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Chris on Campus Blog

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The purpose of the Chris on Campus Blog is to provide a place where students (and others) can glimpse how Chris processes the world. In doing this, we pray you will begin to see the world differently too. You will find a wide range of topics, but all will be geared toward edification of the body of Christ. Please feel free to leave your own comments to Chris' posts. This helps create a sense of community among us. If you would like to subscribe, please enter your email address below.

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Chris on Campus Last 10 Entries

  • Moving the Bridge

    I just got back from a great weekend with a bunch of campus ministers in Oxford, Mississippi. Dan Kimball spoke, did a great job, and (as always) raised some good questions especially for us in campus ministry.

    In his first session, he showed us a picture that blew my mind. Well, I guess it was the thought associated with it that blew my mind. This picture shown to the right here is a picture of the Choluteca bridge in Honduras taken after hurricane Mitch in 1998.

    The power of the hurricane was so great that the river actually moved! I'd never even heard of something like this happening before, except for a river becoming wider or gradually changing the flow as time goes on. I've never seen a river move to a completely different place so suddenly like what is pictured.

    When Dan related this picture to our culture moving, I knew exactly where he was going! As the church tries to "fish for people" they must change and adapt to the shifting river. Sometimes the shift is small, but other times the shift is enormous! And that makes people nervous.

    So often our churches are content with using the same strategies and tools for fishing when doing so looks completely ridiculous. A fisherman who insisted on fishing off the middle of Choluteca bridge "because that's where we've caught fish for years," would not only be a bad fisherman but also might be considered insane.

    Yet, as culture has completely moved, we oftentimes insist on fishing with the same strategies and tools. I can't tell you how many times a well-intended person comes up to me and tells me that "we" (meaning the campus ministry) need to start doing "X" because we did that 20 years ago and it worked great! While you won't hear me say "X" will not work merely because it is old (the Bible is old too), the assumption that implementing something again just because it worked back then is flawed reasoning. The river might have moved from under the bridge! The river might have moved four miles down the road!

    As a campus minister living on the edge of the our rapidly changing culture, I would rather get out the waders to walk, changing/tweaking my strategy regularly with small nuances in order to be a better fisherman. I like the change, mainly because I am also part of this ever-changing cultural shift we are experiencing.

    But here is the challenge. Our churches have spent a lot of money building the bridge. Just because a campus minister wants to hop off the bridge to wade in the water, doesn't mean that our churches think that is the best thing. That might mean admitting that our assets are no longer useful; we don't like to confess that they might have depreciated to below zero. I understand that it takes time to come to terms with antiquated strategies for evangelism, to cut losses, and to build another bridge, but maybe we don't even need bridges anymore...I'm not sure.

    All I know is that culture is shifting fast and our churches are VERY slow in catching up. We need to have courage to move forward, not just to change because everyone around us is. We shift all kinds of things because we want the saving message of Jesus Christ to be lived out among all those who are changing. If we refuse to change our strategies for evangelism, we've resigned ourselves to fishing off a bridge for nothing but rocks.

    Lord, may your unchanging message of life in Jesus Christ spur us on toward living out Jesus' life in a particular, changing context. Give us the courage to try new methods for spreading your message. Help us to admit our selfish and prideful tendencies. Don't leave us as orphans, swept away in the cultural rapids, but weigh us down with your compassion for the lost. Open our eyes to see what the Spirit says. Amen.
  • Do Nothing
    I started, but never finished Dallas Willard's book, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God. I have been reading bits and pieces as I prepare for our Wednesday night classes, Going Deep in a Shallow World (available on iTunes). Since finishing Phoebe Palmer's, The Way of Holiness a few weeks ago, I have been struggling to find a good devotional book. I thought I had one, but the quality and focus was not what I needed.

    Well, I decided yesterday to go (back) through The Divine Conspiracy in the mornings. The decision was made after I ran across the most amazing quote I've ever read! It must be put in the proper context, but it certainly can stand on its own too! He was discussing some specific disciplines in his curriculum for Christlikeness: solitude and silence. These disciplines are so needed in our overly connected and loud voices society.

    Here is the quote:
    "One of the greatest of spiritual attainments is the capacity to do nothing. ... Muddy water becomes clear if you only let it be still for a while."
    The image of muddy water impacted me so much that I ran outside to get some dirt. I threw it in a clear cup and mixed in water. It got some really muddy water going! It is sitting on a shelf in my office getting clearer and clearer. What an awesome reminder for me!
  • Christian Chronicle Article
    Through the last few years, I have talked several times about the prayer sign on campus. It is such a freeing thing in my schedule and has definitely continued to evolve each semester I sit out on campus. I was asked to write a little article in the November 2009 edition of the Christian Chronicle about my experience with the sign.

    I can't find a direct link to the article online, but you can download a pdf copy of the Christian Chronicle on the right side of their site. My article is on page thirty five.

    Other campus ministry articles in this edition point to how campus ministry is a major mission field often overlooked as a mission. We often think of it as one of the regular ministries of a local body when it is more appropriate to approach campus ministry like a foreign mission effort. It just happens to be in the same town.

