Hello, friends!
I committed this year to making the last Friday of every month the day that I pray for our Region. InterVarsity is split up into 23 (or so) different Regions, each encompassing a different geographical area. In our case, I'm a proud member of the Central Region, which includes Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska.
My plan is to post on the Sunday or Tuesday before the last Friday of each month to our Central Region Facebook group, asking if anyone has any prayer requests. Then, I spend some time on Friday praying for the Region and seeing what Jesus says.
This week as I was on my prayer walk, it really felt like God was saying, "You don't have to prove anything." This came as I was praying for the different conferences we have coming up. It came up again as I prayed for our Regional Leadership Team and the decisions they have on the way. It came up a lot as I started thinking about and praying for all the different roles that I have with InterVarsity. It was one of those things that I couldn't get out of my head so I decided to explore it a little more and see what God was trying to say to me.
Honestly, I'm still not entirely sure. It could mean a lot of things. I think it has something to do with all the stuff I have to do, and a reminder that I do these things out of my love for God and my love for students, not out of a desire to prove myself worthy of my paycheck. I think there's also something in there about wanting everything to be the best so that folk will look to MidMO and see something that is obviously working. I think there's something in there about a natural desire I have as a highly competitive person to compare myself and the work I'm doing to others. I wonder if those things also resonate with any of my staff colleagues.
So, friends. I'm going to run with that thought. This next week will be a full week for me. I'm heading to California to preach twice, with a staff conference in the middle (more on that later) so there are going to be plenty of opportunities to want to prove myself in one way or another. Please pray that this message will be taken to heart and that I will remember that God's love for me is not based on performance.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Friday, February 26, 2016
Friday, February 19, 2016
A Breezy Day at Lincoln
Hello, friends!
One of the things that I have been convicted of recently is that I need to continue meeting new students at Lincoln. I have a few students who I know and we hang out when I'm in town on Wednesdays but our group hasn't grown much and isn't yet to the point of being really missional. I figure, the best way for me to do that is for me to meet new students and see if there are other missional Christians out there.
The problem is that I stick out like a sore thumb at Lincoln. I think I could probably count on one hand the number of Asian Americans I've seen on campus. I know it. The students know it. I really don't belong. So, I've been trying to rely on students introducing me to students. A student will say hi to someone they know and I'll immediately jump in and introduce myself. On Wednesday, I met a student named Steven (or Stephen) who seemed pretty cool. We didn't get to the point in the conversation where I found out much about his spiritual background before he had to go but it was still a new interaction.
But this story isn't about that.
Last night (Thursday) I was invited to speak on a panel put on by one of the other student groups about Racism and Reconciliation. I figured, well, if I'm going to be in town already, I may as well use it to my advantage! I decided that my best bet was to set up a proxe (IV's interactive evangelistic displays), and have conversations with students. I love proxes because they are definitely conversation starters and take the awkward out of approaching students.
My plan was simple: I'd get to campus, set up the proxe, share the Gospel with some students, invite them to the panel, do the panel, and head home. I had everything ready to go. There was only one missing detail... the wind.
Friends, it was WINDY yesterday! Gusts were somewhere in the 15-20mph range, which isn't the worst but is pretty bad when you're trying to tape pieces of paper to a frame made out of PVC pipe. Setup normally takes about 10 minutes but after about 20 minutes of fighting the wind, I decided to call it a day.
HOWEVER, the wind wasn't a total loss. Here's another thing that I learned about students at Lincoln. You may not look like them, but if they see you struggling to try and tape up a proxe to PVC pipe in high winds, someone is going to stop to help you. I didn't get to share the Gospel but I did me Darion and Nick when they stopped some of my stuff from flying away. I got Darion's number and am hoping to hang out with them next week.
What's the moral of the story? I really have no idea. I'm sure there's something in there about God's ways being higher or something like that or the LORD working in mysterious ways. I'm not really sure. What I do know is that I would love your prayers as I learn more about Darion and hopefully his heart for mission.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
One of the things that I have been convicted of recently is that I need to continue meeting new students at Lincoln. I have a few students who I know and we hang out when I'm in town on Wednesdays but our group hasn't grown much and isn't yet to the point of being really missional. I figure, the best way for me to do that is for me to meet new students and see if there are other missional Christians out there.
