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On recent Mondays, I’ve been looking back at some of the passages from my book on campus ministry, Reaching the Campus Tribes, expounding on some of the ideas that sprang from my yearlong research trip. (See those posts here and here and here and here.)
In this case, I wanted to offer a portion that is especially interesting to read right now, as many of us finish out our school years. I really hope you’ll read and reflect – and pass this on to anyone who needs to be reminded (or told) about the great mission field we get to serve!
In the last week, I’ve had the opportunity to visit two campuses – West Virginia University and George Mason University – which happened to be holding New Student Orientation activities during my visits.
For the uninitiated, NSO is a summer event when freshmen make their way to campus, often with parents in tow, in order to (presumably) get “oriented” for the year to come. This event often involves registering for classes, touring the campus, learning traditions and other school “rules,” and perhaps even moving in to the dorms.
Orientation also brings recruitment by countless organizations. Depending on the school, this can include extracurricular activities (frats, clubs, ministries, etc.), but it very likely also includes community establishments…
…such as banks, with their slick cups and pens and checkbook holders, recruiting students and their (parents’) money. You’ll also find newspaper subscription-hawkers, cell phone companies, and the ever-present bookstore, who will remind you from the beginning of your college experience that its convenience and support of the school make higher prices worth the cost.
Each business recognizes that this is a fresh crop, a group of pre-freshmen ready to be served! After all, a whole bunch of customers just graduated in May, and while their faces are long forgotten, their patronage is certainly missed.
(The credit card companies are probably absent at this point; they will instead show up within the semester, when parents aren’t around, with lots of free T-shirts or other flashy giveaways.)
This is Orientation.
But as missionaries, we look closer.
This is a land of fresh, wide-eyed potential. 18-year-old men and women walk these halls with maps they won’t soon need. Over the next four years, they will encounter a sort of life they haven’t known, with freedoms to do and be and become. The skin of high school, often so restrictive with its cliques and malformed “cool” and Babel-like, single-language culture, will be shed. New friends, new acceptance, new opportunities are here, whether this place is 50,000 people strong or much smaller.
A college is bigger than its numbers.
The hustle and bustle that will soon be found daily on campus will be a great visual metaphor for the life, the energy, the haphazard but steady progress that happens in this place.
Successes in the next four years will lead to the greatest joys imaginable, with experiences that last a lifetime or even lead these beautiful people to a new sort of life altogether. Reinventing oneself is not an uncommon event on a college campus.
These men and women will “find themselves” in all the best ways: within majors they didn’t know existed, within communities they didn’t know could exist, within new routines and challenging schedules and the maturity that makes life breathe easier. Leaders will rise up, either realizing the potential we always knew they had… or shocking everyone with ability we never knew existed.
Some of these men and women will find husbands and wives over the next four years, and many others will have their “antes upped,” as co-ed friendships help raise the bar on what they’re looking for in a significant other.
In even the first month of school, many of these guys and gals will join clubs that will “stick.” Many will start a friendship that will last forever. Many will be invited to a Bible study. Many will find their church – or at least start looking with intentionality. Many will reflect on this new experience after a few weeks, grin, and look forward to an amazing four years.
In those next four years, plenty of these men and women will get a leadership position. Or two. They’ll get in shape. Get a kiss (even their first, in some cases). Get engaged. Learn to schedule. Get a 4.0. Get honored. Make 2,000 Facebook friends. Find a career. Study abroad. Let go a little, loosen up a bit, mature a lot, and laugh nearly every day.
Some of these nearly-collegians will be back smiling next year at Orientation, happily representing the glories they’ve found to a new batch ready to be influenced and trained. Many of those glories would pleasantly surprise them today.
And some of those booths will be ministry booths, because the college ministry communities will have welcomed in Christians and non-Christians for discipleship and fellowship and conversion and love. Lots and lots of love. Boys and girls will come to school uncommitted and will leave vibrant, wide-eyed Jesus followers, and the whole world will be different because of it.
As missionaries, we look.
This Orientation also presents a land of unspeakable danger. 18-year-olds walking these halls at Orientation don’t realize the changes about to take place, and there are few good maps. Over the next four years, they will encounter a sort of life they haven’t known, with freedoms to fail and waste and destroy. The buffers of high school and family, often places of unappreciated coziness and naiveté and ever-present help, will be long gone. New kinds of pain, new temptation, new harshness are here, whether this place is 50,000 people strong or much smaller.
