Finishing Well

It's been a heavy season in some ways. Many have been asking for an update on my mom: she is in a rough spot after whole-brain radiation a couple of weeks ago. The treatment she was on was not stopping the cancer in her brain, so my parents decided on this course. It's really affected her short-term memory and caused a lot of confusion and fatigue. It's our hope that within a couple more weeks some of those side effects will recede significantly, but there's no guarantee of that. Despite all of that, she is so sweet and kind and mostly seems to feel good. My dad has been an amazing servant, taking care of her all hours of the day and night with us trying to relieve him a bit each day. He is a superstar, and his example is inspiring.

I also got an update from Brady Bobbink a few weeks ago that he is officially retiring from campus ministry. While he will no doubt continue to minister to many people as opportunities arise, he will no longer be on staff with UCM. In his update he was saying "thank you" to the many men and women who prayed for and funded his ministry at WWU for over 50 years--I know their faithfulness has left a rich legacy that will continue in thousands of families for generations. I know that partly because I and our ministry here in Dallas are just a small part of that legacy!

All of this has me thinking about one of the leadership axioms we teach our student leaders and try to live by as pastors--Finish Well. This axiom is about realizing that we are often most remembered for how well we finish our time in a relationship or organization rather than for how things go in the middle, or even for our greatest accomplishments. I'm sure we could all tell stories of people who did some great things, but finished poorly and left a trail of broken hearts or a mess to clean up. We could also all tell stories of people who had some rough patches along the way but got it together and finished well. We tend to remember those people much more fondly, even if their overall contributions may have been less!

Every one of us will at some point finish our current job or assignment. Every one of us will at some point wrap up every relationship we are in. Sometimes those endings are a surprise and totally out of our control, which reminds us to live with a sense of urgency. But often, we get choices around how to finish. Will turn in my 2 weeks notice at a time that leaves my team in a lurch? Will I cut off a friendship abruptly just to make a point? Or will I be committed to finishing as best I can in every situation?

It's a decision we make now. For the student leaders, their commitment to lead a small group on campus ends with the school year. For some that simply means it comes at the same time as final exams, while for others it's finals plus transitioning out of college to a new phase of life. So it's an easy time to justify slacking off. But year after year these students amaze us with the way they step up to the challenge of loving and serving their peers well right to the end of the year (and beyond). I think a part of that is because we get them to think and pray about what finishing well would look like, and then ask them to commit to it.

Maybe you sense a change coming in some area of life. Or maybe you feel settled and happy right where you are! Either way, I encourage you to decide now to finish well to honor our Lord who finished his own assignment on earth, even though the hardest part came at the end. And I pray that, Lord willing, I can someday (many years in the future!) write my own announcement of retiring from paid ministry knowing I've run my race well to the very end. 

Thank you for joining me in this exciting work. I think we are still just working on the first floor of this great project we are building together, and Lord willing, we will finish well!

A Celebration of all that God is Doing

I was thinking about how to describe our recent Winter Retreat, and the above phrase came to mind. Being out there with over 700 people had me reflecting on the state of our mission. Growth can be exciting but also brings its own pitfalls--have we compromised the message to grow? Are we losing what makes this community what it is? We're more diverse than ever before, but that too can be fraught with hidden challenges.

The day I got back, I got an email from an alum who had come out for a day to speak at the retreat. His observations have stuck with me all week:

"This generation of students blew me away. They were so kind and sweet. I saw so many taking notes, engaged with the talk. I was looking at pictures from winter camp 2012 as I was getting photos for my slides and I scrolled through just laughing at all the board games, and Kuub, and volleyball and honestly just a whole bunch of nerdy white people things we were doing. Then I showed up to winter retreat this year and there is an entire building of people doing arts/crafts, a dozen people doing a hardcore workout, two dozen doing an Afro-dance class. I texted my wife and said “how is this winter camp.” I told her I wanted to write you an email but before I did I wanted to find the write adjective to describe the students. I couldn’t come up with a single word or two, instead it’s more of a title. These students are 'the ones that frustrate the cynic.' Maybe it’s just me, but in every interaction with the students I couldn’t find an ounce of cynicism in myself. I was so hopeful after each interaction, so eager to know how the rest of their journey goes but content with just the slice I got. The cynic in me had a frustrating weekend as he came home without a thought to sleep on. I know getting a group like that takes years of culture setting, praying, hard work and support. So thankful we got to interact with them."

