Hit by a Freight Train

God showed up at chapel today. After a week of having multiple student groups over to the house, I was pretty bushed. How awesome to get to chapel for worship. After 45 minutes of being in God's presence, the worship leader dismissed us. But no one wanted to leave. And many didn't. Some had to due to classes, but even some of those hung around and prayed.

As I was sitting medeitating on what God was doing, a young man, from my class, came up and sat down next to me. He said, "I fell like I just got hit by a freight train." It was in the moments AFTER the service when the worship leader was singing about freedom that my young friend was struck full force by God's love and grace. As is true with many of us, he had been trying to live for Christ on his own. He wasn't making much progress. As he was singing the words "freedom," God came to him, in a powerful way. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he said, "I'm not supposed to cry." After assuring him that it is indeed OK to cry, we chatted about God's grace.

God moved in his heart in a deep way today and I am so thankful to be there to see God at work. What a joy to see students come to the end of themselves and recognize (remember) that it is Christ in me the hope of glory!

Keep praying for God to show up on campus. In chapel and in classes too!

Trent

No Growth Without Change

This week in my Culture and Communication class, we looked at dominant and co-cultures. One of the points we discussed was the need for dominant cultures to be open to change, especially in light of the many co-cultures that surround us.

I had the unfortuante opportunity to relate a true story about a church that had been experiencing rapid changes to their neighborhood. Rather than change and adapt in order to grow, this church resisted change and wound up shrinking incredibly. I am NOT in favor of change just because we CAN change. There must be compelling reasons to change. Certainly this church had those reasons. But they did not change. What a tragedy.

As I reflected about this truth, I am forced to ask myslef this question too. There will not be any significant spiritual growth in me nless I am willing to change. Change behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, actions, etc. I liked the discussion much better when it was directed ELSEWHERE. Now I need to point in at myself and undergo the process of change, so that I can be conformed to the image of God's son. It's happening, I know. But I sense there is much more change ahead for me.

Pray for me to identify the changes that are needed and then have the grace to actually make those changes.

Trent

He Will Make a Way

I spoke in chapel yesterday. I began my message by showing a powerpoint slide set to the music of Kathy Trocolli's "He Will Make a Wa." In this slide set the vocalists bounce back and forth between "He will make a way" and "Where there seems to be no way." This is repeated many times, offering the perfect opportunity to contrast pictures from the Balkans of war and devestation (the "where there seems to be no way" motif and pictures of people, missionaries to start, whom God is using to "make a way." It is very powerful.

Well, to personalize it a bit, I inserted slides of students that I had been randomly taking over the course of the first two weeks. The effect was incredible. Kids would laugh and scream when they saw themselves or someone they knew. It really drew the students in to the presentation.

I followed that up with a brief message on how God is making a way forward in the Balkans through people. I then gave brief testimonies of leaders in the Balkans. But not wanting to leave it there, I challenged the students to first see where God had made a way forward for them and to also trust God to make a way in areas of their lives where they are currently not seeing any progress.

Over all, I felt it went rather well. And for that I am thankful. I leave you with these thoughts, what area of YOUR life would you like to see God step in and make a way? Spiritual life? Physical life? Emotional life? Financial life? Family life? Relationships?

God can and WILL make a way where there seems to be no way.

Trent

The Terminal

I had my first class this week. I am teaching a class called, Culture and Communication. I was very nervous as I prepared for the hour and 15 minute class. I had powerpoints, videos and notes all at the ready. As I was unsure of how all the technology was going to work, I got to my classroom way too early. The room was still in use.

But as I got in and tried to get the data projector to work, I was glad I got there early. The data projector never did work :-( but after three people came and offered help, I was able to get the DVD player working. This was critical, as I had budgeted time for both the powerpoints and the dvd's.

I used the scene from the Terminal, with Tom Hanks, where he is interviewed by the chielf immigration officer at JFK to illustrate the challenge of understanding and being understood. It is a hilarious scene with the character played by Hanks saying, "Yes" to all the questions asked of him, even questions not looking for a yes or no.

That went well, as did the rest of the class. But I discovered a HUGE problem. Half the calss have the text that I read and half have a newer edition that is significantly different. As I had mapped out homework assignments based on the pages in the book, it is going to be a challenge to rectify, to be sure.

Pray that I can mae thi work over the next months.

Trent