A college is bigger than its numbers.
The hustle and bustle that will soon be found daily on campus will conceal much of the death, the hurt, the haphazard and steady decay haunting this place.
Simple “mess-ups” in the next four years will lead to the deepest pain imaginable, in some cases pains that last a lifetime or even lead these beautiful people to take their lives altogether. Collegiate suicide is not an uncommon event.
These boys and girls will “find themselves” in all the worst ways: within temptations they didn’t know existed, within relationships they didn’t think could exist, within new routines and schedules and the stresses that can color days gray. Cults will rise up: cults of personality, cults of pleasure, and even real religious cults.
Many will “play house” over the next four years, and even today at Orientation the girls flaunt bodies, and even today the boys muster courage and methods to take them up on it. Many boys and girls will lower their expectations, willing to do much and accept many that they wouldn’t have only a year or two before, in hopes of touch and friendship and love and promise.
In even the first month of school, many will be invited to parties that get them in over their heads. Many will get drunk for the first time. Many won’t be invited to a Bible study. Many will attend church for the last time for many years. Many will reflect on this new experience after a few weeks, shudder, and walk forward into four long years.
In those next four years, plenty of these men and women will make a life-changing bad decision. Or three. They’ll get in heavy debt. Have a homosexual encounter (even their first, in some cases). Get an eating disorder. Get depressed. Reject their faith. Abort their education. Abort a child. Bring shame to themselves, their family, or their student organization. Masterfully learn “the world,” in all its selfishness and evil and temporary gratification. Lose friends. Let go of too much, loosen up too much, mature too little, and cry on many, many days.
Some of these nearly-collegians will be back smiling next year at Orientation, happily representing the “glories” they’ve found to a new batch ready to be influenced and trained. Many of those glories would repel them today.
This is the brink called Orientation, as men and women walk the halls of campus with their soon-tossed maps and their soon-absent parents and their fearful hope in tow.
[Remember, you can download Reaching the Campus Tribes for free!]
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Each year in March, one big basketball tournament becomes a highly publicized window into the magnificent mission field of college campuses. As Americans fill out their March Madness brackets and root for underdogs and watch the games, they’re focused on our mission field like no other time! This annual attention gives us college ministers the chance to take them on a unique “vision trip,” observing this particular people-group and picturing what mission work among them can accomplish.
Whether you’re a basketball fan or not, I hope you enjoy the 2012 edition of this essay. And please pass it on – for the sake of our “campus tribes.”
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Do you know what a “Vision Trip” is? It’s a Missions term, describing travel to a certain location to imagine what God might want to do there. A group of pastors might take a Vision Trip to Cambodia to consider sending church groups on short-term trips; a couple might spend a week in Kenya to determine if God is calling them to spend the rest of their lives there.
So imagine, if you will, taking a Vision Trip to a very unique land. You’ve heard reports that the mission need here is critical, that these people are still largely unreached… but you’re not sure if you or your church can prioritize missions here right now. So you take a Vision Trip to observe, pray, and consider what God might have in mind.
The month you visit this country happens to be the same month sixty-eight different tribes meet in their great annual contest (known to the natives as “the Túrnee”). Warriors from across the land meet to compete, and thousands of other countrymen will watch these games.
So of course, you’ll observe the Túrnee, too. It will help you discover the special culture and qualities of this people-group.
As the games begin, each tribe promotes its own identity fervently – each with a unique name. Many tribes have named themselves after animals known for their ferocity or speed – “Bruins” and “Jackrabbits,” “Wolfpack” and “Greyhounds” – while others have gone less menacing routes (like “Bluejays,” “Orange,” and “Bonnies”). Some of the tribes have chosen to honor heroic ancestors – Aztecs, Musketeers, Commodores, Spartans – or simply hardworking locals (such as “Boilermakers,” “49ers,” and “Shockers”). Another tribe has taken the name of a nut believed to bring good luck (“Buckeyes”), while one rallies behind the completely mythological, elf-like “Billiken”!
The "Research Triangle" is home to several campus tribes - including Duke (above), University of North Carolina, and NC State. Every tribe is different, and each one requires different missionary approaches.
