Reversion...

Hello, friends! 
"Home" is a funny concept.  Some say that home is where the heart is.  Others say that home is where you're not (as in, no matter where I am, folk always ask when I am going home).  Home could be where you pay rent (or mortgage) or where you grew up.  Either way, home is a concept that does not have a ton of definition sometimes.  This can be especially true when you spend most of your time talking with college students who really aren't home when they talk to you so assume that you aren't home either. 

Right now I am back in California.  Some would say that I am home.  Others would say that I left home to come here.  Nowadays, I say that home is Saint Louis and California is where my parents live.  I tell you what though, if this isn't home, it's still great to be here. 

The temperature is Saint Louis hit 108 today.  There were heat advisories in effect and I heard that someone actually saw a dog melt on the side of the street.  (Ok, that may be fiction, but still, I'll bet it was hot).  In California?  Our high will be 79 today, nearly 30 degrees cooler.  That's quite a difference, isn't it? 

Let's be honest.  California has a lot of things going for it.  From where my parents live you're 20 minutes from the beach and less than 3 hours from the mountains.  The weather is usually gorgeous and the food is exquisite.  I always love coming back here, hitting my list of places to eat, spending some time at the beach, and hanging out with the family. 

But, there is one thing about California that I don't like (besides the traffic).  That would be "reversion." 

Another staff and I were talking about the idea of reversion a while back.  Reversion is the idea that when you go back to a place, you act like you did when you left that place.  In this case, it would mean going back to acting like I am 18, which was not a good time for me. 

It's really interesting, isn't it?  Here I am, 27, about to get married, with a steady job, a mortgage, a college degree, and a whole slew of other things going on.  I pay my bills, do my laundry, pay for my food, and clean my dishes.  But, as soon as I pull back into that driveway in Garden Grove, all that goes away (especially the dishes).  I go from a responsible adult to acting like a punk teenager. 

Understand, I am fighting reversion this year.  Actually, as soon as I recognized what was happening I decided to make a conscious decision to make sure that I didn't revert whenever I went back to California.  Some battles have been easier than others but I find it so interesting how quickly I revert.

So, to summarize, my time in California is going to be spent reconnecting with my family, doing some fundraising, and trying my darndest to act like the 27 year old I am.  =0). 

Prayer points: 
- Like I said earlier, much of my time while in California is going to be spent fundraising.  Please pray for God's peace and His providence. 
- I wouldn't mind some really good rest here in Cali.  There is a ton to do so I am not sure how much I will get, but I would love it if I left Cali more refreshed than when I came. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Three Very Special Ladies...

Hello, friends!
In my 27.5 years of existence, I have learned a great deal of things about myself.  One of those things is that I will always be a sucker for the fairer sex. 

There is a personality test called the Myers-Briggs Typology Index (MBTI) that more or less categorizes everyone into 16 different types of people, based on 4 characteristics.  There are Extroverts (E) who get energy from people and Introverts (I) who get energy from solitude.  There are Intuitive types (N) who "go with their gut" and Sensing types (S) who like to gather as much information as possible.  There are Thinkers (T) who think objectively and Feelers (F) who think subjectively.  There are Judgers (J) who like structure and order and Perceivers (P) who like to "go with the flow."  If you'd like to find out what you are, you can take this test here.  It is important to note that no one personality type is better than the other.  Both sides of every characteristic have positive and negative attributes.  Can you guess what my personality type is? 

For those of you scoring at home, I am an ESTJ.  I am a weakly expressed extrovert and sensing type, meaning, and a fairly strong judger.  The area where I am off the charts is my thinking.  Often to my own detriment, I see the world through cold, calculating eyes.  The joke my friends have is that I had an emotion once, but I didn't like it, so I put it away.  =0).  In most areas, I think very objectively, don't let emotions get in the way, and speak truth, often at the cost of tact (which I really need to learn). 

But, when it comes to three very special ladies, for some reason, I am a completely different person.  I'm not saying it's a good thing or a bad thing, merely an observation. 

Lady Number 1: Mama Leong.  Simply put, ever since I started following Jesus for real, I have turned into a Mama's boy.  My favorite phrase is "Yes, ma."  It doesn't matter what she needs or how silly it may sound on the surface.  If Mama wants it, Mama is going to get it.  I am heading back to California in a few days and I very much expect it to be full of house projects, computer fixes, and dinners out.  Why, because Mama Leong wants it and I am more than happy to oblige. 





Lady Number 2: VV the Niece.  Vienna Chuang is only 7 months old but already she has totally captured my heart.  Her mama and papa (read: my sister and her husband) came into town this past weekend for a wedding, which means I got to spend some time with my first niece.  I hadn't seen her in person since she was born so this was mighty momentous.  Normally, when I talk to babies and puppies, I make it a point to keep my voice at the same pitch I would use when talking to adults.  It has always bothered me when folk get all high pitched when talking to babies and animals.  You sound silly!  Well, guess what I did as soon as I saw VV for the first time.  I actually caught my voice going up a few pitches.  I couldn't help myself.  I've only known her for 7 months and she's already changing me.  =0). 