The problem is that I stick out like a sore thumb at Lincoln. I think I could probably count on one hand the number of Asian Americans I've seen on campus. I know it. The students know it. I really don't belong. So, I've been trying to rely on students introducing me to students. A student will say hi to someone they know and I'll immediately jump in and introduce myself. On Wednesday, I met a student named Steven (or Stephen) who seemed pretty cool. We didn't get to the point in the conversation where I found out much about his spiritual background before he had to go but it was still a new interaction.
But this story isn't about that.
Last night (Thursday) I was invited to speak on a panel put on by one of the other student groups about Racism and Reconciliation. I figured, well, if I'm going to be in town already, I may as well use it to my advantage! I decided that my best bet was to set up a proxe (IV's interactive evangelistic displays), and have conversations with students. I love proxes because they are definitely conversation starters and take the awkward out of approaching students.
My plan was simple: I'd get to campus, set up the proxe, share the Gospel with some students, invite them to the panel, do the panel, and head home. I had everything ready to go. There was only one missing detail... the wind.
Friends, it was WINDY yesterday! Gusts were somewhere in the 15-20mph range, which isn't the worst but is pretty bad when you're trying to tape pieces of paper to a frame made out of PVC pipe. Setup normally takes about 10 minutes but after about 20 minutes of fighting the wind, I decided to call it a day.
HOWEVER, the wind wasn't a total loss. Here's another thing that I learned about students at Lincoln. You may not look like them, but if they see you struggling to try and tape up a proxe to PVC pipe in high winds, someone is going to stop to help you. I didn't get to share the Gospel but I did me Darion and Nick when they stopped some of my stuff from flying away. I got Darion's number and am hoping to hang out with them next week.
What's the moral of the story? I really have no idea. I'm sure there's something in there about God's ways being higher or something like that or the LORD working in mysterious ways. I'm not really sure. What I do know is that I would love your prayers as I learn more about Darion and hopefully his heart for mission.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Friday, February 12, 2016
MPD Khmer Style...
Hello, friends!
As many of you know, Megan and I had the pleasure of leading a team of students on a Global Project to Cambodia during the summer of 2014. It was an eye opening and life changing experience, and not just because I got a new shirt that is solidly a part of my shirt rotation. =0).
Ever since we got to Phnom Penh, I've been in love with the the country and inspired by the staff there. In the US, I get props because I start work on a new campus in a nation in which 75% of the inhabitants identify themselves as Christians. In Cambodia, the staff team there is trying to start work for the entire COUNTRY where a majority of the population is Buddhist. They do some good work out there.
This is why I'm asking for y'all to partner with me as we partner with SONOKO (Cambodia's version of InterVarsity) to help fund their staff. My friend and colleague Steph "Schmaltzy" Schmaltz (not my most original nickname, I know) has done the math and figured out that she can get their entire staff team of 5 local staff fully funded if she can get 200 people to give $5/month.
Yups, $5/month.
I could put that into perspective for you in a condescending or guilt inducing kind of way ("just a cup of coffee a month!") but you know $5/month isn't much and I know you don't need to be obligated into giving. I'm just asking you to prayerfully consider partnering with SONOKO to help fund its staff. If you hop on, praise Jesus! If you don't, that's OK too.
What I love about this campaign is that it is focusing on partnership, not cash. Let's do the math for a second. 200 people at $5/month for 1 year is $12,000. There are a lot of ways to get to $12,000. You could have 10 people give at $100/month, a pretty typical donation for InterVarsity/USA. You could have 20 people give at $50/month, which is even more doable. Schmaltzy has the networks that if she wanted, I believe that she could find 20 people to give $50/month or even 10 to give $100/month. But she's not focusing on cash. She's focusing on partnership.
See, the beauty of this model is that it maximizes the number of people who are now partnering with SONOKO to see the Gospel reach the students of Cambodia. When we give, whether it be $5, $50, or $5000, we become invested in the movement. We want to see it succeed. We more about what's happening.
