Chaos. And then there was... a baby

"When they [the shepherds] had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." -Luke 2:17-19

Christmas is awesome. Period. No discussion there.

I mean, how can it not be?

This is the story of a deity who created a world of unbelievable things: things that twinkle and wink at you in the night sky; things that grow out of the ground, look beautiful, then wither away, only to come back again and again; things that bay, oink, growl, and tweet; things that pounce on you and lick your face when you walk in the door; things called humans, who were made in his very image; and a thing called love, which is greater even than the amazing things called hope, joy, and peace. Scratch that, this deity is the very definition of love, which is in and of itself unbelievable.

This is the story of a deity who loved what he created so much that he could not bear to see it plunge into darkness of its own accord. He loved it so much that he decided to take this world's iniquities upon his own back, not so that he would fall under their weight, but so that he could triumph over them in a glorious embrace of reconciliation.

This is the story of a deity who came down not to condemn, or slander, or meddle, but to love and bring hope, joy, and peace.

This is the story of God who so loved the world that he sent his only Son Jesus, a great light shining in the darkness.

And like the rest of us, he was a baby -

a little bundle of joy who took that euphemism and multiplied it ten times over because unlike the rest of us he was also the very definition of love itself.

How much more awesome could you possibly want?

And while we celebrate with food, friends, parties, and the general spreading of joy, don't forget to take a moment like Mary did to treasure these things up and ponder them (kinda like taking that last piece of German chocolate cake and savoring it by yourself in some coat closet, but better and with zero guilt). Why? Because that little baby, who yawned a cute little baby yawn before shutting its little baby eyes real tight to fall asleep that first Christmas night, was born for you.

Merry Christmas!

Some photos of the crazy things we do!

This is a special photo dump for events over the past few months!

Jenna got baptized at Blue Route Vineyard Church! (10/9)

The annual Freshman Raid! We kidnap 2014 and have our way with them play sardines and the Foot Game with them in Bond Hall. (10/21)

Spencer dressed up in a King Crab suit. (10/21)

And we danced! (10/29)

Happy birthday, Octo-November babies! (Liz, Hana, Tiffany, and Steven!) (10/29)

The annual Freshman Banquet! (11/20) More people came than are shown in this photo, promise. In fact, more freshmen came than members of any other class! Yeah 2014!

Several intense rounds of Mafia followed. SCF youth group went on a road trip to Idaho, and people died each night along the way... (11/20)

The hilarity of White Elephant gift exchanges, at the annual Tri-Co Christmas Party! (12/3)

We're so weird! And awesome! Yeah Tri-Co IV! (12/3)

AND AND AND! Greg Albright ('10) got engaged to his longtime sweetheart Heather, this past Thursday at Rittenhouse Square! Click on the photo if you don't believe it- enlarged, you can see her ring! (12/2)

Finding Your Purpose

I was wandering around campus across the beautiful Parrish lawn, admiring the sunlight streaming through the majestic trees, and wondering about my purpose in life, not knowing I was about to have an encounter with God. I had been having a bit of a difficult day. I had missed a leadership training for SCF in the morning, and I had to give up going to a Christian conference that I was really looking forward to going to for school obligations. “What was my purpose?” I was wondering. Like Benjamin Braddock from “The Graduate,” I guess I was “worried… about my future.” ‘Worried about my future?’ you might be wondering (as I’m sure readers of this blog should be able to identify with). ‘Why should you, a student at Swarthmore College, ripe in your youth, ready and able to tackle the world and to do so with a smile on your face, too, of all people, be worried about your future?’ Even if that were true, it wasn’t always so easy. I was worried, confused, and, more than anything, stressed out about my purpose. It just didn’t seem so clear once God threw a challenge my way, and I didn’t know what I was supposed to do with my life anymore.

That evening after the church service, I was going to dinner downstairs when I saw a gathering of folks around the table discussing something intensely. Thrown for a loop, I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to help out with the planning of the Kids’ Christmas Service, which was happening right then. As I sat dumbly for a while, God intervened. “We’re going to read a traditional folk tale,” the Kids Ministry Leader more or less said (forgive the imperfect quotation), called “The Three Trees.” As she began to read, I felt something change inside of me.

Once upon a mountain top, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up. The first little tree looked up at the stars and said, “I want to hold treasure. I want to be covered with gold and filled with precious stones. I'll be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world!” The second little tree looked out at the small stream trickling by on its way to the ocean. “I want to be traveling mighty waters and carrying powerful kings. I'll be the strongest ship in the world!” The third little tree looked down into the valley below where busy men and women worked in a busy town. “I don't want to leave the mountain top at all. I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me they'll raise their eyes to heaven and think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the world.”

Years, passed. The rain came, the sun shone and the little trees grew tall. One day three wood cutters climbed the mountain. The first wood cutter looked at the first tree and said, “This tree is beautiful. It is perfect for me.” With a swoop of his shining ax, the first tree fell. “Now I shall make a beautiful chest, I shall hold wonderful treasure!” the first tree said.

The second wood cutter looked at the second tree and said, “This tree is strong. It's perfect for me.” With a swoop of his shining ax, the second tree fell. “Now I shall sail mighty waters!” thought the second tree. “I shall be a strong ship for mighty kings!”

The third tree felt her heart sink when the last wood cutter looked her way. She stood straight and tall and pointed bravely to heaven. But the wood cutter never even looked up. “Any kind of tree will do for me,” he muttered. With a swoop of his shining ax, the third tree fell.

The first tree rejoiced when the wood cutter brought her to a carpenter's shop. But the carpenter fashioned the tree into a feed box for animals. The once beautiful tree was not covered with gold, or treasure. She was coated with saw dust and filled with hay for hungry farm animals. The second tree smiled when the wood cutter took her to a shipyard, but no mighty sailing ship was made that day. Instead the once strong tree was hammered and awed into a simple fishing boat. She was too small and too weak to sail to an ocean, or even a river, instead she was taken to a little lake. The third tree was confused when the wood cutter cut her into strong beams and left her in a lumberyard. “What happened?” the once-tall tree wondered. “All I ever wanted was to stay on the mountain top and point to God...”

Many days and nights passed. The three trees nearly forgot their dreams. But one night, golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby in the feed box. "I wish I could make a cradle for him," her husband whispered. The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the smooth and sturdy wood. “This manger is beautiful,” she said. And suddenly the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world.