I think he said it beautifully. This is all just a work of the Spirit, and it's one that we all, you included get to take part in. God is good to us! Please be in prayer for these students as we get back into the semester. Just this first week back, we've dealt with hidden sin being confessed, deep conflicts between students, students making new commitments to God, addiction, purposefully divisive behavior, theological questions, and new false teachings on campus. That's just a little bit of it! But we don't panic because God's got us. I hope you'll take a moment to celebrate how God is working in and through you to bless young people with the good news of Jesus!

Student Testimony

Jesus Incarnate

This time of year we are often thinking of the Incarnation, the idea that God became a flesh and blood human in Jesus. We focus on the memory of Jesus as a baby in poor surroundings. The Incarnation plays out through the entire story told by the Gospels--Jesus teaching and healing and most of all loving people, then dying, being buried, and coming back to life in a new flesh and blood body before his ascension. 

I've been studying 1 Corinthians this semester with two of the student core leaders I meet with weekly, and something new jumped out at me in chapter 6. In the midst of a warning about sexual immorality and a reminder that our bodies will be resurrected like Jesus' one day, Paul writes, "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?"

I'm so familiar with Paul's metaphor of the body of Christ in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, that we each have different gifts to share and roles to play so that his church can be healthy. But here in 1 Corinthians 6:15, Paul says something more specific--my body is a member of Christ. The incarnation continues in me as his Holy Spirit comes to inhabit my physical body.

What people need is not to encounter more ideas. Our world is FULL of ideas. We're on idea overload! What people need is to encounter Jesus, his physical presence, his touch, the sound of his voice. The original children's minister at my church would always say that children's ministry was about being "Jesus with skin on" to kids. Now, setting aside the gruesome image of a de-skinned Jesus that would sometimes pop into my mind when I heard that, I think he had it right. 

One of the great revelations of the gospel is the Incarnation, that "in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form" (Col 2:9). And we participate in that! The things we do matter--the meals we share, the affection we show, the times we just show up to be present with people in celebration or mourning or the humdrum of daily life. Our bodies are members of Christ. When we show up, he shows up. 

That's what campus ministry is all about--these students need to encounter Jesus on campus. Not just as an idea, but as a person. And it's what your ministry is all about too--your kids, your spouse, your friends, your coworkers, the stranger standing next to you in line--they don't need another idea; they need to encounter Jesus, embodied in YOU. As we reflect on the mystery of Christ in a manger, reflect too on the ongoing mystery of the Incarnation in your own life as a disciple, "which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col 1:27).

Managing Expenses

We are over halfway to our goal with our annual fundraiser, trying to secure all of the matching funds that have been pledged. One of my goals as we have built the organizational structure of FOCUS is to stay lean and mean. The bigger organizations get, the more bloat and red tape and bureaucracy tend to take over. I recently spoke to the area director of another campus ministry, one of the large national ones, and she told me that their first year staff had to raise about $120k to be on campus their first year! (For comparison, our first year staff are usually raising about $30-40k.) Now those staff weren't making 6 figures their first year; well over half of that went to ministry budgets and the national office. In contrast, our pastors only raise their personal support. They typically don't even cover the cost of their own benefits as we supplement health insurance and a small amount of retirement matching. 

