Travels, Trials and Triumphs

It’s Time
Early in October Student Venture hosted a national high school student prayer conference in Houston. It’s Time was a cry out to God on behalf of this generation of teenagers. The students spent time praying for themselves, their school, their peers and their nation.
As I spent time praying with and for them I was reminded again of how little time I spend praying for some of the most important things: spiritual transformation of the country, Great Commission priorities lived out among the body of Christ, souls of the students around me, and the launch of new movements of evangelism and discipleship. Bottom line, I only pray when I get desperate, and unfortunately, the problems listed of above have not hit the desperate level to move me to pray – God forgive me!
The highlight of the weekend was the special interactive prayer experience that was created for us. There were several different stations and a few of them had more than one activity. Each was a personal encounter with God, focusing on His attributes and His character or understanding how our sin is costly or how free we are when forgiven by God. It was an awesome time to be with God.


SLI Module #1 – Senior Leadership Initiative
I have previously mentioned the 2 year leadership program in which I have been asked to participate. The first module was a couple of weeks ago and I have yet to recover! The focus of the first module is the heart of a leader. In so many ways there was a feeling of being exposed. Whether it was my fears or unbelief or not feeling like I measure up, God had me in an environment where I was uncomfortably exposed. At different times I had to take stock of who I am in Christ and on what I was depending. I also met the gentleman who will serve as my coach the next two years. Lamarr and I will talk on the phone (actually Skype) every other week. I will lay out some of the things that God is calling me to work on and Lamarr will help me figure out the best way to and through the different items I will encounter. His commitment to me is to love me well, tell me the truth and let me work through the items that God has revealed. One of the many things that God nudged me into was a clearer definition of Grace: it is giving us something we need (that we don’t have or can’t do on our own) to change our reality.

Coaching Corner
I have had the privilege of investing time with people in three new communities. In each case I have enjoyed trying to figure out how their particular context can benefit by the services we provide (or if I can help them at all). It has been fun looking at how a rural community might be able to pull off having a youth worker if several churches came together to make it happen. Another situation dealt with a Campus director who went from directing a ministry at one state university to overseeing the students at every non-staffed campus in his state. The idea of taking on new scope (one or more local area middle or high schools) seems overwhelming.

Pray with us!
For New Launch Opportunities – that in each of the cases we would be able to serve the local community to impact the lives of teenagers in an eternal way!
That the seeds of prayer that were planted in the hearts of students who attended It’s Time, would grow and bloom into prayer movements on campuses across the country!
For our children to use their circumstances to grow in their dependence on God; specifically that they would find that God is faithful!
That Kristin and I would grow in our love for and closeness to one another and more importantly to God!