The Túrnee inspires much festivity, of course: Dancers are prevalent – as are costumes, musical instruments, food, drink, wagers, merchants, and religious invocations. The chiefs of the tribes are here, and they can often be found cheering next to some of the youngest from their villages! Healers stand by in special uniforms, though actual bloodshed is minimal. Impartial judges are assigned to regulate the games (but will face much taunting throughout the Túrnee). The entire event is noisy, to be sure – but occasionally, above the din, rise various tribal chants: sometimes jubilant; often rhythmic, even solemn.
As you watch the competitions, you begin to notice traits beyond the tribal identities, pageantry, and revelry. You are unable to deny the deep passion here, among warriors and watchers alike. Some fighters win, and the crowd’s elation is profound. Some lose, and they weep with an unbridled bitterness that would be shocking if not for the fervent zeal you have seen displayed all month. You view transcendent, singular “shining moments” when Davids take down Goliaths, when boys become men for a few crucial minutes, when weakness is turned to strength to put opposing armies to flight.
Of course, these are just games. But with missionary eyes even this “secular” event reveals truth. You recognize the clear potential in this passionate people:
- The enthusiasm in these tribes has yet to be tamed. There is a grit here, a rowdiness, a messiness, a wild youthfulness in the warriors, the dancers, the musicians, and the crowds.
- The tribal bonds are not frivolous connections. The natural community and surprising comradeship within these tribes will help God’s work to spread between their members.
- Creativity abounds here. Channeled for the Kingdom of God, this same ingenuity could impact the entire nation… and even the world.
- These people are not short on energy. If God touches even a handful, their impact on others could be quick and profound.
While large state schools may get more attention sometimes, there are thousands of smaller campus tribes worth serving too - like the Bulldogs of Gonzaga University.
So as this year’s contests come to a close, you find yourself awed that God might ask you to be involved in reaching this unique group. Of course, this will not be an easy mission (as though any missionary activity is ever easy!). Surely patience, energy, and resources will be required to build a strong and lasting work.
But your Vision Trip has reminded you: This mission field is a unique adventure and a blessing indeed. And if these particular people are reached well, they in turn could change the whole world.
All the “madness,” the virtue, the passion, and the valor found in March’s Tourney reflect the beautiful mission field we reach through college ministry. And there are far more than sixty-eight tribes to reach.
I’ve had the amazing opportunity to visit 46 of the schools in this year’s Tournament, along with a few hundred more campuses in the last five years. God is doing some amazing things throughout the campus tribes, but there is much more to be done. For more on what’s taking place and how we can impact better, see my free ebook, Reaching the Campus Tribes.
After watching the Academy Awards last night, here are two Oscar-worthy opportunities available to us who serve in college ministry:
1. Our students can participate in great works. Our college ministries should regularly be producing students who are part of great works for years to come – both creating masterpieces in their chosen fields and doing “good works” that impact many. How many of your campus ministry’s graduates have achieved that sort of greatness?
2. We can be part of their acceptance speeches. One day, years from now, what’s the likelihood that you (or others in your college ministry) will be a part of students’ testimonies? When they share with their kids about notable spiritual impacts, when they describe to a room full of listeners how God grew them, when they write their memoirs… will they be talking about these few years in this college ministry? Is itreally having that kind of impact?
This is evaluation but also motivation. As college ministers, we’re serving at the hinge of many people’s lives… and if we’re impacting personally and purposefully, our impact can be enormous and forever!
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The Social Network came out on DVD last month, and it stands to receive some accolades on Feb. 27th at the Academy Awards; it’s been nominated for Best Picture and in seven other categories. It has already won all kinds of film awards, including 4 Golden Globes, as you can see at the movie’s official site. (That site, by the way, is pretty incredible all on its own.)
So there’s no better time to let this stoke the fires of your own ministry work. If you haven’t seen The Social Network, I highly encourage it. And I hope you’ll let it invigorate… even exhilarate you in this incredible work to which we’ve been called. (If the early scenes moving across the Harvard campus don’t fire up your missionary heart, something may be wrong.)
(Note: As always, movies mean we need discernment. This film is certainly PG-13 for a reason.)
I’ve written about Social Network several times, and I hope my thoughts are helpful for pondering how the film connects with College Ministry and ministry to Millennials in general. And as I’ve linked several times, the Christianity Today review offers an incredible summary of why this movie matters.
- The Social Network shows us college ministry is awesome. Read three reasons why here.
- The Social Network connects to all sorts of Millennial themes. We serve Millennials, so noticing these things is exercise for good campus ministry. Thoughts on this start here; the second part is here.
- Thoughts on looking for Millennial themes in the movies can be found here – with links to several other “millennial reviews” of movies, too.
- I saw The Social Network in theaters twice; my immediate reflections from the first time can be found here.
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How can college ministers impact the stars of Super Bowl XLV?
Go back in time.
That’s how.
Think about the opportunities we had:
Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers QB, went to Miami University in Ohio. Roethlisberger’s win in Super Bowl XL made Miami only the fourth college to produce a Super Bowl winning quarterback and an American President (another Ben, in fact).
The Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, played at Berkeley – after a stint at Butte Community College further north. (And we need great college ministry at both the brainy schools and the two-year schools, right?) He regularly throws to wide receiver James Jones, who went to school not so far away at San Jose State.
Steelers Strong Safety Troy Polamalu and his luxurious locks went to USC – Southern California, not South Carolina. That SoCal USC was also the home of Clay Matthews, one of Green Bay’s linebackers.
Steelers teammates James Farrior and Heath Miller share an alma mater in UVA, while Hines Ward (with a phenomenal first name) is from UGA. The initials continue with Packer B.J. Raji – formerly of BC.
Their coach, Mike Tomlin, went to William & Mary. The coach on the opposite sideline, Mike McCarthy, attended Baker University, a United Methodist school in Kansas.
Michigan was the campus tribe of Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley – and Charles Woodson of the Packers was a Wolverine, too. His teammate Cullen Jenkins was a Central Michigan man, while Western Michigan was the home of Packer Greg Jennings.
Florida schools, meanwhile, produced such Steelers as Lawrence Timmons (FSU) and Maurkice Pouncey (Florida). Packer Nick Collins came out of Florida, too, after attending Bethune-Cookman, a Historically Black College. His teammate, wide receiver Donald Driver, attended an HBC too – Alcorn State.
I could go on and on, obviously. Enormous schools like Ohio State are represented (with Green Bay’s A.J. Hawk, for instance), but so are places like Shippenburg U (John Kuhn) and Louisiana Tech (Tramon Williams).
The point is, college ministries might have / could have impacted guys who are now truly on a world stage – and who deal, day-in and day-out, with a unique set of challenges… and unique opportunities, too. But the college ministry experiences of all these guys are now done. Anything we might have done by us has already been accomplished.
And not only in their lives but in their thousands of classmates. Kinda adds to our urgency.
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You are part of a mighty throng of college ministers.
(I know they’re out there. I’ve seen them.)
The school year is upon us. (Well, most of us.) Plans are in place – and no, they’re not perfect. Decisions are made. You may have very little chance to adjust, to enhance, to breathe for the next several weeks.
But what you tell your supporters…
…your prayer warriors…
…your family…
…your friends…
…yourself, on occasion…
is true: This is a world-changing endeavor. Believe it (or else you’ve been lying!).
Since you will minister to college students for the next 9 months,
the world will change.
The dots are generally unconnectable. The freshman girl who considered doing anything for a date (now that’s she’s finally in college) may not ever tell you that was her original plan. You may lose track of the nerdy guy long before he becomes a Jesus-follower disguised as a prominent consultant. That foursome that grew closer to each other – and Jesus – because of your ministry won’t think to write a thank-you note after they’ve borne much fruit through a church plant.
But you’ll see glimpses of impact now.
Don’t let the glimpses go unnoticed. Don’t discount them. Don’t “get used to them.” Let the glimpses encourage you.
We need encouragement. We’re college ministers.
And the truth is, in all likelihood, you’ll actually change the world this year;
you’re a college minister.
I got to hang out with my sister and her hubby-to-be this week, and I got to hear some of their “big story” firsthand. I get excited about couples’ stories – at least when it’s clear they’re neat, happy, God-written stories (like theirs).
So that got me thinking about how we assess our ministries. One question worth asking is if I’m seeing God write a lot of great stories among the students in my campus ministry!
Is it common for my ministry to see really good
- conversion stories?
- job stories?
- educational stories?
- friendship stories?
- romantic stories?
- restoration stories?
- reconciliation stories?
- creativity stories?
- great party stories?
- great road trip stories?
- service stories?
- realization stories?
- stories that will be long remembered?
By good, I don’t mean “successful” or even “positive” (at least in our own understanding). But I mean good. I mean glorifying.
Are there lots of students we can point to who are dating well, who are studying “Christianly,” who have been converted, who are seeing friends throw off sins that were deeply embedded? Are we seeing prayers answered and families rejuvenated and baby Christians discipled? Do we have something FANTASTIC to talk about when testimony time comes calling?
Not all of our evaluation needs to be anecdotal – we need to ask quantifiable questions about how many students are attending Bible studies weekly, what percentage of the campus feels we’re an asset to the school, how many students are plugged into church after they graduate. In fact, I’d guess that we rely too much on “I know a few students who have been impacted” to satisfy us that our ministries are fully what they need to be.
But at some point, I think it’s worth counting stories. For one thing, that makes us measure how close we’ve stayed to the action. It clarifies whether or not we really know our individual sheep or whether we’ve begun simply to see the flock.
Then, it makes us question whether ours is actually a college ministry with life to it, a soil-patch indeed teeming with energy and life and growth like soil-patches are meant to.
Finally, it makes us celebrate. Because maybe there are stories there, but we forgot to keep repeating them.
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My visits to CU and OU notwithstanding, this short road trip has afforded more great opportunities to visit some cool campuses that aren’t of that “household name” variety.
One of the things I’ve been pondering recently* is college ministry’s attention toward the millions of collegians** who aren’t attending Duke, Texas A&M, or UCLA.
This is one area in which I (and you) can’t judge any individual calling for a particular ministry or a particular person to reach a “name-brand campus.” Certainly, God does and will call some of us to the better-known mission fields – even fields with a dozen or more present campus ministries.
But as I (and we) observe the sum total of campus missions efforts, I don’t think it’s presumptuous simply to question whether every national ministry is predestined to establish a beachhead at Wake Forest… whether every local church is called to reach the University of Texas rather than Austin Community College… or whether every brand-new college minister is meant to serve a school with a real possibility of producing either a future U.S. President or a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.***
Perhaps we in the field of College Ministry can pray for Macdeonian calls, that some blessed adventurers might be called to reach Front Range Community College, Oklahoma City University, University of Northern Iowa, or the countless other schools that are highly unlikely to beat Kansas in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. If I had dream-invasion skills****, I might just have to use them.
There are millions of students at campuses you’ve never heard of (and that’s just in our country). What are the chances that at least some of us are called to labor for Christ on the less-reached fields, to build works in places where few or no works exist (of any kind)? (Such an ambition would be oh so Pauline, sayeth Romans 15:20!)
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*All this traveling (and my brain) tune me to pondering new ideas all the time. Feel free to ask.
**Collegian = noun. Collegiate = adjective. Always.
***There are four that have produced both.
****Not an implied tie-in to the new Nightmare on Elm Street remake. Rather, an implied tie-in to Acts 16.
Road Trip 14 recap, Day 14 (see all explorations here)
new campuses: Southwestern College (#18), Oklahoma Christian University (#19), University of Central Oklahoma (#20), University of Oklahoma (#21)
new states: Oklahoma (#5)
yesterday: finished up in KS, then made my way to the OKC area
today: continued exploring in the Oklahoma City and Norman areas
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I wasn’t sure I should blog about Tuesday’s afternoon exploration. I’m cognizant of the fact that on any given day, it could be someone’s first day here at the blog… and this may be an interesting first impression.
But my attempts to learn the field of college ministry mean that sometimes it’s right and good for me to observe the darkness on our world’s campuses. That darkness is not the only or even the main reason for college ministry (and plenty of Christians need to realize that). But it is ONE reason for missions to the campus tribes.
Early on my yearlong road trip, I learned about a particularly pungent campus celebration of debauchery, Brown University’s “Sex. Power. God.” on-campus semi-orgy (that links to my post about it). Blue Like Jazz filled the world in on another, Reed College’s Renn Fayre (that links to Wikipedia). And yesterday, I saw another: CU Boulder’s 4/20 pro-marijuana gathering.
And lest there be any doubt: I did not partake.
the crowd on the outskirts of the field near where I was standing
As you may know, “420″ is code within the Pot Culture for marijuana. So the ideal of smoking pot each year on 4/20 at 4:20pm is a sort of liturgy, you might say, for devotees. At the University of Colorado, a tradition has grown of doing just that, and many thousands gather to participate. Though the Buffalo tribe isn’t the only location to hold such an event (and get away with it), it seems to be one of the better-known pro-marijuana gatherings, which are (perhaps rather loosely) connected to the drive to legalize marijuana.
