Practicing What You Preach

Do you ever struggle to practice what you preach?  I do.


As people who work with college students we often find ourselves asking them tough questions, thinking with them about the ways they think and/or approach their life and even challenge them to consider important changes that might dramatically impact the way they live.


One of the biggest challenges today's student struggles with is waiting... They've grown up in an instant society and are not used to hearing the words 'not yet.'  In many ways 'no' is more of a relief than 'not yet' simply because the issue at hand can be quickly put to rest.  But 'not yet' involves waiting... the issue remains open, without resolution, pending... 

What Gives?

About a year and a half ago I had the chance to grab lunch with a very accomplished thinker, educator, author, minister-type.  He has done so much over the course of his life, so I just had to ask, "how do you do it all?"

I was a little surprised by his response, "Sleep is overrated!"  He went on to say how the first thing he plans to ask God upon arriving in heaven is, "what's up with sleep?  It seems to me we could have been a lot more productive if we wouldn't have needed that."  I personally like sleep, but increasingly I've come to understand what he was saying.

There's a lot of good stuff out there.  A lot we can give ourselves to.  But,

When life gets too full, what gives?  Because something's got to!

We've all been there... or maybe we live there.  We find ourselves pursuing so many good things that life simply seems too full... and we know we cannot continue on at our current pace for much longer.

Whether we consciously choose what we eliminate (or temporarily sideline) from our schedules or not, we know that without a change to our current pace of life, our quality of life will continue to decline... as likely will our quality of output in all of the good things we're trying to be a part of.

So what goes first for you?

Free-Falling [Like Wile E.]

As a kid I loved watching cartoons on Saturday mornings.  I especially liked watching Wile E. Coyote attempt to catch the Roadrunner - forever without success - he always made me laugh!


As I've observed our students for the past 5 years attempt to transition into this place [spiritually speaking] the best [and most unfortunate] image that comes to mind is the one to the left.


80% of our students self-identify as Christians.


What that means [for them] exactly, I don't know.  They may check the 'Christian' box on their admissions application simply because they think it might help them to get in.  Maybe it does really mean something to them. The reality is, however, that once our students get on campus far too many of them get drawn of course [spiritually] by their own roadrunners.


What they are failing to see is that the 'spiritual momentum' they come to campus with will only keep them 'on course' for so long before 'gravity' take over and these students - who honestly desired to make their faith central to their college experience [and life] - are in a spiritual free-fall.

Inspired by BIG Losers

Did you happen to catch the season finale of The Biggest Loser last night? 

I love that show!  The transformation that takes place, on both the inside and the outside of the contestants, is always so inspiring to me. 

Their stories are also very compelling.  It’s heart-wrenching to hear about some of the decisions they’ve made that got them to their tragic weight, as well as some of the triggers of loss or pain that served as a turning point in their lives… and then to hear about the emotional and psychological ‘weight’ they have carried with them, that only serves to compound the hurt and damage… I would imagine that the decision to apply to be a contestant on this show has got to be one of their low points in life.

Then they arrive at the ranch, their context for change.  They’re met by people who genuinely care about them, and will grow to love them, but who are ultimately there to see them change their lives.  Some contestants will not last long.  Those who make it to the end, however, will have been trained for seven months. 

Little, if any of it, will be easy.  But the reward, the end result, is SO worth it. 

It's All A Gift

:: [Guest post by Ian Clark] ::

According to the American Heart Association website, "approximately 95% of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital."

Sometime between 12:10pm and 12:20 pm on April 14th my world was turned upside down.  During a run over my lunch hour, I went into full cardiac arrest and collapsed.  At 32 years of age I had a heart attack...at 32!  This was completely unexpected and the circumstances surrounding my survival are nothing short of miraculous.  

