Just a quick note about year-end funding...
Thankfully, fundraising has been going very well this year despite the general economic climate, but I carried over about $2,000 of deficit from last year that I'm hoping to erase this December. If you would be interested in giving a year-end tax-deductible gift toward that shortfall, you can do so by clicking on the following link. Thank you in advance!
www.intervarsity.org/donate
Friday, December 12, 2008
Priority 1 :: Staff Recruitment
Hello again everyone!
I hope this finds you enjoying the Christmas season! It’s a busy time of year for us as we wrap up our work on campus for the fall, but the “halftime” of Christmas break is almost here!
As many of you know, staff recruitment has been at the top of my list of strategic priorities for our ministry this year. The year began with our sparsest staff:chapter ratio of my seven years on staff, with only seven full time staff for seven campuses, a long way from my ideal of having at least a pair of staff at each campus!
So, I’ve been spending a significant portion of my time working to recruit new staff for our chapters across Iowa. We’ve visited Christian campuses around the Midwest, posted openings online, and of course, talked with our graduating seniors about becoming missionaries to secular campuses across Iowa.
The process is in full swing now, and I’ve got some encouraging news to report! At this point, I’m expecting 10 new staff applications, and am in conversation with another 10-15 candidates! This represents potentially the largest group of new Iowa staff ever, so I am both so grateful to God for his provision so far, and mindful of my need for his continued mercy to both call these prospects to his work and to give me the wisdom I need to see his will clearly.
So, as the year winds down, I would covet your prayers for this staff recruitment process. Please join me in praying that God would call the right staff to be on our team, and that He would give me wisdom as I counsel and try to assess all these candidates.
Thank you for your partnership, and I eagerly anticipate introducing you to the fruit of your prayers in the Spring!
I hope this finds you enjoying the Christmas season! It’s a busy time of year for us as we wrap up our work on campus for the fall, but the “halftime” of Christmas break is almost here!
As many of you know, staff recruitment has been at the top of my list of strategic priorities for our ministry this year. The year began with our sparsest staff:chapter ratio of my seven years on staff, with only seven full time staff for seven campuses, a long way from my ideal of having at least a pair of staff at each campus!
So, I’ve been spending a significant portion of my time working to recruit new staff for our chapters across Iowa. We’ve visited Christian campuses around the Midwest, posted openings online, and of course, talked with our graduating seniors about becoming missionaries to secular campuses across Iowa.
The process is in full swing now, and I’ve got some encouraging news to report! At this point, I’m expecting 10 new staff applications, and am in conversation with another 10-15 candidates! This represents potentially the largest group of new Iowa staff ever, so I am both so grateful to God for his provision so far, and mindful of my need for his continued mercy to both call these prospects to his work and to give me the wisdom I need to see his will clearly.
So, as the year winds down, I would covet your prayers for this staff recruitment process. Please join me in praying that God would call the right staff to be on our team, and that He would give me wisdom as I counsel and try to assess all these candidates.
Thank you for your partnership, and I eagerly anticipate introducing you to the fruit of your prayers in the Spring!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Why we do what we do...
Hello Everyone,
One of the luxuries afforded me by this job (and one of the critical disciplines for my success in this job!) is the freedom to withdraw from the "frontline" ministry of the campus and consider our work from a larger perspective. So often, our lives can become consumed with just "keeping the ship afloat": running our programs, recruiting for events, and doing the ins and outs of campus ministry, but the danger is that we lose the heart of why we are doing all this activity in the first place. I've been so thankful as of late for the clarity that I think God is bringing to my mind about both what we do and why we do it.
There's significant thinking going on in InterVarsity circles these days about conversion. For me, most of my staff, and likely many of you as well, we've understood conversion in very black and white, two-stage language: first, you are a non-Christian, and then you become a Christian when you pray the following prayer.
This way of thinking certainly has some merit, and is to an extent an accurate representation of what happens in conversion: we are transferred from the kingdom of the world into the Kingdom of God; we who were dead are made alive; we were in darkness but find ourselves in light.
The problem is that for many of us (and increasing numbers of students), their experience of their life with God doesn't feel quite this simple. As we train and inspire our current students to reach their friends with the good news of God, we have to acknowledge that under the heading of "non-Christian" there is an entire array of people: some are skeptical, some are indifferent, some are hostile, some are merely "enculturated" into Christianity. While the absence of a vibrant relationship with Jesus unites all these folks, to apply a "one size fits all" approach to witness with each of these subgroups would be painfully ineffective.
The other problem is that the language of "two-stage" conversion has no place for the ongoing discipleship of those of us who have chosen to follow Jesus; it can lend itself to the thought that, "well, I'm a Christian now, so my journey is complete" when we all know that choosing to follow Jesus for the first time is far more an inauguration than it is a destination.
As I reflect on my own life, I have a hard time pointing to "the moment" when I became a Christian. I remember praying for the first time on my parents' bed when I was about 6, but I didn't experience a radical life altering encounter with Jesus then. What I did experience was a steady progression of growing in love for God, and appropriating that love in my own life.
But something distinctly different happened to me in college. I didn't "become a Christian" again, but I began to experience a level of vibrancy and passion for God that I hadn't known before, and in retrospect, I think what happened was a "second conversion": I was transformed from being merely a follower to being a missionary sent by God to my campus. In many ways, this "missional" conversion has altered the entire trajectory of my life in a way that nothing else has (I'm not exactly designing golf courses, as was the original plan!)
As I've prayed and reflected on our work on campus, I'm seeing more and more that the driving motivation behind all of our labor is simply this: we labor to see students' lives transformed. But even more specifically than this, I think God is giving me greater clarity on two critical transformations that we witness God working in our students.
The first is the conversion from being merely "enculturated" into faith to actively, passionately following Jesus. In our midwestern context, students with no church experience or little awareness of Christianity is actually quite rare. Almost every freshman who steps onto the campuses where we work has either "done the church thing" growing up, or may even consider themselves a "christian" in a vague, cultural sense: their allegiance is to a cultural expectation, not to a living God. Our work and our passion is to see these folks "woken up" from their inoculation to the life of faith, by creating spaces where they can encounter a living, active Jesus, and by consistently calling them to make him Lord of their real lives. Not "Lord" in a prayer alone, but "Lord of what they watch, how they speak, and how they love their neighbors. Each year, dozens of students experience this transformation in our midst; it makes me smile just thinking about them.
The second is the conversion from merely "following" Jesus to being engaged in his purposes: a "missional" conversion. The vast majority of genuinely Christian students who show up on our campuses have a view of faith that centers on "their personal relationship with Jesus": worship serves to edify them, they want to "be fed" by good teaching, they are looking for Christian community to help them grow. All these things are good and important, but I would argue that they are missing the lifeblood of Jesus: "Go into the world and make disciples of all nations..." I believe this transformation from living a nice, personal, spiritual life, to living a life of radical mission, sacrifice, hospitality, and invitation is absolutely central to what we do on campus. Our goal is not to help people become better Christians; our goal is to release the next generation of leaders and missionaries who will sow themselves like mustard seeds into every corner of the globe that God's Kingdom may come.
This is why we exist: to see students converted from skeptical, selfish, indifferent lives to vibrant relationship with Jesus and then in turn transformed into followers who spend their entire lives for the sake of God's mission to a broken world.
May God grant us the desires of our hearts!
Jon
One of the luxuries afforded me by this job (and one of the critical disciplines for my success in this job!) is the freedom to withdraw from the "frontline" ministry of the campus and consider our work from a larger perspective. So often, our lives can become consumed with just "keeping the ship afloat": running our programs, recruiting for events, and doing the ins and outs of campus ministry, but the danger is that we lose the heart of why we are doing all this activity in the first place. I've been so thankful as of late for the clarity that I think God is bringing to my mind about both what we do and why we do it.
There's significant thinking going on in InterVarsity circles these days about conversion. For me, most of my staff, and likely many of you as well, we've understood conversion in very black and white, two-stage language: first, you are a non-Christian, and then you become a Christian when you pray the following prayer.
This way of thinking certainly has some merit, and is to an extent an accurate representation of what happens in conversion: we are transferred from the kingdom of the world into the Kingdom of God; we who were dead are made alive; we were in darkness but find ourselves in light.
The problem is that for many of us (and increasing numbers of students), their experience of their life with God doesn't feel quite this simple. As we train and inspire our current students to reach their friends with the good news of God, we have to acknowledge that under the heading of "non-Christian" there is an entire array of people: some are skeptical, some are indifferent, some are hostile, some are merely "enculturated" into Christianity. While the absence of a vibrant relationship with Jesus unites all these folks, to apply a "one size fits all" approach to witness with each of these subgroups would be painfully ineffective.
The other problem is that the language of "two-stage" conversion has no place for the ongoing discipleship of those of us who have chosen to follow Jesus; it can lend itself to the thought that, "well, I'm a Christian now, so my journey is complete" when we all know that choosing to follow Jesus for the first time is far more an inauguration than it is a destination.
As I reflect on my own life, I have a hard time pointing to "the moment" when I became a Christian. I remember praying for the first time on my parents' bed when I was about 6, but I didn't experience a radical life altering encounter with Jesus then. What I did experience was a steady progression of growing in love for God, and appropriating that love in my own life.
But something distinctly different happened to me in college. I didn't "become a Christian" again, but I began to experience a level of vibrancy and passion for God that I hadn't known before, and in retrospect, I think what happened was a "second conversion": I was transformed from being merely a follower to being a missionary sent by God to my campus. In many ways, this "missional" conversion has altered the entire trajectory of my life in a way that nothing else has (I'm not exactly designing golf courses, as was the original plan!)
As I've prayed and reflected on our work on campus, I'm seeing more and more that the driving motivation behind all of our labor is simply this: we labor to see students' lives transformed. But even more specifically than this, I think God is giving me greater clarity on two critical transformations that we witness God working in our students.
The first is the conversion from being merely "enculturated" into faith to actively, passionately following Jesus. In our midwestern context, students with no church experience or little awareness of Christianity is actually quite rare. Almost every freshman who steps onto the campuses where we work has either "done the church thing" growing up, or may even consider themselves a "christian" in a vague, cultural sense: their allegiance is to a cultural expectation, not to a living God. Our work and our passion is to see these folks "woken up" from their inoculation to the life of faith, by creating spaces where they can encounter a living, active Jesus, and by consistently calling them to make him Lord of their real lives. Not "Lord" in a prayer alone, but "Lord of what they watch, how they speak, and how they love their neighbors. Each year, dozens of students experience this transformation in our midst; it makes me smile just thinking about them.
The second is the conversion from merely "following" Jesus to being engaged in his purposes: a "missional" conversion. The vast majority of genuinely Christian students who show up on our campuses have a view of faith that centers on "their personal relationship with Jesus": worship serves to edify them, they want to "be fed" by good teaching, they are looking for Christian community to help them grow. All these things are good and important, but I would argue that they are missing the lifeblood of Jesus: "Go into the world and make disciples of all nations..." I believe this transformation from living a nice, personal, spiritual life, to living a life of radical mission, sacrifice, hospitality, and invitation is absolutely central to what we do on campus. Our goal is not to help people become better Christians; our goal is to release the next generation of leaders and missionaries who will sow themselves like mustard seeds into every corner of the globe that God's Kingdom may come.
This is why we exist: to see students converted from skeptical, selfish, indifferent lives to vibrant relationship with Jesus and then in turn transformed into followers who spend their entire lives for the sake of God's mission to a broken world.
May God grant us the desires of our hearts!
Jon
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
So thankful...
Hello again everyone,
Fall in definitely the air, and there are many great stories to report from the work of God across Iowa!
The Men vs. Wild trip that I wrote about in early September was a smashing success (See picture). 18 guys from across Iowa joined in the craziness, and we had a blast roadtripping across Nebraska/Eastern Colorado and then hiking in literally breathtaking venues. It was a fantastic time of networking for me with guys from across the state, but particularly with nine guys from Central who I had known in name only before. These guys are now forming the core of a "missional prayer cell" for men at Central that will be launching in the next week or two! You can pray that God would fuel the movement by his Spirit and that it would bear exceptional fruit: in our lives as sons of God, in the lives of the men of Central College, and hopefully in producing more male staff for God's work across Iowa!
This last weekend, I was with 250 students and staff from Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas for our annual Fall Conference: FC08. Our theme was "Down to Earth", and one of my best friends (and former staff worker/boss!) Jason Brown was the keynote. It was so fun to be with Jason again in a student ministry context, and the conference went exceptionally well. On Saturday night, Jason spoke on "Living as citizens of heaven" through the lens of being "loved and sent". The Spirit was powerfully at work through his talk, and the night culminated with a time of worship and prayer ministry for students who have felt unlovable and unsent in the past. At least two students chose to follow Jesus for the first time that night (!), but all of us were richly blessed by our gracious, heavenly Father!
During the conference, I was privileged to lead a seminar for about 60 men through the lens of David and Goliath. I was so thankful for this time as God challenged all of us to lead our chapters to engage more men on our campuses with the Gospel!
Across Iowa, momentum continues to build on our campuses as students take up the call to live as missionaries to every corner of their campuses. There are truly more stories to be told than there is space, so thank you so much for your prayer and partnership.
With Great Joy!
Jon
Fall in definitely the air, and there are many great stories to report from the work of God across Iowa!
The Men vs. Wild trip that I wrote about in early September was a smashing success (See picture). 18 guys from across Iowa joined in the craziness, and we had a blast roadtripping across Nebraska/Eastern Colorado and then hiking in literally breathtaking venues. It was a fantastic time of networking for me with guys from across the state, but particularly with nine guys from Central who I had known in name only before. These guys are now forming the core of a "missional prayer cell" for men at Central that will be launching in the next week or two! You can pray that God would fuel the movement by his Spirit and that it would bear exceptional fruit: in our lives as sons of God, in the lives of the men of Central College, and hopefully in producing more male staff for God's work across Iowa!
This last weekend, I was with 250 students and staff from Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas for our annual Fall Conference: FC08. Our theme was "Down to Earth", and one of my best friends (and former staff worker/boss!) Jason Brown was the keynote. It was so fun to be with Jason again in a student ministry context, and the conference went exceptionally well. On Saturday night, Jason spoke on "Living as citizens of heaven" through the lens of being "loved and sent". The Spirit was powerfully at work through his talk, and the night culminated with a time of worship and prayer ministry for students who have felt unlovable and unsent in the past. At least two students chose to follow Jesus for the first time that night (!), but all of us were richly blessed by our gracious, heavenly Father!
During the conference, I was privileged to lead a seminar for about 60 men through the lens of David and Goliath. I was so thankful for this time as God challenged all of us to lead our chapters to engage more men on our campuses with the Gospel!
Across Iowa, momentum continues to build on our campuses as students take up the call to live as missionaries to every corner of their campuses. There are truly more stories to be told than there is space, so thank you so much for your prayer and partnership.
With Great Joy!
Jon
Cost and Gain
On a more personal note...
The final talk of FC08 (see below) was on the "crazy math in God's Kingdom", specifically facing the radical costs (and even more radical gains!) that come with following Jesus in his mission to a broken world. Something deep was stirred in my soul as I listened to Jason tell the story of his friends Bill and Katie.
Bill and Katie were born into families of incredible priviledge where a $40k/year private high school, and dinner parties populated exclusively by CEO's and political leaders were the norm. After being transformed by Jesus in college through InterVarsity, the path of their lives was radically altered to lead through the slums of Mexico City to their current ministry in the city of Compton, California. They've had to face incredible pain and rejection from their families for the choices they have made and while their siblings and former classmates are ascending their respective corporate/political ladders around the world, Bill and Katie are spending themselves to see the Gospel transform lives and families and neighborhoods in inner city Los Angeles.
I can't fully communicate the power of the moments after Jason's talk on Sunday morning, but I can say that my heart was moved in a powerful way as Jesus brought my own desires into greater clarity.
A significant portion of my life (more than I'd like to admit) is spent pursuing the "normal" comforts of middle-class living: material provision, ample recreation time, engaging entertainment options, etc. While these things are fine in and of themselves, I found a deeper desire awakened again in me: the desire for a life of impact. While on the surface my heart goes after the trivial things of this world, at my core, I desire nothing more than Jesus and participation in bringing his kingdom to earth, and I found myself saying "yes" again to the one who is truly Lord of heaven and earth.
I don't know the paths that Jesus will guide us on in the upcoming years, but I know that we will not somehow magically arrive at a life lived in its fullness for the kingdom; such a life is only a product of hundreds of "yes, Lord" moments through the different seasons of life.
At the end of my days, I want nothing more than for it to be said of me and my family that we sought Jesus and his kingdom above all else (truly), and that there was no cost we were unwilling to pay to taste of the incomprable gain of a life well-lived in following Jesus.
"Truly, I tell you, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--along with persecutions--and in the age to come eternal life." --Mark 10.29-30
Compelled by the gain,
Jon
The final talk of FC08 (see below) was on the "crazy math in God's Kingdom", specifically facing the radical costs (and even more radical gains!) that come with following Jesus in his mission to a broken world. Something deep was stirred in my soul as I listened to Jason tell the story of his friends Bill and Katie.
Bill and Katie were born into families of incredible priviledge where a $40k/year private high school, and dinner parties populated exclusively by CEO's and political leaders were the norm. After being transformed by Jesus in college through InterVarsity, the path of their lives was radically altered to lead through the slums of Mexico City to their current ministry in the city of Compton, California. They've had to face incredible pain and rejection from their families for the choices they have made and while their siblings and former classmates are ascending their respective corporate/political ladders around the world, Bill and Katie are spending themselves to see the Gospel transform lives and families and neighborhoods in inner city Los Angeles.
I can't fully communicate the power of the moments after Jason's talk on Sunday morning, but I can say that my heart was moved in a powerful way as Jesus brought my own desires into greater clarity.
A significant portion of my life (more than I'd like to admit) is spent pursuing the "normal" comforts of middle-class living: material provision, ample recreation time, engaging entertainment options, etc. While these things are fine in and of themselves, I found a deeper desire awakened again in me: the desire for a life of impact. While on the surface my heart goes after the trivial things of this world, at my core, I desire nothing more than Jesus and participation in bringing his kingdom to earth, and I found myself saying "yes" again to the one who is truly Lord of heaven and earth.
I don't know the paths that Jesus will guide us on in the upcoming years, but I know that we will not somehow magically arrive at a life lived in its fullness for the kingdom; such a life is only a product of hundreds of "yes, Lord" moments through the different seasons of life.
At the end of my days, I want nothing more than for it to be said of me and my family that we sought Jesus and his kingdom above all else (truly), and that there was no cost we were unwilling to pay to taste of the incomprable gain of a life well-lived in following Jesus.
"Truly, I tell you, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--along with persecutions--and in the age to come eternal life." --Mark 10.29-30
Compelled by the gain,
Jon
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Men vs. Wild
Now, a quick update on the upcoming weekend!
Some of you may remember my post from Catalyst last May where I asked you to pray for my ministry to the men of Iowa. This has continued to be a theme of my summer, and God has been incredibly faithful!
As a a part of this reawakened calling for the men of Iowa, I decided to try and host some kind of "man trip" this fall for some guys across Iowa, so I started throwing out some invites to guys I know, and all of a sudden, we've got close to 20 guys who are going mountain hiking in Colorado this weekend!
We'll hop into vans in Des Moines on Friday afternoon, arrive in Denver at about 2am, watch some football and hike on Saturday, then get up and climb Mt. Bierstadt (14,060 feet!) on Sunday morning and drive home! (I'm getting too old for this stuff!)
Obviously, I think the trip will be a ton of fun (and utterly exhausting!), but beyond that, I'd love your prayer for a few key things:
* Many key male leaders from across Iowa are coming, and this is a crucial time of networking for me with them. You can pray that relationships deepen in natural and authentic ways, and that some of these guys might choose to come on staff! * My hope is that this trip (in combo with an upcoming Men's track at our fall conference) might lead to the emergence of pockets of men across Iowa that I can have ongoing relationship with, and who I can pray/minister with when I visit campuses, so you can pray that that vision coalesces during the trip.
Thanks All,
Jon
A Jesus Outbreak
Hello Everyone!
The next stage in the journey happened on 9.14 at the University of Northern Iowa. After hearing about what had happened at Central, our staff at UNI, Rachel Danley, invited me to make another call to faith at their Large Group, which I was happy to do. When I did so, another student (Evan) stood to mark his desire to give his life over to Jesus! (More on Evan Below!)
That weekend, on 9.18-20, my area staff team hosted FC09: Family Vacation (our annual fall student conference) for 130 students from around the state. I spoke on the final morning, again to give an invitation to faith, but as I was praying about it, I felt like I was supposed to ask Evan from UNI to give the talk with me (he had, after all been following Jesus for 5 days at that point!) So, I approached him to see if he'd be willing to share his story, and though he was a bit shell-shocked at first, he agreed. Sunday morning, Evan did a fantastic job of telling about what Jesus had done in his life, and I again made an invitation for students to give their lives to Jesus for the first time, and another 20 students stood to mark their decision from almost every school represented! Five of these students were from UNI and were inspired by Evan's testimony of receiving Jesus' forgiveness, and several were friends of Callie's, the student from Drake I wrote about above!
So, in the space of a few short weeks (22 days to be exact), we've seen 24 STUDENTS START TO FOLLOW JESUS FOR THE FIRST TIME, and another 21 RECOMMIT THEIR LIVES TO JESUS! I wish I had the space to tell you the stories of these 45 students, because Jesus is meeting them in incredible ways as they take steps of faith in following him (students experiencing physical healing, being challenged by parents angry at their desire to follow Jesus, and door after door opening for Jesus' gospel) They are following Jesus immediately into ministry and outreach to their friends, and we are TRULY WATCHING A JESUS OUTBREAK SWEEP THROUGH THESE CAMPUSES!
And, I believe that God isn't done yet. This Wednesday, 9.30, I'll be speaking again at Drake University, and I'll again be inviting students to follow Jesus for the first time (and join the other 5 Drake students who have already made that decision this year!) so I covet your prayers, and can't wait to tell you the next chapter in this crazy story God is writing.
Thank you for your support of this ministry, it's one of the deepest privileges of my life to watch God move in these ways on campuses across the state, and it's your prayers and support that make it possible.
Trying to keep up with a God who is most certainly on the move!
Jon
The next stage in the journey happened on 9.14 at the University of Northern Iowa. After hearing about what had happened at Central, our staff at UNI, Rachel Danley, invited me to make another call to faith at their Large Group, which I was happy to do. When I did so, another student (Evan) stood to mark his desire to give his life over to Jesus! (More on Evan Below!)
That weekend, on 9.18-20, my area staff team hosted FC09: Family Vacation (our annual fall student conference) for 130 students from around the state. I spoke on the final morning, again to give an invitation to faith, but as I was praying about it, I felt like I was supposed to ask Evan from UNI to give the talk with me (he had, after all been following Jesus for 5 days at that point!) So, I approached him to see if he'd be willing to share his story, and though he was a bit shell-shocked at first, he agreed. Sunday morning, Evan did a fantastic job of telling about what Jesus had done in his life, and I again made an invitation for students to give their lives to Jesus for the first time, and another 20 students stood to mark their decision from almost every school represented! Five of these students were from UNI and were inspired by Evan's testimony of receiving Jesus' forgiveness, and several were friends of Callie's, the student from Drake I wrote about above!
So, in the space of a few short weeks (22 days to be exact), we've seen 24 STUDENTS START TO FOLLOW JESUS FOR THE FIRST TIME, and another 21 RECOMMIT THEIR LIVES TO JESUS! I wish I had the space to tell you the stories of these 45 students, because Jesus is meeting them in incredible ways as they take steps of faith in following him (students experiencing physical healing, being challenged by parents angry at their desire to follow Jesus, and door after door opening for Jesus' gospel) They are following Jesus immediately into ministry and outreach to their friends, and we are TRULY WATCHING A JESUS OUTBREAK SWEEP THROUGH THESE CAMPUSES!
And, I believe that God isn't done yet. This Wednesday, 9.30, I'll be speaking again at Drake University, and I'll again be inviting students to follow Jesus for the first time (and join the other 5 Drake students who have already made that decision this year!) so I covet your prayers, and can't wait to tell you the next chapter in this crazy story God is writing.
Thank you for your support of this ministry, it's one of the deepest privileges of my life to watch God move in these ways on campuses across the state, and it's your prayers and support that make it possible.
Trying to keep up with a God who is most certainly on the move!
Jon
Monday, August 25, 2008
All Hands on Deck!
Hello again everyone! I hope the summer has been an enjoyable one. I apologize for the delay in my posting online, but I’m glad to get back into the swing of things now!
Put simply, this is the most critical time of year for our ministry on campus: current leaders are returning after summers spent around the globe, students from all walks of life are returning to campus, many of whom are looking to “turn over a new leaf”, and of course, new freshmen and transfer students are everywhere!
Even as I type this, our staff are in the midst of the most significant “sprint” of their staff year. They are casting vision to their leaders, hosting tables at organizational fairs, going door to door in the dorms visiting those students who sign up, and striking up conversation after conversation with literally dozens of students.
It is both an exhausting and exhilarating time of year. Hours are long and filled with what can feel like near endless details and initiation, but each day brings new conversations that have been appointed by God. Our chapter populations turn-over every four years, and these freshmen that we meet will soon be leading our chapters, so it is “mission-critical” time for campus ministry!
So for now, I’d love to invite your prayer as we begin this sprint. In general, you can be praying for the following:
* Pray that our student leaders would join our staff in a vision for mission and campus engagement; it is critical that our leaders buy-in!
* Pray for endurance and passion for our staff as they progress through this exhausting season.
* Pray for divine appointments, both with new missional leaders and spiritually hungry students who are looking to explore faith in college.
If you prefer, you can pray for me through my schedule for the next few weeks:
8.25- On campus and Speaking at UNI (John 1- Calling of the Disciples)
8.26- Meeting with key student at DMACC and Drake staff
8.27- On campus at Penn and Central
8.28- On campus at Grinnell
8.29- On campus at Coe
9.3- On campus and Speaking at Drake (John 4- Samaritan Woman)
9.5- First Area Meeting of the year
9.10- On campus and Speaking at Central (“Reaching Samaria- Unreached People Groups on Campus”)
9.12-14- Men’s Road Trip to Mt. Bierstadt, Colorado (Please pray for my recruitment which is already beginning!)
9.16- On campus and speaking at Grinnell (TBD!)
I’ll greatly look forward to sharing with you incredible stories of God’s provision and faithfulness, the fruit of your prayers and our labors!
With Expectation!
Jon
Put simply, this is the most critical time of year for our ministry on campus: current leaders are returning after summers spent around the globe, students from all walks of life are returning to campus, many of whom are looking to “turn over a new leaf”, and of course, new freshmen and transfer students are everywhere!
Even as I type this, our staff are in the midst of the most significant “sprint” of their staff year. They are casting vision to their leaders, hosting tables at organizational fairs, going door to door in the dorms visiting those students who sign up, and striking up conversation after conversation with literally dozens of students.
It is both an exhausting and exhilarating time of year. Hours are long and filled with what can feel like near endless details and initiation, but each day brings new conversations that have been appointed by God. Our chapter populations turn-over every four years, and these freshmen that we meet will soon be leading our chapters, so it is “mission-critical” time for campus ministry!
So for now, I’d love to invite your prayer as we begin this sprint. In general, you can be praying for the following:
* Pray that our student leaders would join our staff in a vision for mission and campus engagement; it is critical that our leaders buy-in!
* Pray for endurance and passion for our staff as they progress through this exhausting season.
* Pray for divine appointments, both with new missional leaders and spiritually hungry students who are looking to explore faith in college.
If you prefer, you can pray for me through my schedule for the next few weeks:
8.25- On campus and Speaking at UNI (John 1- Calling of the Disciples)
8.26- Meeting with key student at DMACC and Drake staff
8.27- On campus at Penn and Central
8.28- On campus at Grinnell
8.29- On campus at Coe
9.3- On campus and Speaking at Drake (John 4- Samaritan Woman)
9.5- First Area Meeting of the year
9.10- On campus and Speaking at Central (“Reaching Samaria- Unreached People Groups on Campus”)
9.12-14- Men’s Road Trip to Mt. Bierstadt, Colorado (Please pray for my recruitment which is already beginning!)
9.16- On campus and speaking at Grinnell (TBD!)
I’ll greatly look forward to sharing with you incredible stories of God’s provision and faithfulness, the fruit of your prayers and our labors!
With Expectation!
Jon
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Abigail Joy!
It's my joy to introduce the newest member of our family, Miss Abigail Joy Hietbrink, born on June 4th! (See picture to the right). We thought Elijah was a big boy, but Abby one-upped her older brother, tipping the scales at just over 8 pounds, 12 ounces and measuring 20 3/4 inches long! She's doing great on the whole, though we'd love for her to go to bed before midnight! She's strikingly beautiful with deep blue eyes and fine brown hair. Steph is recovering well, and Elijah has been a surprisingly gentle older brother thus far (although he did almost step on her while he was watching cartoons this morning!) We are so thankful for her little life: for the promise that it holds and the joy it brings to our entire family. Sometimes it's hard to believe that Steph and I have two children, but parenthood has been an unbelievably rich experience, and Abby's presence only adds yet another layer!
Thankful
Hello again everyone!
As a part of the university world, our calendar follows that of quarters and semesters, and June marks both the beginning of the summer and the end of a year of ministry. Campuses stand mostly vacant, students having been sent back to any number of places: summer internships, a job back home, or missions experiences around the world. Though much of our "staff summers" are dedicated to preparation for next year, saying good-bye to another class of students provides context for reflection on the work of God over the last year. So here's a short "thankful for" list at the end of this year!
I'm so grateful for how Catalyst (the leadership conference I wrote about last time) went. Not only was it a great week of training for student leaders from across the region, but it was a very meaningful time for me on a personal level. I'm so grateful to report that God moved in a powerful way during our Thursday night session that I asked you to pray for in my last entry. I spoke on the heart of a father, and how dads love to give good gifts to their kids. After I sat down, prayer ministry broke out across the room, and dozens of students mentioned that night as the highlight of their week at Catalyst. Thank you so much for praying; God is faithful!
I'm so thankful for the work of God at Drake this last year. Four years ago, the chapter basically imploded and only a handful of students remained. Since then, the chapter has grown to include close to 100 students, and we've decided to follow God's call to plant a new chapter specifically for international students on campus. There is such momentum and vibrancy in the community; I can't wait to see what happens next year.
At Catalyst, we got to witness a video testimony of the "Emails from God" story I wrote about back in the fall. (If you haven't read that entry yet (November 5), please do so...it's really unbelievable). Tears of joy welled up in my eyes as I saw the faces of "Li" and "Amber" testify to the God who is alive and actively pursuing his children. It still leaves me speechless to think about the God of the universe caring so deeply for a girl from SE Asia that he would hijack the Internet to find her.