Megan and I have ministry partners who give at all sorts of levels. We've had folk increase and folk decrease their giving over the years, for all sorts of very good reasons. One thing that we have heard quite a few times is that because of some financial situation, someone can't give at their same level but instead of dropping out completely, they're going to $10/month because they want to stay a part of the ministry.
Friends, $10/month doesn't move the needle much in terms of our overall budget but it does wonders in terms of the love and support we feel from y'all. It does wonders.
Here's the link with more information about SONOKO and how to give if you'd like to partner. Make sure you clink "ENG" at the top for the English version (unless you can read Khmer) and look for the "$5" in the top right corner.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
As many of you know, Megan and I had the pleasure of leading a team of students on a Global Project to Cambodia during the summer of 2014. It was an eye opening and life changing experience, and not just because I got a new shirt that is solidly a part of my shirt rotation. =0).
Ever since we got to Phnom Penh, I've been in love with the the country and inspired by the staff there. In the US, I get props because I start work on a new campus in a nation in which 75% of the inhabitants identify themselves as Christians. In Cambodia, the staff team there is trying to start work for the entire COUNTRY where a majority of the population is Buddhist. They do some good work out there.
This is why I'm asking for y'all to partner with me as we partner with SONOKO (Cambodia's version of InterVarsity) to help fund their staff. My friend and colleague Steph "Schmaltzy" Schmaltz (not my most original nickname, I know) has done the math and figured out that she can get their entire staff team of 5 local staff fully funded if she can get 200 people to give $5/month.
Yups, $5/month.
I could put that into perspective for you in a condescending or guilt inducing kind of way ("just a cup of coffee a month!") but you know $5/month isn't much and I know you don't need to be obligated into giving. I'm just asking you to prayerfully consider partnering with SONOKO to help fund its staff. If you hop on, praise Jesus! If you don't, that's OK too.
What I love about this campaign is that it is focusing on partnership, not cash. Let's do the math for a second. 200 people at $5/month for 1 year is $12,000. There are a lot of ways to get to $12,000. You could have 10 people give at $100/month, a pretty typical donation for InterVarsity/USA. You could have 20 people give at $50/month, which is even more doable. Schmaltzy has the networks that if she wanted, I believe that she could find 20 people to give $50/month or even 10 to give $100/month. But she's not focusing on cash. She's focusing on partnership.
See, the beauty of this model is that it maximizes the number of people who are now partnering with SONOKO to see the Gospel reach the students of Cambodia. When we give, whether it be $5, $50, or $5000, we become invested in the movement. We want to see it succeed. We more about what's happening.
Megan and I have ministry partners who give at all sorts of levels. We've had folk increase and folk decrease their giving over the years, for all sorts of very good reasons. One thing that we have heard quite a few times is that because of some financial situation, someone can't give at their same level but instead of dropping out completely, they're going to $10/month because they want to stay a part of the ministry.
Friends, $10/month doesn't move the needle much in terms of our overall budget but it does wonders in terms of the love and support we feel from y'all. It does wonders.
Here's the link with more information about SONOKO and how to give if you'd like to partner. Make sure you clink "ENG" at the top for the English version (unless you can read Khmer) and look for the "$5" in the top right corner.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Friday, February 5, 2016
Being Mr. Mom...
Hello, friends!
Greetings from beautiful Portland, Oregon! Seriously, y'all, it's really pretty out here.
You may be thinking to yourself, "self, what is Adam doing in Portland? That's really far from Missouri!" Well, you would be right and thanks for asking a great question!
My lovely wife Megan is actually part of the National International Student Ministry (ISM) Team for InterVarsity. This team is 16 staff from all over the country who focus on ISM and are leading our movement in how to care for international students and equip staff to care for international students. Meg is perfect for the job and I couldn't be prouder of her. This week the National Team had its team meeting in Portland so the 3 of us took a trip. We stopped in California for a few days (more on that later) then made our way up to Portland for 4 days. Meg was in meetings all day so my job was playing Mr. Mom and watching Ezra from 8-6.
First of all, let me say this: Portland/Oregon is BEAUTIFUL. We did a little bit of sightseeing and the views are just amazing. There are mountains, waterfalls, rivers, and a really cool skyline. When the rain stopped it was really quite pretty.
Of course, you're not here to read about my trip to Portland (unless you are... then you should probably email me because I'm going to stop talking about it now). You're hear to read about my adventures of doing the Mr. Mom thing. Here are a few things that I learned:
- Long term babysitting is a game of mutual endurance. I've watched Ezra for 4 hours before by myself and it was fine but 3 days of 6-8 hours meant that the chance of us getting bored went up considerably. The house where we were staying was about an hour outside of Portland proper so we weren't going to be taking any trips into the city. Instead, we played a LOT of pick-a-boo, read a LOT of books, and took a LOT of naps. The hardest part was seeing who would crack and get bored of our current activity first. I have no problem telling you that I am the undefeated champ of "Let's do the same thing for a long time" but it was a good match all around. =0).
- Multi-tasking is a myth. Well, at least it was for me. I wanted to be fully present while watching Ezra, which meant that getting work done wasn't really going to be happening. He could play by himself for a little while but unless he was asleep, I wanted to give him my full attention. His naps were sporadic and for varying times so getting a good stretch of work done was a struggle. I'm not complaining, it's just the truth.
- Conversation with a 7 month old is a lot of fun. Ezra has no words. He makes noises, flails his hands, and can laugh but he doesn't have any command of the English language. Just don't tell him that. A lot of our time together was talking to each other. I'd ask him a question and he'd "answer" back while trying to suck on my hand or scratch my face. We didn't solve any of the world's problems but it was really fun to see how much he has been developing over time.
All said and done, it was a really fun experience. I was happy to bless and serve Meg as well as spend some quality time with Ezra. Father/son days are the best...
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Greetings from beautiful Portland, Oregon! Seriously, y'all, it's really pretty out here.
You may be thinking to yourself, "self, what is Adam doing in Portland? That's really far from Missouri!" Well, you would be right and thanks for asking a great question!
My lovely wife Megan is actually part of the National International Student Ministry (ISM) Team for InterVarsity. This team is 16 staff from all over the country who focus on ISM and are leading our movement in how to care for international students and equip staff to care for international students. Meg is perfect for the job and I couldn't be prouder of her. This week the National Team had its team meeting in Portland so the 3 of us took a trip. We stopped in California for a few days (more on that later) then made our way up to Portland for 4 days. Meg was in meetings all day so my job was playing Mr. Mom and watching Ezra from 8-6.
First of all, let me say this: Portland/Oregon is BEAUTIFUL. We did a little bit of sightseeing and the views are just amazing. There are mountains, waterfalls, rivers, and a really cool skyline. When the rain stopped it was really quite pretty.
Of course, you're not here to read about my trip to Portland (unless you are... then you should probably email me because I'm going to stop talking about it now). You're hear to read about my adventures of doing the Mr. Mom thing. Here are a few things that I learned:
- Long term babysitting is a game of mutual endurance. I've watched Ezra for 4 hours before by myself and it was fine but 3 days of 6-8 hours meant that the chance of us getting bored went up considerably. The house where we were staying was about an hour outside of Portland proper so we weren't going to be taking any trips into the city. Instead, we played a LOT of pick-a-boo, read a LOT of books, and took a LOT of naps. The hardest part was seeing who would crack and get bored of our current activity first. I have no problem telling you that I am the undefeated champ of "Let's do the same thing for a long time" but it was a good match all around. =0).
- Multi-tasking is a myth. Well, at least it was for me. I wanted to be fully present while watching Ezra, which meant that getting work done wasn't really going to be happening. He could play by himself for a little while but unless he was asleep, I wanted to give him my full attention. His naps were sporadic and for varying times so getting a good stretch of work done was a struggle. I'm not complaining, it's just the truth.
- Conversation with a 7 month old is a lot of fun. Ezra has no words. He makes noises, flails his hands, and can laugh but he doesn't have any command of the English language. Just don't tell him that. A lot of our time together was talking to each other. I'd ask him a question and he'd "answer" back while trying to suck on my hand or scratch my face. We didn't solve any of the world's problems but it was really fun to see how much he has been developing over time.
All said and done, it was a really fun experience. I was happy to bless and serve Meg as well as spend some quality time with Ezra. Father/son days are the best...
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
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