Lady Number 3: Meg.  Ah, I saved the best for last.  Pretty much, with all apologies to Mama, I have never loved anyone more than I do Meg (non-Jesus division).  In just about 3 months we are going to be married and the thought of spending my life with her gets me really excited.  When we are together, the only thing that I want to do is make her happy.  We have hard conversations and we don't agree on everything, but at the end of the day, that is my goal.  She could ask me to jump off a cliff and I'm pretty sure I would strongly consider it if I knew that it would bless her in some way.  I literally thank Jesus for her every day.  In Ephesians, Paul talks about loving your wife in the same way that Christ loved the church, pretty much defying all logic and making huge, crazy, illogical sacrifices for the sake of the relationship.  Meg and I aren't married yet, but I already feel that way about her.  Here's to hoping that feeling (or thought, I guess) never goes away. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

It's a Small World!

Hello, friends!

I have really fun story to tell you all!  I promise you'll like it. 

Normally I leave for Columbia on Tuesday mornings then make my way back to Saint Louis on Wednesday nights so I can be in Saint Louis all day Thursday.  When I get married (100 days from today!!!) that will be important because it means that I will only be spending one night away from my wonderful wife.  =0). 

Well, this week I decided to stay Wednesday night in CoMo as well, then grab lunch with a student who lives in Saint Peters, which is sort of on the way back to Saint Louis from CoMo.  The original plan was for me to pick him up around 11:30 so we could get some food and I would be on the road again by 1. 

There were a number of choices that make this story really fun.  First of all, I had an errand to run in CoMo, so instead of getting to Saint Peters by 11:30, it was actually closer to 11:45.  I told my student to pick a place for lunch, and he asked me if I wanted something "good" or something "close."  Since I was running a little late, I said to pick something "close" and directed me to a hibachi place a few miles from his place.  The next decision was if we wanted to eat on the hibachi side or the sushi side.  Originally, I said the sushi side, but he really wanted hibachi, so we switched over to that side. 

For those who don't know what hibachi is, it's the japanese grill where the chef cooks the food right in front of you and you eat everything really hot and fresh.  Well, these big grills usually have 8-10 seats around them and since there were only 2 of us, the waitress asked if it would be ok if we were paired up with another party of 3 already sitting.  My student was reluctant, but I said that it wouldn't be a problem. 

Here is where it gets really fun.  As I am sitting there, talking to my student, I overhear the man across from us notice that my shirt says "InterVarsity" and he wonders aloud if "That is InterVarsity Christian Fellowship."  Being the kind of loud guy that I am, as well as a guy who is unashamed of eavesdropping, I say, "why yes, yes it is!"

It turns out that this guy was part of InterVarsity in 1984 at University of Missouri in Rolla.  His staff worker, Gerry Chappeau, is still on staff.  His daughter goes to UMSL, where there happen to be 2 InterVarsity chapters, he went to Urbana 1980, and he is interested in volunteering for Urbana12.  (See, I told you it would be fun!).  I got his contact information and will definitely be passing it on to the proper folk. 

So, there you have it.  If there is such a thing as divine intervention, I believe there is, lunch today was certainly it.  =0). 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Repentance...

Hello, friends!

I have a confession to make.  This weekend there was much hate in my heart.  Looking back, it was wrong and unloving.  I am working on fixing the problem.  There is deep-rooted hatred that needs to be worked out but I believe that there is a chance I will get through this.

Where is my hatred directed?  Chicago... =0).

This weekend I went to Chicago for a number of reasons.  My cousin needed a ride to a volleyball tournament as well as to a college visit, Meg needed a ride to Madison, Wisconsin to help lead new staff, and Meg and I's wedding photographer are in Chicago so we got our engagement photos done.  I also got the visit with a few alumni, so I had tons of reasons to be in Chicago, and all the reasons were good reasons, but boy does that city make me angry.  Let's run down the list, shall we?

1) The traffic is terrible.  We were in constant gridlock.  Getting downtown was a mess.  Getting out of downtown was a mess.  Finding parking was a mess.  The whole thing was a big fat mess.

2) Paying tolls is terrible.  Illinois already has one of the highest tax rates in the country.  Why do they need tolls too?  Why do I have to pay $3.80 to drive on your crappy roads that are full of traffic anyway?!  So frustrating!