I'm so thankful for a group of 18 students and staff who are set to leave for Ethiopia in just over three weeks. While they are there, they'll work with AIDS orphans and minister to street children alongside Christian Ethiopian college students just like them. I am pumped to have our students not only be a blessing, but be blessed by the faith and love of brothers and sisters from the other side of the globe.
I'm so thankful for the 24 students who decided to follow Jesus for the first time as a result of our witness on campus this year, and the more than 60 who decided that "just being a Christian" wasn't enough; they wanted to actually follow Jesus on his mission to the world.
I find myself so grateful for the people who surround my life. Steph, our kids, our families, our staff team, the students we minister to, our friends, and the hundreds of people scattered across the country who stand with us in the glorious ministry of the Gospel.
Thank you for your partnership, to God be the glory!
Jon
PS...As of this writing, I'm projected to fall about $1,000 short of my needed budget for this year (which ends on June 30th), so if you'd like to make a gift to help erase the deficit, you can do so at www.intervarsity.org/donate or by mailing a check to: IVCF-Donations, PO Box 7895, Madison, WI, 53707 and including a note that has my name on it.
As a part of the university world, our calendar follows that of quarters and semesters, and June marks both the beginning of the summer and the end of a year of ministry. Campuses stand mostly vacant, students having been sent back to any number of places: summer internships, a job back home, or missions experiences around the world. Though much of our "staff summers" are dedicated to preparation for next year, saying good-bye to another class of students provides context for reflection on the work of God over the last year. So here's a short "thankful for" list at the end of this year!
I'm so grateful for how Catalyst (the leadership conference I wrote about last time) went. Not only was it a great week of training for student leaders from across the region, but it was a very meaningful time for me on a personal level. I'm so grateful to report that God moved in a powerful way during our Thursday night session that I asked you to pray for in my last entry. I spoke on the heart of a father, and how dads love to give good gifts to their kids. After I sat down, prayer ministry broke out across the room, and dozens of students mentioned that night as the highlight of their week at Catalyst. Thank you so much for praying; God is faithful!
I'm so thankful for the work of God at Drake this last year. Four years ago, the chapter basically imploded and only a handful of students remained. Since then, the chapter has grown to include close to 100 students, and we've decided to follow God's call to plant a new chapter specifically for international students on campus. There is such momentum and vibrancy in the community; I can't wait to see what happens next year.
At Catalyst, we got to witness a video testimony of the "Emails from God" story I wrote about back in the fall. (If you haven't read that entry yet (November 5), please do so...it's really unbelievable). Tears of joy welled up in my eyes as I saw the faces of "Li" and "Amber" testify to the God who is alive and actively pursuing his children. It still leaves me speechless to think about the God of the universe caring so deeply for a girl from SE Asia that he would hijack the Internet to find her.
I'm so thankful for a group of 18 students and staff who are set to leave for Ethiopia in just over three weeks. While they are there, they'll work with AIDS orphans and minister to street children alongside Christian Ethiopian college students just like them. I am pumped to have our students not only be a blessing, but be blessed by the faith and love of brothers and sisters from the other side of the globe.
I'm so thankful for the 24 students who decided to follow Jesus for the first time as a result of our witness on campus this year, and the more than 60 who decided that "just being a Christian" wasn't enough; they wanted to actually follow Jesus on his mission to the world.
I find myself so grateful for the people who surround my life. Steph, our kids, our families, our staff team, the students we minister to, our friends, and the hundreds of people scattered across the country who stand with us in the glorious ministry of the Gospel.
Thank you for your partnership, to God be the glory!
Jon
PS...As of this writing, I'm projected to fall about $1,000 short of my needed budget for this year (which ends on June 30th), so if you'd like to make a gift to help erase the deficit, you can do so at www.intervarsity.org/donate or by mailing a check to: IVCF-Donations, PO Box 7895, Madison, WI, 53707 and including a note that has my name on it.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Catalyst 2008
Hello Everyone,
I'm writing at 12:30am from Windermere Camp and Conference Center in Missouri to ask you to pray for Catalyst 2008, our annual student leadership conference. I'm directing the conference for the third time, and wanted to both update you all and ask for your prayer!
So far, the conference is going great. We've been going for about 24 hours so far, and there's really a sweet spirit among the group so far. We talked about vision during the day today and then tonight, we had a celebration service where we commemorated over 50 students who had made decisions to start following Jesus over the last year. Part of the celebration included a video testimony of the "emails from God" story I posted last fall; I wish you all could have seen the faces of these women as they told the story of God's incredible pursuit.
On a more serious note, there were six different stories told tonight by students about God's intervention to actually save their lives or lives of their friends from suicide. Four of the students who gave their lives to Jesus this year were on the brink of taking their own life, but in each case, God intervened and not only rescued their physical lives, but breathed new spiritual life into them. Praise God for the way he finds, rescues, and saves!
Here's a few prayer points for the remainder of our time (we end on Friday at noon):
* You can be praying for my connections with male students. I've had some great conversations with guys from around Iowa so far, and God is growing a hunger in me to minister to men in a more tangible way...I'm curious as to what he's up to.
* You can pray that our students catch a vision of witness on campus. Often times witness can be a point of significant fear and anxiety for our students; our hope is to see this overcome by God's Spirit.
* You can pray for my preparation for Thursday night. I'm slotted to speak, but we purposely decide to plan the night "on site" to allow us the flexibility to discern what God is up to. While this is helpful, it also creates a bit of an urgent feel to the night, so I'd love prayer for clarity of thought and for the power and passion necessary to call for committment after a long week of ministry.
Thanks for your prayers!
Jon
I'm writing at 12:30am from Windermere Camp and Conference Center in Missouri to ask you to pray for Catalyst 2008, our annual student leadership conference. I'm directing the conference for the third time, and wanted to both update you all and ask for your prayer!
So far, the conference is going great. We've been going for about 24 hours so far, and there's really a sweet spirit among the group so far. We talked about vision during the day today and then tonight, we had a celebration service where we commemorated over 50 students who had made decisions to start following Jesus over the last year. Part of the celebration included a video testimony of the "emails from God" story I posted last fall; I wish you all could have seen the faces of these women as they told the story of God's incredible pursuit.
