I heard a statement the other day that REALLY got my attention: “Without vision people parish.”  This really got me worked up.  I understand this is in Scripture, but the person I was talking to was saying that if we as leaders can’t tell people where we’re wanting to head as a church, people will inevitably parish.  It seems like he was missing the point.

Ok, am I the only one that has theological issues with his perspective?  I have some thoughts I will share…at risk of you pegging my initial thoughts and questions as my end-all conclusions.

It seems like when we talk about “vision” we are at a huge risk of presuming what God is going to do.  As American’s we love to hear vision and can even come to a point where we classify it as “stepping out in faith.”  We can even demand “vision” as a necessary thing for ministry.  But can’t our pursuits of accomplishing something be much more of presumption than faith?  Isn’t it possible that our vision is much more of our dream, than it is a biblical command?  Or, doesn’t it seem like we can often just have American and even worldly desires that we have our “site” on in the church?

The Scriptures teach us, clearly I might add, that we are to “walk by faith, not by site.”  So, why would we have a “vision?”  Could it be that we are so uncomfortable with walking by faith that we need to have our sites on something – and don’t even know how to function outside of that?  Wouldn’t faith suggest we can’t see what’s coming?  Doesn’t faith assume that we trust God with the future and we simply seek to walk faithfully today?

Is it possible for us to have a “vision” and at the same time walk by faith?

For me, many people ask what my vision is for my church.  Well, I don’t have one.  Stupid?  Maybe.  But I know one thing: I have a hard enough time fulfilling 1 Peter 5:2 today, much less be concerned about what it means for tomorrow.  I’m a shepherd, not a fortune teller.  I’m a Christian, not God.  I have a hard enough time embracing the things God has called me to today.  Plus, James 4:13-17 scares me:

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’ – yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring.  What is your life?  For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.  Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’  As it is, you boast in your arrogance.  All such boasting is evil.  So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

Is it possible that our vision to accomplish things in our city is wrong?  Is the sense of our vision not as much faith as it is arrogance?  Could we as people (who’s life is but a mist) simply seek to be faithful today, and have confidence that if the Lord wills something to happen that it will actually come to be?  And, can we have faith that He will accomplish that whether we had a “vision” for it or not?

These are thoughts and questions I’ve been having.  For me today, walking by faith simply means being faithful to God in whatever circumstance He has me in today.  I trust Him in that as well as with whatever He may bring for tomorrow.

This may or may not be a surprise to you, but there is more and more talk about college ministry in the local church.  In fact I think it’s more than every before!  One of the things I’m most excited about is there are a few organizations trying to provide resources to those of us working with college-age people – and specifically in the local church!

It’s an interesting time.  Most resource companies are saying the “market” isn’t big enough yet to “invest” in resources.  I understand this, but to a VERY limited degree.  Some companies simply don’t have the resources to invest at this point in time, so to taking on the costs of producing resources is just not feasible.  But, there is one exception: Simply Youth Ministry.

Let me just be honest here.  It was over a year ago that I talked with Andy about college ministry resources. Was there a “market”?  No.  Was there a need?  Absolutely!  So, they have been investing in the need for over a year now.  I love it.  That’s ministry.

They are still working on providing more resources themselves, but they are also compiling some resources from all around that are specifically geared toward those of us working with college-age people – and specifically in the local church.  They now have a growing and developing college platform!  Keep an eye out.  They are also offering 10% off anything they have in that platform right now (in fact this coupon will allow 10% off anything in the store – it automatically takes it off in your cart).

Anyway, thanks to Andy, Doug, Nadim, Chris…and the rest of the gang there!

College-age people are constantly looking for what God has in store for the rest of their life.  This age stage is filled with hope – hope of a successful career, marriage, family, freedoms, etc.  One of the most common questions they’re trying to answer is: what does God want me to do with my life?

Although there are healthy aspects to this question, there are also dangers.  Sometimes looking forward causes us to be discontent with today.  Other times wondering about what God will do in the future leads us to be unfaithful with what He’s called us to do today.  This is one of the biggest discipleship issues in college ministry!  Getting college-age people to focus on being faithful today is one of the most difficult things to accomplish.

But this is where we must focus!

Helping them find a career path isn’t our job.  Our job is to help them walk in faith, today.  Here are four questions I would suggest you ask those you meet with that are concerned about their life direction:

1. Do you think God cares about what job you have in the future?  Why?  Why not?
2. What do you think God is asking of you today?  
3. Are you being faithful to that?  If not you can ask: Well, what makes you think He’ll give you direction for your entire life if you’re not even being faithful today?
4. Do you think looking forward to the future causes you to lose site of today?

My book is due to Zondervan this coming Friday!  I have an appendix on the issue of reaching out to commuter campuses, and I’m interested in knowing what you’ve done that is affective.  If you’ve worked with commuter schools and there are a couple things you’ve found to be effective throw them out and who knows, they may end up in the book.  Now, I can’t pay you for it, but I can say that if you have an idea I don’t already have down I will include your name in the book.  I have this appendix written out already, but again, I would love to know some of your ideas – plus others who read this blog might find them very useful as well.  So to get your thought’s rolling here’s a few questions:

What have you done on campus that’s been effective?

What have you seen that hasn’t worked on commuter school campuses?

Since there is very little, if any, campus life on commuter school campuses, how can you penetrate the social networks or people?

Are there certain people in certain positions that you’ve found helpful to you?

If you’ve had a formal club on campus…has that helped?  If not, why?  If so, how?

Thanks for your thoughts!

Last night I finished speaking.  Steve Fee led musical worship the whole week, but man, last night was simply amazing.  Honestly, the set of songs after I spoke was one of the coolest “worship” experiences I’ve had.  Let me just say this – Steve “rocked the house.”  Kids were engaged and everyone knew it.  He put together a set of songs that hit just about every point of the message.  It’s amazing when we can worship to songs that are directly tied to Scripture.  Thanks Steve.