One evening a tired traveler and his friends crowded into the old fishing boat. The traveler fell asleep as the second tree quietly sailed out into the lake. Soon a thundering and a thrashing storm arose. The little tree shuddered. She knew she did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through the wind and the rain. The tired man awoke. He stood up, stretched out his hand, and said, “Peace.” The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun. And suddenly the second tree knew he was carrying the king of heaven and earth.

One Friday morning, the third tree was startled when her beams were yanked from the forgotten wood pile. She flinched as she was carried through an angry jeering crowd. She shuddered when soldiers nailed a man's hand to her. She felt ugly and harsh and cruel. But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God's love had changed everything. It had made the third tree strong. And every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God. That was better than being the tallest tree in the world.

It’s amazing what stories can do to you, isn’t it? After listening to that, I had little to complain about. “The next time you feel down because you didn't get what you wanted, sit tight and be happy because God is thinking of something better to give you,” the last words of the book read. After I heard the story, I no longer felt as worried, upset, or confused. I still did, to some extent, but that was work that I needed to do, not because that’s how God wanted me to be.

God has a purpose for you, and you don’t need to worry about how big or how small it is or how exactly it will turn out. All you need to have is an idea, and that’s enough for Him to go by. After all, when you “delight yourself in the LORD… He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). “Pray, trust, and don’t worry,” Padre Pio says, for God already knows the desires of your heart (and, as my friend Liz aptly points out, He was the one who put them there, in the first place). And even while I was wallowing in gloominess and misery, I knew that God had a purpose for me, and that, through Him, it was all going to become clear again, in the end.

Patience is a virtue

As we mature as believers, good fruit becomes increasingly evident in our lives...

If 1) balance is the Key to Life, and 2) Jesus came to give us life abundantly, (both of which I know to be true) then 3) as we grow in our walk with God, we should strike that balance in all areas of our abundant life... being able to walk this narrow path skillfully. Since 4) God grants the desires of our hearts, and 5) He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we can ask, 6) I'm excited to see more balance in being self-disciplined and showing love to my loved ones! 7) Anticipation sets the atmosphere for miracles!!!

Patience is a virtue... so while I wait, I LOVE Jesus <3

Privacy settings changed

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Recap 11.12.10: We all need somebody to leaaan on...

Accountability. What is it? What does it look like?

Two years ago, Pastor Leonard Dow was abruptly summoned home by news of a grievous incident within his church: a young, recently-married woman was discovered to have cheated on her husband with two young men. Anger gave way to sadness, frustration, and finally embarrassment as he berated himself for having failed to keep the believers in his church accountable. Not being one to simply lament over a mess and walk away, however, he immediately went about setting things right. He met with all of the parties involved, cleared up the issues, and spoke to his congregation. After careful deliberation, the two young men were asked to attend different churches for some time, each accompanied by a brother to their new church. The couple was allowed to remain, and the church paid for them to have marriage counseling. On Easter Sunday, six months after the incident, the two young men were welcomed back by the community of believers. All of the individuals involved in this affair are now active in the ministry, serving as living testimonies of the grace and forgiveness that comes from Christ Jesus.

According to Pastor Dow, accountability is about speaking out when a brother or sister goes astray. It’s about dealing with hard, messy situations. It’s about being a friend--not just a “Facebook friend,” but a real, genuinely-caring, and completely honest friend.

Pastor Dow presented an acrostic to help us better understand some elements we should expect in such a friendship:

Family - A brother or sister in Christ. Luke 8:21 was given as an example.
Respect - Someone who shows you respect as well as someone whom you respect.
Intentional - Willing to roll up their sleeves, just as the church was in Acts 4:32-35, where the believers were intentional in loving and taking care of each other’s needs.
Encouragement - The person should be your biggest cheerleader, just as Jonathan was for David in 1 Samuel 20.
Near - Near doesn’t have to mean geographic propinquity, but closeness in heart and spirit. Shared experiences foster close friendships, and inside jokes are a plus.
Disagreement - The friend should be willing and ready to disagree with you, but also desirous of mending the friendship after disagreements. According to Proverbs 27:6, “wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”

In Exodus 4, the Lord told Moses to go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt. The understandably nervous Moses wasn’t too thrilled at the idea, and he kept on making excuses not to go. God performed miracles for him, but he only consented to go once the Lord sent Aaron to go with him. He needed a friend to be there for him. After large group, Nate pointed out that the Lord tells Moses that “[Aaron] is already on his way to meet you” (Exodus 4:14). In other words, God anticipated that Moses would need someone by his side and provided a brother to help! Just how great is our God, exactly? :)

We all need to be accountable to someone. According to Ecclesiastes 4:9-10:

“Two are better than one,
Because they have good return for their labor:
If one of them falls down,
One can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
And has no one to help them up.”

The question we face here isn’t whether or not we will fall, it’s what we will do when we fall. Hopefully those of you reading this blog have someone you can lean on and trust within SCF. If not, keep coming to SCF events! Let’s build a community of trust!

Everyday Justice

http://www.jrdkirk.com/2010/11/10/you-are-what-you-eat/

This is a great blog I've discovered recently (thanks, Susie Flood) and I particularly enjoyed this post on food and Everyday Justice. It's a great book, a lot of really simple and practical advice for how to live justly in an increasingly confusing global marketplace. Check out both the book and the blog -- they're well worth it.

Psalms and Miracles

Hi SCF. This is Cecelia (Osowski, class of '10, in case we haven't met). I'm living and working in an orphanage in Port-au-Prince Haiti this year. If you want, you can catch up on more of my thoughts about life in Haiti at my blog, here. I've been inspired by reading this blog and seeing all the ways God is working at Swarthmore. I'm posting to hopefully inspire you with the ways God is working outside the bubble. 

Sometimes it seems to me as though there is just one cause for fear after another here in Haiti. There is still a threat of cholera making its way into Port-au-Prince. Our streets have been disturbed by gunfire in broad daylight right outside our doors. And this week, for me at least, has been dominated by fear and anxiety over the approach of Hurricane Tomas.

Yet in the midst of all this there is God. First thing every morning, and last thing every night, I read from the Book of Hours; a beautiful devotion of prayer and praise centered on the Psalms, which has been prayed continuously throughout church history. Last night as I prayed desperately for the safety of this city, for the beautiful children in our school who live in the tent city on top of the hill, utterly at the mercy of the approaching storm, I read these two psalms in the evening prayers. 

Psalm 144  (paraphrased)
Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle;
my rock and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues the peoples under him.
...
Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down! Stretch forth thy hand from on high, rescue me and deliver me from the many waters.

Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved, he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and for evermore.