On a more serious note, there were six different stories told tonight by students about God's intervention to actually save their lives or lives of their friends from suicide. Four of the students who gave their lives to Jesus this year were on the brink of taking their own life, but in each case, God intervened and not only rescued their physical lives, but breathed new spiritual life into them. Praise God for the way he finds, rescues, and saves!
Here's a few prayer points for the remainder of our time (we end on Friday at noon):
* You can be praying for my connections with male students. I've had some great conversations with guys from around Iowa so far, and God is growing a hunger in me to minister to men in a more tangible way...I'm curious as to what he's up to.
* You can pray that our students catch a vision of witness on campus. Often times witness can be a point of significant fear and anxiety for our students; our hope is to see this overcome by God's Spirit.
* You can pray for my preparation for Thursday night. I'm slotted to speak, but we purposely decide to plan the night "on site" to allow us the flexibility to discern what God is up to. While this is helpful, it also creates a bit of an urgent feel to the night, so I'd love prayer for clarity of thought and for the power and passion necessary to call for committment after a long week of ministry.
Thanks for your prayers!
Jon
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Scarcity and Abundance
Hello again everyone,
It surely feels like more than six weeks since I last wrote. Whereas we were in the ongoing (!) throes of winter in the midwest, now the sun is shining; flowers are blooming, and I'm finally wearing shorts and flip-flops again! Six weeks ago, Steph and I were still in the second trimester and the birth of our baby girl felt like something in the distant future. Now, we are just over a month out, and let's just say the reality of a two-child household is beginning to settle in a bit!
As with all of our lives, words on a page (or a screen!) don't do justice to the complexity of God's work within us, but this last season has felt like a particularly significant one for me in my journey with Jesus; the operative word has been "scarcity", and though it has been rich, it has been difficult as well.
Back in January, I was leading an area meeting in Des Moines, and we were spending some time in listening prayer ministry for each other. When it was my turn to sit in the circle, my staff started praying some of the things that they heard Jesus telling them:
* One saw an image of a tree surrounded by thunderstorms. She prayed that my roots would go down deeper.
* One was led to Habakkuk 3.17-18: "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my savior."
To be honest, I was glad for their prayer, but I was a bit worried by the ominous tone. What exactly was this next season of life going to be like? Fruitless? Stormy? Barren? While I was certainly a bit taken aback, I was also captured by the last half of the Habakkuk verse: "yet I will rejoice in the LORD".
For most of my life, I have been addicted to success and impact. Though I'm sure there were moments my parents might call to mind, I was a pretty good kid who did pretty well at most of life, and this continued in college. I was blessed with an awesome group of friends and a vibrant ministry to be a part of, and I got a picture of how compelling a life lived with Jesus could be. I absolutely loved doing ministry as a student: I loved influencing people's lives, I loved teaching, and I loved impacting a campus for Jesus.
In large part, it was this desire for influence and impact that led me to InterVarsity staff. What I wanted most was to live a life of rich purpose and expansive impact, and Christian ministry (maybe even following Jesus itself?!)became a means to that end. Sure, I wanted to have spiritual integrity, and my motives were mostly pure, but to a degree my "ministry" was largely an exercise in building my own kingdom. "Success" (whatever that meant) was what I wanted more than anything else.
I think Jesus is breaking me of this addiction to success.
The process has been long and has taken many turns, but this last semester, I believe the pace has been quickened. Whether it's through anticipating our most significant staff shortage in years in Iowa (only 8 staff for 7 chapters), facing the difficulty of fund raising for me and my staff, working through the complexity of contextualization on campus, or trying to be a great husband and father, I've found myself facing my own limitations more and more. At the end of the day, I am just not enough for the demands of my life, and at times, I feel as though the resources I need are miles away. ("There is no fruit on the vine!")
Yet, Jesus is working his resurrection in me (and us!) again. Whereas before my desire was for success and the boost it would give to my reputation, I now find my desires being purifed. Jesus is reclaiming his rightful territory at the center of my life and ministry, and though it is painful and stretching, I've said "yes" over and over again to his work in me, because HE is the one I want to want. Jesus is worth more than success. His presence is more valuable than hundreds of staff or chapters, or conversions, or talks. He is the "pearl of great price", and I would do well to "sell all I have" to "buy that field". (Matthew 13.44-46)
So, in this season of scarcity, may it be true of me that "yet I will rejoice in God my savior", and may we all receive scarcity as an opportunity for reliance on the one who raises the dead.
In Him,
Jon
It surely feels like more than six weeks since I last wrote. Whereas we were in the ongoing (!) throes of winter in the midwest, now the sun is shining; flowers are blooming, and I'm finally wearing shorts and flip-flops again! Six weeks ago, Steph and I were still in the second trimester and the birth of our baby girl felt like something in the distant future. Now, we are just over a month out, and let's just say the reality of a two-child household is beginning to settle in a bit!
As with all of our lives, words on a page (or a screen!) don't do justice to the complexity of God's work within us, but this last season has felt like a particularly significant one for me in my journey with Jesus; the operative word has been "scarcity", and though it has been rich, it has been difficult as well.
Back in January, I was leading an area meeting in Des Moines, and we were spending some time in listening prayer ministry for each other. When it was my turn to sit in the circle, my staff started praying some of the things that they heard Jesus telling them:
* One saw an image of a tree surrounded by thunderstorms. She prayed that my roots would go down deeper.
* One was led to Habakkuk 3.17-18: "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my savior."
To be honest, I was glad for their prayer, but I was a bit worried by the ominous tone. What exactly was this next season of life going to be like? Fruitless? Stormy? Barren? While I was certainly a bit taken aback, I was also captured by the last half of the Habakkuk verse: "yet I will rejoice in the LORD".
For most of my life, I have been addicted to success and impact. Though I'm sure there were moments my parents might call to mind, I was a pretty good kid who did pretty well at most of life, and this continued in college. I was blessed with an awesome group of friends and a vibrant ministry to be a part of, and I got a picture of how compelling a life lived with Jesus could be. I absolutely loved doing ministry as a student: I loved influencing people's lives, I loved teaching, and I loved impacting a campus for Jesus.
In large part, it was this desire for influence and impact that led me to InterVarsity staff. What I wanted most was to live a life of rich purpose and expansive impact, and Christian ministry (maybe even following Jesus itself?!)became a means to that end. Sure, I wanted to have spiritual integrity, and my motives were mostly pure, but to a degree my "ministry" was largely an exercise in building my own kingdom. "Success" (whatever that meant) was what I wanted more than anything else.