For starters,  I've been a runner all of my adult life and I had completed a 4.2 mile run just two days earlier.  I have never ran over the lunch hour before, but on this day, I thought I would run home during lunch.  I happened to collapse in front of someone's house who just happened to be coming home for lunch, which I'm told this person, Carlos, didn't do on a regular basis.  When he found me, I was not breathing, I had no pulse, and my flesh was blue.  Carlos called for help.  A woman named Gayla was just one block away at a park eating lunch with her husband.  When she heard Carlos yell, the two came as quickly as they could.  Gayla was an administrator and former director of nursing at the local hospital and immediately sprang into action.  Gayla began performing CPR, and ultimately saved my life.  She later told me that I had been without air for at least six to eight minutes.  Experts say brain death starts to occur four to six minutes after someone experiences cardiac arrest.  There were several others involved in my rescue including the local ambulance and hospital staff.  Everyday I learn more about these events that make my survival seem more like a miracle.

Organic AND Pragmatic

:: [Guest post by Nic Allen] ::

Greetings Campus Ministers…my students are heading your way!

Last Saturday I had the privilege of watching a half dozen students I had only met that morning at 8am dive in and get dirty doing flood relief work here in Franklin, TN (the greater Nashville area). You see they were invited by a friend who only months before had begun attending our youth ministry at the invitation of another friend who no longer attends. Sounds complicated, eh? That’s because it is. Student ministry in the world today [at least in my neck of it] is two things: organic and pragmatic.

Organic…living…breathing. That’s a good thing, right? Sure. We’re talking about people and their lives. There is an ebb and flow to student ministry. Homegrown kids are fewer and farther between. Many of the students we funnel toward college ministries today lack the typical Sunday School, Bible Drill, VBS experiences that typical youth ministries build on. Students don’t participate in student ministry [generally speaking of course] because their parents encourage [read: push] them to do so or because it’s the only hang out atmosphere in town. Students have enough options and for the most part, student ministry can’t [or honestly shouldn’t try] to compete with those environments. Students become part of youth ministries because of relationships. While they may check it out once for a myriad of reasons, they’ll only dive in and stick it out if they have friends. You can create an environment where relationships are forged and strengthened but you can’t make it happen. It’s natural. Relationships…that’s the organic part.

The Future of College Ministry is “Down and Out”

:: [Guest post by Stephen Lutz] ::

I have a pastor friend who reads Acts 17, Paul’s “Mars Hill” encounter, a bit differently than many of us. He sees it as Paul’s least effective ministry endeavor, even as a failure and a negative example.  I see Mars Hill as a success. One purpose of Acts is to tell the story of how the Gospel went to everyone and everywhere in the known world, and so in that sense it's part of the successful story. But I think it's a success in more ways than that.

As someone who spends a good time up on the 'Mars Hill' of Penn State University with students who like to debate all the latest ideas, I'm keenly aware of the challenges Paul faced. One aspect of my ministry has been to militant atheists, agnostics, and pagan students. It’s a challenge to redemptively engage with them, particularly during the last couple years when the New Atheist movement has been throwing its weight around.

At the root, my friend’s discomfort with Acts 17 is this: not many people come to faith (Paul’s day at Mars Hill would still be a really good day for most of us, right?) Isn’t this, when compared with the rest of Acts, a failure? I think stories like Mars Hill cause us to reevaluate our grid for what constitutes success. Not every day will be Pentecost, and Paul never gets the instant results like Peter does, but that doesn't mean he's a failure, right? 

Have We Done All We Could?

It's graduation week for many of us!  The time of the year when we send our graduates off into the world to live out their dreams, live into their passions, and to make the world a better place... right!?

A couple of weeks a go I asked this question in my weekly poll:

What's the biggest issue facing graduating seniors?

Here are the results of the voting:

• A tough job market - 26%
• Unrealistic expectations about the future - 13%
• School debt - 13%
• The need for more education and/or experience - 13%
• A lack of direction for the future - 33%

The responses left by respondents, from all over the country, have left me wondering if we have done all that we could for our soon-to-be graduates...

Equipped For Disaster [?]

In case you haven't heard, the greater Nashville area is experiencing its worst flooding ever (at least according to all records on file).