    Enjoy the reading and send me feedback on my blog.
  • New Beginnings
    Last night marked the official announcement of the hiring of our new minister. Matt Springfield will be joining us here in Huntsville. They are moving in the middle of December with an official start date of January 3, 2010.

    So, for one full year we will have been without a full-time preacher. For one year we are experiencing a desert of sorts in our transition. So much has happened during this time. Figuring out who we are as a congregation. Searching through many resumes. Having many conversations, some difficult and some exciting. Learning that I am not in control. Hearing the call to trust God. Finding clarity and confusion at the same time. Loving others. Battling Satan. Searching for God in the midst of it all. It has been a full 2009.

    I stand amazed at what 40 years of this might look and feel like. The forty years of Israel's wandering in the desert is hard to comprehend on the edge of our own new beginning. We hardly setup camp and here we are moving on to something new already.

    Well, despite our desert's brevity, I'm excited about this new stage in the life of our congregation! Having fresh eyes to see us and what God is doing is a much-needed thing. I'm not sure if this is blasphemous, but we will have a new voice of God in our midst, someone new to speak God's word. God certainly speaks in many ways and in various forms.

    Will we have ears to listen? Will we have eyes to see? Will we have hands to serve? Will we have mouths to praise? Will we smell the aroma of Christ in our midst?

    I am confident we will! I praise God for this new beginning.
  • God's Work
    I am trying to characterize where I am right now in relation to discerning what God is up to.

    More than ever I feel like I am a spectator watching the performance but somehow am still involved in the show itself...if that were possible.

    I would say my hands are up. It is like an act of resignation, but not a desperate one without hope. There is peace nearby with a handful of confidence and assurance. I see trust as it approaches to talk about the future. His whisper passes my thoughts as I continue to teach and pour into the lives of others. He points out the close presence of caution and discernment, while pushing us into new areas. All the while I feel study touching my heart and leading this ambiguous, uncontrollable process.

    I smell rumblings of newness coupled with an ancient sagacity. A fresh wind of spiritual revival sitting next to a familiar and much-needed tradition. The room feels comfortable, but uneasiness lingers; they constantly talk with each other without compromising each of their qualities.

    We sit. We wait. There is peace. God is at work. It's hard to explain.
  • Brother Lawrence
    Practicing the Presence of God is a good read for someone endeavoring to journey closer to God. Brother Lawrence sought to live life with God as a continual inward conversation with God done in humility and out of deep love.

    This is an appealing endeavor for me, since I have been known to speak aloud to God as if he were a person in the room. The flies on the wall regularly asked me with whom am I speaking! As I read about my 17th Century Brother, I thank God for the reminder to talk with him and think on him regularly!

    What is really cool about Brother Lawrence's admonition is that it is like prayer on speed! You are conversing with the divine, but you cannot stop at the Amen! You keep going. You must continue. It bleeds into your life. You must turn your mind to God as you do everything. It is a sort of OCD obsession with letting God in on doing laundry or homework or grocery shopping or driving or you name it! God is present...waiting to have that talk!

    As you read his treatise, you get the sense that an inexpressible joy exudes from every pore! It is an attractive thing for me. To be so content with God...to be so aligned with his will...to be so one with his desires...to be so in his presence that the normal means that we have of accomplishing this oneness (i.e. times of prayer, worship) can be readily set aside. We are already there. We are already tasting the heavenly presence. Attractive isn't it? It is for me.

    Well, at the risk of getting many of us checked into a mental hospital, I want to encourage us to spend our day talking aloud with God. Be aware of his presence. Ask him his thoughts. Wonder at his creation. Thank him for his blessings. Inquire what he would have you do. Experience his love.

    Let me know how it goes.
  • Creativity
    I am not a very creative person. I have at times tapped into God's creativity by allowing myself to be bored like kids in their creative play. But, generally speaking I have never been known as the most creative person.

    This is probably due to a few factors; the last one was made real to me yesterday. One, I watch TV. This stifles any sort of creativity that I might have. It tells me a story that I don't have any say in. It comes to conclusion (sometimes) without my input. It makes connections that I haven't asked for. Creativity is squelched when I imbibe the television.

    Two, I don't spend enough time in God's creation...or at least considering the creativity involved with it. I go through my day taking it for granted. The trees are always there. I don't get up close and look at how much creativity is right in front of me. To see how it feeds; to feel how hard and soft it is at the same time; to smell its aroma; to taste its fruit; to hear it move in the wind. How creative it is!

    Last, I don't read creative works of fiction enough. There are people gifted toward creativity, masters of language who have for centuries brought out God's creative powers through words. And I don't let them take me on the journey to offer imagination that I never thought possible.

    When I think about books I want to read, I think non-fiction. While I understand the importance of reading fiction works, I find it somewhat unproductive, impractical even. I recognize that it will broaden the horizons of teaching, but I don't find time. While I know it points to God's creative nature found in all humans, I let the mundane trump the magnificent.

    Two days ago I had a great conversation with my best friend. In that conversation he, yet again, suggested a book for me to read, a fiction book this time. He was not the first to make this suggestion, but I felt compelled to entertain his little admonition. Getting the classic yesterday, I finished it this morning. Creativity throughout this little read. It was amazing.