All that means that we need money given in other places to cover ministry budgets on campus, pastor benefits, administrative expenses, etc. Those are a small percentage of our budget overall, especially compared to many other ministries. The student offerings help out, but don't come near to covering those expenses. And that's where the annual fundraiser comes in. Without this money, not only would we not be able to Keep FOCUS Growing, but we'd eventually need to shrink some. We carry no debt so that we are flexible and ready for the unexpected, and we live on (and plan for the future based on) the free gifts of those who are excited about the mission to transform the lives of young people on campus for the future of the Church.

If that's exciting to you and you have the means, I invite you to make an extra gift this year (that will in turn be doubled by another donor!) at anyfocus.org/kfg. Let's Keep FOCUS Growing another year!

Jacob and Kole were the ones I was studying 1 Corinthians 6 with!

I also meet with Felipe and Paul this year. Felipe told me after that he "doesn't smile in pictures." Lol!

My UTD staff team got to take a picture with Santa and Mrs. Claus (Arianna's mom and stepdad) at our student Christmas party. What a fantastic team! 

Student Testimony

Looking to the future

$77,000 in Matching Funds Pledged for Keep FOCUS Growing 2024! 

Make a gift now to keep us reaching new students and expanding to new campuses!

Scripture Smackdown

One of the biggest and most worrying trends I've been seeing is that even our students who grew up in church and participated in youth groups have never read any of the Bible. Students who have simply read a good chunk of scripture are seen as "spiritual giants." These students just don't read! Some can't tell me a single book they actually read during high school, instead having opted for online summaries, often in video format. Their faith is sincere, but I worry for its longevity in the face of all the challenges of life and those lonelier moments when you don't have a strong community to speak God's word to you.

So we've started a big scripture reading challenge/competition, men versus women, to encourage lots of Bible reading!  Students get points for each book they read along with bonus points for consulting resources like the Bible Project or commentaries alongside and for reading aloud with others. The plan is to keep the competition going the rest of the school year and make a big trophy with an engraving for the group that wins. So far, we're getting some good traction! After two weeks, we've had about 303 books of the Bible read, including just about every book. About 74% of those watched a Bible Project video along with reading the book, which helps a lot with understanding! And about 45% of the time they were reading aloud with others. Not only were many of these books originally intended to be read aloud in community, we've found that reading aloud slows them down and encourages them to talk about their questions and insights along the way. 

Please pray that this will not just be a competition, but will spark a lifelong love for God's word. One of my student leaders was telling me how much this had already changed his one on one FOJ Bible studies over the past couple weeks. He said rather than just sitting and listening to him, the guys were excited and actively making connections between the text in the study and other books they had read that week. That's what I like to hear!

So where is the competition after two weeks? 

Pizza Theology on 1 & 2 Samuel

Well, really it ended up being on Judges and the first few chapters of 1 Samuel haha! But that's because we brought in a passionate Bible teacher in Rikk Watts to help the students deepen their understanding and get excited about God's word! Feel free to listen yourself here!

Praying for a New (University) President

I know we've all been focused on our national presidential election, but the president of UTD can do a lot to either hinder or empower our ability to share the good news of Jesus on campus. Dr. Benson has announced his plans to step down at the end of this school year, and the search for his replacement is underway. Would you pray that the Lord would guide that process and put someone in place who will protect our students' right to share their faith and meet openly on campus?

Student Testimony

I finally got to take my beautiful wife to Europe! She's been asking since before we got married but a worldwide pandemic got in the way!

For those who haven't heard, my mom's cancer has returned and in quite a few places. We got to take this picture a few months ago before she started treatments. Please be in prayer for her and my dad. They are going down to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston every three weeks for treatments. The whole thing is pretty grueling. 

A Busy Year at UTD

The Lord has been doing a lot this year! First off, our numbers are up by a good chunk, and that means a lot of people to connect with and keep up with! We've been averaging around 200 people on Friday nights at "The Grove" and have 340 students in cores. (For perspective, last year at this time we were averaging 140 on Friday nights and 278 in cores.) These numbers are exciting, but they put a strain on our relational, one on one approach to ministry. Please pray that the Lord will give us wisdom to know how best to invest in these young people and stamina as we do so!

