Hello, friends!
It's been in the low to mid-90's around here in CoMO for the past few weeks or so, which has changed a lot of things considerably. Ezra normally loves walks but since it's too hot to go outside, Meg has been taking him on early morning walks and he and I have been doing laps around our living room (which he really enjoys, oddly enough). I've been trying to run more this summer but sweating my face off in 90 means getting up (or at least trying to get up) at 5am to knock out a few miles.
However, it's never too hot for a prayer walk. =0).
Just a few days ago, I took on Columbia College as an added campus for the next year. Columbia College IV is already a group but next year I'll be having a more hands on approach. CCIV is very near and dear to my heart as it is the first Mid-MO chapter to break out of the Mizzou bubble.
Since I'm relatively new to the campus, I thought it would be a good idea to spend a little time praying over the campus, listening to see what God might say in terms of my work there. Here are a few highlights from that time.
"Fall in love with the campus." One of the first things that an older staff told me when I joined staff 9+ years ago was that to make it in this game, you have to buy in 100% to the campus you're staffing. I took that to heart when I moved to CoMO, following Mizzou sports, buying the gear, and getting myself up to speed on all the rivalries and quirks that make Mizzou what it is. When I started doing work at Lincoln, I did the same thing, learning all about the Blue Tigers. Now it's time to see what Cougar Country is all about.
"There's more than meets the eye." A favorite story of mine from my time in ministry is that one of the last things I did as a student before joining staff was to take a prayer walk around WashU's campus (Go Bears!). It took about an hour or so but it was a really good time. When I first moved to CoMO, I decided to try to do the same thing at Mizzou. It took me 6 different prayer walks before I could cover the whole thing. =0). When I prayer walked Columbia College, I got around the campus in 18 minutes. Still, it was actually a lot bigger than I'd remembered it. Everyone sees the big buildings but it does actually go further back than I thought. I think it was God reminding me that there are unseen corners of the campus, places where students are who need to hear the Gospel. I'm excited to see where those places are.
"I've always been here." As I was walking, it was hard to not start planning. I'm someone who loves coming up with ideas and strategies. I also love analysis so I started going back and forth in my own mind about what may or may not work. About halfway through the walk, I was reminded that my job is not to save the campus. It is to see where God is moving and join him in that work. I honestly don't know what kind of structure this thing is going to take or what students I'll meet from where. I just know that he's always been there and will continue to be there.
One last thought that's unrelated to anything about campus work. My cousin-in-law just had a heart transplant last night/this morning. He's doing well now but this is the critical time where we find out if his body accepts the heart. If you have a moment, keep Dakota in your prayers.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Friday, June 24, 2016
Saturday, June 18, 2016
So Many Things!
Hello, friends!
As I was thinking about what I wanted to post this week, I realized that there were too many things on my mind to only touch on one topic. At the same time, there wasn't really enough for a Super Blog like I've done in the past. There was a plethora of topics but not really a cohesive theme to tie them all together besides the fact that life has been happening this past week. So, we're going to do a little bit of a "quick hits" sort of thing. Few thoughts on a couple of different topics that have been rattling around in my brain for the past week. Here we go!
Our Ministry Partnership Celebration: Thanks so much to everyone who came and who prayed for us as we prepared for our first ever Mid-Missouri Ministry Partnership Celebration Dinner. All said and done, I'd say it was a success! Folk showed up, there was a ton of delicious food that everyone enjoyed (cooked by my wonderful wife), folk learned a little more about InterVarsity in Mid-MO, and some folk were interested in partnering with us further. We definitely learned a lot and if we do it next year (which I hope we do), it'll be an even better experience.
Regional Leadership Team Meetings: Monday through Wednesday I was in St. Louis for my first ever Regional Leadership Team Meetings. Since I took the role of Associate Area Director this semester, I was invited to these RLT meetings. It was a really interesting experience for me. We talked about the differences and similarities between a team and a family (while trying to be both), spent a lot of time praying for each other and our different ministries, enjoyed one another's company, and made some really important decisions regarding the direction of the Region. In some ways, it was exactly as I'd expected it to be but in other ways, it was very different. I was anticipating all the business stuff. I wasn't expecting such a heavy emphasis on the "familia" aspect of things.
Orlando: I've been trying to figure out how to talk well about Orlando. My heart is broken for those in the LGBTQA community who lost their lives, who had friends or loved ones who lost their lives, who feel unsafe, who have heard horrible things said about them by those who claim Christ, and are the victims yet again of another hate crime. My heart breaks for the Latin@ community because many of the victims were Latin@ and it feels like that fact is being a lost a little in the news coverage. My heart breaks for those in the Muslim community who now have to deal with even more hatred and hateful rhetoric, stereotyping, racial/ethnic profiling, and potential acts of "revenge." My heart breaks for the Church in the U.S. because yet again, I feel like we're caught as a body divided, especially as I scroll my Facebook. I'm still not sure how to talk about Orlando well. I know what the answer isn't, but I'm not sure what the answer is, beyond praying for comfort, praying for peace, and praying that God's will be done.