Despite all these assurances, I fully expected to spend most of today cowering on the inside of the building so I wouldn't have to watch 100 mile per hour winds rip my neighbors' houses to shreds. Instead this whole city experienced a miracle. It rained, but only gently. Instead of tearing winds, there were playful breezes all day. The sky was overcast, but never dark with thunder or lightning. At 3pm it was perfectly calm outside. I called my mom and she listened to me in disbelief, telling me that the hurricane was a huge angry storm covering Haiti on the radar map. It was as if God had mercy on this ravaged city and covered it with his hands while the storm passed over. As it started to get dark, Jamie and I sat in the library, staring out the window trying to make sense of what was (and wasn't) happening, and Jamie just said "This is miraculous". And he was right. I wasn't going to make sense of it, because it doesn't make sense, and yet I saw it happen with my own eyes.
As we sat there and marveled, Jamie grabbed a bible off the shelf and we started paging through the Psalms, looking for we weren't quite sure what, and we found Psalm 46.

God is your refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, thought the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God will help her right early.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Behold the words of the Lord, how he has wrought desolations in the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, he burns the chariots with fire!
"Be still, and know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth!"
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

To all of you who prayed for our safety: know without a doubt that your prayers were heard and answered! May we never cease praising the God who can do this.

Love, Cecelia

Family Group Follow-up and invite to dinner

Let's do it. Keep talking with each other. Pray pray pray for this. And don't forget, you can post stuff here! This IS your community, this IS your house-- so, own it. To quote Jimmy, this abstract notion of "community" will only be realized when we all decide to do something on an individual level. We can start by first pressing into God and then reaching out to each other. (If you want to know what that means more concretely, let's talk about it).

Also, would you have a meal with me sometime? Just e-mail me when's good for you.

Large Group Recap 10.29.10 - Family Group!

Abstract: We had Family Group yesterday! It was a "temperature check" so that we could gauge the spiritual health of our fellowship as a whole. We had good attendance, over thirty members plus some new faces. Some members of leadership went over SCF's vision statement and gave updates on some of our different ministries (Large Group, Small Group, Prayer Team/Meetings, and Outreach). Then, we went into small groups to discuss some questions about how we felt about the fellowship. Lastly, we had a time of discussing as a whole. The conversation started with the issue of actually being a welcoming, non-cliquey community, and the relationship between "inreach" and "outreach" and what both of those mean.

SCF Vision statement
Through God’s help, we hope to foster a community that:
- Continuously intercedes on behalf of Swarthmore campus through focused, persistent and expectant prayer.
- Fully equips witnesses and sends them out to live missional lives.
- Sustains Christ-centered transformation through mentorship.

Ministry introductions
Large group / Fri. 7pm, Kohl 115 / Jimmy
LG is supposed to fully equip people to grow stronger in Christ and then to spiritually help those around us (i.e. the LG talk on post-modern evangelism, and next week we’ll learn about how to share your faith). Different large group topics were designed to give us space to learn skills/personalities/characteristics that will enable us to love each other inside and outside our group.

Outreach / Wes
Primarily made up of Groups Investigating God (GIGs), when one person who really loves Jesus wants to share it with 1, 2, 3 other friends through the Scripture. The intent is to raise the huge theological questions (i.e. Why is there suffering, Does God actually exist, etc.). GIG members are usually non-Christians who are interested in the Bible. It’s important that we have GIGs because a lot of people only experience the shallow and negative image of Christ and Christianity.

Right now there are several GIGs (Wes leads one, Nate leads two, there are a few more), all going pretty well, all studying passages in John 1-4, which are great for Swatties to deconstruct. The conversations that come from this are a good thing. If you're interested in starting one, or are yourself interested in the Big Questions that Small Groups sometimes don’t address, tell Wes.

Small Groups / for dates and times, see poster / Sara (Rebekah proxy)
These are dorm-based or community-based groups that study the Scripture, a way for non-Christians and Christians alike to study the word of God together. SGs tend to become a pretty tight group that supports each other throughout the year.

Prayer Ministry / Tue. 9pm SCI 104, and Thur. 6pm Sharples / Theresa & Jenna
Prayer meeting (Tue.), prayer team meeting (Thur.), & prayer at Large Group. Focusing on intercession and that part of the vision statement. Prayer meetings this semester have started with our identities as Christians and how we relate to God, moving from there to praying for all parts of the community and this campus, and parts of the community. They do intercessory prayer walks. Prayer at the end of large group is a time when everyone should feel safe and comfortable with each other; it might sound the opposite, but they want people to be encouraged to pray! Sign up on the sign-up sheet! But tonight, we want to know, what can we do to get everyone praying for our entire campus? Maybe having a prayer room on campus, specified prayer times for short prayers.

Personal Reflection Time
- How have you been encouraged/met/challenged by God this semester through SCF?
- Where are you seeing signs that God is at work in/through SCF?

- Where do you think we are thriving in pursuing our vision and being a community?
- Where do you think we need to work on aspects of community and vision?
- How can we practically implement these thoughts?

Family Discussion Time
Sonja: A lot of people feel isolated within this community. Sophomores esp., because if they all go abroad next year, they’ll feel really separated. Should address this.

Liz: Some parts of the vision statement seem very oriented toward outreach, and there isn’t enough place for fellowship, inreach, etc. Small groups seem like GIGs, large groups seem more about evangelism than personal growth.

Lauren: Remembers that ’10 Seniors talked about how much they prayed for a huge freshman class, and 2013 came! Same thing for the next year, and 2014 happened! God has answered those prayers. Imagine if we continued these prayers, and prayers for other things, too, like inward growth? God is faithful. And for the future, if we want new students to feel welcome, we need to have a strong base to welcome them, a family that’s already strong that they can join.

Cecilia: 2011 was a huge freshman class, but after three years they’re really small…

Nate: Do we want this community-building to be structured? Large Group for community-building instead of having a speaker, or make this entirely individual inreach? Person to person?

Jeewon: Thinks we can do both of those things. Programmed inreach as well as personally finding time to talk with other people. It should be effortless and natural.

Lauren: But it’s hard for introverts to do that personal initiation of relationships. So these relationships can start naturally but they have to be purposely maintained.

Wes: The idea of Vision Team leading things and everyone else following, it’s a kind of weary/wary? structure. But there’s space for anyone to do whatever they want; we are flexible and will support anything you want to do, including Liz’s 3-4 person lunches. It is a good thing that GIGs are more structured now, but if you personally find something that’s really working, spread the word!

