Knowledge is one thing, but using it for God’s glory is another. I can’t wait to see what God will do with the new structure I have learned about over the summer. It seems that God has done a lot this summer. Let me share some of it with you.
The first part of the summer took us to Florida. I was able to refresh my thoughts with classes to help me understand truths of the Bible and how to effectively communicate them. The greatest truth I learned was to identify our fallen condition (sin tendency) in passages of Scripture and in pointing out our sinfulness exposes our need for Christ. The professors were great at teaching truths from scripture and applying it to ministry as many of them have several years of ministry experience.
One encouraging event that happened over the summer was with one of the students that I highlighted in our last prayer letter-Scott. He was a sophomore and was going on a summer project to Lake Tahoe. He called me in the middle of the summer and was very thankful for the time I had spent with him and teaching him to share his faith. From what He told me, his perspective on sharing the Gospel had changed from being an inconvenience, to sharing something of significance. It was amazing to hear the excitement in his voice of how he continued to share the Gospel with people and to love others. Praise God that His message is so relevant despite this world’s pessimism toward Him. Several times this summer people asked me what I enjoy about what I do. I often thought of Scott and replied that I get to invest my life into men who need direction in their lives. Whether I am helping them with a small issue or leading them to Christ, it is all worth while. I also think about Terence, who was also highlighted in our last letter. He was a senior last year and won’t be back this year, but there are so many things that I am reminded of. The way he talked. The deep questions he had about how Christian culture ran things. I always enjoyed his deep thinking. It will be a tough challenge to know who or how many people I should invest my time in, but I pray that God would guide me and lead me to those who not only want to grow up to be leaders, but who want to live their lives for Christ.
This summer was a great time to be refreshed and to have new focus for this year. I pray that God would carry us though this year trusting in Him for His purposes and not our own. I praise God that He alone can accomplish life change in these students, not just some new strategy or new way of doing things. I praise the Lord that He will continue to do His work in our lives and on the UO campus.
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