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
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
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
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