In the midst of this, I'm hearing really cool stories! We baptized a young woman last week who was a Muslim living in Pakistan when Jesus appeared to her in a dream. In FOCUS, she was finally able to learn about him and how to give her life to him. Another young lady told me that she was deep into Eastern spiritual practices and magic, but when walking by a FOCUS event, a voice spoke and said "These are my people and I want you to join them." She too has repented and given her life to Jesus. We don't get to take credit for these stories--they are all about God's Spirit moving! But we got to be a little part of those stories and are so honored that the Lord let us in on what he's doing!

I'm praying for more and more such stories. So many students are studying the Bible for the first time, learning about Jesus for the first time, wrestling with his call to follow for the first time. They are facing down all sorts of strongholds in their lives--drug addictions, past or present abuse, mental and physical illnesses, identity issues, money troubles, problems in their families--basically anything you can imagine. But we know "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." Will you pray that God will do the things only he can do and that we will be bold and empowered to do the things he's given us to do--proclaiming Jesus on this campus?

Upcoming Events!

We're excited to invite back our UTD alumni (and anyone else who wants to join) to see what's going on in our ministry this year! Coming up the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Our annual Keep FOCUS Growing Fundraiser is coming up, and you can even give now if you want! Our pastors raise their own salaries, but they don't raise the costs of our administration or our budgets for reaching out on campus. KFG is a huge part of that each year.

Student Testimony

We are underway!

Teaching Students to Pray

This is the time of year when all of our leaders are working extra hard to get this thing off the ground. We are tired, in a good way! I like to envision us as a small gear trying to turn a large one. We have to spin and spin and spin to get that thing turning, but once we do, it's momentum can carry us for a while!

A major theme in my ministry of late is teaching students to pray. I've lately been pondering this reflection from Eugene Peterson, a long-time pastor:

“My primary educational task as a pastor was to teach people to pray. I did not abandon, and will not abandon, the task of teaching about the faith, teaching the content of the gospel, the historical background of biblical writings, the history of God’s people. … The more I worked with people at or near the centers of their lives where God and the human, faith and the absurd, love and indifference were tangled in daily traffic jams, the less it seemed that the way I had been going about teaching made much difference, and the more that teaching them to pray did.”

Over the past couple of weeks I've encountered students who feel their faith is dry and emotionless, students with powerful emotions but who don't know how to take those emotions to God, students who feel like their relationship with God is purely intellectual. So over and over I've been sharing about my own experience with the Prayer of Examen and how I've practiced it. This has been a very meaningful practice for me, especially during harder or more emotional seasons. Here's what I typed up for one student and then found myself sharing with another every day or so because it addressed all these concerns. I encourage you to try it!

Prayer of Examen

Brief Description: While more formally developed by Ignatius of Loyola, this pattern of prayer crosses history and traditions, being found in various forms within early church writings, to later Wesleyan/Methodist approaches, and throughout many others throughout the world.

It is a way of bringing your day into conversation with God. In this approach, a person daily renews their perspective in light of God's calling, remembering the day and inviting the Spirit to provide discernment.

This relatively brief pause is a cue to re-orient if you have fallen aside into sin or chaos or simply distraction. It can also be an encouragement, to help you see how God was with you. It offers a moment to see if there are trends of growth or tendencies that are best addressed early. 