Cecilia: Our outreach to freshmen is great, but once you grow up (Juniors/Seniors), it gets harder. You can feel isolated once you don’t have older people constantly pulling you back in. A good thing that after 3 years of rough times with SCF, I’m still here. As for studying abroad, she’s glad that even though when she came back from abroad and found that she didn’t know a lot of the people who were now here, she still knew that SCF was full of welcoming people and that it’d be all right.

Theresa: So what’s Inreach? Any Biblical examples or examples from other places?

Hana: Is inreach just making friends?

Tiffany: No, because that will just form cliques.

Dan: Inreach keeps people involved in SCF, so that they won’t just leave. Help people know they can still be a part of the community even if they don’t come to all the functions.

Allison: It’s encouraging that people were eager to invite her to Large Group, “I felt like these people want to give me a big hug!” It’s a good thing to check in on people, and from the other side it’s good to feel wanted to be back there, even if it takes being dragged back here.

Christina: It’s simple as taking notice of people when they’re gone. Showing that you care if they’re here, notice if they’re not, is a good thing. Pray for those who are studying abroad! Don’t just think: they don’t go to Swarthmore anymore just ‘cause they’re overseas, remember that they’re still a part of our community!

Allison: For people who are studying abroad, it’d be awesome if you could send emails home! Update us on what you’re doing and give your address. Take the initiative, and we’ll respond!

Sonja: I remember when Mi went abroad, and she sent emails and pictures and things all the time, and I appreciated that you were so invested in us. Also, going back to Tiffany and Spencer’s point about cliques: SCF can be cliquey, even for Swat standards, and that was one of the barriers for her getting involved her freshman year. You need to be open in your group and notice if you’re being cliquey and figure out how to avoid that.

Wes: This confounds inreach a little bit…

Liz: My vision of inreach: the Senior class of 2010 loving each other in a real way. The early church in Acts- they spent time with each other all the time, and loved each other. Start by praying for each other.

Spencer: I agree, and something special about the Senior class was that they were committed to each other. Say that you’ll be there for each other and that you’ll take care of each other. Swat is a hard place to be a Christian, but it’s also just a hard place to be. Even sophomores are still looking for people who will be there for us (platonically!) when we need it. College is a time of extreme highs and extreme lows, and so this community is needed for a lot of people.

Kai: I think when it comes to inreach, it takes making people who are on the outside on the inside, even without their permission. Someone you meet, say hi to them forever now just because.

Theresa: Seems like inreach is an expanded form of outreach. Reads: "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14

Dan Pak: Cliques occur in youth groups at home, too. But accountability is a very important thing, too. Need people to keep each other in check in the faith.

Wes: Proxe station. The experience of preparing it and going through it together was a good thing. But it was also an outreach to the entire outreach. Have the perspective where everything you do, you do together. So even our outreach things can involve inreach. The point is, this is everyone’s prerogative.

Kathryn: The Proxe station was a really good thing, but it does attract a certain group of people to participate, usually the core group of SCF. A lot of people who aren’t as comfortable with the entire group might not step up to do things. I feel like just talking about more love and care and stuff is great, but unless there’s a little structure, we’ll just forget about it. How about a little icebreaker/mixer at each large group that gets us to actually know about each other? That way we’ll want to get to know each other outside of SCF. But on that note, I think SCF does a good job of being welcoming, but it could do better.

Lauren: We came to college to study. But, “seek ye first the kingdom of God”? Academic life comes first, but it shouldn’t be like that. So, we should envelop our Christian relationships into our daily life, like studying together, hanging out together, having meals together.

Nate: “I only see you during SCF!” “We only hang out at SCF events!” Feels weird about that. Should consider any time we see each other and interact as an SCF event. Maybe a personal opposition to internal structure, but we’re not going to just say hi to each other, the random passings-by should become our time to check up on each other. This can happen every single day!

Tiffany: Maybe it would help to have some activities that are more social, not exactly connected to Christian stuff. How about a study break? Something fun?

Christina: One of the best things so far was that baking thing in Parrish! It was only a few people, but it was really fun.

Sonja: Plug for studying together! It can be a real bonding experience.
Tiffany: 90% random stuff and 10% stat, but it’s fun.

Michio: Thinking about inreach and outreach, and wondering if they’re really such a dichotomy. We like to structure and label things, but what it means to be a community is Christ-centered. If the center of a circle is Christ, and all of us are some distance away from it (some de-localized gradient, random nerdy stuff), we are a continuous space. Pull people towards the center of the circle can be inreach and outreach at the same time. It will allow Christians to bond and also allow non-Christians to seek Christ at the same time.

Lauren: Good analogy. So what is the responsibility of someone near the center of the podium? Do they stay where they are or do we keep moving in and out of this circle?

Liz: We’ve gone way overtime. Let’s have follow-up discussions, but we’re going to pray and close.

- - -

Feel free to continue the thoughts via comments on this post.

Perfectionism

As Christians all of us feel so much pressure to be perfect. We feel the need to be perfect in our love for others so that everyone can feel the love of Christ, we feel the need to act perfectly because other Christians seem too and because if we aren't perfect why would anyone ever feel the need to be Christian, we feel the need to make every decision the right decision because what if we do something that so wrong we can fix it or be fixed? If you do not fall into this train of thought, I apologize for over generalizing. But, I see Christians around me everyday worrying and struggling with this, and I struggle with this myself.

Add this pressure to the pressure we feel everyday as Swatties to do our work right and to be active in extra-curricular activities, this pressure can be over whelming.

What I need a reminder of often, sometimes on a daily basis, which I am now going to remind all of you, is that God doesn't care if we are perfect. God does not care if we make mistakes. God doesn't care if we slip up. God doesn't care if don't understand him sometimes. God doesn't care about any of those things. God just loves us. He loves us no matter how many times we screw up. In God's eyes there is NOTHING that can make us more or less worthy of his love. Do not let this world tell you differently.

So relax and just rest in God's arms.

Large Group Recap 9.24.10 - And we shall call it ... the love shack

Rich Andrews came to large group last Friday. For those of you who weren't there, he's a pastor at BlueRoute Vineyard Church and was speaking about intercession.

Actually, he wasn't just speaking about it, he was living it. Intercession is going between or on behalf of someone else- in this case, praying to God on behalf of others. It's a basic idea that many of us understand without ever using the word. But to Pastor Rich this was more than an idea he was suggesting. Earlier in the week he had practiced it by coming on campus and praying for us and Swarthmore, listening for what God wanted to tell us. Intercession, he explained, is really just selflessly loving people- getting up early in the morning to pray for a friend, for example; giving God a "platform to speak from."

