Last June, I was in Colorado Springs during the Waldo Canyon fire. Many of our Home Office staff were caring for the needs of their own families but also made great sacrifices to care for the staff from around the country who had to be evacuated. The decision to evacuate was made when the fire came very close to the hotel where we were attending ISI's National Conference. Now, I am reading the news of a devastating fire that has consumed 15,000 acres in the Black Forest area. Two of our home office staff are making preparations to evacuate their homes and our president, Doug Shaw, lives in the voluntary evacuation zone. We are praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ as they endure this crisis that their hearts might be encouraged. The saddest news of all is that our former legal counsel, Denny Yoder, has lost his home to the fire. We give thanks that there has been no loss of life, but our hearts are terribly heavy for Denny and his family. In light of these events, I am frankly perplexed when I read these words from the apostle Paul: "we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit..." (Romans 5:3-5) There is nothing else I can conclude other than God is using tribulations like wildfires to bring about perseverance and character in the lives of His followers. We trust that the hope that is brought about through their testimony will encourage those outside the faith to turn to the living God.
On May 7, I met with three of our volunteers to do a prayer walk at Rutgers. Prayer-walking is a discipline that we have tried to be consistent with as we seek God's guidance and battle the spiritual forces of evil. The experience of walking the campus and being in the presence of students who are separated from God caused me to reflect on God's grace. As you walk silently, it is easy to pick up on pieces of conversations from students who pass by. Rutgers is known for promiscuity among it's students and has a reputation for street parties that get wildly out of control. If it wasn't for the grace of God in my life, I would have been just like them. When we interact with international students, however, this campus environment grieves us because we don't want them to think this is all America has to offer them. We want to show them Jesus, the Light in the midst of darkness. We want them to know the freedom that is found only in committing their lives to His Lordship. Thankfully, God's Spirit is at work on the Rutgers campus. God has allowed me the privilege of meeting people who work with Cru and Intervarsity during the last 3 years. They are sharing the Gospel with the lost and equipping student leaders to be true disciples. One thing that we prayed for this week was that God would show us some creative ways of collaborating with these ministries to demonstrate unity in the body of Christ. Jesus prayed that for His followers, "that they would be one even as We are." I don't know how or when God will answer this prayer. I just think about how much glory it would bring Him to have the remnant of faithful Christ-followers at Rutgers united in seeking the lost. It might be uncomfortable, but it would fit with the parable of the shepherd who left the 99 to go after that one lost sheep. Pray that the Lord would help us be fait
Getting Strategic
On April 17th, I was invited to attend a Strategic Planning Town Hall at Rutgers because I am a campus chaplain. Robert Barchi, the Rutgers president, has recently come under criticism for his lack of due diligence during the basketball scandal that cost Head Coach Mike Rice and Athletic Director Tim Pernetti their jobs. The Town Hall was attended by about 160 students, faculty and staff. President Barchi handled the meeting with thoughtfulness and great sensitivity. I was impressed by his leadership. But the best part of the meeting was what happened just a few minutes before. I was sitting there waiting for things to get started when I noticed one of the residence life coordinators come in and sit in the row in front of me. I had met him during our busy airport pickup season, so I went over to say hello. During our conversation, he told me that international students they had surveyed indicated that they really wanted interaction with a more diverse group of students. They were housed with students from their home country and would naturally gravitate toward students in their programs who had similar backgrounds. He has also been talking with RCSSA (Rutgers Chinese Student and Scholar Association) about the welcome picnic for next year. He is encouraging them to open it up to international students from other countries. How interesting! We're praying that God's Spirit would direct us as far as what we can do to address this issue. Our goal is to disciple the nations God has brought to us! |
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