[Attempting to Become] All Things to All People

Do you ever read the Bible and find yourself being totally challenged by something you find?  If you read the same Bible I do than I would imagine your answer would have to be yes... at least every once in a while!


In the Apostle Paul's first letter to the Corinthians he talks of 'becoming all things to all people for the sake of the gospel.'  His desire was to do whatever it took to win people for Christ... and I find myself wondering how well do I reflect this desire and attitude?  If I'm honest, I'd probably have to say - not very well and not very often.


My reality is that I often want God to use me just as I am... so that I don't have to move from my place of comfort and do something that stretches me beyond what feels natural and safe.  

The Problem With Being Present With My Family

| Guest Post | Nathan Foster |

I love my family. 

I can’t begin to describe the intimate connection I feel when I think of my kids. I never knew I could love this much. 

Yet I’m not really a very good father. Can I admit that I’m easily distracted and often get bored when I hang out with my kids? In spite of my persistent desire to wake them up at night because I miss them, in spite of the butterflies I get when I stare at them, sometimes I can’t handle more the 15 minutes of running around the park or playing hide and seek. 

I often wonder what is wrong with me that after a couple of hours of watching my kids I’m anxious to run away.

An Honest Assessment

In two previous posts on assessment, Satisfying Work [?] and 3 Steps to More Satisfying Work, I shared a few points of conversation from my time at the Summer Institute for Campus Ministry (SICM).  This particular day our focus was on assessment, and while there was so much we covered, there is one more point I want to raise here before changing gears next week.


Do we need to teach our students how to 'examine' or 'assess' their lives?


In my two previous posts the focus was on assessing our work - our programs and approaches - and even our ability to recognize/discern/assess spiritual growth and formation in the lives of our students - based on what we are able to observe.  But in our conversation we were quickly reminded of our limitations here in the fact that we cannot know the hearts of others.  

3 Steps to More Satisfying Work

What does the word 'assessment' do for you?  


My guess would be that it evokes one of two responses: 1) you become giddy at the thought of a deep and thorough examination of pertinent data, calculating results and determining important 'next steps' (less common - it has to be!), OR 2) your pulse begins to race, your stomach begins to turn, and you suddenly feel like your at the bottom of a 14,000 foot mountain with neither the equipment nor the expertise to attempt the climb (more common - especially for the relational-types that make up a large percentage of the ministerial population).


While I don't think I'll ever LOVE the idea of assessment, I do think it's important.  Very important.  And although "success" is a hard thing to measure when it comes to the spiritual formation of students - and/or a campus culture - I think there are some ways we can (and should) attempt assessment in our work with college students.

Starting at Home

| Guest Post | Nathan Foster |

How do we know when we are loved?  Is it that look of acceptance, a smile and warm embrace?  Or is it when someone buys us crap we don’t need or lets us have our own way?  The ultimate expression of love has to be taking a bullet for someone, losing your life so someone else can live. You know, the Jesus way.  A heroic stranger sacrifices her own life to save that of a child about to be struck down by a wayward semi.  Our heroine just gave the child what potential time on earth she had left so that the kid could have more.  Minus the potential pain, dying for someone is giving them lots of potential time.  When we share our time, is this not the pinnacle of human sacrifice? 

Time lets us know that we are loved.  In periods of isolation or sadness when someone shares their time, it doesn’t just mean a lot-- it means everything.  The only thing I have any control over is what I do in this fleeting moment.  Time, my most valuable possession is quite possibly my only real possession.  (Excerpt from Wisdom Chaser).

Towards Thin Places

"God is calling you into His presence!"

This was a statement made by the worship leader last night during our opening time of worship at the Summer Institute for Campus Ministry (SICM).

He went on to confess that on more than a couple of occasions this past year he was approached by different students who would say, "I'm not sure why, but I feel like I'm supposed to tell you that God wants you to come into His presence."


Can you imagine being on the receiving end of a comment like this?  How do you think you'd have received it?  With excitement!?  Or maybe some levels of embarrassment?  Did this student know something?  Did I NOT know something?

Confessions of an "I"

Hi.  My name is Guy and I'm an introvert.


No, I'm not a recovering introvert, just one that needs to remind myself - and others - from time-to-time that God has made me this way.


I enjoy my cave time.  A LOT.  


The summers on campus often feel like a blissful hibernation of sorts.  Sure, there are the occasional meetings, interactions with other members of my staff, etc., but for the most part there's a lot of quiet space.  I like quiet space.


Sometimes I wonder, however, if being an "I" makes me less effective as a minister on campus.  Are there any other introverts out there that sometimes wonder this same thing?

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?

How's Your [Servant's] Attitude?

In my reading this morning I sat with Paul's encouraging letter to the believers in Philippi.  The first half of chapter 2, on imitating Christ's humility, has always been a challenging word to hear...


This morning was no different.


I find myself humbled and challenged by these words from Paul to its' original recipients... because I know it is just as relevant for me today.


5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.


What a tall order.  It kind of makes me wonder if Paul really knew what he was saying at the time... YOUR attitude should be the SAME as that of CHRIST JESUS.  

Ideas for June

Well, we've made it to June.

For many of us this means that students have been gone close to a month... so, how's your summer going?  If the answer is 'too quickly' than I can relate.

As much as I might like to spend each day of the summer months immersed in the scene to the right, making good use of our summer can be the difference between fumbling our way into the new school year or a GREAT start, between a strong, well-planned year or a chaotic, hap-hazard one.

Here are a few thoughts on how to make good use of the month of June :: please share your additional ideas, thoughts and comments in the comments section below!

• Take a vacation - there's nothing quite like getting away from campus, and work, for a while to renew our focus, passion and perspective.
• Attend a retreat or conference - I'm personally more of a 'retreat kind a guy,' but taking some time to intentionally grow - how ever that looks for you - can also go a long way in renewing focus, passion and perspective.
• Spend some extra time at home - consider working shorter hours (if you can) or 'summer hours' that allow you to come in earlier/later so that you can spend some extra time off campus and with family (if that's you).
• Assessment - if you haven't done any intentional assessment of your ministry efforts from the past year, since your school year concluded, now is the time.  Soon our attention will be fully on prep for the upcoming year... and if we want that time to be fruitful, and tracking in the right direction, assessment is a necessity.
• Soul Care - as a part of our assessment, it would probably serve us well to take our 'spiritual temperature' to see how we are doing in our own relationship with Jesus.  It can be easy, in the midst of walking alongside college students in need, to pay more attention to their spiritual lives than our own.  The summer months can provide some much needed space for renewing our pursuit of the One we believe called us to this important work.
• Connect with your team - if you've got other professional staff that you work with, find some intentional ways to connect now that students are away.  Consider a staff retreat, some extended casual (but intentional) one-on-ones for processing the previous year, staff lunches, a BBQ at someone's house where you can invite families, etc.  Continuing to build bonds with you team during 'slower months' can really serve you well during the fast-paced school year.
• Connect with other key ministry partners - June can be a great time to connect with other ministers who serve the students on your campus, whether they be faculty and/or staff on campus, pastors in local churches or fellow college ministers on campus.  Now is a great time to initiate or further invest in relationships with these important 'co-laborers' in Christ.
• Map out the rest of your summer - I usually like to operate pretty spontaneously, but in order to make sure we aren't scrambling at the end of the summer to get everything ready before students' return, it might be worth spending some time intentionally mapping out the rest of our summer months.  When do I start that new initiative?  When do I take that much needed vacation?  When do I start writing that series of talks or studies?  Can I take care of some of the details for the mission trip that might be close to a year away?

The summer months provide us some much needed space for rest and 'uninterrupted' work.  I believe that God calls us all to be good stewards of this 'off season' on campus.  What are your plans?

Grace and peace to you!

When You Pray...

One of the biggest pitfalls that those of us in ministry leadership face is getting too caught up in the 'doing' of ministry that we cease to simply 'be' with Jesus.


Prayer is meant to be the life-line between Jesus and His followers.  It's meant to be the means by which we bring our will into conformity with His.  It's meant to be a means through which He shapes us, prepares us, equips us and speaks to us - in every way - for everything.


Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me ~ Jesus (John 15.4).

Got Milk?

:: [Guest post by Bob Henry] :: 

A couple of weeks ago, as I was driving to pick up my kids from school, I came across an unusual scene.  

Well, not that unusual - most of us have done it at one time or another.  Somewhat lost in my thoughts, enjoying the tunes playing on the radio, I caught something out of the corner of my eye.  There, about four lanes of traffic away, and waiting on the adjacent light to turn green, was a man in a car.  That may not seem that interesting, but what caught my attention was the gallon of milk on his roof.   My instinct was to laugh and say, “What an idiot.”  Then I noticed something happening. 

People in cars on all four sides of the intersection were trying to get this guy’s attention.  Motioning with their hands, rolling down windows and yelling – you name it, they were doing it.  I still just chuckled to myself.  Then I realized I was in the man’s view and may be able to get his attention.  I began motioning by pointing at my roof.  He saw me and began looking.   I pointed up and he looked up.  He wasn’t getting it.  Finally, at the last minute, the man in the car behind him, jumped out of his car, grabbed the gallon of milk and handed it through the window to the unaware man. 

Oh, we all felt good.  People drove through that light with smiles on their faces, as if we had solved a major crisis.  The rest of the drive to pick up my kids had me thinking about what I just experienced.  

How many of us have “milk cartons” on the roofs of our lives? 

Getting It Right

:: [Guest post by Sarah Baldwin] ::


I live a few miles west of the city of coffee aka Portland, Oregon.  Portlanders take their coffee seriously. It must be one of the only cities in the world where you hear people pursuing “going into coffee” as their career plan instead of the gap year job after college.  Experienced baristas opt for the more hipster coffee shops and although there is Starbucks, there is a general disdain for anything that brews cookie-cutter capitalism and coffee together.  For the true Portlander nothing beats Stumptown coffee.  Stumptown is locally owned, committed to fair-trade, and is known for pursuing the best-quality coffee, roasting method and pouring it out all over Portland. 

A couple of nights ago we happened to have one of the Stumptown baristas over to share a meal.  I confessed that sometimes I feel a little intimidated coming into Stumptown.  You have to know what you want, know it quickly, and select from their very sophisticated coffee blackboard-menu with the options: coffee, cappuccino, Americano, espresso, latte.  No white chocolate mochas, no cinnamon- shot vanilla lattes, no Pumpkin Pie Chai. This place is not catering to the sugared/flavored coffee crowd, this is just  good coffee.  That’s what they do.  The barista tells me, “We are the coffee experts.  We know good coffee.  We don’t try and appeal to all the options and flavors.  If people want that, they can go somewhere else.”

Ideas for May

It's May!


That typically means the end of the academic year... unless that came in April for you.  Either way, it's time to start thinking about saying good-bye to students and preparing for a different season of ministry life - the summer.


I've started posting some ideas at the beginning of each month as a way of mapping out my upcoming month - and I thought some of you might need (or have) some ideas for May as well (I would normally post this information on the first day of the month - but we've been experiencing some flooding here in Nashville... so here you go - a few days late).


A few posts from the month of April that might be worth checking out - if you missed them - or if you are transitioning into a season with some more space for rest and recuperation are:

The Greatest Resource [Wasted?]

Do you pray?  Are you engaged in the practice of other spiritual disciplines?  Are they central to your ministry and efforts?  Or are they something you turn to when no other option remains?

These questions are not meant to be condemning or an attempt to sound like a spiritual elitist.  I know I'm guilty of not praying, fasting, etc., as much as I could (or should).  I think it has something to do with the kind of schedules we keep - often quite busy, yet consistently inconsistent.

College ministers, like most other kinds of ministers, can easily fall into the trap of living lives filled with the 'doing' of ministry, while neglecting to 'be' an intentional Christ-follower.

Again, strong words - I know, but what I mean is that we can get so wrapped up in doing all of the things that we are called to do as pastors and servants of college students - really good stuff like:

• leading worship services
• leading Bible studies
• counseling students
• sharing Christ
• facilitating service and mission opportunities
• investing in student leaders
• investing in professional staff
• watching the budget
• caring for facilities
• preparation - for ALL of the above
• and the list could go on and on and on...

that we then allow ourselves to schedule over the time that we should be focused on tending to OUR own relationship with Jesus (the 'being' a Christ-follower).  

'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.

The [Un]Scheduled Pastor

Have you ever been asked, "What's a 'typical' day in your job like?"  If so, I'm guessing your answer was something like, "There is no typical day... they're all quite different."


Last week I asked the question [in my weekly poll], "How many weekly (repeating) meetings do you hold?"


Respondent's answers ranged from the (0-2) category to the (10-12) category.  Based on these results, a 'typical' day in the life of a college minister may include NO regular/weekly/repeating meetings - OR no more than 2 or 3 - which leaves a lot of unscheduled time to be well utilized.


This seems right to me.  I've had days, even weeks, where special events were happening, or student leader interviews were being conducted - something BIG that seemed to take up the majority of my time on campus - and it left me feeling a bit too tied down.  Do you know what I mean?


When I look at the life and ministry of Jesus I see Someone who was purposeful and intentional, but also open and available.

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:

Slow Down!

The margins in my life have been pretty thin this year. 

Our family moved into a new house back at the end of August - yes, just as the new school year was beginning - not the ideal time to move... but we were so thankful to have the chance in the economy that we're living in.


Between this big adjustment at home, and the crazy pace of life that seems to define most school years, my margins have been thin... and one of the things that has regularly been pushed off of my daily page has been exercise.  I hate that.  And I've missed it (another post for another time).


Well, this morning I was able to get out for a run.  It's not the first time since we've been in this new house, but it was the first time I took this particular route.  I've driven this direction numerous times - it's one of the two ways out of our neighborhood - so it's a route I'm very familiar with... or so I thought.

It's amazing what you notice when you slow down.  

On my run today I noticed houses that sit back off the road just enough that I've never seen them before.  I noticed, for the first time, a creek that cuts back and forth under this street in several different spots.  I noticed the hills... OH, how I noticed this hills - so beautiful to look at, but something totally different when you encounter them on an early morning run.


All of this got me to thinking about our routines on campus.


If you're anything like me, your days are probably pretty full of meetings - with students, colleagues, administrators, etc. - and those times in between meetings can often easily be consumed with checking email, returning email, planning and prepping for what is next on you calendar... even the walks between meetings can be filled with checking in on our 'smartphones'... and there's something that doesn't seem quite right about it all.


I wonder how different our days might be if we created more space in our schedules... If we chose to intentionally slow down, make ourselves more mentally, emotionally and physically available.  I wonder how different our walks through campus might be if we chose to leave our phones in our pockets and attempted to greet students as we passed them (I recognize that about 99% of them will be on their phones, but... that's a whole other post as well).


We need to challenge ourselves to slow down.  To take in all that makes up the unique place that God has called us to... if we don't, how will we ever see Him at work, or know how to come alongside what He's already doing in that place?


So what do you think?


How thin are the margins in your life?


What are some of the things you might see differently in your ministry context if you chose to intentionally slow down?


Do you know what God is up to on your campus?


I'd love to hear about your experiences!


Grace and peace to you.

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.