    I must explore other works too. I feel it will enrich my life; it will enrich my God-given creativity. Perhaps I will read my next fiction outdoors, forgetting all three of these creative-stoppers at once.
  • A Morning Prayer
    Lord, hear our prayer. Thank you for the night and any rest that you allowed us to have. We praise you for the chance to live another day and recognize that it is you alone who gives us life. Our breathing comes because of you as does all of our abilities.

    May we feel your warmth this morning as we begin this day. May your smile surround us and penetrate our attitudes. Please give us the energy that we need to use the abilities you gave us to the fullest.

    We pray for those you send our way today, some to bless us and some to be blessed by us. Keep us alert and ready to resist the temptations that would lead us away from your path.

    May our eyes and ears be fully open. Amen.
  • God's Temple
    God's temple.

    As I was preparing last week for a class I taught yesterday in Crockett, Texas for their Summer Series, I realized how big a deal it really was for Paul to call the Corinthians "God's temple."

    While his predominately Greek Christian audience certainly understood what happens at pagan temples, they knew Paul's imagery in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 pointed to the one temple in Jerusalem...perhaps even alluding to the splendor of Solomon's temple back when united Israel received the honor of a place for the name of the one true God.

    If there was any permanent place on the face of the planet where God was said to dwell, it was in Jerusalem. The temple of God. While he certainly dwelt among his people in the cool of the day, in the promises made to the patriarchs, in the face of Moses, on the mountain of God, in the tabernacle, between the cherubim, and in the highest heaven, he chose one place to finally rest...Jerusalem.

    Even after its destruction in 587BC, Ezekiel imagines the new Jerusalem, the new temple from which streams of living water flow to the whole world, feeding and nourishing it with abundant life...just like the original garden. An amazing image indeed!

    But...who would imagine that someday, this amazing temple would be a group of people!? And that God would dwell among them through his Spirit! That they would realize the unity they have with each other in Jesus Christ (and him crucified) as the foundation of this temple!

    It is hard for me to wrap my mind around the idea that this temple is not found in each individual person, but only found as a group. "Ya'll are the temple of God and the Spirit of God lives among ya'll."

    This means that I must recognize the others. This means that I must engage others. This means that I must rely on others. The key becomes how I work with others.

    If we are to truly be the amazingly magnificent temple of the living God among whom he chooses to dwell over all the other places on earth for all time...then I've got to tell others about this and continue God's work! It is just too big a deal not to.
  • Perfection or Maturity
    It seems like this time of the year always brings about an energized propensity for focused campus ministry dreaming sessions for the coming academic year. It is a good thing for our work here in Huntsville! This is the exciting part of ministry.

    Reflecting on how previous dreams have actually materialized in years past, I must say that I have lacked the ability to execute what is up in this bald head of mine. The semester brings with it a busyness that seems to choke out my good summer intentions. I get caught up in the details of maintaining a ministry somewhat solo. I haven't communicated well. I haven't empowered others well. I spent way too much time perfecting things that don't need perfection. The spacing between paragraphs on our weekly announcements doesn't HAVE to be uniform throughout! The page layout doesn't need to carry with it the golden ratio of design (1.62) before it goes to print.

    As I return to my dreaming session, I have realized that something has to change at a core level especially dealing with things being perfect; my attitude needs a little adjustment. I have these perfectionist tendencies that don't want things done sloppy or incompletely; they can always be done better...and so I do them better. While this might be good at times, I think it prevents me from working on matters that really...matter.

    ------

    With that said, I wonder about Jesus' admonition to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect in Matthew 5:48. How far should we take that little phrase? It would be easy for me to take that one statement completely out of its context and place it on my announcement preparation. Maybe we should do that.

    I am inclined, however, to have a little bit of textual restraint. The beginning of Jesus' sermon on the mount (specifically Matt 5:17ff.) calls to mind the shallowness of following rules verses the maturity of true righteousness. You can follow the rules without changing your attitude. You can refrain from murdering someone (the rule), but your anger has already murdered them (the attitude). The shallow righteousness of the Pharisees is surpassed by the mature righteousness of those who take Jesus' words seriously.

    I use 'mature' here instead of 'perfect' intentionally because 'mature' gives the connotation of growth or completeness that 'perfection' doesn't. "Be mature as your heavenly Father is mature" is a plausible translation of this passage. It also does something more for me. I can strive for maturity more readily than I can strive for perfection. Perfection seems to be allusive whereas maturity is possible. Maybe it is a mental block of mine...I don't know.

    Back to my perfectionist tendencies. The mature/perfect person (as I understand) would let some tasks go in an effort to get other (more important) tasks finished. In order to guide a larger process, the manager needs to step back from the details of the assembly line. In order for Kats for Christ to pursue being mature disciples of Jesus better, I need to let go of the margins in our announcements. I probably also need to let go of other tasks as well.

    This summer will be a time for us to think about the maturity that Jesus desires of his disciples. Do you need to let go of some things in order for God's purposes to be completed?

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