I just got back to my room from the main session.  Tonight was simply unbelievable.  The entire week is about caring for the helpless and needy around the world – and tonight the kids stepped up. The night was designed to really challenge the kids to sacrifice in order to give, with the goal of raising $15,000.  This money would be able to feed 100,000 people for one year!  Wow.  I’m looking more into this organization, but once I find out more I’ll post more details on them.  

So, the message was basically sharing what’s really happening around the world and walking through passages where we are admonished toward doing justice in the world.   In response the kids were challenged to give toward this.  I stood there in amazement as the kids were lined up to give.  

I moved toward the back of the room and saw dozens and dozens of kids coming back from their rooms with all the money they had.  It was an amazing thing to see.  They not only gave $15,000 to feed 100,000 people for one year…they gave a total of $96,000 (and some change)!  People were lined up for about 15 minutes to give, they were adding it up as they gave and they were posting the amounts live on the screen as they came in.  They have given enough to build two orphanages and to FULLY support those orphanages for two full years!

High school and college kids gave this much, in one night, half way through a conference.  Granted, there are over two thousand people here – but nevertheless that is a lot of money for anyone to give in one night, much less high school and college students.  There is a lot of potential in this age-stage of ministry!

I just stood there in amazement.  I have no idea what to say to these kids tomorrow night.  Afterwards I was talking to Steve Fee in the green room and we were completely blown away at what just happened.  What a humbling thing to be a part of.  Fun stuff.

In Ohio now at Cedarville University.  Never been here before.  Had a good day traveling, although I couldn’t get any work done on the plane.  I usually can get a lot done, but for some reason today I just couldn’t focus.  Saw some cool views though – not sure what mountain that was, but it was beautiful.  I also had a nice surprise when I landed – a text message from Francis Chan.  We’re speaking at the same conference, but were going to miss each other.  His flight was scheduled to leave tonight at 6:00pm and I wasn’t supposed to land until 6:10.  Major bummer, but when I landed he had sent me a text saying his flight was delayed.  So, we were able to connect in the airport for a cup of coffee.  That was good to see him again and talk in person rather than just on the phone.  I haven’t seen him since leaving to plant my church just over three months ago.

I went to the main session this evening to get a feel for the conference.  Some cool stuff happening here.  The theme is iCare with an emphasis on serving the helpless and needy in the world (or, in today’s language, “justice”).  I’ll be speaking with college-age people and those working with them the next two mornings (a very cool smaller-discussion oriented time together), talking to youth workers and parents about preventing detachment after high school, and then speaking in the main session Thursday night.  Should be fun.

Tomorrow morning I will be asking some questions of the college students:

1. Why do you believe in the Bible?
2. How do you know you actually believe it?
3. How do you know you’re a Christian?
4. What is the difference b/w having a conscience and having faith?

Well, I’m at Portland airport waiting to board the plane.  Another day of travel ahead and another week away from my family.  One of “those things,” I guess.  It’s weird, I hate being gone, my wife obviously doesn’t like it either, my daughters miss me…and yet, every time my wife and I talk about it we still feel like we need to be doing this.  It’s about calling over comfort.

I was talking to a friend yesterday about calling.  Figuring out calling is an entirely subjective thing, and yet when you’re called there’s nothing that can change your mind.  You don’t have an option.  Isn’t that weird?  What is that?  How can we not point to anything tangible, and yet hold so firmly to it?

It’s called (no pun intended) being led by the Holy Spirit.  Walking in, with, and by the Spirit all the time is tough, subjective, completely against American culture and yet fun, exciting, and convincing.  It’s in these times when we feel God work the most.

What are you “called” to be and do?  Which decisions are you making out of comfort rather than calling?What are you doing today that is American and you rationalize it as spiritual?  What decisions are you making that are spiritually focused, beyond any circumstance?  Those are four questions I frequently ask myself.

Summer brings all kinds of things: humidity, sun, vacations…and all too often laziness!

The college-age stage of life isn’t the most consistent period of life anyway, but the lack of routine during the summer months can bring a real sense of laziness. Extremely late nights, sleeping in until lunch time and floating around all day until the night’s social activity can quickly become the new routine. Many will work full-time, saving money for the coming school year. But, typically, the summer brings freedoms unlike any other time of year.  The lack of maturity of most college-age people shows itself in the inability to handle the lack of structure in their life.

Summer can be a good time of relaxation and reflection. It can be fun, doing things we don’t have time to do during the busyness of school. But, it can also become a time of unhealthy focus.

The lack of routine birthing laziness is also often signs of inconsistency and laziness of areas of faith. The inconsistencies that have now set in by the end of July always plays out in areas of faith!  My recommendation for your week with students would be to help them think through their relationship with God.  Are they getting lazy in that too?  How much are they connecting with God, seeking His will?  What is the priorities of their summer and how does that play into their faith?  

It can’t be in weird/legalistic ways, but during this time of summer we have to intentionally keep our students focused on what really matters.  Summer can be good, but not if the entire thing is spent on ourselves!  This, from a biblical perspective, is inappropriate.  

Oh, by the way, how are you doing with this?  It starts with us.  Are you connected with what God is doing in your life as well as in your students?  Or, are you struggling with laziness and a lack of focus as a spiritual leader?  Are you in tune with where your students are lacking in faith?  Are you praying for them?  In order to keep our students focused on the spiritual significance of their lives we must also be focused.  Here’s a call to faithfulness…maybe take some time right this second to pray for the people you shepherd!  You’ve surfed the net and read enough blogs – it’s time to focus on what really matters.