Tag: calling

Blogathons, Student Culture, Trends & Issues

The Cost of Being a Bridge Builder between LGBTs and the Church

I feel the costs of the corporate LGBT and Church disconnect have been well documented for what this culture war has left in its wake.

The broader LGBT community’s retelling of this story, in most cases, has the Bride acting more like Bridezilla than the Bride who, when the doors swing open for the first time, is standing in her gown, looking as beautiful as she has ever looked, ready to walk down the aisle and be sacramentally joined with God to the person she loves more than any other on the face of the earth.

And the Church’s retelling of this disconnect, at its core, is in most cases one of denominational and congregations division—separating what many thought was once one of the three unbreakable cords tied to the Lord for good works.

Blogathons, Student Culture, Trends & Issues

The Future Consequences of Present Actions

As a pastor of students, and father of five small children, I am deeply troubled by the statistics describing the sexual practices of today’s young people.

Sometimes I wish I had the ability to sit down with students and allow them to look 5 years, 10 years, or maybe even 15 years into the future — so they could see how their present actions will have a direct impact on their future.

I honestly believe that if more students knew how their choices today would impact their lives in the years to come, they’d make changes in their lives.

At least I hope they would.

Blogathons, Student Culture, Trends & Issues

How Far Is Too Far?

“If God was looking down on you, would it look any different to Him?”

I was in college and struggling with setting physical boundaries with my current boyfriend. I knew that God intended sex for within the confines of marriage and believed there were consequences if I disobeyed, but I wasn’t sure where the line was. How far is too far? I knew I felt shame and guilt for some of the behavior I had engaged in, but was it really wrong or was I over re-acting?

I shared these thoughts with my friend and mentor, Jenn.

Academics & 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.

Big Ideas & 'Best Of', Leadership Development, The Campus Minister

Back to Blogging

When I started my blog in 2006, I was planning on blogging 4-6 times a month. Unfortunately, over the last two years, I’ve been largely dormant on the blogging front. I won’t bore you with what’s taken precedence, but I’ve decided that in 2013, it’s time to fire up my blog and get it started again. I hope that there might be some things of interest to readers of Faith on Campus.

In the coming year, here’s what you can expect to see:

Big 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:

Academics & 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:

Spiritual 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.

Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

The Top 12 Guest Posts of 2012

Merry Christmas — one and all!

As we move further in to the Christmas season, and nearer the end of 2012, it’s time to for some of my annual countdowns.

It seems fitting to start with one of the things I am most thankful for — because it’s what makes being a part of Faith ON Campus so enjoyable for me — and that’s YOU!

Some of you have gone so far as to offer guest posts at different seasons, that have helped to provide a unique perspective and/or insight that I myself could not offer — and the collective Faith ON Campus community has benefited from it — GREATLY!

So for my first countdown of 2012, I bring to you the Top 12 Guest Posts of the year!

Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

Where’s Your Growing Edge?

I don’t know about you, but I can be a creature of habit.

If I’m not careful, I can become very content in the rhythms and routines that I create for myself.

And some of that, admittedly, is good.

But during a recent conversation with a colleague, I was surprised to learn that one of the greatest sources of joy — free and available to anyone — is found in learning and doing new things.

Growing.

Changing.

Moving away from the status quo.