The Prayer of Examen offers a way to encourage daily reflection on God's work, God's grace, and your calling

I just do around 10-15 min. You basically run back through your day 3 times, each a bit more intense. At first you just remember what has happened but then you think more deeply about how you experienced and responded to different things emotionally, mentally, and through your actions. I like to think of it as processing my day with my dear friend. Who also happens to be Lord of the universe. :)

There are tons of instructions on how to do it online (and variations), but here's the ones I've used:

Pattern:

• Presence - spend time in God's presence to calm/quiet yourself
• Invitation to the Holy Spirit - ask the Holy Spirit for discernment
• Gratitude - review your day with gratitude
• Review - review your day again, objectively, without judgment and without rationalizing/justifying, taking time to experience all the range of emotions in the presence of God. Ask yourself questions that prompt you to consider both times of consolation and desolation (When was I most loving/most able to receive love? When was I hurtful/unloving? When did I not feel loved? When was I resistant to love?)
• Examine -Review your day again, examining your thoughts, reflections, and experiences. Here you can let God speak to what you have done and felt. What does he want to say? You might examine your thoughts about current events (whether large or small) in light of practices of Christian community (forgiveness, reconciliation, peacemaking, truth-telling, testimony, and discernment). 
• Response - allow God to invite you to respond in some way to what you have seen and experienced during your time of prayer; be open to receiving what God has for you
• Presence - you can end by just being in God’s presence, knowing you are loved

My Guys 

Each year I get to mentor pairs of young leaders as they take on the task of recruiting and then mentoring a group of young men, helping them learn to devote their lives to Jesus. I've got an amazing crew this year!

Sitting with Paul and Felipe at our favorite McDonalds. These guys are a joy and so eager to learn God's word! We are studying Romans together in addition to covering leadership skills.

My other pair is Kole and Jacob. Jacob is a senior who I've been looking forward to getting more time with for years. Meeting with Kole is a special joy as he is the son of my dear friend John Von Runnen.

I got to visit Paul and Felipe's core this week. 20 guys showed up and another few couldn't come! These guys were so real about sin and also about how they are striving to live for God. Others aren't Christians yet, and I'm pumped that their first experience of Christian community was so honest and real and full of love and acceptance! Please pray for these young men to become or mature as disciples of Jesus!

Student Testimony

The Freshmen are Here. Time to Pray!

The past three days freshmen have been moving in at UTD, and I think we have the most excited, bold, bought-in team of student leaders ever! They are killing it. Please be praying for these students every day through next Friday. These are the most important days of our year in some ways. If we sow generously now, there can be a great harvest in the year to come. Many of the opportunities we miss are unlikely to come back around. We have many events planned in the coming days, but here are a few pictures from freshmen move-in days.

We set up each evening between two of the residence halls and the dining hall with all sorts of games and activities. This area gets a lot of foot traffic.

Spike ball is always popular. We had 5 sets out and people are constantly using them. It's great when you get to be partners with a new student.

A lot of the young women enjoy simply sitting around and talking. We have craft materials if they want to make something.

We go until well after dark. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but we have had hundreds of new students come through and participate. Peter estimated that we met at least 250 new students one night.

I love this image. We've been reaching out to new students on Instagram. In this case, we missed his question because the event had already started, but he came and our students were shining with the love of Christ! It's my prayer that every new student gets loved on their move in day.

Please pray for the Lord to connect us with students who are seeking him, for boldness in forming spiritual friendships, and that we can be a blessing in every way for these young people at such a critical time in their lives.

Other Updates

We had an amazing group of students in town for the summer. We got together every Thursday in June and July, generously hosted by Care Church in Richardson.

These are the 2024-25 FOCUS Missionaries. What an amazing team impacting so many campuses across DFW, including our new mission officially launching at TCU this week!

I got to travel to New Jersey to officiate an alumnus' wedding a couple weeks ago. Jonathan Rao (second from the left) found an amazing, godly bride in Sharon. Josh Wallace (left) and his wife Mandi did their pre-engagement counseling. I remember going to Bible studies in Josh's apartment my freshman year in FOCUS, so it was so special to do some ministry together!

Alumna Testimony

Once a year, we have one of our amazing alumni share about the longer term impact of our mission in their life. Elise's story is so encouraging to me!