While damage estimates are projected to be in the billions of dollars, much of the BU family is reporting minimal damage - we're very thankful.  Not having to be overly concerned with the campus, we're beginning to look outward.  We've spent the last couple of days in campus-wide meetings trying to figure out how best to respond as a Christian academic community.

The Office of University Ministries and Spiritual Development have been asked to provide significant leadership to our campus-wide efforts, given the fact that we've led teams of students on numerous relief efforts over the course of our time on campus - just never quite so close to home.

Our current situation has me wondering about other campuses out there... If asked,

• would you be ready to lead out on your campus?
• would you be invited 'to the table' to help coordinate a campus-wide effort?
• would you be seen as a team player?
• would you be seen as a credible resource?
• would your ministry be equipped to mobilize teams - if not large portions of the campus - to assist in relief efforts?

We never know when the opportunity to serve is going to present itself.  When it happens in your home town you don't want to be scrambling to come up with a first-time game plan.

'Friendly Fire' on Campus

Do you know what I'm talking about?

Friendly fire?

It's a term most often used in the military or other combat scenarios and involves the inadvertent firing towards a member of  one's own or otherwise friendly forces while attempting to engage enemy forces.

It's called "friendly" because the assumption is that it is an accident... unintentional... 

But is it still considered 'friendly fire' when the "fire" is coming from other members of the larger team your a part of?  I'm talking about Christians hurting Christians - ministries working against each other - leaders, student leaders and even casual participants engaging in mean and destructive behavior towards one another.

It happens.

What Message Are You Sending?

Do you know what message your ministry is communicating to others?  
Does it accurately represent you?  
Your thoughts?  
Your beliefs?  
Do your students reflect this message?  
Do they communicate it with what they say and do?

What we communicate through our ministry says a lot about the kind/s of people that are going to find their way into it.

As I continue to be a student of God's Word, it seems to me that the welcome mat into community with God was extended to ALL - in some way, shape or form - and this, I believe, should inform our ministry.  
His call to love our neighbor as ourselves  is said to be 'just like' the call to love Him with ALL of our heart, mind, soul and strength.  No where does He exclude anyone/s - based on anything - we only read of people excluding themselves based on the choices they make, or are unwilling to make.


As you think about your ministry context, do you extend the welcome mat to:

Moses AND Joshua :: Different Sides of the Same Ministry

Have you ever stopped to consider your place in the life of the ministry you are serving in?

If you're anything like me... probably not.

God is so clearly at work in the world - and on our campuses.  But are we presently aware of the fact that He was present [in our ministry context] long before we arrived... and will be there long after we've left?  Our perspective is too often limited solely to the season of ministry that we are present for and I think we need to be challenged to pull back and consider the larger picture.

The story of Moses and Joshua are helping to challenge me in this regard.

Moses could be considered the "big man on campus" of the Pentateuch, if not the Old Testament.  Moses is the central leadership figure in the books of Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy - no other Old Testament leader had a ministry that spanned more than one book in duration.  Moses was connected to some of the greatest miracles within the Bible - the burning bush, the 10 plagues, the Israelite' escape from Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, manna from heaven, water from a rock, etc., etc., etc.

How Do You Handle Adversity?

How do you handle adversity? I mean real adversity...

Are you the type of leader that:

• curls up in the fetal position and waits for someone else to make something happen?
• struggles to keep it together?
• breaks down, but ultimately pushes through?
• or do you live by the motto 'I will adapt and overcome'?

The way we deal with adversity speaks loudly to those who are watching. Especially students!

If we freak out under the stress and pressure of the situation than our students will likely follow suit. If we're a bit shakey, but ultimately were able to keep it together... that will say something to students. But if we're able to show confidence that, despite our current circumstances, we believe God will work on our behalf... than I think this can a powerful and lasting impact on those who you're with.

Today has been a day of attempting to 'adapt and overcome'. Based on a couple of comments I've overheard from students... I must be doing a decent job. I find it is pretty easy to have faith that God will work something out because I've been doing this long enough to see how He's done it in the past. For students who haven't experienced something like this before... it can be a little more challenging.

So how do you deal with adversity when it rises up?