In late February, we put on our most recent Pizza Theology event. About 450 students came out to hear 4 hours of teaching on "Exploring Exodus." Some of our staff members taught it, and they spent so much time researching and learning themselves in order to share something that would bless our community. The goal was not just to gain insight into the book of Exodus, but to frame and shape the way we read Scripture as a whole, and the Old Testament in particular.
You can find the audio, along with the slides and handout, here.
 |
| Creatively working pizza's into the theme advertisements is a Pizza Theology staple. |
Last week at our UTD Friday Night Fellowship meeting, one of the students shared this vision with our community, and I think it captures why we put so much time and energy into events like Pizza Theology. You would have been so encouraged to see him stand in front of everyone and share this humble and powerful message.
"When I came to college I had an extremely simplistic view of Scripture, if even that (basically, what you could learn from a Children’s Bible). Also, I had this idea ingrained in my head that God was this distant, foreign entity that was so complex that any attempt to try to understand Him was pointless. As I started to get plugged into FOCUS, my views on seeking God intellectually changed, but I still held onto this idea that because I was never going to fully understand God that I shouldn’t put in my full effort to seek him intellectually. But I remember one of the staff members speaking at an FNF, and they said that Christians should have a knowledge of God at least at the level of their academic education. That is to say, if you are a college student, which we essentially all are, you should not settle for a middle school or high school level understanding of Scripture. I remember hearing that and feeling quite convicted, not only because I did not have a college level understanding of Scripture (I still don’t have a college level understanding of Scripture) but because I had placed the bar so low for myself in my pursuit of knowledge of God. The fact that I had such high expectations for myself in my academics and failed to do so in my walk with God showed me that I really needed to reorganize my priorities. Matthew 22:37 says “Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'” So, I’d come to realize that even though I may not know all of the answers to the questions people have been asking for ages about God, I should still keep seeking, so that I can love God with all of my mind. And, this idea of pursuing God intellectually is a huge part of FOCUS’s vision, that we would be a community that not only loves God with our hearts and souls but also with our minds. I’d encourage all of you to find a way to invest your time to seek God intellectually, (through researching Scripture, reading commentaries, listening to podcasts, etc.), because if we were to be more intentional about that, I think it would be honoring to God."
Student Testimony
After many years of building momentum as a branch of the UTD ministry, our Richland ministry is off and running on its own. Some neat young leaders like Evan have made that possible. Evan is so personally kind and affectionate and encouraging toward me every time I see him. It makes me excited to think of him spending time with young men at Richland College each week!
Thanks for your ongoing love, encouragement, financial support, prayers, and example! I'm very blessed to be a blessing to the campus on your behalf.
