guy.chmieleski@gmail.com

January 24, 2013Academics & Vocation

You can’T Do It All

You can’t do it all. Right?!

If you’re reading this, than you’ve probably already figured this out for yourself — to some degree — because the majority of you (my faithful readers) work with college students and have gone through the process of vocational discernment in order to end up doing what you’re doing right now.

But this is not the case for the vast majority of students we serve.

They don’t know they can’t do it all.

In fact, most of them believe that they CAN do ANYTHING they want.

January 22, 2013Student Culture, Trends & Issues

The Voices They Hear

Parents play a powerful role in the development of their children.

Seems obvious to say, yet I think we can tend to forget this truth when we work with students on college campuses — primarily because we don’t see parents, just students.

Sure, from time to time our students might bring their parents up in conversation. But it can be all to easy to forget that the ways in which our students think, believe, and live are without doubt a product of the ways and environments in which they were raised.

It’s true for all of our students — those who are thriving and those who are not.

January 18, 2013Spiritual Formation

Question Everything

I’m excited to share with you a great resource that addresses one of the most significant issues facing the Church today — biblical illiteracy.

The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. Most of us have multiple copies on our bookshelf. We have audio Bibles on our iPods, and we can even read and listen to the Bible on our mobile phones for free.

Still, according to the Center for Bible Engagement, 66 percent of U.S. Christians rarely or never read their Bible.

Campus Minister, and author of Question Everything: A Fresh Way to Read the Best-Selling Book of All Time, Tyler Ellis has crafted this resource with intention of helping people — young and old — to explore the Bible, better understand the Bible, and more fully live out the truths of the Bible in their everyday living.

January 16, 2013Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

WINNERS of the Book Cover Contest!

A BIG THANKS to all of you who took the time to cast your vote for which cover we should use on my new book!

We had well over 100 respondents — and some great feedback on both covers — that our publishing team will be working through.

I can imagine that which ever cover wins, it will be improved upon based on the comments you shared — so THANK YOU!

Now, the winners of the book cover contest are:

January 14, 2013Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

I’m Giving Away 5 Tickets to the Faith ON Campus Summer Institute!

Win your way to the 2013 Faith ON Campus Summer Institute!

That’s right, I’m giving away 5 tickets to this inaugural event, and you could win one of them.

Here’s the deal — I need your help spreading the word about this upcoming event — so I’m going to give you the opportunity to tweet, post, and share your way into the drawing that will be held on the last day of every month.

The rules are simple:

January 10, 2013Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

HELP ME CHOOSE MY BOOK COVER!

I value your opinion — and am even willing to pay for it! 😉

If you click here, it will take you to a two-minute survey that basically ask you to identify which of the two covers you like best — and why.

At the end of the survey you can leave you email address, and when the polls close — next Wednesday, January 16th at noon, I will randomly draw 10 email addresses from all that were submitted. Winners will save a FREE autographed copy from the first printing of this book!

January 9, 2013Big Ideas & 'Best Of', Student Culture, Trends & Issues

A Cure for the Stressed Life of a College Student

A cure for the stressed life of a college student — REALLY!?!?!

I think we’d be the most popular office on campus if we professed to posses such a golden ticket — because we can all testify to the fact that we hear our students complain about this far more than we hear them complain about anything (or even everything) else.

Our students struggling — and they need our help.

I recently ran across this INFOGRAPHIC depicting the many things that today’s college students are stressing about… and a rather surprising set of cures for the student who feels too busy, broke, lonely, and/or stressed to keep it all together.

January 8, 2013Academics & Vocation, Leadership Development, The Campus Minister

Navigating the Potholes of Leadership (in the Year Ahead)

I recently ran across this quote while re-reading Parker Palmer’s, Let Your Life Speak:

We will become better teachers not by trying to fill the potholes in our souls but by knowing them so well that we can avoid falling into them. (Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak, p. 52)

As I read and re-read those words, something resonated deep within me, and I was able to see how these wise words apply for beyond the scope of teaching — to touch most of life really.

Given the work that we do with students, my first thought was to replace the word teachers in the aforementioned quote, with the word leaders (or pastors or equippers:

January 7, 2013Spiritual Formation, Student Culture, Trends & Issues

Overcoming the Curse of Our Age

It’s a new year, which means that a new season of ministry with students is upon us.

And as we’ve launched into 2013, I’ve generated a new reading list, and decided to start the year by re-reading a couple of classics.

One of my first re-reads of the year is Richard Foster’s, Celebration of Discipline.

I couldn’t venture a guess as to the number of times that I’ve worked through this book. The first time I read it I was in grad. school — and it changed my life! Since then I’ve re-read it several times on my own, and led numerous groups through it as a way of learning to work on the interior life.

January 2, 2013Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

FAITH ON CAMPUS

Author: guy.chmieleski@gmail.com