So selfless love drives us to intercede. When we understand that praying for people is fundamentally connected to seeing God work in their lives, we can be like Moses, holding up his hands for hours so that the Israelites won the battle (Exodus 17:11). We are learning to be like Jesus who died for us and gained a position of intercession for us before God. When we intercede we listen for God's voice so that we pray His will for people, and this prayer is one that is *always* answered.

Rich pointed out some important things we must do as we begin to intercede: confess our sins individually, confess our sins in groups, and begin our periods of intercession with adoration, praise, and worship. It makes sense that we can only pray for other people if we are right with God ourselves.

And when we are interceding, the more people praying together, the better! As adding two waves multiplies the effect, so bringing people together multiplies the power of intercession. No, we don't have to change the name of large group to "love shack" (the name of Rich's college LG......). But we must influence each other to love through prayer, whether that means encouraging each other to set aside times of daily prayer, or even writing prayers that we prayed today and posting them on this blog.

God wants us to learn to hear his voice. If we are going to be successful in all our goals for outreach, our cookies and jam :), we have to learn to hear from Him and pray His will for others.

Some questions to think about:
When are you most able to listen to God's voice?
What are the barriers limiting your intercession?

"Religious"

I was asked yesterday if I was “very religious,” and for a moment I was tempted to say no. It would have been cooler and trendier to reply, “I don’t prescribe to religions, but I do consider myself a serious follower of Jesus Christ,” or “I’m not religious, just madly in love with God.” Maybe if this were ten or fifteen years ago, I’d say, “No, dude, I’m just a Jesus Freak!”

But… am I a Jesus Freak? Am I considered an outcast of society because my actions are in line with what Jesus taught but against the grain of everyone around me? Am I really madly in love with an invisible deity? No, no, and… no. Serious followers of Jesus Christ don’t merely ascribe to an arbitrary set of moral rules and get together a few times a week to celebrate their sameness. Serious followers give up their lives, their plans, their dreams, the things they love, and set their eyes only on God’s promises. They drop their nets and go.

My Christian faith has once again faded and blended into the weird mosaic that is my personal identity, instead of shining bright and over-lighten-ing the other patches and patterns. Christ is my only identity, not just my Sunday-morning and Friday-evening mask.

So, at the moment, yes, I am very religious. Deeply religious. I’ve grown up with religion my entire life, and it is ingrained into my being. But I still fall in and out of love- true love- with Jesus Christ, and still haven’t let go of myself in order to grasp onto Him and let Him lead me.

Here’s to hoping that will change soon. Here’s to the belief that I can overcome my disbelief. One day, I’ll say that I love Him, and it won’t be because I’m supposed to, but because I do.

Introverts in the church. (Pay attention, extroverts especially)

Introverted Church blog

Washington Post article by the writer of the Introverted Church book/blog

From the WP article:

"Too often "ideal" Christians are social and gregarious, with an overt passion and enthusiasm. They find it easy to share the gospel with strangers, eagerly invite people into their homes, participate in a wide variety of activities, and quickly assume leadership responsibilities. Those are wonderful qualities, and our churches suffer when we don't have those sorts of people, but if these qualities epitomize the Christian life, many of us introverts are left feeling excluded and spiritually inadequate. Or we wear ourselves out from constantly masquerading as extroverts."

There's a lot to think about here. Can we start this conversation? What are your thoughts? Experiences? Great articles? Books?

Wow, that's shiny... but will it work?

So to be honest, I wasn't really sure how this whole Proxé thing was going to turn out.

Of course, I was excited; the concept was really cool, the board was definitely the slickest survey that I'd ever seen, and it provoked some serious thinking about some pretty important topics. But at the end of the day, I couldn't help but ask myself, "How will Swatties respond to this?" "Will people actually want to do it?" "Are people going to really engage or are they just going to be polite, or worse, will they just blow us off?"

So was my thought process on the morning of September 15th, sometime in the last 2 or 3 minutes of Organic Chemistry.

And it didn't help either that I was part of the first team to man the station along with Maisie; we had little idea of what the actual process of taking the survey was going to look like, no section in the SCF Book of Wisdom to fall back on, and no people preceding us to tell us what was working, what questions seemed to be most thought provoking, and what might be good to include in conversation if a person brought up such and such issue. I know, we had been trained (thanks Kathleen!). But, for me, it was like taking a person who had trained in a pool all his life, throwing him into the ocean and saying "Ok, now swim to the other side".

So there I was, stickers and post-its in hand, eyes shifting up and down the walk in front of Parrish. I spotted someone I knew, then my mouth started moving before I could think.

"Hey Eliza! You have a minute to take a quick survey?"

Well Houston, it seems we have liftoff. I know, sorry about the whole countdown thing, but you can't really call the shuttle back at this point...

So the next five minutes go something like this: Eliza takes stickers and post-its, Eliza puts post-its and stickers on the board, Eliza cocks her head to one side, Eliza puts another sticker on the board. Then Eliza turns around and hands the stickers back to... Maisie? Um, hey, you kinda took my person, but that's ok, cuz there's another person here that I've somehow invited to the station.

Yeah, things went quick, but they also went surprisingly well. From what I could hear from Maisie and Eliza's follow-up discussion, the varied answers on the Forgiveness spectrum had given Eliza some pause. Another survey taker was intrigued over the conditions presented as necessary for helping another person: "They all seemed kinda selfish, I would like to think that sometimes I help people when there's nothing in it for me." Another commented on how strange it was that while a lot of people said they had been shown grace and didn't deserve it, the concept of grace being worth anything was all over the spectrum. Still another wondered at the honesty of people who might have put stickers in places based on the trend and expressed admiration for those who were outliers and therefore were probably really honest about how much they deserved or how much they forgave.

Mind you, this was between 10:30 am and noon; it wasn't even half of the day. But if my hour and half experience was anything like what happened up until 5 (which I heard it did), then I can do nothing but wonder at what I was so worried about.

God had a plan for today, and I knew it. But if any of you know me, you know that I'm definitely the kind of guy who would look to God and say, "Are you sure about this Lord? Couldn't you just let me in on just a tiny portion of today's checklist? I mean really, I know you know what you're doing and all, but it'd be nice just to have a little assurance."

But of course God just chuckled as I was doing a follow-up with a survey taker who said, "Friday at 7? That's sounds pretty cool, I'll try to make it out to that...Hey Melinda! You should come and take this survey! No really, do it!"

Be excited folks, God is moving in a mighty way at Swarthmore, and you definitely want to be in on it.

