Treasure Hunting Goose Chases...

Hello, friends!

Here's what I hope you'll consider a fun story about following Jesus and planting!

I went to Lincoln yesterday and decided to do some treasure hunting prayer. Treasure hunting prayer comes from Mark 14 when Jesus tells 2 disciples to go look for a man carrying a water jug so they can have a place for the passover. The idea is simple. You spend some time in listening prayer, asking God to give you an image of some sort. Then, you go looking for that image (treasure hunting) and seeing what you find there. Sometimes they are places on campus (ie "Go to the fountain."). Other times they are more abstract.

As I was listening, the first phrase that popped into my mind was "red shoes." After a little while longer of listening and not really hearing anything else, I decided to go for it and walk around campus looking for red shoes.

As I was heading up towards the Soldier's Memorial, I saw a woman wearing PINK sneakers. I debated in my mind whether or not pink counted as red but before I could decide, I saw a man wearing very red sneakers and a cross earring walk past. I decided to follow him.

Oddly enough, I never caught up to him or got close enough to call to him without being awkward. When I got within calling distance, I was passing the library and a different man said hello to me. Not wanting to be rude, I stopped to talk to him and found out that he's a Christian staff member who works in academic services. One more contact in the books.

Walking back towards the memorial, another woman called to me telling me to get punch and ice cream. The library was having an ice cream party and the woman was the head of the library as well as an ordained minister in MidMO. Let's add to the Christian faculty contact list, shall we?

I finish up my conversation with her when I see 2 women walking back towards their dorm. One of the women definitely had very red sneakers, so I decided to follow them. I get up to their dorm and offer to pray for them. They were very much not into it but said I could. As I was praying for them, a Christian student who I had met LAST week walked out of the dorm and towards the student center. This student was one who I think has the potential to be a person of peace but I wasn't sure. At least I know what dorm she lives in now and I was able to remind her of who I am. =0).

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Beautiful Inefficiency

Hello, friends!

Many of you who know me know that I love efficiency. It's one of my favorite things in the world. I love looking at a situation, a problem, a gadget, or whatever and asking myself, "How can I make that run better?" There's probably a bit of pride in there (read: there's DEFINITELY pride in there) but I really do believe that I have a special knack for looking at things and boiling them down to the basics, in order to make it the most efficient situation.

Here's something I've learned: If you want to be efficient at doing your administrative work (writing reports, responding to emails, preparing bible studies, supervision, etc.) as a campus missionary, do NOT work from home with a newborn.

Right now, Ezra is the antithesis of efficiency. He poops whenever he wants, usually right after he just had his diaper changed. He goes through onesie after onsie because he spits up after eating... then spits up again. He'll cry like a banshee for what seems like an eternity, only to be consoled after he's picked up because he had a gas bubble and didn't know how to burp while laying on his back. Seriously, raising RaRa, or any human, is strong evidence for the creation theory: how could anything EVOLVE into being that useless?! =0).

BUT, here's the thing: He's the only person in the world who could make me LOVE inefficiency as much as I do right now. I love changing his diaper, putting a new onesie on him, then rocking him to sleep. Emails are nothing compared to picking up my son and helping him pass gas. I will put any and all work on hold if it means that I get a chance to hold him and see if he'll smile. Work can wait because fatherhood is calling!

A few weeks ago, I tried doing some work on campus and actually, it was really efficient. Just like before RaRa was born, I biked to campus, popped in my headphones, went to the computer lab, and just kept typing, planning, and working until everything was done. In fact, it was probably even MORE efficient than before he was born. But that was because I wanted to get home as quickly as possible. Apparently I missed the little guy.

Of course, there will be errands to be run. I'll be heading to Jefferson City once a week on campus visits, meaning I'll be away for 10-12 hours at a time. I had a staff meeting a last week in St. Louis and I survived it ok. I'm not going to be able to spend 24/7 with the little guy and I know that. Still, there's something to be said for embracing the inefficiency and spending a little more time snuggling with my boy.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Part Time Planting

Hello, friends!

On Tuesday and Wednesday of this past week, I had the pleasure of gathering together with 9 other staff from around the Region (Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri) to do some training and workshopping about part time planting, which is what I'm going to be doing at Lincoln this year.

Part time planting is in some ways a new concept but in many ways it is an old concept too, one that has unfortunately been forgotten over time. Our hope in this team is to be able to recapture the magic and find best practices for a new generation of part time planters in the 21st century. Much of what we're going to do and try isn't new (it's happening with great success in many other parts of the world) but it's new to us and to our context.

The full time planting model that we are used to implimenting is one that I was taught and have embraced for years. The name of the game is total immersion. You spend as much time as you possibly can on campus, in that community, building relationships and casting vision for the group. In my case with ACF, it meant moving to Columbia. For others, it can be moving even further or just changing your commute. Either way, it's a method that is high investment and definitely has its strengths. I'm so glad that I was a full time planter for ACF and I wouldn't change that experience for the world.

On the other hand, part time planting focuses on People of Peace, folk who are ALREADY invested in the community, who ALREADY have a vision for the campus, and who just need a little empowerment or coaching to get things done. What I love about this model is that it allows for students, staff, faculty, people in the community, and the like to take on a majority of the load for a group of people with whom relational trust is already built. Another thing I love is that it allows for a greater reach by the staff. Instead of spending 40/week on one campus, I can plant of 3-4 campuses simultaneously, increasing the scope and influence of InterVarsity and the Gospel.

This idea is hardly novel. In Ethiopia, our sister movement EVASUE has a  student to staff ratio is 1000:1, compared to the 35:1 ratio we have here in the US. Back in the day, when InterVarsity first came to the United states, there were 8 staff covering 90 campuses. Somewhere along the way, we changed our model. Some of the change has been good but some of it has led us to miss a lot of campuses that are right in our neighborhoods.

Ultimately, I'm really excited about this team and this experiment. It is going to require a lot more intentionality and a lot more dependence on Jesus to do the work that needs to be done but I am confident that he is willing and able. My role is going to be less "centerpiece" and more facilitator, which will be different for me but something that I think I am looking forward to.

Friends, please pray for me as I embark on this new journey. Pray not only for fruit at Lincoln in limited time but also for peace as I plant and for eyes to see where he is moving. This is an experiment that we are hoping will go national in a few years so please, also pray for eyes to see what is happening from a structural level and words to describe my experiences clearly.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam