I have noticed a trend among college students & young people in the faith...
I have noticed that they show a strong desire to be a part of something bigger than themselves. This desire is also coupled with a suspicion of authority and an urge for self-expression & creativity.
Someone asked me recently, "What are your goals & strategies for Richland college this fall?" As soon as they asked me this I was at a loss regarding what I should say. Each year, Richland FOCUS has felt completely different from the last.
Depending on the students we meet, the available rooms, meeting time(s), exam schedule(s), administrative policies, and a host of other variables - I do not know, as of right now, what this fall will look like & feel like.
Despite the ever-changing variables, students still desire to be a part of something bigger than themselves, are looking for a place to feel at home, and desire to know who they are. Jesus offers all of this in relationship w/ Him and we get to be an instrument of that happening on campus this fall.
I've always admired church-planters. Their entrepreneurial spirit, drivenness, adaptability, and relationship building capacity has has continually reminded me what year-to-year ministry at the community college feels like.
My early years on the community college were marked by a desire to "build something", "establish something", "create a ministry-system-thing that keeps itself running", etc. In other words, I desired to crack the code of community-college ministry and then sit back, relax, and let the fruit unravel ✌🏾
God (ever so gently) has been revealing to me that what He has been focused on establishing and building is me and my heart. God has been and always will be the God who establishes and builds his people for the work He has called them to. The setting, location, variables, strategies, context(s), etc. are always going to change, but - the mission (ours & God's) stays the same ❤️
What are my goals & strategies for Richland FOCUS this fall? To start again. To be faithful again. To be present again. And let God do the rest!
Enjoy the photos below! Grateful for your support. This has been a restful summer (Sloan, Anaya, and I did a weeklong beach trip down to Port Aransas, TX!) ❤️
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| Sloan & I celebrated 8 years of marriage in June! 💍 Wow...what a ride it's been; so grateful to walk through life w/ her! |
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| CARE Church in Richardson, TX has been such a blessing to us. Allowing us to meet in their building each Thursday night has been exactly what we needed! Praise God! |
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| We got to do a family beach trip! The beach is very relaxing. Anaya and I played in the sand and enjoyed life! It was a blast! |
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| Anaya had a blast at the beach - I promise! 🤷🏾♂️ |
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| Anaya loved her time at Thursday Night FOCUS last week! |
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| Summer FOCUS has been a highlight for us week-to-week. Many of our students remain in town during the summer(s) so we have loved getting to see them & spend time with them every Thursday night! |
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| I had the privilege of preaching last week during Summer FOCUS. Our sermon series this summer is all about Maturity and I preached on "Maturity: Humility in Learning". I addressed the question: How can we learn in a way that is humble & resembles Christ in an information-saturated world? |
Thank you for your support and for believing in our mission to love college students. I'm excited for year #14 which begins here in a few weeks. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have anything in your life that you would like prayer for.
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