Older, wiser, and a little more tired...

Hello, friends!

Being on the other side of 30 does stuff to you... it makes you feel old. =0). I'm not sure if it's just the age catching up to me, the rigors of work, life beyond campus ministry, or a combination of all of them, but I have been finding myself way more stretched and exhausted this semester than any semester that I can remember. Let me give you an example.

Yesterday we had a staff meeting in St. Louis, meaning Megan and I had to leave CoMO by 7:30 so we could make it in time to help set up the day (my aunt was hosting). Well, Tuesday is also the day my theology small group meets at 6:15am. Add that to my desire to exercise (30 hasn't been good to my metabolism), a need to hang out with Jesus (always good), and put gas in the car (it's hard to go places without gas in the tank) and that meant I was up by 4:45am.

Fast forward through the time with Jesus, the workout, the small group, the travel, the meeting, dinner with the team, and the drive back, and I saw myself home by 9pm with a solid 15 hours of work under my belt. The plan was to then go straight to bed before getting up @ 6am so I could carpool with my friend down to Jefferson City and spend the day scouting at Lincoln University. Double 15's were staring me right in the face.

Whether you call it the Spirit being willing but the flesh being weak or me being older and wiser, I called off the carpool and instead drove myself after waking up at a much more reasonable hour.

Understand how big of a deal this is. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love efficiency. I fell in love with biking in the 8th grade (I even have a blog about it) because I saw in a science book that the bike was the most efficient form of transportation known to man. One of my favorite cities is New York City not because of the culture or people but because of the public transportation system. Carpooling is probably one of my favorite things to do in the world. The younger, more energetic, and possibly more insane Adam would have said, "shoot, forget fatigue! I need to carpool!" The older, more aware of his limits, though possibly still insane Adam asked his wife to move around her schedule so he could use the car for a few hours and NOT carpool.

What does this mean for me? Honestly, I have no idea. I know that I love the work that I do. I know that the work I do has impact and is worthwhile. I also know that life is more than work and with a baby on the way, my time (and energy) is going to be even more stretched. I guess, more than anything, it means that I am going to need Jesus more than ever. That's not a bad thing to be learning yourself when you're trying to teach students the same.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

A Full Day at Lincoln

Hello, friends!

Yesterday was my first full day at Lincoln. I've been there a few days earlier this semester for a few hours at a time but yesterday was a solid 8 hours on campus in Jefferson City. I have a friend who works in Jefferson City so the plan is to carpool together @ 7 and then leave Jeff City around 4pm each Thursday. Besides the fact that it was only 7 degrees outside when we left Columbia and we happen to drive directly into the sun in both directions, it was a really great day. Here are a few of the highlights.

- I've been building relationship with a local pastor who also works in the bookstore. I got to campus before any students were up and going to class so I hung around and helped him stock the cooler at the bookstore. At the end of my time there, a member of his congregation came in to talk to him and he introduced me as "Pastor Adam."

- Yesterday was Founders Day, where the university remembers the founders of the university as well as prominent alumni. It was really interesting to see how blatant the Gospel was during the program. The main speaker was a pastor from Atlanta (and Lincoln alumna). The name of Jesus was used a bunch, including in the keynote address, which was basically a sermon. There were hymns sung too. It was pretty much church with awards given away. =0).

- I had lunch with a woman who has lived in Jefferson City for over 30 years and used to work for another campus ministry. It was so great to connect with her and learn more about the community and the university. She even put me in contact with other folk in the community who love Lincoln.

- I met Miss Lincoln University! The circumstances were a bit odd (I was walking in the student center and she yelled "Ni Hao!" Which is a Chinese greeting) but still, we had a great conversation about the campus and what she feels like it lacks.

- I heard about a lot of other small groups and people who are working at Lincoln to bring the Gospel. It warmed my heart to hear that there are so many other workers for the harvest.

Friends, every time I head back to Lincoln, I fall more and more in love with the campus. Would you please join me in praying for the university? Pray that God will continue to move and that he will bring revival to the campus, whether it happens through InterVaristy or not.

Have an excellent day!

Doing Work!

Hello, friends!

I'm here at Mizzou's Multi-Cultural Center (MCC) getting some admin done. I've been writing emails, putting together a few bible study ideas, working on some general research, and stuff of the like.

What's more important than WHAT I'm doing is WHERE I'm doing it. The MCC is a really interesting place because it's kind of a safe space for all the high identity ethnic minorities on campus. There table where I'm working is where the Asian American students usually do their work. To my left is are the tables where the Latino students usually do their work. To my right is where you'll find the Black students. The couches right in front of me are a true testament multiethnicity... that's where EVERYONE takes a nap. =0).

I decided to spend more time doing work here for a couple of reasons. First, I tend to get more work done when I'm not at home. The Super Nintendo, the kitchen, and the bed are definitely too close for me to be productive. Second, it's so much more fun working next to students and distracting them from doing their work while actually talking to them about Jesus.

Ever since I gave my laptop to a coworker, I've been on campus more to use their computers. But, what I realized is that when I'm just working in the computer lab, I'm not actually interacting with anyone. I'm just doing work. When I work here at the MCC, I am actually killing 2 birds with 1 stone. I'm not only getting work done but I'm also getting to connect with students and even model relational evangelism to our Core students when they are studying in the MCC too.

So, friends, please continue to pray for my admin days. Pray that God will bring the right people to the MCC and that there will be much fruit borne here.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam