Competing Missions

Last Monday my post centered on the question: Are we the local church OR an arm reaching on to the campus?


One of the big reasons I tend to believe that we are an 'arm', and not the local church, is because of the context - and more specifically - who controls it.


Campus ministry is, to a certain extent, subject to the academic institution.  Unlike the local church, campus ministries  will have to - again, to a certain extent, play by a certain set of rules... that they have no say in creating.  Whether it is an institutionally-based ministry on a Christian campus, or a para-church or church-based ministry that reaches out to any given campus; all will have to shape their mission and ministry to fit within the larger mission and communal guidelines of the campus community (or run the risk of being banned from campus).

Back To School 'Blog-A-Thon'

With the new school year just around the corner I thought it might be a good time to come together for some collective thinking and sharing about the work we do in the form of a 'blog-a-thon' (sorry, I'm no good with coming up with creative names...). 

Over the course of 3 days [Aug. 3-5] we'll have the chance to hear from a number of professionals in the college and campus ministry world - and others who have particular interest and/or insight into our work with college students - in the form blog posts and the dialog that ensues.

More information about specific 'back to school' themes and contributors to come... but wanted to get this in front of you so you could begin to make plans to 'attend' and engage in what will hopefully be the first, of many, 'blog-a-thons' to come (and if you have any ideas for a more creative name... please feel free to pass that along!).


Please help to spread the word about this event... I'm a firm believer in the fact that we've all got something to learn AND contribute... which is what I really like about a 'blog-a-thon' format.


I'm also working on a new website that should be set in time to host this event... so stay tuned for more details regarding that as well!


Grace and peace to you as you head into the holiday weekend!

Ideas for July

It's July. 

For most of us this marks the halfway point of our summer... and if you've not been too serious about utilizing your summer 'downtime' to prepare for the upcoming year thus far... all is not lost.  

But, it does probably mean that upon your return from the 4th of July holiday weekend it will be time to get down to some serious business.

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

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.

Online Spiritual Formation [?]

While the origins of the internet reach back to the 1960s, I was in college when it came of age (mid 90s).  Life was different back then.  Computers on campus were in labs, not dorm rooms (or laps), and there was typically a time limit posted on bulky, green-screen computer monitors that stated how long you could "surf online" if someone was waiting to use a computer for classwork.  It's amazing how different campus feels only 15 years later...

Today, our students live online.  And if we're not finding ways to effectively reach  them -- in that place -- than we may be missing out!

All of the social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) are important tools for us to integrate into our work with college students -- no doubt! -- but what if we could do more?