Father's Day: So apparently Sunday is Father's Day! Honestly, I'd been getting prepared for Ezra's birthday (get excited!) that I hadn't thought about Father's Day much. Being a dad is the best. End of story. I don't know how good of a job I'm doing (he's still alive, so that's a positive, right?) but I'm having tons of fun.
I think that's everything for now. If I forgot something, you can bet that you'll hear about it (or read about it) soon. =0).
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
As I was thinking about what I wanted to post this week, I realized that there were too many things on my mind to only touch on one topic. At the same time, there wasn't really enough for a Super Blog like I've done in the past. There was a plethora of topics but not really a cohesive theme to tie them all together besides the fact that life has been happening this past week. So, we're going to do a little bit of a "quick hits" sort of thing. Few thoughts on a couple of different topics that have been rattling around in my brain for the past week. Here we go!
Our Ministry Partnership Celebration: Thanks so much to everyone who came and who prayed for us as we prepared for our first ever Mid-Missouri Ministry Partnership Celebration Dinner. All said and done, I'd say it was a success! Folk showed up, there was a ton of delicious food that everyone enjoyed (cooked by my wonderful wife), folk learned a little more about InterVarsity in Mid-MO, and some folk were interested in partnering with us further. We definitely learned a lot and if we do it next year (which I hope we do), it'll be an even better experience.
Regional Leadership Team Meetings: Monday through Wednesday I was in St. Louis for my first ever Regional Leadership Team Meetings. Since I took the role of Associate Area Director this semester, I was invited to these RLT meetings. It was a really interesting experience for me. We talked about the differences and similarities between a team and a family (while trying to be both), spent a lot of time praying for each other and our different ministries, enjoyed one another's company, and made some really important decisions regarding the direction of the Region. In some ways, it was exactly as I'd expected it to be but in other ways, it was very different. I was anticipating all the business stuff. I wasn't expecting such a heavy emphasis on the "familia" aspect of things.
Orlando: I've been trying to figure out how to talk well about Orlando. My heart is broken for those in the LGBTQA community who lost their lives, who had friends or loved ones who lost their lives, who feel unsafe, who have heard horrible things said about them by those who claim Christ, and are the victims yet again of another hate crime. My heart breaks for the Latin@ community because many of the victims were Latin@ and it feels like that fact is being a lost a little in the news coverage. My heart breaks for those in the Muslim community who now have to deal with even more hatred and hateful rhetoric, stereotyping, racial/ethnic profiling, and potential acts of "revenge." My heart breaks for the Church in the U.S. because yet again, I feel like we're caught as a body divided, especially as I scroll my Facebook. I'm still not sure how to talk about Orlando well. I know what the answer isn't, but I'm not sure what the answer is, beyond praying for comfort, praying for peace, and praying that God's will be done.
Father's Day: So apparently Sunday is Father's Day! Honestly, I'd been getting prepared for Ezra's birthday (get excited!) that I hadn't thought about Father's Day much. Being a dad is the best. End of story. I don't know how good of a job I'm doing (he's still alive, so that's a positive, right?) but I'm having tons of fun.
I think that's everything for now. If I forgot something, you can bet that you'll hear about it (or read about it) soon. =0).
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Friday, June 10, 2016
It's Go Time!
Hello, friends!
I've already posted about this a few times already in the past few weeks but it's finally here! On Sunday, InterVarsity in Mid-Missour (IV@MidMO) will be hosting its very first ministry celebration dinner! We've got a great time planned with dinner, a game, some different testimonies, and a preview of what's next for us so people can consider partnering with us as we bring the Gospel to more parts of the campus and more campuses in Mid-MO.
To be honest, it's been a beast planning this bad boy. The team has done a great job but there have been so many different moving pieces that had to be coordinated and since this is our first time doing this, there were a lot of things we didn't know we didn't know! We've had to work out a date, a venue, invitations, tracking down RSVP's, figure out food and programming, and making sure that all of our ducks are in a row. I think what I've enjoyed most about this has been seeing us as a team come together towards a common goal. We still have a lot of work ahead of us but I'm happy to see us all moving in the same direction.
Friends, please be praying for us this weekend. Here are a few specific ways to be praying:
- Pray that folk will show up. Not just because we've got food that we don't want to go to waste but also because we believe in what we do and want folk to be able to experience that with us.
