempted physically before we got married. Now, 11pm hits and I don't have to go home! Even better, 11pm hits and I already am home! Life is good.
4) Jamaica! 6 days and 5 nights in Jamaica wasn't quite enough. Man did we have fun. We got to swim with the dolphins, learn to dance reggae, watch some crazy awesome steel drumming, hang out on the beach, swim in the ocean, enjoy delicious food (jerk chicken is so amazing), eat ice cream at every meal (for Meg), and drink all the chocolate banana shakes I wanted (for me). If you haven't been, I suggest going.
3) Covenant Renewal Ceremonies. =0).
2) Mrs. Leong. I still giggle every time someone refers to Meg as "Mrs. Leong" or I get to call her my wife. How cool is that?! I have a wife!
1) Waking up Next to My Wife. I am not a morning person. It usually takes me a little bit to get going in the morning. But these past few days, waking up, and turning to my left to see my wife, my best friend, the love of my life, is such an amazing feeling. Knowing that I get to do that for the rest of my life is even better.
So, friends, those are my top 10. There are so many great things about being married. I couldn't have asked for a better 10 days. Here's to (at least) 10 more! =0).
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Did you miss me? I missed you all. Where have I been? I got married!!! Hooray! Yes, the past few weeks have been a bit of a blur as I got married, went on my honeymoon (Jamaica!), got back, went to Fall Conference (more on that later), and spent pretty much all of yesterday trying to get my new married life in order with my awesome wife.
It's been 10 days since I tied the knot, so I thought it would be fun to do a Top Ten list of the Ten Best Things of These Past 10 Days.
10) Playing with My Ring. I don't wear much jewelry beyond my watch but this ring is really cool! It is made out of titanium, which has a number of advantages. It is way cheaper than gold, which was nice, but it also can't be adjusted, which means I have all sorts of incentive to not let my hands get fat. =0). Seriously though, I have been having a lot of fun getting used to my new bling.
9) Reception Flash Mob. Apparently, my sister (The Kid) choreographed a flash mob and sent it to everyone at the wedding so they could participate. It was so cool seeing so many of my friends and family dancing together. I think my favorite part of the whole thing though was that the Kid found the ONE Kelly Clarkson song that makes sense to play at a wedding.
8) The Generosity of Our Friends. We have some great friends. We were flabbergasted by the generosity of everyone. We now have way too much stuff in our apartment but it's full of stuff that shows how much people love and care about us. Hooray!
7) Family Reunion! Meg and I have a lot of family. Her parents are both 1 of 9 children and on my side we apparently breed like bunnies so there was family galore at the wedding. It was so great to see grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and everyone together to celebrate with us.
6) Paying for Stuff. Ok, this may seem really odd but I have gotten a kick out of paying for stuff, knowing that my money is now Meg's. We haven't officially joined the bank accounts yet but the thought that Meg and I share our finances along with everything else is pretty cool.
5) No More Curfew! When Meg and I got engaged and once Meg moved into the apartment, we decided to set a curfew so that we would not be tempted physically before we got married. Now, 11pm hits and I don't have to go home! Even better, 11pm hits and I already am home! Life is good.
4) Jamaica! 6 days and 5 nights in Jamaica wasn't quite enough. Man did we have fun. We got to swim with the dolphins, learn to dance reggae, watch some crazy awesome steel drumming, hang out on the beach, swim in the ocean, enjoy delicious food (jerk chicken is so amazing), eat ice cream at every meal (for Meg), and drink all the chocolate banana shakes I wanted (for me). If you haven't been, I suggest going.
3) Covenant Renewal Ceremonies. =0).
2) Mrs. Leong. I still giggle every time someone refers to Meg as "Mrs. Leong" or I get to call her my wife. How cool is that?! I have a wife!
1) Waking up Next to My Wife. I am not a morning person. It usually takes me a little bit to get going in the morning. But these past few days, waking up, and turning to my left to see my wife, my best friend, the love of my life, is such an amazing feeling. Knowing that I get to do that for the rest of my life is even better.
So, friends, those are my top 10. There are so many great things about being married. I couldn't have asked for a better 10 days. Here's to (at least) 10 more! =0).
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
None Live For Themselves...
Hello, friends!
This post will be my last post as a single man... Let's think about that for a second...
...
...
...
Ok, back to it.
The next time you will be reading this blog, I will be a married man. Imma have me a wife! =0).
I've been told that the married life is great. It's not always easy but it is great. There are a ton of reasons to be looking forward to marriage.
- How awesome is it going to be to spend the rest of my life w' my best friend? Seriously, Meg and I have grown together so much over the past few years that we've known each other. She's made me a more emotionally mature person and I thank God for every second that I get to spend with her, even when we're having disagreements.
- I'm looking forward to (hopefully) modeling a healthy Christian relationship for our students. There is so much brokenness on the college campuses, especially when it comes to relationships. Folk don't know where to look and they don't know what is healthy and right in the eyes of God. My hope is that Meg and I will be able to show our students how to love one another in a way that gives glory to God and advances the kindgom.
- Something that I've been thinking about for a while has been how to really not live for myself. The idea of marriage is exactly that. I am no longer just Adam Leong. I am not Megan and Adam Leong. My job is not to live for my own desires and what I want. It is to love and serve Meg, even if it means sacrificing my own preferences and desires. For some reason, I am looking forward to giving that a shot. That is exactly how Christ lived and how I want to live. I am glad that I get to begin that journey with Meg.
There are tons of other reasons why I am looking forward to getting married. Right now, my favorite though is that I will get first hand experience at not living for myself.
With that in mind, when I return, there may be some changes to the blog. You'll still hear plenty from me about the things that are going on at Mizzou, Maryville, Columbia College, Florissant Valley, and whatever else is going on in my life but you may also see the occassional post about some of the great stuff that Meg is doing at UMSL. Y'all, she's doing some pretty amazing stuff.
So, sit back, relax, take a few weeks off, and get ready for US (not just me) to come back better than ever!
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
This post will be my last post as a single man... Let's think about that for a second...
...
...
...
Ok, back to it.
The next time you will be reading this blog, I will be a married man. Imma have me a wife! =0).
I've been told that the married life is great. It's not always easy but it is great. There are a ton of reasons to be looking forward to marriage.
- How awesome is it going to be to spend the rest of my life w' my best friend? Seriously, Meg and I have grown together so much over the past few years that we've known each other. She's made me a more emotionally mature person and I thank God for every second that I get to spend with her, even when we're having disagreements.
- I'm looking forward to (hopefully) modeling a healthy Christian relationship for our students. There is so much brokenness on the college campuses, especially when it comes to relationships. Folk don't know where to look and they don't know what is healthy and right in the eyes of God. My hope is that Meg and I will be able to show our students how to love one another in a way that gives glory to God and advances the kindgom.
- Something that I've been thinking about for a while has been how to really not live for myself. The idea of marriage is exactly that. I am no longer just Adam Leong. I am not Megan and Adam Leong. My job is not to live for my own desires and what I want. It is to love and serve Meg, even if it means sacrificing my own preferences and desires. For some reason, I am looking forward to giving that a shot. That is exactly how Christ lived and how I want to live. I am glad that I get to begin that journey with Meg.
There are tons of other reasons why I am looking forward to getting married. Right now, my favorite though is that I will get first hand experience at not living for myself.
With that in mind, when I return, there may be some changes to the blog. You'll still hear plenty from me about the things that are going on at Mizzou, Maryville, Columbia College, Florissant Valley, and whatever else is going on in my life but you may also see the occassional post about some of the great stuff that Meg is doing at UMSL. Y'all, she's doing some pretty amazing stuff.
So, sit back, relax, take a few weeks off, and get ready for US (not just me) to come back better than ever!
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Monday, September 24, 2012
A Tiring, Restful Sabbath...
Hello, friends!
Y'all, I am really sore today. Not just because I've been sleeping on a couch for the past few weeks. No, I'm sore because I had one of the best Sabbaths in a long time.
Sabbath is one of those interesting things that goes through seasons with me. I absolutely believe that it is a biblical truth and that everyone should take regular Sabbath as a part of their walk with Jesus. A few of the passages that have helped me in my Sabbath journey are Hebrews 4, Exodus 20, and Luke 9. One of the most formative conference talks I ever heard was when a staff spoke on the Sabbath and one of the best trainings I ever received was on the Sabbath.