I think Jesus is breaking me of this addiction to success.
The process has been long and has taken many turns, but this last semester, I believe the pace has been quickened. Whether it's through anticipating our most significant staff shortage in years in Iowa (only 8 staff for 7 chapters), facing the difficulty of fund raising for me and my staff, working through the complexity of contextualization on campus, or trying to be a great husband and father, I've found myself facing my own limitations more and more. At the end of the day, I am just not enough for the demands of my life, and at times, I feel as though the resources I need are miles away. ("There is no fruit on the vine!")
Yet, Jesus is working his resurrection in me (and us!) again. Whereas before my desire was for success and the boost it would give to my reputation, I now find my desires being purifed. Jesus is reclaiming his rightful territory at the center of my life and ministry, and though it is painful and stretching, I've said "yes" over and over again to his work in me, because HE is the one I want to want. Jesus is worth more than success. His presence is more valuable than hundreds of staff or chapters, or conversions, or talks. He is the "pearl of great price", and I would do well to "sell all I have" to "buy that field". (Matthew 13.44-46)
So, in this season of scarcity, may it be true of me that "yet I will rejoice in God my savior", and may we all receive scarcity as an opportunity for reliance on the one who raises the dead.
In Him,
Jon
Monday, March 3, 2008
Hitting our Stride...
Hello Again everyone,
I'd like to first invite us all to say a quick prayer for the arrival of Spring; I'm not sure I've ever felt so ready for it to come! (For those of you who aren't in Iowa or the upper midwest, we've had one of the longest, coldest, snowiest winters on record.) :)
Beyond that, it's good to finally be writing again. The last two months have been really significant, and it feels like life is just starting to "normalize" again (somewhat anyway!)
About a month ago, we finally moved into our new home on the outskirts of Pella. Most of January was spent painting, laying flooring, installing cabinets, moving, etc., so we are glad to be in and settled. (Another thank you to all of you who helped us with your time and efforts; they were an incredible blessing!) We are loving the simplicity and efficiency of the new place (everything is close together and very usable), and are looking forward to the thaw so we can start turning our yard from a mud-pit into an actual lawn.
In terms of ministry, I've been walking with eight staff applicants through the process of completing the application, interviewing, and now placement. I've been struck by what a pleasure it is to be present with such incredible folks at a "crossroads" of their lives, and additionally, how "weighty" the decision-making process feels to me. I thoroughly enjoy thinking strategically for the campuses of Iowa, but the significance of hiring and placement decisions for new, transferring, and current staff consistently feels like too much for me to bear. These decisions shape not only the lives of the individuals I'm charged to care for and steward, but also the lives of entire chapters and hundreds of students. I've found the process to be both humbling and exhilarating (usually in that order!), and I am so genuinely excited about how things are shaping up for next year (more on this next time after things are finalized!)
Internally, I'm continuing to work at being present to Jesus and his work in my life during this "season." I'm working to walk the balance of "being present to the immediate" context of my life, but at the same time making space for the "emerging vision" I find percolating in my heart.
Last night, I was babysitting Elijah and snuck back to his room to peak in on him while he played (unaware of my presence). I was brought to tears by my love for him in that moment, but also by the "lifelong" context of that love. Watching him joyfully move beads from one end of a wire to the other was a sacred moment intensified by imagining him as a one-day teenager sorting through his own life.
It is this "now and not yet" tension that has proven rich to me over the last months. Jesus is present now, as I hang cabinets, pray for my unborn daughter, toss Elijah in the air, and enjoy a night out with Steph, but he is also present then as we dream of what our lives will become, as I pray to catch a glimpse of God's dreams for the campuses of Iowa, and as we seek to build missional-incarnational communities on campus.
So, may we all come to a fuller knowledge of the one who was, is, and is to come as we walk through the "now and then" of our lives!
With joy for the journey,
Jon
I'd like to first invite us all to say a quick prayer for the arrival of Spring; I'm not sure I've ever felt so ready for it to come! (For those of you who aren't in Iowa or the upper midwest, we've had one of the longest, coldest, snowiest winters on record.) :)
Beyond that, it's good to finally be writing again. The last two months have been really significant, and it feels like life is just starting to "normalize" again (somewhat anyway!)
About a month ago, we finally moved into our new home on the outskirts of Pella. Most of January was spent painting, laying flooring, installing cabinets, moving, etc., so we are glad to be in and settled. (Another thank you to all of you who helped us with your time and efforts; they were an incredible blessing!) We are loving the simplicity and efficiency of the new place (everything is close together and very usable), and are looking forward to the thaw so we can start turning our yard from a mud-pit into an actual lawn.
In terms of ministry, I've been walking with eight staff applicants through the process of completing the application, interviewing, and now placement. I've been struck by what a pleasure it is to be present with such incredible folks at a "crossroads" of their lives, and additionally, how "weighty" the decision-making process feels to me. I thoroughly enjoy thinking strategically for the campuses of Iowa, but the significance of hiring and placement decisions for new, transferring, and current staff consistently feels like too much for me to bear. These decisions shape not only the lives of the individuals I'm charged to care for and steward, but also the lives of entire chapters and hundreds of students. I've found the process to be both humbling and exhilarating (usually in that order!), and I am so genuinely excited about how things are shaping up for next year (more on this next time after things are finalized!)
Internally, I'm continuing to work at being present to Jesus and his work in my life during this "season." I'm working to walk the balance of "being present to the immediate" context of my life, but at the same time making space for the "emerging vision" I find percolating in my heart.
Last night, I was babysitting Elijah and snuck back to his room to peak in on him while he played (unaware of my presence). I was brought to tears by my love for him in that moment, but also by the "lifelong" context of that love. Watching him joyfully move beads from one end of a wire to the other was a sacred moment intensified by imagining him as a one-day teenager sorting through his own life.
It is this "now and not yet" tension that has proven rich to me over the last months. Jesus is present now, as I hang cabinets, pray for my unborn daughter, toss Elijah in the air, and enjoy a night out with Steph, but he is also present then as we dream of what our lives will become, as I pray to catch a glimpse of God's dreams for the campuses of Iowa, and as we seek to build missional-incarnational communities on campus.
So, may we all come to a fuller knowledge of the one who was, is, and is to come as we walk through the "now and then" of our lives!
With joy for the journey,
Jon
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