In the past week and a half, I've had a few intentional interactions with students and staff at Calvin College. Last Friday I met with a gentleman from the admissions office, whose named I received through a series of connections. While he gave me a brief tour of the campus I shared with him my desire to unite the Christians in Grand Rapids and West Michigan.
He was very polite as I explained my vague and currently unguided ideas and thoughts, but in the end I clearly saw one reaction, hesitation. I'm not sure where this hesitation lies and where it originated, but I am praying that God will work in the hearts of those he wants to use to start this uniting process. I'll be honest, when I got to my car after we talked for only half an hour I was deflated. I had thought a door was slowly and politely shut in my face. That next day Satan was more than happy to chatter those words in my mind all day.
However, after what I experience tonight I think there is at least a brick if not more in that door. Calvin has a Sunday night chapel called Loft that is provided for students and anyone else interested in coming. Myself and two other friends decided to check it and see what it was like. Though Calvin's service was more traditional than Cornerstone's chapels usually are, I thoroughly enjoyed watching people worship Christ in a different way than I am accustomed to. Their chaplain, who's a women (woot woot), gave a powerful and thought-provoking message about the faith of the centurion and who our authority will be, Jesus or the things of this world.
The thought came to mt mind while she spoke about how so much disunity is created based upon worship or teaching (not referencing the recent Rob Bell frenzy). When we began worship and when the chaplain went up to speak, I felt this pretension rise up in me, almost like I changed from participator to observer. As if, because I didn't go to Calvin, the words of the chaplain didn't apply to me. Boy was I wrong, she challenged me to evaluate how and when I approach and trust God.
Do I only trust God when he fixes the smaller things in my life or do I go to him with the one thing that matters most to me in my life? The centurion, according to Jesus, had more faith than anyone in Israel. Do I have faith like the centurion? Do I go to Christ with the one thing I wish to cling to most?
God is moving, changing hearts and lives, challenging the complacent and the passionate, and His Name will be Glorified.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Remodeling and Renaming
Welcome back to blogger world for me! It's been a long 7 months without a post, but I've been starting my first year at college and adjusting to all the blessings and challenges that accompany it. I've done some remodeling to the blog, giving it a new name and such to fit its new purpose.
Let me explain what I'll be writing about for the next few months, or even the new few years. Since I've began at Cornerstone University, in Grand Rapids, MI, I've noticed an incomplete picture of the body of Christ among the students at the Christian universities in the Grand Rapids, West Michigan area. Sure, we compete against each other in athletic events, but outside of that I see no efforts from the schools to unite us together as one body of Christ. I want to change that. I want students from Calvin, Kuyper, Aquinas, Hope, Cornerstone, and others to come together as one body of believers to make God's name great. I want to see us grow in relationship to Christ together, serve together, sacrifice together, and give glory to God together.
As of right now, I have no idea what that may look like and where God is leading, but I am trusting that he will do something radical among the Christian universities in this area. I ask that you would be in prayer for this, that people's names and faces would not be the forefront of this movement, but rather the name of God. Also, that hearts and lives would be changed forever.
If you are a student in the Grand Rapids, West Michigan area, I strongly urge you to commit this to prayer and ask God what part he may have for you in this. God has great things planned for this generation.
"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Acts 2:42-47
Let me explain what I'll be writing about for the next few months, or even the new few years. Since I've began at Cornerstone University, in Grand Rapids, MI, I've noticed an incomplete picture of the body of Christ among the students at the Christian universities in the Grand Rapids, West Michigan area. Sure, we compete against each other in athletic events, but outside of that I see no efforts from the schools to unite us together as one body of Christ. I want to change that. I want students from Calvin, Kuyper, Aquinas, Hope, Cornerstone, and others to come together as one body of believers to make God's name great. I want to see us grow in relationship to Christ together, serve together, sacrifice together, and give glory to God together.
As of right now, I have no idea what that may look like and where God is leading, but I am trusting that he will do something radical among the Christian universities in this area. I ask that you would be in prayer for this, that people's names and faces would not be the forefront of this movement, but rather the name of God. Also, that hearts and lives would be changed forever.
If you are a student in the Grand Rapids, West Michigan area, I strongly urge you to commit this to prayer and ask God what part he may have for you in this. God has great things planned for this generation.
"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Acts 2:42-47
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