- Pray for the staff team as we prepare. There are a lot of little things and moving pieces so it's easy for stuff to fall through the cracks. Please pray that we'll continue to work well together and that this will be a blessing to our team.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
I've already posted about this a few times already in the past few weeks but it's finally here! On Sunday, InterVarsity in Mid-Missour (IV@MidMO) will be hosting its very first ministry celebration dinner! We've got a great time planned with dinner, a game, some different testimonies, and a preview of what's next for us so people can consider partnering with us as we bring the Gospel to more parts of the campus and more campuses in Mid-MO.
To be honest, it's been a beast planning this bad boy. The team has done a great job but there have been so many different moving pieces that had to be coordinated and since this is our first time doing this, there were a lot of things we didn't know we didn't know! We've had to work out a date, a venue, invitations, tracking down RSVP's, figure out food and programming, and making sure that all of our ducks are in a row. I think what I've enjoyed most about this has been seeing us as a team come together towards a common goal. We still have a lot of work ahead of us but I'm happy to see us all moving in the same direction.
Friends, please be praying for us this weekend. Here are a few specific ways to be praying:
- Pray that folk will show up. Not just because we've got food that we don't want to go to waste but also because we believe in what we do and want folk to be able to experience that with us.
- Pray for the staff team as we prepare. There are a lot of little things and moving pieces so it's easy for stuff to fall through the cracks. Please pray that we'll continue to work well together and that this will be a blessing to our team.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Friday, June 3, 2016
You're Invited!
Hello, friends!
Greetings from beautiful Morovia, Iowa, where I'm here leading a regional training for our staff team on Ministry Partnership Development. So far, it's been a great time of being in the word, learning from one another, hearing from Jesus, and getting down to business. I've talked about it a lot, but MPD really is one of my favorite parts of the job and I'm blessed to be part of a team that gives me space to explore my passions and giftings.
One area related to MPD where I would love your prayers is in regards to an event that our team is hosting next weekend in CoMO. We wanted to celebrate God's fathfulness to us this year and prepare for the upcoming year by having all of our ministry partners and potential ministry partners in the know about how they can be a part of our journey. Thus far, we've had some trouble with getting an accurate headcount, which can be a little frustrating at times but an area where were are trusting Jesus to give us peace and to work through the logistics.
If you're in the CoMO area or know folk who are, we would LOVE for you to attend! Here's the info:
Come and Celebrate God’s faithfulness
with us & look ahead to next year
InterVarsity in Mid-Missouri invites you to a:
MINISTRY CELEBRATION DINNER
6:00pm-8:00pm (DOORS OPEN AT 5:30)
Sunday June 12, 2016
4600 Christian Fellowship Rd, Columbia, MO 65203
Tickets are $10/person or $50/family
Childcare provided upon request for kids under 10 (free dinner included)
Please RSVP by: Sunday June 5, 2016
RSVP : http://goo.gl/forms/
If you aren't in town and don't know folk who are in town, woudl you still please pray for us? Pray for responses, pray for logistics, and pray that God would be glorified through our celebration.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
Greetings from beautiful Morovia, Iowa, where I'm here leading a regional training for our staff team on Ministry Partnership Development. So far, it's been a great time of being in the word, learning from one another, hearing from Jesus, and getting down to business. I've talked about it a lot, but MPD really is one of my favorite parts of the job and I'm blessed to be part of a team that gives me space to explore my passions and giftings.
One area related to MPD where I would love your prayers is in regards to an event that our team is hosting next weekend in CoMO. We wanted to celebrate God's fathfulness to us this year and prepare for the upcoming year by having all of our ministry partners and potential ministry partners in the know about how they can be a part of our journey. Thus far, we've had some trouble with getting an accurate headcount, which can be a little frustrating at times but an area where were are trusting Jesus to give us peace and to work through the logistics.
If you're in the CoMO area or know folk who are, we would LOVE for you to attend! Here's the info:
Come and Celebrate God’s faithfulness
with us & look ahead to next year
InterVarsity in Mid-Missouri invites you to a:
MINISTRY CELEBRATION DINNER
6:00pm-8:00pm (DOORS OPEN AT 5:30)
Sunday June 12, 2016
4600 Christian Fellowship Rd, Columbia, MO 65203
Tickets are $10/person or $50/family
Childcare provided upon request for kids under 10 (free dinner included)
Please RSVP by: Sunday June 5, 2016
RSVP : http://goo.gl/forms/
If you aren't in town and don't know folk who are in town, woudl you still please pray for us? Pray for responses, pray for logistics, and pray that God would be glorified through our celebration.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
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