Leveling Up Questions

I'm in that part of the year where I'm getting excited about a new group of students and a new team of student leaders. We want to see them grow and change, and to that end it's important that we are always setting an example of growing and changing. This summer I've been going through Proverbs. It's been a few years, and some of them hit differently as I get older and wiser! I'm loving reading them in the NLT (New Living Translation) because it really captures the bluntness at times. I've found myself laughing at statements like:

Punishment is made for mockers,
and the backs of fools are made to be beaten. (19:29)

And:

People ruin their lives by their own foolishness
and then are angry at the Lord. (19:3)

I've found myself reflecting on statements like:

Each heart knows its own bitterness,
and no one else can fully share its joy. (14:10)

And:

Without oxen a stable stays clean,
but you need a strong ox for a large harvest. (14:4)

There is a consistent theme about the pain that comes from not embracing wisdom and understanding. I've been reflecting on how valuable these messages about money and relationships and honesty and hard work are for the young men I get to pastor, and how best to communicate them.

If you haven't read the Proverbs in a while, I highly recommend listening to a chapter or two a day and reflecting on them. I've loved the Streetlights audio version.

There's a huge emphasis on listening and learning in the Proverbs, and learning to ask questions and listen is a large emphasis in our training of young leaders. There's obviously a character component here: Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions (18:2). But there is also a skill component--we need to learn better questions and question-asking skills. 

To that end, my wife recently shared with me a podcast episode that I plan on watching/listening to with all of our student leaders at the beginning of the school year. I picked up some great tips and ideas for a wide variety of relationships and situations. I think it would be well worth 42 minutes of your time as well!

Student Testimony

Our ministry at SMU is so exciting to me. We are seeing huge opportunities in the sororities and in a number of their D1 sports teams, in addition to the ministry we've been doing for the past few years. Thank you for making stories like this possible!