I was in prayer this morning for the thousands of new students who will be coming to our campuses in a little over a month. And then I was reminded of these words from Brady Bobbink, one of my ministry mentors:
"There is a passage in Jonah where the Lord speaks of Nineveh being a great people where they do not 'know their right hand from their left.' What a pithy but sad description of how morally confused and lost people can be even though they are part of a powerful, rich, and well-educated empire. When I think of our campuses, I think the Lord would say the same thing about lots of secular students and the professors who lead them."But here is the surprise. The Lord’s statement is not the rationale for Him condemning the city for its moral lostness, but rather to explain to Jonah why he is acting in compassion to rescue them from their situation. Our Lord is long-suffering, not desiring that any should be lost, but instead desiring all would come to know Him."
Would you join me in praying for open hearts and minds? And in praying for our missionaries and student leaders to be bold and creative in living open, inviting lives on campus. While many see the church in decline, I see open doors on campus. As this more cynical generation of students loses hope in the ability of science and politics and secularism in general to solve the world's problems, their hearts are primed to encounter the only One who is worthy of our hope. Thank the Lord we are positioned and ready to meet thousands of them in the coming weeks!
Some Sad News
Some of you may have heard already, but my mom's cancer from eight years ago has shown up again and has metastasized to a number of places in her bones, lungs, and liver. We're in the process of figuring out a path forward, but I'm sure this will affect what my year of ministry looks like and my overall capacity. Please be in prayer for my family, and ask God for wisdom for me in all these decisions.
Some Happy News - A Student Testimony!