-Nate

Large Group recap 9.10.10 - Prayer

Today at Large Group, Pastor Young Kim from Grace Covenant Church came to give a message about prayer. He introduced to us one example of a prayer model that we could follow, based on Nehemiah's prayer in the first chapter of the book of the same name. Why take from the Bible? Because prayer and reading the Word of God are kind of like the two wings of a plane (or two oars in a rowboat); without one or the other, you can't fly straight. Here is a short summary of his points:

1. The first part is Adoration, or worship of God. Oftentimes we go to God with a shopping list of things we want him to give us, but that isn't the right mindset. Talking with God is like talking to a friend, but also like entering the throne room of a king- the King of Everything, that is. Thinking about God causes us to worship, and in some cases that's all God really wants from us.

2. The second part is Confession, or repentance of sins. Some church cultures put too much emphasis on this part and really make prayer seem like a downer. Repentance isn't wrong, but kind of like praying with a shopping list, it gets in the way of actual communication with God. If you put your thumb right up to your eye, it takes up your entire field of vision and consequently looks like the biggest thing in the world- even bigger than the moon or the sun or Pastor Young's head. In the same way, don't let your problems eclipse God in weight or importance. God is bigger than your problems, be they addictions, temptations, or circumstances beyond your control.

3. The third part is where some who follow the ACTS model of prayer might insert Thanksgiving. But Nehemiah instead prays a Remembrance of God's promises in the past. He quotes Deuteronomy in verses 8-9 because he knows that God has a plan and that he will stick to it. We have the Bible at our disposal to use as an entire arsenal of prophecies and promises that we can invoke when we pray. So, ask God for a "life verse," or a promise or idea from the Bible that will remind you of his promise and his plans for your life. You can also choose Bible verses to stick in your pocket for a day or a week; this is a good biblical discipline.

4. The last part is Supplication, or petitioning God for things that you desire to see. The reason "asking for stuff" goes last is that often you will find that once you have worshiped, repented, and remembered promises, you forget what you wanted to pray for in the first place. Which is fine because God already knows. It's important to remember that God will always answer your prayer. The answer might be, "Yes." Great! But the answer might also be, "No." And then we get bummed out. Even worse, the answer might be, "Wait." God's timing is not in the least like ours. Waiting will build character and strengthen our faith. While it sucks to wait now, hindsight is 20/20 and we'll eventually get the bigger picture as long as we are patient.

Pastor Young also gave two small words of advice on prayer: The first to just Do It. The only way to become more faithful in prayer is to actually pray; just talking about it and feeling guilty about not doing it are useless. The second is to pick a place and a time for prayer. Put it in your schedule: every morning in your room at 9am for 30 minutes, for example, or every Saturday afternoon on a bench in the Rose Garden. Once you get used to the habit of praying, or associate a certain place (thesis carrel in McCabe?) and time (midnight?) with prayer, it will become easier to pray. It will become easier to talk with God. Isn't that great?


What did you get from Pastor Young's message that you can apply to your life? What points did I miss? What is something neat you've learned or experienced about prayer? Share your thoughts!

Ice Pops

Faiza told me recently that she now associates ice pops with Christianity due to SCF's tradition of handing out ice pops at multiple campus functions, including move-in day, activities fairs, and the housing lottery. I find this amusing. On one hand, SCF doesn't want to only be known as the nice people who give out ice pops, but it isn't necessarily a bad thing to have this reputation, is it?

Pre Orientation 2010

Joe suddenly came upon the realization that just one year ago, he was a freshman here at Swat. "Time passes by quickly..."

Wes remembered meeting Joe at Orientation last year, and he remembered that Joe had just had jaw surgery, so his teeth were clamped shut. And that reminded Nate that he is going to get braces in October.

What is a collective blog*? Just some SCFers sitting around after Campus Advisor training one afternoon talking about what they remember from their Orientations, especially last year when the class of 2013 was the new freshman class. With somebody taking notes.

Andrew recalled helping Theresa move in. The whole Sepulveda clan- all her sisters and brothers- were there, too. The sign on her door said she was 2011... so why did she get to move in early? Haha, transfers! Tricky people, aren't they?

But Joe was less concerned with moving in than with finding something to eat, what with his special braces...

Claris still remembers move-in day like it was yesterday. "I got here and we had to wait in a line of cars to get to Wharton; there was a guy with lots of stuff but no car, and I helped him out by driving him to the dorm. And I met Maya for the first time- she was really shy! But our room was already set up. It was very pink-" she says, and then the same realization lights up in her face: "I can't believe I'm a sophomore!"

"Now," said Nate, "we're expected to help people! I mean, not really expected, but this is our territory. There's this heightened sense of responsibility that comes from nothing more than the title "sophomore". Now I know the ropes, now I see everything differently."

Claris said, "I'm really excited to meet new people! I'm excited to see roommates, and hoping to delve more into my studies. More focuse, not floating like last year."

"No more saying yes to everything. Learn to say no." said Andrew.

Claris then went off on a tangent about how to properly cut off split ends.

- - -

I remember meeting Cecelia!!! Thank God. – Hana

I remember Wes and Andrew moving me in, and meeting a bunch more SCFers at the orientation table, Greg and Cecelia handing out Go-gurts, and feeling very welcome. I was also very excited to meet my room and hallmates. Many of the people I met on the first day became some of my best friends. I share a spirit of common excitement with the class of 2014, and look forward to meeting them all .We were all freshman once, and know what it's like. - Josh

*What do you remember from last year's Orientation? Add it to the post! (click the pencil to edit)

Summatime Providence

Hello! Oh summer... where'd ya go? My summer was uncertain and that's an understatement. I came home expecting to have a job, but to my immense chagrin only received an email telling me that my job at harley had been eliminated by the hiring back of a supervisor. At first I thought it was God's way of releasing me to follow a calling to work at a Lutheran Outdoors Youth Camp in the Black Hills. Well, I was wrong. So, worse financial aid+no job+raised tuition=complete uncertainty about attending swat in the fall. And, (I mean this in an extremely non-casual way) God provided every week. I basically had a different job every few weeks. Everything from masonry to coffee to day camp and, ultimately, back to motorcycles for the rally. I've still been worrying though... Finances are really really stressful. But then today my Catholic grandma (the nutty one who hates my mother)wrote me a random check for a grand. Say what? Slowly I'm beginning to see how He works quietly through those places that one least expects. It's quietly rejuvenating.

Hope ya'll had a fantastic summer!

Love you!

Hana

Grace

Grace
noun
unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification

Recently, I read Phillip Yancey's book "What's So Amazing About Grace". I highly recommend it, and it is the reason why I am writing this. In it, Yancey wrote "I cannot claim that Grace is fair. Grace is, by nature unfair." That line reminded me of a particular line in one of my favorite songs, Be My Escape by Relient K. "The beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair". I didn't get the line until I read the book, where he explains: "We get the opposite of what we deserve". If you really think about it, this is shocking. As human beings, we feel a desire for justice to be done. We sense and intuitively know that some things are broken, wrong and out of place. We want evildoers to be punished and restrained. We often WANT people to "get what they deserve". What we often don't think about, however, is that we are all infected with the same brokenness we see around us. It bothers us, so we often ignore it, claiming to be better than the rest of the world because we try to follow the rules. And yet, even though we try, we fail. We cannot measure up to the rules. We are human. Our concept of "fair" is flawed. We all need Grace. Grace isn't fair, because it treats everyone the same. I need grace, the same as a murderer or thief.

In Matthew 20, Jesus illustrates Grace with a story about workers in a vineyard.
At the beginning of the day, workers agree to work at the set rate. Much later that day, the Master hires more workers, who were previously unemployed. At the end of the day, all the workers receive the same reward, though some had labored longer than others. This is Grace. Though by our own standards, it may not seem "fair", if we claim that another isn't deserving of grace, we reject it. I am reminded of an earlier post on this blog, when Andrew wrote about the woman at the well. Jesus showed grace in this situation as well. By showing us this grace, he allows us to live a life transformed. "Go now, and sin no more." Grace is the enabler of love.

Grace leads us to love, love leads us forwards to more grace. It's a positive cycle, which is something truly amazing. We see so much negativity in the world, yet grace offers hope, peace, and love when it it needed most. It is the antidote to the problem, and the way through conflict.

I often find it hard to show grace and forgive, but knowing that God forgave me, even when I didn't deserve it, and the feeling of gratitude that follows makes it far easier.

I pray that we can all more effectively show the presence of grace this fall, and for the rest of our lives. I think that this is by far the most effective way of illustrating Christ's love for us, especially during tough times, when we need it the most. John Newton said it right, Grace is Amazing, and can save us all.

-Josh

Greg Comes Clean Regarding the Chapter Camp Chicken

Like The Fox: The Chicken Story: " It started, brainstorming in the guys' dorm. 'What if we put a live chicken in their room?' said someone. 'And then what?' 'And then there'..."

Nothing Cute

Hey all, I miss the fellowship tons and I started out the summer super excited about this blog but I haven't contributed because I haven't had anything nice or encouraging to say; no revelations, no metaphores, just a lot of frustration and isolation etc. But God is so good, you know? He really does provide, and in a dry and weary land, he is the water. Think about this: it's guarenteed that there will come seasons/situations that look devoid of God, like he is tots MIA, or at least doesn't know what he's doing. There is no gaurentee that these seasons will be short (40 years is a familiar number, yeah?) But God is sovereign. Over everything, every one at every moment. Do you actually beleive that? Because he says it's true. You don't know what he's doing? Don't sweat it; he does. No really: don't sweat it. I think one thing I'm finding is that this whole "I just wish I knew what God was doing" attitude is moot, because if I actually trust that he IS doing something, than who cares?

2 Corinthians 5:7 "We live by faith, not by sight"

Cheers and Love. Consider this a virtual hug <3

SCF T-shirt!

Hey guys!

I'm thinking that SCF should have t-shirts for Orientation this year. That way, anyone can identify a member of SCF should they have a question about SCF or something that they want to ask one of us, and we will also appear more legitimate at our first few meetings. I'm very willing to design a t-shirt and order a batch, although they will cost between $12-$15 each.

So, how's that sound? T-shirts yay or nay? What do you guys want them to say/look like? What color?

P.S. Sorry, Erik, but I've had a thing against iron-ons since my Vacation Bible School days ;P

P.P.S. And yes, if anyone else wants to design a t-shirt (someone who can actually draw, unlike me?), that would be great, too!

Kite strings

I was thinking today about the beautiful sermon my mom's Anglican priest gave this Sunday. Sunday was, of course, July fourth, so in honor of the day he talked about freedom, and the greatness of a nation that allows it - freedom of religion, of speech, of assembly. We can gather into large groups in order to scream about how much we hate our country, our government, our military, our president and said country, government, military and president sit by and let us do it. In that sense, we are freer than the people of almost any country in the world.

But nevertheless, he said, we are enslaved. Both free, and enslaved. Freedom, he said, was not about having no master at all, but rather about having a choice of masters. You could choose to be enslaved to commerce - to spend all day, every day, commuting to and from work and being at work and thinking about work and never seeing your wife or your kids or ever do anything for yourself. You'd be a well-paid slave, he said, but a slave nevertheless. Another example I would give is that you could enslave yourself to your spouse and kids - to people you love and trust. I would point out that wife and kids are wonderful, but, to be terribly depressing, fragile. Still, better to be a beloved slave, I think, then simply a well-paid one. The point is, we attach ourselves to things - tie ourselves down.

From there, my priest gave an absolutely lovely metaphor. He talked about a friend of his, another priest, who went to a barbecue, and flew a kite with his two nephews. It was a nice windy day, and the kite flew easily and high, straining hard against the string as if to say 'let me go! Let me fly! I could go so much higher than this if you would just release me!" So this other priest asked the kids, "So? What do you think?" The boys were very excited. "Release it!" they said. "Let it fly!" And so the man released it. Predictably, the kite was caught up in the chaos of the wind and pretty quickly came crashing down. My priests comment was something like, "Interesting, isn't it, how much higher we fly when we are tied down? We strain so hard to be 'free,' only to discover how much harder gravity pulls on a kite that is 'freed' from all restraint."

So the question is, of course, to what or whom do we tie our kite strings? Who or what will allow us to fly the highest? What restraint will help us towards the most freedom? The answer, I think, is obvious.

Doodling in the Dust

Last Friday evening, the full moon was beautiful. I stared at it the entire way to church for Bible study. Some notes on what we read that night, John 8:1-11:

This passage is known for being one of those stories with a disclaimer slipped in before it- in the "earliest and most reliable" manuscripts, it is not included. Why? Well, maybe it was made up and slipped in later. Or maybe it was part of the original but taken out early, and put back in after. Or maybe the "most reliable" manuscripts aren't that reliable! Whatever the case, it's certain that the story puts a somewhat different spin on the Jesus we know.

This is the story of the adulterous woman who was caught red-handed in the act of adultery (how embarrassing) during or right after the important Jewish holiday, the Feast of Tabernacles. The Pharisees, all in a rage (and simultaneously plotting against Jesus), drag her to the temple courts where Jesus is calmly teaching a crowd and ask him, point-blank, "Well, what do you think, Jesus? The law says that we should stone her. What's your opinion?"

Think about it for a second. Here's Jesus, not the most popular guy with the head honchos but doing nothing to rile them up for once, sitting peaceably in his Father's house, where people come to learn and to worship. To be holy. And then here come the Pharisees, in all their anger and ultra-righteousness, utterly desecrating the sanctity of the place because they have no intent to worship, only to trap Jesus with an admittedly sticky situation. If he orders them not to stone the woman, he is defying the law (in God's temple!), but if he goes with the law, he will shatter his image as a compassionate teacher.

So what is his answer? "But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger." Uh... what? Did he even hear them? Come on, Jesus, pull out some witty response or a shocking, I-didn't-think-of-that truth. You're God. You're smart! What are you doodling in the dust for?

Nobody knows what Jesus was writing. Scholars speculate that he may have been 1) buying time to think about what to do and/or pray, 2) just passing time to annoy the Pharisees, or 3) actually writing down the names of every sinner present in the audience, including the accusers. The last one is a particularly juicy hypothesis, the favorite of many. And to think, as the Pharisees continue to pester him, he then gets up and looks them straight in the eye, saying, "If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." ZING!

Jesus could have written down their names and then humiliated them all by exposing them for their hypocrisy. But a sadistic Jesus does not seem as likely to me as a patient, matter-of-fact, and maybe quirky Jesus. I like to think that he was just doodling, or taking the time to pray to ask God what he should do. And that serves as an example to us all: when confronted with difficult situations with only difficult decisions to make, the first thing we should do is pray. Jesus and the apostles prayed in every circumstance, and Paul encouraged us to never cease to pray.

And in the resolution of the story, we see the accusers silently leaving the scene (the eldest first, who are probably the wisest), convicted because they realize none of them has the authority of condemn anyone else, least of all in the presence of Jesus. Eventually, Jesus is alone with the adulterous woman, who is probably bewildered and thanking her lucky stars. Jesus is the only one who hasn't left, because he is the only one without sin. In fact, Jesus could have picked up a pebble and tossed it in her direction at that moment. But he doesn't. He pulls the guilt card, but his preferred method of chastisement is full of grace. "Oh, they all decided to bounce? That's cool; I drop all charges, too. Go now and leave your life of sin," he tells her.

Only Jesus can judge the sinners, but when he does the sentence always has a caveat: If you repent and believe in me, you will be free- forever. At least, this is how it will work until the end of days, after everyone has had a chance at grace. But a more present-oriented point is that we, as Christians, cannot possibly have the gall to lord our righteousness over anyone else and think we're doing them good. All of us are sinners, and thank God all of us can be forgiven of it.

- - -

Hey all,

A prayer request! I'm leaving for Taiwan tomorrow (early Thursday morning). I will be there for six weeks, the first four to take Chinese classes, and the last two for a missions-oriented English camp at a Taiwanese university. Rebekah and I both did this camp last year. If you'd like me to send you a prayer letter, let me know! Or maybe I'll send one to all of you regardless. But please pray for me for these six weeks. I have had... some tough times so far this summer spiritually, and I don't want any of it to carry over to Taiwan. Or, if it does, then may it be that God shows me something great as a result of the struggle. The shadow proves the sunshine, after all.

Thanks!
Peace,
Andrew

Speaking of Prayer……

You know, God, I’d really like that job, if it’s your will.

Whatever.

Lord, if it’s your will, please just show me the way.

And what if it’s not? Lo que será, será?

All right, so maybe our excuse is that we got the “if it’s your will” thing from the Lord’s Prayer. It does say “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

It’s right to want to do things God’s way. And it’s very logical to want to have that be the subject of our prayers- after all, whatever is God’s will is probably most likely to happen. But here is where we see a mysterious trend in the Bible. Instead of just voicing their wishes and hoping that it was God’s will, the prayer warriors of the Bible presented God with a picture of himself, from what he had told them. They asked based on what they knew about God.

Daniel- Repeated life and death situations doesn’t make him stop praying. He knows he’s innocent when thrown in the lion’s den, and he knows God to be his shield.

Moses (Ex. 32:11-14) - The barganing in Exodus isn’t some sort of “let’s test God and try to change his mind” game. Instead, he has trusted in what God has told him so firmly that he can use to the salvation of the Israelites.

And Abraham (Gen 18:23-33)- In the end, whether Sodom and Gomorrah is saved becomes secondary to Abraham’s realization of the greatness of God’s mercy in the granting of all of his requests.

So what’s my point? Simple. We want God on campus next year, in hearts and minds of Swatties. So right now, instead of saying

Oh Lord, if it’s your will, please save some people next year

…..pray as if you are expecting Him at the door of Kohlberg 115. Practically, pick two Swat friends and start asking for specific changes in their lives- that they will want to know Him, that they will come to the first large group, that something that happens this summer that will cause them to start wondering…….

What else might be His will? Well, ask Him. But be prepared for some answers.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know you all have mountains of summer reading, but if you want read more about expectant prayer from a much better author, get Daring To Draw Near by John White (Intervarsity Press)……

~Theresa

Prayer Requests

Hi people!

I hope everyone is doing well! I miss your bright and beautiful faces :-) I've been meaning to tell everyone that I had such an amazing time at Chapter Camp with you guys and I'm super glad that I went even though I really didn't think I was going to. God knows what he's doing!

So, I have two things that I would be super grateful if you guys prayed about. 1) I am working at an outreach camp this summer and the kids come tomorrow! I am super excited and happy, but also a bit anxious! I'm not feeling too good, plus our training period has been exhausting and emotional, so I'm just hoping I can still give it my all! Please just keep the kids coming in prayer if you could!

2) At chapter camp God really started some serious uprooting of emotions in me. It's been both necessary and difficult for the past couple weeks. Although I know it's ultimately making me stronger and edifying me, it's just a bit heavy right now, especially with all the work stuff I have to deal with simultaneously. So, if you could keep me in prayer as well, that would be AWESOME :-)

Thank you guys and I'm praying for all of y'all as well :-)

best,

Celestina

P.S. Psalm 126 has been a big blessing to me this week. Check it out, perhaps it will be for you too! It's pretty amazing how even when everything seems crazy and you have NO idea what you're doing anymore, you can still find faith and strength in scripture. *happy sigh*