3) Generational sin runs deep.  Papa grew me up to be a Saint Louis man.  I love the Cardinals, which means I hate the Cubs.  I love the Blues, which means I can't stand the Blackhawks.  I am still mad at Chicago for stealing the railroads all those years ago, setting Saint Louis back from it's perch as one of the fastest growing cities in America at the turn of the century.  I get that not all of it is rational.  I'm just telling you how I feel.

Let's try to focus on the positive though, shall we?  My cousin's team did well in their tournament and enjoyed his college visit.  Taking the engagement photos was fun.  I had a great time hanging out with some ACF alumni.  I even ate some really good dim sum in Chinatown.  So, it wasn't all bad.

Maybe it's just transportation that bothers me.  The driving.  The tolls.  The trains.  Yeah, maybe that's it...

Thanks for talking things out with me.  We'll keep working on it.  =0).

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

How Adam Got His Groove Back...

Hello, friends!

I have been told that I am an odd staff worker on more than one occasion.  It isn't because I am a flaming extrovert.  It isn't because I am highly competitive and like to play games.  It isn't even because of the high socks that I always wear (ok, maybe that's part of it).  The reason people consider me an odd staff worker is because I love, LOVE to fundraise.  It might be one of my favorite parts of the job.

For those of you who don't know, as InterVarsity staff, part of my job is to fundraise my budget.  This not only includes my pay and health insurance (both are VERY important) but it also covers ministry expenses like food for students, travel, and conferences.  Without fundraising, the amount of time that I could be on campus and the impact that I could have would be severely diminished.

Like I said in a previous post, I have had the great blessing of being fully funded.  I recognize that this is a gift from God that I have more time to devote to students and to Mizzou as a whole.  But, there is a part of me that has missed the fundraising aspect of my job.  Meeting with partners, doing asks, and casting vision are things that I have missed doing.  I've missed presenting at dessert nights and in front of church mission committees.  Honestly, I've missed the thrill of seeing my percentages go up and me get closer to my goal.

Well, friends, it's time to get back to work!  With the upcoming transitions ahead of me, Meg and I have the pleasure of raising another $30,000 within the next year.  But, you know me.  I am a "Go Big or Go Home" kind of guy.  So our goal is to have that $30,000 pledged by the END OF JULY.

Now, I know what you're thinking.  You're thinking, Adam, that is a LOT of money.  Yes, yes it is.  But, we've broken it down this way:
- 10 new donors or increases of $100/month
- 10 new donors or increases of $50/month
- 10 new donors or increases of $25/month
- 2 major donors of $4,500 annually

That's it!  32 new members to the team and we are golden.  Friends, I am inviting you to be one of our new partners or to increase your giving.  Of course, pray about it.  Talk to your spouse and Jesus.  You can even talk to me about it if you'd like.  Actually, I would love to meet with each and every one of you who is interested.  =0).  But please, do consider becoming a part of our team, impacting students at Mizzou, UMSL, and Florissant Valley Community College.

Prayer Points:
- This funding campaign can't happen without prayer.  Please pray that God will be Jehovah Jireh for us and provide in a big way.
- Please do pray about becoming a part of our team.  Then email me so we can chat if you have any questions.  Meg and I would love to talk.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Tee Box Evangelism

Hello, friends! 

You guys know me.  You know that I love athletics and that I love to compete.  You know that I will watch, and play, everything from football to curling.  This summer, on account of a tons of transition, moving to Saint Louis, scouting new campuses, and things like that, and a lack of players, I didn't put together a summer softball team like I had the past 3 years.  We weren't very good, so I'm not really worried about that, but the loss of regular athletics time was a bit of a bummer. 

So, I decided that this summer would be the summer of golf.  I'm not very good at golf, and it is pretty expensive, but I am getting better and I definitely enjoy it.  There is something very satisfying about watching the ball fly off the tee and sometimes even go straight.  =0). 

Because of my schedule I golf out here in Columbia and I usually set up a tee time by myself.  However, that doesn't mean that I golf alone.  I have set up what I like to call "Tee Box Evangelism."  It goes like this.  Usually, when you set up a tee time as a single, you end up being paired with another single during that time.  Golf courses like to pack as many people onto the course as possible and usually you can get as many as 4 people playing at the same time without too much of a delay.  Singles an relatively inefficient but doubles are much better. 

Since folk have different skill levels there isn't much conversation that happens on most of the course, but there is one spot where all players start.  That would be the tee box.  I have decided that this summer I want to use my time on the tee box to do a little evangelism.  Nothing huge or grandiose, I won't be bringing any display boards or anything like that, but if we are going to be spending the next 4 hours together, we're going to have a conversation and I want it to be about Jesus.

It usually starts with me asking about how long the guy has been living in Columbia and what they do around these parts.  Some are students and some are working but it is a great conversation starter because then they ask me what I do out here and I get to tell them about InterVarsity.  From there I will usually talk about why I do what I do, inviting them to share about their experiences with religion and Christianity in general.  Sometimes folk are really open and sometimes folk don't really care.  That isn't the important thing. 