Please understand: I am in no way celebrating this crazy event. But since I can be your eyes and ears among the campus tribes, I’m glad to share what I experienced Tuesday (in brief; you can ask questions if you want to know more).
While I had assumed the gathering at CU would mostly organize around the 4:20pm moment, people were already gathering at the site by 2pm (and perhaps much earlier). That site is Norlin Quad, the largest “green space” at CU. (It does provide a great “center of campus” spot; I really appreciate such spaces in my campus visits.)
I had heard – but perhaps I misunderstood – that police line the edges of the field, but that certainly wasn’t the case. What appeared to be a mixed force of several dozen police and hired Event Staff instead dotted the campus. Mostly they were concentrated around the field, but I saw others at different locations – including some seeming to sweep a building near the field, perhaps making sure that the pot smoking was limited to external areas.
I forgot to note that as I drove to campus, I met my only obstacle. A staffperson was dialoguing with each of us as we drove onto campus. However, I was only asked for the purpose of my visit to campus; when I replied that I was visiting campus, that seemed to suffice. (It’s possible they were there simply to emphasize that “someone is watching” – potentially quite psychologically effective as people descended on campus. It might also provide some sort of legal defense.)
I expected a similar consultation on the way out, since driving under the influence would be hazardous to both CU’s students and their legal fund. But no such luck.
my view at 4:20pm
The gathering was certainly not only collegiate. Many of the participants appeared to be high school age. Many others… have probably been smoking marijuana longer than the CU students have been alive. Another segment of the rally population that’s important to mention are the countless bystanders, who seemed (like me) simply there to observe. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if for many locals and students this is the one day of the year in which they do partake in the drug. There was much sharing; the adult cameraman next to me certainly offered me some product.
That leads me to an interesting turn in my observations. My cameraman buddy made an interesting comment while we were observing from the edge of the field. He reflected that the environment before us was wonderfully “chill,” that “this is the way it should be.” He clearly saw in this event a reflection of the peace, fun, fellowship, relaxation, and unity that he envisions in a “perfect world.”
I saw plenty of creativity, too, which is notable and important even when directed toward darkness.
What do I occasionally hear from people wiser than me? That sin is fulfilling legitimate desires in illegitimate ways? I don’t think it’s unwise for us to notice the capability, the genius, the hopes, and the passion of the campus tribes – even when we have to observe those things through the haze (figuratively or literally).
In any case, I certainly learned more in those few hours about Pot Culture (and pot odor) than this sheltered fellow had ever learned before. And I prayed. I cringed. I watched. I hoped. I wondered how we reach into this version of the darkness.
And then I Febrezed, scrubbed, shampooed, and stuck my poor Dartmouth T-shirt in an ice chest.
Road Trip 14 recap, Days 6 & 7 (click here to see all explorations so far)
new campuses: Front Range Community College – Westminster Campus (#9)
last 2 days: including the weird exploration described in this post, Tuesday was one of the “largest” days I’ve had in my many explorations – with a phenomenal time with the Cru Regional Team and experiencing The Annex church-based ministry. Wednesday was finally a day for some (very much needed) rest, as well as a couple of more cool encounters.
today: Chapel at Colorado Christian University, and more!
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From the very beginning of the video, with dancers and band, bulldog and Bearkat, try watching this like a Missions Recruitment video. But instead of India or Uruguay, we’re being recruited for the Campus Tribes:
How can we not but turn the world on its ear, as we labor among these amazing tribes?
I recognize that some are panning this year’s version of “One Shining Moment” – good thing we have twenty-something years’ worth to watch, should the mood strike us. As I annually watch this amazing montage (which is somehow wrapped up within about 15 minutes after the final game), I can’t help but:
- Tear up. Really. Every time.
- Ask, as I tweeted last night, “Who are we, that we have been chosen to minister in a field with this kind of energy, passion… & a billion one shining moments?”
- Hope that our drive and focus and excitement and creativity and brilliance as college ministers might one day rise to match the amazing field to which we’re called.
We should be thankful we get to labor here, and help call others to this noble (but awesome) task!
(You can look at the whole Tourney through the eyes of a college minister, in this year’s version of my short “Sixty-four” essay. And if you know somebody who needs to love what we do, point them there – or for a bigger view, to Reaching the Campus Tribes. Both free, of course.)
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