Here's the trick that I've learned with Sabbath: do what gives you life. Sabbath is not just about sleeping. It's not about being lazy. It's about doing what gives you life and finding ultimate rest in God. So, what made this Sabbath so life giving? Softball season started. =0).
Men's slowpitch softball is pretty much the greatest thing ever. I'm just going to put it out there. There is no part of men's slowpitch softball that I don't like. There's competition. There's male comraderie. There's athleticism. There's baseball like motions. There's strategy. There's execution. It makes my heart very happy.
Is our team very good? Absolutely not. We got beat 14-2 yesterday, which activates the mercy rule. We had trouble hitting, had plenty of miscues in the field, and walked too many batters. The team we were playing were definitely better than us. But, none of that matters because we got to play softball.
At the end of the day, I'm sore and we lost big. But, I had an amazing Sabbath and I thank Jesus for the chance to rest in His rest while tiring myself running around the bases.
Prayer Points:
- Less than 5 days until Meg and I tie the knot! It's finally here! Please pray for all the logistics that need to get done. My parents' flight has already been delayed a few hours. Let's pray that this is the worst thing that happens this week.
- Please also be praying for Meg and my students these next few weeks as we prepare for the wedding then go on our honeymoon. Please pray that they will continue forward with the mission and that great things will be happening on campus while we aren't there.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Y'all, I am really sore today. Not just because I've been sleeping on a couch for the past few weeks. No, I'm sore because I had one of the best Sabbaths in a long time.
Sabbath is one of those interesting things that goes through seasons with me. I absolutely believe that it is a biblical truth and that everyone should take regular Sabbath as a part of their walk with Jesus. A few of the passages that have helped me in my Sabbath journey are Hebrews 4, Exodus 20, and Luke 9. One of the most formative conference talks I ever heard was when a staff spoke on the Sabbath and one of the best trainings I ever received was on the Sabbath.
Here's the trick that I've learned with Sabbath: do what gives you life. Sabbath is not just about sleeping. It's not about being lazy. It's about doing what gives you life and finding ultimate rest in God. So, what made this Sabbath so life giving? Softball season started. =0).
Men's slowpitch softball is pretty much the greatest thing ever. I'm just going to put it out there. There is no part of men's slowpitch softball that I don't like. There's competition. There's male comraderie. There's athleticism. There's baseball like motions. There's strategy. There's execution. It makes my heart very happy.
Is our team very good? Absolutely not. We got beat 14-2 yesterday, which activates the mercy rule. We had trouble hitting, had plenty of miscues in the field, and walked too many batters. The team we were playing were definitely better than us. But, none of that matters because we got to play softball.
At the end of the day, I'm sore and we lost big. But, I had an amazing Sabbath and I thank Jesus for the chance to rest in His rest while tiring myself running around the bases.
Prayer Points:
- Less than 5 days until Meg and I tie the knot! It's finally here! Please pray for all the logistics that need to get done. My parents' flight has already been delayed a few hours. Let's pray that this is the worst thing that happens this week.
- Please also be praying for Meg and my students these next few weeks as we prepare for the wedding then go on our honeymoon. Please pray that they will continue forward with the mission and that great things will be happening on campus while we aren't there.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Thursday, September 20, 2012
9 days...
Hello, friends!
Depending on when you read this, in 9 days, I will be married to the love of my life and my best friend, Meg. That's pretty exciting, right?
To commemorate the 9 days until our wedding, here is a song by 9 days:
In case you are reading this on Friday, here is a song to commemorate 8 days:
And, just in case you don't get to see this until Saturday, here's a little something for you:
Hooray! Here are a few ways to be praying for us:
- We still have some details and preparations to take care of before we walk down the aisle. Please pray that we will be able to get those things done and stay sane in the process.
- September leads to October which leads to migraines for me. Please pray for good health. I had a bad one yesterday.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Depending on when you read this, in 9 days, I will be married to the love of my life and my best friend, Meg. That's pretty exciting, right?
To commemorate the 9 days until our wedding, here is a song by 9 days:
In case you are reading this on Friday, here is a song to commemorate 8 days:
And, just in case you don't get to see this until Saturday, here's a little something for you:
Hooray! Here are a few ways to be praying for us:
- We still have some details and preparations to take care of before we walk down the aisle. Please pray that we will be able to get those things done and stay sane in the process.
- September leads to October which leads to migraines for me. Please pray for good health. I had a bad one yesterday.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Windshield Planting...
Hello, friends!
As you guys know, I have the pleasure of training 3 interns on 3 different campuses across Missouri. Robert is working with me at Flo Valley, Wes is scouting Maryville University, and Charis is working at Mizzou and Columbia College. Hmm, I guess that's 4 campuses. =0).
Well, Wes just sent me this email and I thought I would send it along.
Wesley,
Sounds great! I'm excited to hear your vision and more about invervarsity christian fellowship. After I got your email I looked it up on the internet....I didn't realize it was such a huge organization! I would be willing to meet up at the Kaldi's on campus anytime, if that works for you. I'm going to try and get a few friends interested as well to bring along because many of them are Christians, but uninvolved in any clubs/fellowships! My schedule is crazy with classes, work, homework, and trying to visit my newborn twin nephews...so let me know what times you are available and I'll see what lines up with my schedule!
Thanks!
K
A missional student at Maryville! That's great, right? Well, it gets better. Here's how they met:
Wesley was in the parking lot at Maryville and saw a car with some Christian bumper stickers on it. He then proceded to write a note that "basically said that I noticed the two stickers on the car and introduced myself as part of InterVarsity. I said we're seeking to potentially start a chapter at Maryville and asked to connect with the owner of the car to either learn more about the campus or share some vision with a fellow believer." He then put the note in a plastic bag to protect it from dew (I love engineers!) and left it on her windeshield. As Wes put it, "It was really sketchy in hindsight." =0).
I love it when folk take risks, I love it when those risks lead to awesome things. I love it when God moves unexpectedly.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Margins...
Hello, friends!
I know that I have been talking about my crazy travel schedule and such for a few weeks now. I am still getting used to it. In fact, today is one of the rare 12 hour CoMO days. I drove in this morning and will be heading back to Saint Louis tonight for staff meetings tomorrow. The Rolla is definitely getting a good run. =0).
One of the things that I have been learning as how to cope with all this craziness is to create margin. What is margin? Pretty much, it is me allotting time for things to take longer and go wrong. Doing so has actually made my life a little bit more manageable.
Let me give you an example. On Tuesdays, I have meetings with Jordan, Charis, Tim, and the ACF Leaders. The most efficient thing would be for me to stack them one on top of the other, going rapid fire through all the meetings in order to have the largest block of free time at the end of the day. But, instead, I spaced them out a bit. I meet with Jordan @ 2, Charis @ 4, Tim @ 6, and the leaders @ 9. What I love about this is that it gives me freedom to let the Spirit move as He does.
Sometimes these meetings take longer than anticipated. When they do, I have the margin to let those conversations go, knowing that I have time until my next appointment. Other times, they run exactly as planned and I get a little bit of time to decompress and prepare for the next meeting. Sometimes, things even take shorter than anticipated. In those instances, I can start my next meeting early, get some extended time to decompress, or even get a little bit of time to get some other work done.
What I love best about this is that when I am more calm and not totally flustered going into a meeting, it allows me to better serve students. Time to decompress after the previous meeting means that I will not be taking my thoughts and emotions from that meeting into my next meeting. That leads to better meetings and more time to hear from the Spirit.
Admittedly, it isn't the most efficient thing to do from a day to day standpoint. Sometimes I will have 10 or 15 minutes between meetings, which isn't quite enough to do anything well. But, even in these times I trust that Jesus knows what is good for me. I must need those 15 minutes.
Prayer Points: There's just one prayer request for me. Right now, until I move into my new apartment (after the wedding), I am sleeping on couches. It's just 18 days until I get a wonderful bed (as well as an incredible wife!) but until then, my back is starting to feel it. Please pray for healing and comfort in the midst of sleep.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
I know that I have been talking about my crazy travel schedule and such for a few weeks now. I am still getting used to it. In fact, today is one of the rare 12 hour CoMO days. I drove in this morning and will be heading back to Saint Louis tonight for staff meetings tomorrow. The Rolla is definitely getting a good run. =0).
One of the things that I have been learning as how to cope with all this craziness is to create margin. What is margin? Pretty much, it is me allotting time for things to take longer and go wrong. Doing so has actually made my life a little bit more manageable.
Let me give you an example. On Tuesdays, I have meetings with Jordan, Charis, Tim, and the ACF Leaders. The most efficient thing would be for me to stack them one on top of the other, going rapid fire through all the meetings in order to have the largest block of free time at the end of the day. But, instead, I spaced them out a bit. I meet with Jordan @ 2, Charis @ 4, Tim @ 6, and the leaders @ 9. What I love about this is that it gives me freedom to let the Spirit move as He does.
Sometimes these meetings take longer than anticipated. When they do, I have the margin to let those conversations go, knowing that I have time until my next appointment. Other times, they run exactly as planned and I get a little bit of time to decompress and prepare for the next meeting. Sometimes, things even take shorter than anticipated. In those instances, I can start my next meeting early, get some extended time to decompress, or even get a little bit of time to get some other work done.
What I love best about this is that when I am more calm and not totally flustered going into a meeting, it allows me to better serve students. Time to decompress after the previous meeting means that I will not be taking my thoughts and emotions from that meeting into my next meeting. That leads to better meetings and more time to hear from the Spirit.
Admittedly, it isn't the most efficient thing to do from a day to day standpoint. Sometimes I will have 10 or 15 minutes between meetings, which isn't quite enough to do anything well. But, even in these times I trust that Jesus knows what is good for me. I must need those 15 minutes.
Prayer Points: There's just one prayer request for me. Right now, until I move into my new apartment (after the wedding), I am sleeping on couches. It's just 18 days until I get a wonderful bed (as well as an incredible wife!) but until then, my back is starting to feel it. Please pray for healing and comfort in the midst of sleep.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Exciting!!!
Hello, friends!
Exciting, exciting news!
On Thursday, Robert and I went tabling at Flo Valley, to try and meet students who might be interested in being a part of InterVarsity. My last post talked about some of the fun and interesting people that we met while we were tabling. What came just a few minutes after I posted, was this email from Emma, one of the students who we met on Thursday:
It was nice meeting you guys too, I appreciate what you guys are doing on campus. I would love to hang out with you guys and learn more about your stories as well, and how and why you guys do this stuff :) I would love to see more community on our campus, so that is something I would definitely consider being a part of.
I will be on campus on Monday, and am free anytime after 12:15 :)
I am also thinking about going to the fall conference.
Thanks so much,
Emma
For me, the best thing about this email is that I was totally sure that we Emma was a lost cause. When we were talking on Thursday, there was another guy that was looking at the proxe so I invited him to join our conversation. He started going off on Christianity and how it was the same telling of the same story that has been told for thousands of years in mythology and such (I wrote about him last week). I was trying to get the conversation moving and I was certain that Emma was going to check out before things got too weird. I guess I need a little more work on reading people, eh?
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Exciting, exciting news!
On Thursday, Robert and I went tabling at Flo Valley, to try and meet students who might be interested in being a part of InterVarsity. My last post talked about some of the fun and interesting people that we met while we were tabling. What came just a few minutes after I posted, was this email from Emma, one of the students who we met on Thursday:
It was nice meeting you guys too, I appreciate what you guys are doing on campus. I would love to hang out with you guys and learn more about your stories as well, and how and why you guys do this stuff :) I would love to see more community on our campus, so that is something I would definitely consider being a part of.
I will be on campus on Monday, and am free anytime after 12:15 :)
I am also thinking about going to the fall conference.
Thanks so much,
Emma
For me, the best thing about this email is that I was totally sure that we Emma was a lost cause. When we were talking on Thursday, there was another guy that was looking at the proxe so I invited him to join our conversation. He started going off on Christianity and how it was the same telling of the same story that has been told for thousands of years in mythology and such (I wrote about him last week). I was trying to get the conversation moving and I was certain that Emma was going to check out before things got too weird. I guess I need a little more work on reading people, eh?
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Thursday, September 6, 2012
More fun with Tabling!
Hello, friends!
Today was definitely a fun day. Robert, one of our InterVarsity interns, and I went to Flo Valley to do some tabling and see if we could get some folk interested in joining InterVarsity at Flo Valley. One of the fun things about tabling is that you get to meet some of the most interesting people. Here are some of the folk I encountered today (names have been changed):
- Donna is a 48-year-old student @ Flo Valley, working to get her degree in social work. Her greatest goals in life are to walk down the graduation aisle (she couldn't afford the cap and gown when she graduated high school) and to walk down the wedding aisle.
- Jimmy is an agnostic student who has been living with brain cancer for the past 6 years. By his view, Christianity is the same story that folk have been telling each other for thousands of years. Belief in self is the most important belief out there.
- Rick is a student who considers himself a Christian but doesn't go to church because it was too boring. He believes that the world is messed up but not because of sin, because of the Illuminati that is currently running the government. Their goal is to erradicate 80% of the world's population to a managable size.
How can you not have fun talking with these students about Jesus?! Robert did a great job talking to students and I'm sure that the students he met were just as interesting as the ones I met.
What I love most about tabling is that you have no idea who you are going to meet and what they are going to need. Sometimes the students who you would never expect to have any interest in Christianity really open up once you actually take the time to have a conversation with them.
As much fun as tabling is, now the real fun begins. Now it's time to follow-up and have those secondary conversations with students, to see if they want to continue to join us in community as we reach the campus with the Gospel.
Please pray for us as we have these conversations. Pray that students will be open to what we're trying to do and that this will lead to more connections.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Today was definitely a fun day. Robert, one of our InterVarsity interns, and I went to Flo Valley to do some tabling and see if we could get some folk interested in joining InterVarsity at Flo Valley. One of the fun things about tabling is that you get to meet some of the most interesting people. Here are some of the folk I encountered today (names have been changed):
- Donna is a 48-year-old student @ Flo Valley, working to get her degree in social work. Her greatest goals in life are to walk down the graduation aisle (she couldn't afford the cap and gown when she graduated high school) and to walk down the wedding aisle.
- Jimmy is an agnostic student who has been living with brain cancer for the past 6 years. By his view, Christianity is the same story that folk have been telling each other for thousands of years. Belief in self is the most important belief out there.
- Rick is a student who considers himself a Christian but doesn't go to church because it was too boring. He believes that the world is messed up but not because of sin, because of the Illuminati that is currently running the government. Their goal is to erradicate 80% of the world's population to a managable size.
How can you not have fun talking with these students about Jesus?! Robert did a great job talking to students and I'm sure that the students he met were just as interesting as the ones I met.
What I love most about tabling is that you have no idea who you are going to meet and what they are going to need. Sometimes the students who you would never expect to have any interest in Christianity really open up once you actually take the time to have a conversation with them.
As much fun as tabling is, now the real fun begins. Now it's time to follow-up and have those secondary conversations with students, to see if they want to continue to join us in community as we reach the campus with the Gospel.
Please pray for us as we have these conversations. Pray that students will be open to what we're trying to do and that this will lead to more connections.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Monday, September 3, 2012
The Big Lesson...
Hello, friends!
During my 5+ years of working for InterVarsity, there are a number of things that I have learned about college students, about working with college students, about leading college students, and about caring for college students. Much of this is intuitive; much of it is not. I'm not THAT far removed from my time in college so I can see that some things haven't changed much since my time @ WashU (GO BEARS!!!). There are still the same questions: What classes I should take take, how many classes should I take, should I get a job, should I start dating him/her, should I stop dating him/her, what am I doing this summer, what am I doing next semester, what am I doing with my life, and things of that nature. When I was going through them, I thought they were the most crucial questions in the history of mankind. Now that I lead students as they go through these questions, I have a much haughty view of these seemingly great mysteries.
Through all of it, the one thing that I have learned works above all else is this: no matter what you do, follow where Jesus is leading you. Students have started dating and it has worked, other times it hasn't. Students have taken more or fewer classes with varying results. Students have stepped up into leadership, stayed in leadership, and stepped down from leadership, all with different consequences. The truth of the matter is that as much as I would love for there to be some sort of secret formula for college students to graduate with vibrant relationships with Jesus, the fact of the matter is that the only consistancy I have seen is that those who earnestly seek to do what Jesus wants them to do, regardless of what the decision is, end up graduating in better shape than those who don't.
Sometimes Jesus wants us to lead. Sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes he wants us to pursue relationship. Sometimes he doesn't. The only way that we can have anything that resembles an idea of what God actually wants for us is to ask Him. And, to ask others to ask Him on our behalf.
When students come to me with decisions already in their minds of what needs to happen, my first question is always this: How did you come to this decision? When I hear things like, "I have been praying about it and feel like God is calling me here," or, "I really get the sense that God is moving me in this direction," I affirm the call and talk about where we go from there. However, when I hear, "Well, it just sort of made sense," or, "This was the only way it could be," red flags go up for me. If I press a little harder, I usually find that students haven't been seeking Jesus in the midst of these decisions. At that point, I ask them to hold off on the decision for a few days, surround themselves with folk who will pray for them, and earnestly seek Jesus for direction. Sometimes the answer is the same and sometimes it is different.
Understand, these students aren't bad people. It's not like anyone is intentionally ignoring Jesus. I think it's more the idea that waiting and seeking are hard disciplines to learn. I still have trouble with it. But, it is a skill that is imperative to being a follower of Jesus. That is my goal. My goal is not to graduate excellent students or InterVarsity All-Stars. My goal is to graduate followers of Jesus.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
During my 5+ years of working for InterVarsity, there are a number of things that I have learned about college students, about working with college students, about leading college students, and about caring for college students. Much of this is intuitive; much of it is not. I'm not THAT far removed from my time in college so I can see that some things haven't changed much since my time @ WashU (GO BEARS!!!). There are still the same questions: What classes I should take take, how many classes should I take, should I get a job, should I start dating him/her, should I stop dating him/her, what am I doing this summer, what am I doing next semester, what am I doing with my life, and things of that nature. When I was going through them, I thought they were the most crucial questions in the history of mankind. Now that I lead students as they go through these questions, I have a much haughty view of these seemingly great mysteries.
Through all of it, the one thing that I have learned works above all else is this: no matter what you do, follow where Jesus is leading you. Students have started dating and it has worked, other times it hasn't. Students have taken more or fewer classes with varying results. Students have stepped up into leadership, stayed in leadership, and stepped down from leadership, all with different consequences. The truth of the matter is that as much as I would love for there to be some sort of secret formula for college students to graduate with vibrant relationships with Jesus, the fact of the matter is that the only consistancy I have seen is that those who earnestly seek to do what Jesus wants them to do, regardless of what the decision is, end up graduating in better shape than those who don't.
Sometimes Jesus wants us to lead. Sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes he wants us to pursue relationship. Sometimes he doesn't. The only way that we can have anything that resembles an idea of what God actually wants for us is to ask Him. And, to ask others to ask Him on our behalf.
When students come to me with decisions already in their minds of what needs to happen, my first question is always this: How did you come to this decision? When I hear things like, "I have been praying about it and feel like God is calling me here," or, "I really get the sense that God is moving me in this direction," I affirm the call and talk about where we go from there. However, when I hear, "Well, it just sort of made sense," or, "This was the only way it could be," red flags go up for me. If I press a little harder, I usually find that students haven't been seeking Jesus in the midst of these decisions. At that point, I ask them to hold off on the decision for a few days, surround themselves with folk who will pray for them, and earnestly seek Jesus for direction. Sometimes the answer is the same and sometimes it is different.
Understand, these students aren't bad people. It's not like anyone is intentionally ignoring Jesus. I think it's more the idea that waiting and seeking are hard disciplines to learn. I still have trouble with it. But, it is a skill that is imperative to being a follower of Jesus. That is my goal. My goal is not to graduate excellent students or InterVarsity All-Stars. My goal is to graduate followers of Jesus.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Adrenaline and Listening...
Hello, friends!
The past few days have been pretty crazy. Not only was there the normal travel stuff, we also had our first Large Group of the semester (more on that later) and I have been out the past few days with a pretty sizable migraine.
I've been battling migraines for I would say the better part of 13 years at this point, really since high school. The cause of it isn't totally clear but we do have some clues. My worst times of the year are March and October. I am sensitive to changes in the weather. Napping for less than 2 hours increases my chance for a migraine significantly. Well, on Sunday afternoon it was super hot. Sunday night it rained really hard, and then Monday morning it was hot again and I had a migraine. These usually last for only a few hours but this one lasted for 3 days. That is, until I got to Large Group.
There must be something about adrenaline, or maybe the power of the Holy Spirit. I can't say for sure whether or the extended headaches were because of some sort of spiritual warfare. All I can say for sure is that I was feeling pretty bad on the car ride to our Large Group spot but as soon as I walked through the doors, I was feeling great! Either adrenaline kicked in and I was numb to the pain or the Spirit came and kicked the enemy around. Either way, I was feeling good.
Onward to Large Group! One of the really cool things about this semester is that we have a Large Group Coordinator. Over the course of the summer, Jordan picked our topics, gathered a team of helpers, and infused a few new ideas into what Large Group was going to be this year. He's been working really hard and today was his debut. I would like to say that it was a smashing success.
While I was hanging out with Jesus on Wednesday prior to Large Group, I read the passage in Acts 10 where Peter preaches to the house of Cornelius, the Holy Spirit falls, and everyone in the house becomes a believer. I got the sense that maybe today was a day for students to make decisions to follow Jesus. I checked with Jordan to see if I could have some time in case I continued to get that vibe. He said that if the Spirit is speaking, I need to be listening.
So, I listened. One of our Sophomores gave a testimony about how much the ACF community meant to him and it was while he was talking that I felt the Spirit give me the ok to go. The student was talking about how one of the things that he loved about ACF was how folk were willing to drop everything to help those in the community. I spent a little time talking about exactly why that is. We don't do it just because we are nice people. We do it as a response to the love that Christ has shown us through His sacrifice. Even though we are messed up folk, Jesus still died for us. Following Him means following his example and laying down our lives for those around us. I then challenged students in 3 ways: to commit to exploring who Jesus really is, to recommit their lives to Jesus, and to commit to serving Jesus through ACF.
Praise Jesus! One student committed to exploring Jesus more. 4 students committed to serving in ACF, and 1 student recommitted her life to Jesus!
That was Large Group. Was it perfect? No. We had some technical difficulties and we ran long but because we were listening to the Spirit, one gal came into the kingdom and another may be well on her way.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
The past few days have been pretty crazy. Not only was there the normal travel stuff, we also had our first Large Group of the semester (more on that later) and I have been out the past few days with a pretty sizable migraine.
I've been battling migraines for I would say the better part of 13 years at this point, really since high school. The cause of it isn't totally clear but we do have some clues. My worst times of the year are March and October. I am sensitive to changes in the weather. Napping for less than 2 hours increases my chance for a migraine significantly. Well, on Sunday afternoon it was super hot. Sunday night it rained really hard, and then Monday morning it was hot again and I had a migraine. These usually last for only a few hours but this one lasted for 3 days. That is, until I got to Large Group.
There must be something about adrenaline, or maybe the power of the Holy Spirit. I can't say for sure whether or the extended headaches were because of some sort of spiritual warfare. All I can say for sure is that I was feeling pretty bad on the car ride to our Large Group spot but as soon as I walked through the doors, I was feeling great! Either adrenaline kicked in and I was numb to the pain or the Spirit came and kicked the enemy around. Either way, I was feeling good.
Onward to Large Group! One of the really cool things about this semester is that we have a Large Group Coordinator. Over the course of the summer, Jordan picked our topics, gathered a team of helpers, and infused a few new ideas into what Large Group was going to be this year. He's been working really hard and today was his debut. I would like to say that it was a smashing success.
While I was hanging out with Jesus on Wednesday prior to Large Group, I read the passage in Acts 10 where Peter preaches to the house of Cornelius, the Holy Spirit falls, and everyone in the house becomes a believer. I got the sense that maybe today was a day for students to make decisions to follow Jesus. I checked with Jordan to see if I could have some time in case I continued to get that vibe. He said that if the Spirit is speaking, I need to be listening.
So, I listened. One of our Sophomores gave a testimony about how much the ACF community meant to him and it was while he was talking that I felt the Spirit give me the ok to go. The student was talking about how one of the things that he loved about ACF was how folk were willing to drop everything to help those in the community. I spent a little time talking about exactly why that is. We don't do it just because we are nice people. We do it as a response to the love that Christ has shown us through His sacrifice. Even though we are messed up folk, Jesus still died for us. Following Him means following his example and laying down our lives for those around us. I then challenged students in 3 ways: to commit to exploring who Jesus really is, to recommit their lives to Jesus, and to commit to serving Jesus through ACF.
Praise Jesus! One student committed to exploring Jesus more. 4 students committed to serving in ACF, and 1 student recommitted her life to Jesus!
That was Large Group. Was it perfect? No. We had some technical difficulties and we ran long but because we were listening to the Spirit, one gal came into the kingdom and another may be well on her way.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Eat 'n Greet!
Hello, friends!
Happy Sunday to you all. The first week of Mizzou classes is in the books, which means that NSO (New Student Outreach) is in full swing! This weekend, I had the pleasure of being in Saint Louis while the ACF leaders put on an NSO event for ACF all by themselves! When I say, "all by themselves," I actually mean it. They conceived the idea, did the promos, bought the supplies, hosted, and are currently working on the follow-up. Hooray for leaders!
Our event was called the "Eat 'n Greet." The premise was actually pretty simple. Folk show up at the Man Cave (my house) to eat food. If you bring friends, you get more food. Who wouldn't want to go to an event like that? Even better, who wouldn't want to bring your friends?! =0).
Here are a few photos from the event. I think you will agree that everyone looks like they are having a good time.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Happy Sunday to you all. The first week of Mizzou classes is in the books, which means that NSO (New Student Outreach) is in full swing! This weekend, I had the pleasure of being in Saint Louis while the ACF leaders put on an NSO event for ACF all by themselves! When I say, "all by themselves," I actually mean it. They conceived the idea, did the promos, bought the supplies, hosted, and are currently working on the follow-up. Hooray for leaders!
Our event was called the "Eat 'n Greet." The premise was actually pretty simple. Folk show up at the Man Cave (my house) to eat food. If you bring friends, you get more food. Who wouldn't want to go to an event like that? Even better, who wouldn't want to bring your friends?! =0).
Here are a few photos from the event. I think you will agree that everyone looks like they are having a good time.
~Adam
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Freshman Initiative...
Hello, friends!
One of the funny things about our job is the relatively short shelf life of the influence that we have when it comes to students. Students will be on campus anywhere from one semester to 6 years (and sometimes longer) and while even the average of 4 years may seem like a long time, it actually flies by pretty quickly. When one considers that Freshmen usually spend their first semester trying to adjust to the college life (which is VERY different from high school) and Seniors have usually checked out their final semester, getting ready for life after college (which is VERY different from life in college), really there's this 3 year window where students are actually in a position to catch the vision and do something with it. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule.
Today I got a call from a Freshman who was interested in joining ACF. That's right, a Freshman called me. Normally, we're the ones who are contacting Freshman, trying to get them to come to our things and get plugged into our community. But, every now and then we get one or two Freshmen who call or email us, looking for a place to land.
These Freshmen come in two types of varieties. One the one hand are the Freshmen who don't actually call us but we are contacted by their parents, or they are forced by their parents to contact us. These students usually have a strong church background but if you look a little deeper, what you see is that their faith actually belongs to their parents. The follow Jesus out of a sense of obligation and when push comes to shove, they probably need some time to really find themselves. We love having these students and we are way glad that they have found our group but oftentimes they aren't ready for mission quite yet. They need some tine to be in community, which is great because that's exactly what we seek to provide!
The second kind of Freshmen is the one who actually contacts us on his or her own. This is the student who led their youth group back in high school, knew about InterVarsity and wants to lead right away. They know the Word. They love Jesus. They love people. The temptation is to plug them into a leadership role right away and start to plan out the next 4 years of their leadership development. The caution with theses students is that while they may be all-stars, the truth is that college is still different from high school. These students can certainly serve right away but it is important to not get carried away and to let them adjust to their new freedom first.
I love Freshmen. I love Sophomores too. Juniors are amazing. Seniors (and beyond) are awesome. Sometimes it is easy in our job to get too tied up in reaching Freshmen. It's important to remember that if we aren't developing students to lead them then we actually aren't serving them.
Prayer Points:
- Tomorrow we have our first ACF events, a prayer walk @ 6pm and a Grill Out @ 8. Please pray that students will join us and that this will be a life giving events for our leaders.
- Right now I am in a time of discernment as far as how to most effectively use my time on the different campuses I have work. Please pray that God will give me good wisdom and discernment during this process as well as peace about letting go of some responsibilities if needed.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
One of the funny things about our job is the relatively short shelf life of the influence that we have when it comes to students. Students will be on campus anywhere from one semester to 6 years (and sometimes longer) and while even the average of 4 years may seem like a long time, it actually flies by pretty quickly. When one considers that Freshmen usually spend their first semester trying to adjust to the college life (which is VERY different from high school) and Seniors have usually checked out their final semester, getting ready for life after college (which is VERY different from life in college), really there's this 3 year window where students are actually in a position to catch the vision and do something with it. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule.
Today I got a call from a Freshman who was interested in joining ACF. That's right, a Freshman called me. Normally, we're the ones who are contacting Freshman, trying to get them to come to our things and get plugged into our community. But, every now and then we get one or two Freshmen who call or email us, looking for a place to land.
These Freshmen come in two types of varieties. One the one hand are the Freshmen who don't actually call us but we are contacted by their parents, or they are forced by their parents to contact us. These students usually have a strong church background but if you look a little deeper, what you see is that their faith actually belongs to their parents. The follow Jesus out of a sense of obligation and when push comes to shove, they probably need some time to really find themselves. We love having these students and we are way glad that they have found our group but oftentimes they aren't ready for mission quite yet. They need some tine to be in community, which is great because that's exactly what we seek to provide!
The second kind of Freshmen is the one who actually contacts us on his or her own. This is the student who led their youth group back in high school, knew about InterVarsity and wants to lead right away. They know the Word. They love Jesus. They love people. The temptation is to plug them into a leadership role right away and start to plan out the next 4 years of their leadership development. The caution with theses students is that while they may be all-stars, the truth is that college is still different from high school. These students can certainly serve right away but it is important to not get carried away and to let them adjust to their new freedom first.
I love Freshmen. I love Sophomores too. Juniors are amazing. Seniors (and beyond) are awesome. Sometimes it is easy in our job to get too tied up in reaching Freshmen. It's important to remember that if we aren't developing students to lead them then we actually aren't serving them.
Prayer Points:
- Tomorrow we have our first ACF events, a prayer walk @ 6pm and a Grill Out @ 8. Please pray that students will join us and that this will be a life giving events for our leaders.
- Right now I am in a time of discernment as far as how to most effectively use my time on the different campuses I have work. Please pray that God will give me good wisdom and discernment during this process as well as peace about letting go of some responsibilities if needed.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Of Leaders and Tables...
Hello, friends!
After yesterday's wedding related post, I thought it would be good for me to post a little bit on the week(end) that was as well as the past few days. After all, this is a ministry blog, right?
This past weekend we had our Pre-Fall Retreat to get ready for the semester. It wasn't meant to be a leaders retreat but somehow it turned into one because only the leaders were there. You won't hear me complaining though. We have some pretty great leaders.
I always think that it is important for retreats like this to have a theme of some sort. A lot of times as staff I think we try to cram too much stuff into 24 hours and instead of students getting one lesson really well, they end up half understanding a bunch of things. It seems to me like we'd be better served (and so would our students) if our students were able to understand a few concepts really well in thrive in those things. But anyway, I digress.
Given that I am only going to be spending a few days a week in Columbia, I thought it would be a good idea if the theme for this weekend's retreat centered around teamwork. These leaders are going to have to work together as a team and they are going to have to learn to rely on each other, especially since I am going to be 2 hours away most of the time. We spent the weekend doing team building exercises, talking about personality types and team dynamics, as well as preparing for the semester ahead as small group leaders. We also spent a good chunk of time preparing our hearts, spending time in reflection and prayer for ourselves and for the year. All in all, it was a pretty great 24 hours. Not only did the team get to reconnect and bond, but we also got some good work done and the students are definitely excited for the year.
NSO, or New Student Outreach, usually leads with tabling, which is pretty much us hanging out in the student center with a bunch of goodies, trying to attract students to come check out all the cool ACF events we have going on these next few weeks. On Friday we are going to be doing a prayer walk which will lead to our "Eat 'n Greet," which is pretty much an excuse for us to grill meat and hang out with each other. Tabling is always a bit of a stretch for the ACFers. Culturally, we aren't a super vocal people who like to call attention to ourselves. Statistically, there aren't a ton of Asians on campus so it can feel a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. Spiritually, tabling brings up issues like fear of rejection, performance anxiety, and questions of how good we really think the Gospel is. Today at the tables was not one of our most spectacular days but we made it through and we'll be back on Thursday (well, the students will. I'll be in Saint Louis).
So, my friends, please be praying for Mizzou this week. Pray that we will meet students who not only are interested in our free goodies, but also in the free gift of salvation. Pray that where there is fear God will instead put a spirit of boldness. Pray that this week will lead to a semester of fruit.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
After yesterday's wedding related post, I thought it would be good for me to post a little bit on the week(end) that was as well as the past few days. After all, this is a ministry blog, right?
This past weekend we had our Pre-Fall Retreat to get ready for the semester. It wasn't meant to be a leaders retreat but somehow it turned into one because only the leaders were there. You won't hear me complaining though. We have some pretty great leaders.
I always think that it is important for retreats like this to have a theme of some sort. A lot of times as staff I think we try to cram too much stuff into 24 hours and instead of students getting one lesson really well, they end up half understanding a bunch of things. It seems to me like we'd be better served (and so would our students) if our students were able to understand a few concepts really well in thrive in those things. But anyway, I digress.
Given that I am only going to be spending a few days a week in Columbia, I thought it would be a good idea if the theme for this weekend's retreat centered around teamwork. These leaders are going to have to work together as a team and they are going to have to learn to rely on each other, especially since I am going to be 2 hours away most of the time. We spent the weekend doing team building exercises, talking about personality types and team dynamics, as well as preparing for the semester ahead as small group leaders. We also spent a good chunk of time preparing our hearts, spending time in reflection and prayer for ourselves and for the year. All in all, it was a pretty great 24 hours. Not only did the team get to reconnect and bond, but we also got some good work done and the students are definitely excited for the year.
NSO, or New Student Outreach, usually leads with tabling, which is pretty much us hanging out in the student center with a bunch of goodies, trying to attract students to come check out all the cool ACF events we have going on these next few weeks. On Friday we are going to be doing a prayer walk which will lead to our "Eat 'n Greet," which is pretty much an excuse for us to grill meat and hang out with each other. Tabling is always a bit of a stretch for the ACFers. Culturally, we aren't a super vocal people who like to call attention to ourselves. Statistically, there aren't a ton of Asians on campus so it can feel a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. Spiritually, tabling brings up issues like fear of rejection, performance anxiety, and questions of how good we really think the Gospel is. Today at the tables was not one of our most spectacular days but we made it through and we'll be back on Thursday (well, the students will. I'll be in Saint Louis).
So, my friends, please be praying for Mizzou this week. Pray that we will meet students who not only are interested in our free goodies, but also in the free gift of salvation. Pray that where there is fear God will instead put a spirit of boldness. Pray that this week will lead to a semester of fruit.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Monday, August 20, 2012
40 days...
Hello, friends!
A guy once told me that the Hebrew term for "a long time," when translated, translates to the number 40 or something like that. Thus, 40 days in the desert for Jesus (or 40 years for the Israelites), 40 days or rain for Noah, and things like that, all mean that whatever happened, it happened for a long time.
Well, in 40 days, Meg and I will be married. Yesterday we celebrated our 2 year anniversary, and in less than 6 weeks, we will be getting ready to spend the rest of our lives together. Here's the thing: 40 days seems like a really LONG time. =0).
It's really simple. I cannot wait to be married to Meg. She is everything that I could possibly want in a wife (she loves Jesus, she's intelligent, fun in conversation, caring, hospitable, and a great listener, not to mention the fact that she is an incredible cook and is hands down the most beautiful woman in the world, to name a few things) and the 40 days seems like way to long to have to wait before we can be man and wife (or woman and husband).
But, 40 days we wait, and in the mean time, there is still much to do. Mizzou and Flo Valley classes both started today, meaning that my job of having multiple campuses has officially begun and we will see how well I do this commute thing. We had our pre-Fall retreat for Mizzou this past weekend (more on that later), I met with one Flo Valley student to do a prayer walk this afternoon, I am meeting with 2 more staff who are going to be doing a bit at Flo Valley this afternoon, tabling starts for Mizzou tomorrow, and I have a meeting set up with my remaining BCM student tomorrow afternoon. All this is added to the fact that there is still wedding planning to be done to go along with finishing up our pre-marital counseling. Needless to say, these 40 days are going to be full.
So, my friends, please pray for me, the ministry, and Meg as well. Pray that these next 40 days will be full of fruit, on the personal level, definitely for the campus, and for our relationship. It should be fun and I fully anticipate it flying by, just not quite fast enough.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
A guy once told me that the Hebrew term for "a long time," when translated, translates to the number 40 or something like that. Thus, 40 days in the desert for Jesus (or 40 years for the Israelites), 40 days or rain for Noah, and things like that, all mean that whatever happened, it happened for a long time.
Well, in 40 days, Meg and I will be married. Yesterday we celebrated our 2 year anniversary, and in less than 6 weeks, we will be getting ready to spend the rest of our lives together. Here's the thing: 40 days seems like a really LONG time. =0).
It's really simple. I cannot wait to be married to Meg. She is everything that I could possibly want in a wife (she loves Jesus, she's intelligent, fun in conversation, caring, hospitable, and a great listener, not to mention the fact that she is an incredible cook and is hands down the most beautiful woman in the world, to name a few things) and the 40 days seems like way to long to have to wait before we can be man and wife (or woman and husband).
But, 40 days we wait, and in the mean time, there is still much to do. Mizzou and Flo Valley classes both started today, meaning that my job of having multiple campuses has officially begun and we will see how well I do this commute thing. We had our pre-Fall retreat for Mizzou this past weekend (more on that later), I met with one Flo Valley student to do a prayer walk this afternoon, I am meeting with 2 more staff who are going to be doing a bit at Flo Valley this afternoon, tabling starts for Mizzou tomorrow, and I have a meeting set up with my remaining BCM student tomorrow afternoon. All this is added to the fact that there is still wedding planning to be done to go along with finishing up our pre-marital counseling. Needless to say, these 40 days are going to be full.
So, my friends, please pray for me, the ministry, and Meg as well. Pray that these next 40 days will be full of fruit, on the personal level, definitely for the campus, and for our relationship. It should be fun and I fully anticipate it flying by, just not quite fast enough.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Exhausted...
Hello, friends!
The past 2 days I have been fighting some health issues. Wednesday, I had a migraine for most of the day and today I had a headache in the morning that I am still fighting a bit. I don't have the cleanest bill of health, so there are probably a number of reasons as to why these are coming now.
- It could be the weather. I've learned that I am susceptible to changes in the weather. When the weather fluxuates I have a tendency to get migraines. There have been some studies done on the subject that look interesting. But, the weather hasn't changed TOO much over the past few days, so I am not sure that weather is the full answer.
- It could be my hair. Mama insists that the reason that I get migraines is because my hair is too long. I think it's just her way of telling me that I need to cut my hair. =0). Actually, it probably isn't that. I just had my hair cut about 2 weeks ago and I am still in the fairly short range.
- It could be stress. Tension headaches are a normal part of life. With the Pre-Fall Retreat happening this weekend, wedding planning, the beginning of school, and being away from Meg for more than 36 hours, I could be under a lot of stress. But, I don't actually feel very stressed. The planning is coming along in all facets and I have been spending a ton of time in prayer in preparation for this season.
So, what do I think it is? I think it is emotional exhaustion. On Tuesday and Wednesday I had 4 meetings with ACFers. 3 of them ended up being pastoral in nature. The time for those meetings? 100 minutes, 70 minutes, 120 minutes, 150 minutes. So, if you put all that together, I'm looking at over 7 hours of discipleship. If only half of that is spent pastorally we are still looking at 3.5 hours of pastoral care.
For some folk, that is a piece of cake. For some folk, that is a joy! For some folk, that is no big deal. I, however, am not one of those folk. While I have spent the past few years stretching my pastoral muscles, I am still a rookie in many ways. Honestly, I think that my brain is just exhausted from talking about emotions and such with folk. =0).
Prayer points:
- Tomorrow is our Pre-Fall Retreat. I am confident that God is going to do something great. Please join us in prayer.
- Heath. Healing would be great. Thanks!
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
The past 2 days I have been fighting some health issues. Wednesday, I had a migraine for most of the day and today I had a headache in the morning that I am still fighting a bit. I don't have the cleanest bill of health, so there are probably a number of reasons as to why these are coming now.
- It could be the weather. I've learned that I am susceptible to changes in the weather. When the weather fluxuates I have a tendency to get migraines. There have been some studies done on the subject that look interesting. But, the weather hasn't changed TOO much over the past few days, so I am not sure that weather is the full answer.
- It could be my hair. Mama insists that the reason that I get migraines is because my hair is too long. I think it's just her way of telling me that I need to cut my hair. =0). Actually, it probably isn't that. I just had my hair cut about 2 weeks ago and I am still in the fairly short range.
- It could be stress. Tension headaches are a normal part of life. With the Pre-Fall Retreat happening this weekend, wedding planning, the beginning of school, and being away from Meg for more than 36 hours, I could be under a lot of stress. But, I don't actually feel very stressed. The planning is coming along in all facets and I have been spending a ton of time in prayer in preparation for this season.
So, what do I think it is? I think it is emotional exhaustion. On Tuesday and Wednesday I had 4 meetings with ACFers. 3 of them ended up being pastoral in nature. The time for those meetings? 100 minutes, 70 minutes, 120 minutes, 150 minutes. So, if you put all that together, I'm looking at over 7 hours of discipleship. If only half of that is spent pastorally we are still looking at 3.5 hours of pastoral care.
For some folk, that is a piece of cake. For some folk, that is a joy! For some folk, that is no big deal. I, however, am not one of those folk. While I have spent the past few years stretching my pastoral muscles, I am still a rookie in many ways. Honestly, I think that my brain is just exhausted from talking about emotions and such with folk. =0).
Prayer points:
- Tomorrow is our Pre-Fall Retreat. I am confident that God is going to do something great. Please join us in prayer.
- Heath. Healing would be great. Thanks!
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Let the Games Begin!!!
Hello, friends!
I am writing to you from BEAUTIFUL Columbia, Missouri, where I will be for the next few days. Of course, I hate not being in Saint Louis with my BEAUTIFUL fiancee, Meg, but duty calls and I must answer.
Today marks the beginning of the school year for Mizzou ACF. Classes don't officially start until next Monday but students have begun to move back to CoMo and the campus is already full of life. It was the right time for me to come and make sure that we are well prepared to start the year well.
What does that entail? Pretty much it means a whole lot of meetings with ACF Leaders. I have 3 set up for today with a few more tomorrow and Thursday before our Pre-Fall Retreat on Friday and Saturday. My goal is to make sure that each of our ACF leaders is ready to rock and roll in whatever role they have for this year. If they are leading a small group, I want them to be confident in their abilities as a small group leader. If they are leading Large Group, I want them to be ready to put on a Large Group that will be engaging and enlightening. I want our New Student Outreach to actually reach students. Pretty much, I want us to be poised for the best year ever. =0).
I think I have a special sense of urgency this year because of my reduced role and time in CoMo this year. When I was living out here, the pace was more relaxed because if there was anything that we weren't prepared to handle, I was in town and could handle it. Now, with me only being in town 2 days a week, I have to trust the ACF leaders more. I can tell you right now that they have been doing an excellent job.
So please, pray for us. Pray for our NSO. Pray for our Pre-Fall Retreat. Pray for the leaders and pray for me as I lead them. Pray, pray, pray!
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
I am writing to you from BEAUTIFUL Columbia, Missouri, where I will be for the next few days. Of course, I hate not being in Saint Louis with my BEAUTIFUL fiancee, Meg, but duty calls and I must answer.
Today marks the beginning of the school year for Mizzou ACF. Classes don't officially start until next Monday but students have begun to move back to CoMo and the campus is already full of life. It was the right time for me to come and make sure that we are well prepared to start the year well.
What does that entail? Pretty much it means a whole lot of meetings with ACF Leaders. I have 3 set up for today with a few more tomorrow and Thursday before our Pre-Fall Retreat on Friday and Saturday. My goal is to make sure that each of our ACF leaders is ready to rock and roll in whatever role they have for this year. If they are leading a small group, I want them to be confident in their abilities as a small group leader. If they are leading Large Group, I want them to be ready to put on a Large Group that will be engaging and enlightening. I want our New Student Outreach to actually reach students. Pretty much, I want us to be poised for the best year ever. =0).
I think I have a special sense of urgency this year because of my reduced role and time in CoMo this year. When I was living out here, the pace was more relaxed because if there was anything that we weren't prepared to handle, I was in town and could handle it. Now, with me only being in town 2 days a week, I have to trust the ACF leaders more. I can tell you right now that they have been doing an excellent job.
So please, pray for us. Pray for our NSO. Pray for our Pre-Fall Retreat. Pray for the leaders and pray for me as I lead them. Pray, pray, pray!
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Goals...
Hello, friends!
At long last, we are approaching the new school year! In just a few days, the ACF leaders and I will be coming together in Columbia to reconnect with one another, reconnect with Jesus, and set our agenda for the upcoming year. This is right about the time when the impending school year really feels like it is on its way. Instead of using the term "next year," it is officially "this year."
With the new school year comes a new set of goals. Understand that I love goals, especially when they are reached. I may not love them as much as this guy but I still think they are a valuable tool to use in order to achieve one's best. Right now, I am working with some of the ACF leaders to solidify what our goals will be for this year.
But, this is where things get tricky. See, campus ministry isn't like a business in that the goals are a little more fluid and harder to define with integrity. There is always a tension between setting numerical goals and using more qualitative goal metrics. Let me give you an example.
Let's suppose we use a numerical goal and our goal is to average 40 people at Large Group per week. The temptation there is to make the goal an idol of sorts and do whatever it takes to make sure that goal is achieved. There are healthy ways to achieve that goal, say, doing better follow up and printing more flyers but there are also unhealthy ways, like guilting or begging students to come and giving out $5 bills at the door. To make sure we do not fall into that temptation, we could go with a totally qualitative goal, like, "this year, we want folk to love Jesus more." The problem with that is that there is no way for us to measure that well.
So, that is what I am working on now. I want ACF, BCM, and Flo Valley to all pursue goals with integrity and trust in Jesus, not the schemes of man. Would you please pray with me as we prepare for the new school year to come?
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
At long last, we are approaching the new school year! In just a few days, the ACF leaders and I will be coming together in Columbia to reconnect with one another, reconnect with Jesus, and set our agenda for the upcoming year. This is right about the time when the impending school year really feels like it is on its way. Instead of using the term "next year," it is officially "this year."
With the new school year comes a new set of goals. Understand that I love goals, especially when they are reached. I may not love them as much as this guy but I still think they are a valuable tool to use in order to achieve one's best. Right now, I am working with some of the ACF leaders to solidify what our goals will be for this year.
But, this is where things get tricky. See, campus ministry isn't like a business in that the goals are a little more fluid and harder to define with integrity. There is always a tension between setting numerical goals and using more qualitative goal metrics. Let me give you an example.
Let's suppose we use a numerical goal and our goal is to average 40 people at Large Group per week. The temptation there is to make the goal an idol of sorts and do whatever it takes to make sure that goal is achieved. There are healthy ways to achieve that goal, say, doing better follow up and printing more flyers but there are also unhealthy ways, like guilting or begging students to come and giving out $5 bills at the door. To make sure we do not fall into that temptation, we could go with a totally qualitative goal, like, "this year, we want folk to love Jesus more." The problem with that is that there is no way for us to measure that well.
So, that is what I am working on now. I want ACF, BCM, and Flo Valley to all pursue goals with integrity and trust in Jesus, not the schemes of man. Would you please pray with me as we prepare for the new school year to come?
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Friday, August 10, 2012
Roster Changes...
Hello, friends!
For better or for worse, professional sports (which I love) is a business. It always has been a business but it seems like lately, it has become more of one. This is seen through endorsements, merchandising, and a number of other avenues, but the one that probably makes my heart hurt the most is rosters. I could be wrong but it seems to me that there was a lot less roster moving back in the day. Folk used to stick with their teams for longer, allowing for chemistry and dynasties to be built. Mind you, some of this was because of things like the reserve clause and I am glad that players have more rights than they used to have. I get that roster changes make teams better and that sometimes change is in order to find that one piece that will turn your team from an also-ran into a contender. As someone who is generally adverse to change, I would love it if players and teams showed one another a little more loyalty but when players change teams I understand that it is part of the business and that life goes on.
Yesterday we had our first Area Team meeting of the new school year. On top of a new school year being in front of us, we also have made a few roster changes. Ashley and Elizabeth have moved on, Ashley moving it Seattle on account of getting married and Elizabeth taking a job with Urbana. We have added Robert to our team as an intern and Howie has returned to be our interim Area Director while we search for a new one. Chioma, Esther, Kale, Will, and I are still on the team but the roster does look a little different.
What will be interesting will be how team dynamics change on account of the roster changes. Suddenly guys outnumber gals (5-2) and PC's outnumber Macs (4-3). Personalities are different, swapping an ENTJ and an ISFJ for an ESFJ and an ESTP. Howie leads differently than Elizabeth does and Robert processes differently than Ashley does. How we interact as a team will be different from last year.
Added to that, each individual has changed a bit as well. With the departure of Ashley, I am now the longest tenured staff in the Missouri Area (Howie has been on staff longer but he hasn't always been with the Area). It's a little odd being the grizzled veteran. =0).
Ultimately, we are a different team. There is no denying that. What I love is that although there may be some roster changes and some role changes, one thing still remains the same, and that is our committment to our students and our dependence on Jesus. We have no choice but to accept the change and I believe that with Jesus guiding us, this year will be better than ever.
Prayer Points:
- Pray for our new team. Pray that God will unite us and that we will work together for the benefit of all our students.
- Pray for me as I prepare ACF's Pre-Fall Retreat. There are many details to cover and I need all the help I can get. =0).
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
For better or for worse, professional sports (which I love) is a business. It always has been a business but it seems like lately, it has become more of one. This is seen through endorsements, merchandising, and a number of other avenues, but the one that probably makes my heart hurt the most is rosters. I could be wrong but it seems to me that there was a lot less roster moving back in the day. Folk used to stick with their teams for longer, allowing for chemistry and dynasties to be built. Mind you, some of this was because of things like the reserve clause and I am glad that players have more rights than they used to have. I get that roster changes make teams better and that sometimes change is in order to find that one piece that will turn your team from an also-ran into a contender. As someone who is generally adverse to change, I would love it if players and teams showed one another a little more loyalty but when players change teams I understand that it is part of the business and that life goes on.
Yesterday we had our first Area Team meeting of the new school year. On top of a new school year being in front of us, we also have made a few roster changes. Ashley and Elizabeth have moved on, Ashley moving it Seattle on account of getting married and Elizabeth taking a job with Urbana. We have added Robert to our team as an intern and Howie has returned to be our interim Area Director while we search for a new one. Chioma, Esther, Kale, Will, and I are still on the team but the roster does look a little different.
What will be interesting will be how team dynamics change on account of the roster changes. Suddenly guys outnumber gals (5-2) and PC's outnumber Macs (4-3). Personalities are different, swapping an ENTJ and an ISFJ for an ESFJ and an ESTP. Howie leads differently than Elizabeth does and Robert processes differently than Ashley does. How we interact as a team will be different from last year.
Added to that, each individual has changed a bit as well. With the departure of Ashley, I am now the longest tenured staff in the Missouri Area (Howie has been on staff longer but he hasn't always been with the Area). It's a little odd being the grizzled veteran. =0).
Ultimately, we are a different team. There is no denying that. What I love is that although there may be some roster changes and some role changes, one thing still remains the same, and that is our committment to our students and our dependence on Jesus. We have no choice but to accept the change and I believe that with Jesus guiding us, this year will be better than ever.
Prayer Points:
- Pray for our new team. Pray that God will unite us and that we will work together for the benefit of all our students.
- Pray for me as I prepare ACF's Pre-Fall Retreat. There are many details to cover and I need all the help I can get. =0).
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Sunday, August 5, 2012
An Olympic Sized Post...
Hello, friends!
We have reached the halfway point of the 2012 London Olympics. We have seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. We have seen the thrill of victory as well as the agony of defeat. We have seen Meg and me getting SUPER distracted by watching the Olympics every night and trying to multi-task. =0). I figured that now would be a good as time as any to post a few thoughts on the Olympics.
Winter vs. Summer: Meg and I both agree that the all the Olympics are awesome. Where we disagree is between which of the games we would rather watch. Meg prefers the Summer games, home to gymnastics, swimming, and track and field. I, on the other hand, think that the Winter games are the most fun to watch, home to hockey, biathlon, and, of course, the greatest Olympic sport known to man.
The joy of obscure events: Sure, we know about the big events. The average individual on the street would be able to tell you about who won gold in gymnastics or how the USA men's basketball team crushed Tunisia but how many know about handball, rowing, or field hockey? See, those are the events that make me smile the most. It could be because I like to know random facts about random things, or that I have a serious addiction to competition, or because I'm just a little odd. Either way, the obscure events are where I find the most excitement.
Rooting interest: There are so many countries that I want to see win! On the one hand, of course, the US of A is first in my heart. But, there is also China, the land of my ancestors. What about Great Brittain, the host country? Or, how about Canada, the country with which I have an unusual (and possibly unhealthy, obsession? Usually there isn't too much conflict but I do have a number of different rooting interests.
Prayer at the Olympics: I was reading a book a while back that talked about "prayer hooks." Prayer hooks are things that remind you to pray for certain things or people. The example that the author gave was that whenever he uses chapstick he prays for his son-in-law, who uses a chapstick a ton. A while back, I decided that the US national anthem was going to be my prayer hook for praying for our country and our elected officials. Usually, this means when I go to baseball games and such but with the US being so awesome at the Olympics, I have been praying for our great nation quite a bit. =0).
Ultimately, the things that I love so much about the Olympics are the competition and the sense of world comraderie that comes from the games. In about a week, the world will go back to focusing on how broken things are. But, for the next few days, the Olympics are a what I would consider a little glimpse of heaven.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
We have reached the halfway point of the 2012 London Olympics. We have seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. We have seen the thrill of victory as well as the agony of defeat. We have seen Meg and me getting SUPER distracted by watching the Olympics every night and trying to multi-task. =0). I figured that now would be a good as time as any to post a few thoughts on the Olympics.
Winter vs. Summer: Meg and I both agree that the all the Olympics are awesome. Where we disagree is between which of the games we would rather watch. Meg prefers the Summer games, home to gymnastics, swimming, and track and field. I, on the other hand, think that the Winter games are the most fun to watch, home to hockey, biathlon, and, of course, the greatest Olympic sport known to man.
The joy of obscure events: Sure, we know about the big events. The average individual on the street would be able to tell you about who won gold in gymnastics or how the USA men's basketball team crushed Tunisia but how many know about handball, rowing, or field hockey? See, those are the events that make me smile the most. It could be because I like to know random facts about random things, or that I have a serious addiction to competition, or because I'm just a little odd. Either way, the obscure events are where I find the most excitement.
Rooting interest: There are so many countries that I want to see win! On the one hand, of course, the US of A is first in my heart. But, there is also China, the land of my ancestors. What about Great Brittain, the host country? Or, how about Canada, the country with which I have an unusual (and possibly unhealthy, obsession? Usually there isn't too much conflict but I do have a number of different rooting interests.
Prayer at the Olympics: I was reading a book a while back that talked about "prayer hooks." Prayer hooks are things that remind you to pray for certain things or people. The example that the author gave was that whenever he uses chapstick he prays for his son-in-law, who uses a chapstick a ton. A while back, I decided that the US national anthem was going to be my prayer hook for praying for our country and our elected officials. Usually, this means when I go to baseball games and such but with the US being so awesome at the Olympics, I have been praying for our great nation quite a bit. =0).
Ultimately, the things that I love so much about the Olympics are the competition and the sense of world comraderie that comes from the games. In about a week, the world will go back to focusing on how broken things are. But, for the next few days, the Olympics are a what I would consider a little glimpse of heaven.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
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