The important thing is that evangelism can happen anywhere.  It can happen on a golf course.  It can happen in a McDonald's.  It can happen in a bar or at home.  The setting isn't important.  What is important is that when we are given the opportunity to share Christ's love with others, we take it.  In my case it is via the golf course.  For my students it will be while studying or eating with their friends.  For others it will be at work or with their roommates.  It doesn't matter.  Jesus is in all those places. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Thank You!

Hello, friends!

Tonight was our Saint Louis Donor Appreciation Night.  All the staff from the Missouri Area (read: all the Saint Louis staff + me) decided that it would be a great idea for us to work together to put on a spectacular night of appreciation for our donors instead of trying to do it all individually.  There were decilious snacks, worship, student testimories, prayer and a whole bunch of donors who hopefully got a better understanding of what it is that we do and why they are so crucial to the campus. 

I wanted to take a second and thank each and every one of my donors for all of their love and support.  One of the greatest blessings in my life these past 5 years as I have been working for InterVarsity is that I have never had to worry about my funding.  The generosity and love of my donors is absolutely astonding and I am truly humbled by it.  I would not be on campus doing what I love, what I have been called to do, without you all.

So, to CBCOC, Vineyard, C2, Stefan and Rachel, Desiree, Bob and Meredith, Josh and Val, Chris and Daphne, Chris and Maria, the Coolest Person Ever, Fundamental, Calvin, Caleb and Irene, Edwin, Stephen Chu, T & Zeus & VV, Scott and Lydia, Pastor and Auntie Cheryl, Jay, Major, Chompers, Bo, Uncle Henry and Auntie Ming, Uncle Hank, Uncle Ken and Aunt Linda, Stephen, Uncle Jim and Auntie Shanta, Auntie Lois, Uncle Andy and Auntie Suzie, Ce, Auntie Serena, Panda, Uncle Steve and Aunt Judi, Auntie Joyce, D, Jason, Cuz, Uncle Stanley and Auntie Joyce, Uncle Harsoyo and Auntie Annie, Uncle Steve and Auntie Grace, Bill and Martha, Tmo, Cris and Jean, Jas and Jess, Rae Rae, Stephen and Sheryl, Uncle George and Auntie Nancy, Sandra, Jon, Bob and Susan, Hbomb and Sharona, Vrb and Molly, Uncle Hai Tao and Auntie Brenda, Uncle Frank and Auntie Ivy, Kit and Melissa, Donna, Unkie Bob and Auntie Lana, Uncle Chi and Auntie Anne, Drew and Shirley, Cap'm, Shuzy, Mama and Papa, LJ, Dr. MoonPi, and Mark... Thank you. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Rest Redefined...

Hello, friends! 

Last weekend I had the pleasure of joining Meg on a Church retreat in beautiful Warrensburg, MO.  Since I have moved to Saint Louis, Meg and I have been going to church together at Jubilee StL, where she has been going for the past few years.  I really like the people there and have already made some good connections with a few men.

My plan for the retreat was simple.  I wanted to get some time in for rest and prepare myself for the summer as much as possible.  If you know me, you know that I take my Sabbath very seriously.  A rested Adam is a happy Adam and a happy Adam doesn't burn out doing ministry. 

Of course, God had other things in mind.  At dinner another Jubilee person sat next to us and started pouring out his heart about how much life had hurt him and how he wasn't sure of where he was with Jesus.  Meg and the gal who was eating with us asked a few questions while I mostly just sat and listened.  Honestly, part of me was trying to take it all in and process it well, but part of me also wanted to disengage so that I could "rest proper."  It didn't help that the man who sat next to us was also going to be my roommate for the weekend. 

During the session that night I was reminded of the story of when Jesus fed the 5000.  The disciples were ready for a break.  They wanted to rest after casting out demons and declaring the Kingdom of God.  They had retreated to a little town and were probably ready for some time of being poured into by Jesus.  But, the crowds came and they needed to be fed. 

What strikes me about that story is how Jesus defines rest.  Rest is not necessarily doing something or not doing something else.  It is being with Jesus and going where He is, letting His power be enough to do whatever needs to be done.  Rest is not mutually exclusive from compassion.  The crowds needed to be fed.  This brother needed to process. 

So, that night I, before bed, I asked him a few questions, gave a few thoughts about Jesus, and prayed for him before going to sleep.  The next morning we talked some more over breakfast and I could tell that he was in a better place.  Was it the most physically restful thing ever?  No, more time sleeping and a quiet breakfast would have given me more physical rest.  But, I was able to partner with Jesus in order to show compassion.  That sounds pretty sweet to me. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam