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The Rumors Are True.

You’ve probably heard rumors about the fact that there’s a spiritual awakening on college campuses around the nation, and from what I’ve witnessed, those rumors are true.

Just before I spoke the first time at the upstate NY Cru Fall Retreat.

I’ve spent the last couple weekends speaking at 2 different Cru Fall Retreats—one in central Pennsylvania, and one in upstate New York—and it’s been amazing to see the hunger students have for Jesus.

As I did 5 talks over each weekend, had private conversations with individual young men and women, answered questions at a formal Q&A time, and looked into the watery eyes of several students while talking about God, I’ve concluded that the next generation has something VERY special going on within it.

These young people are the real deal. They want to read their Bibles. They want to kill their sin. They want to share their faith. They want to push back on the anger and cynicism they see in our culture.

In short, they want to live out what they were created for—to know God and to make him known.

But they aren’t immune to the issues that Gen Z is facing…

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What’s It To You?

Contentment with the grace God has lavished on you is the key to gospel satisfaction in the Christian life. Comparison, however, will destroy that satisfaction.

I’m guilty of falling into the trap of consistently glancing at what others have or experience, and then quickly evaluating whether or not I’m living with what I perceive to be the same benefits they live with. In other words, I struggle a lot with contentment.

It’s been said that comparison is the thief of all joy, and I must say I agree. If I compare the kind of material goods I own with someone who is much wealthier than I am, I quickly begin to covet what they have. There’s no joy in that.

On the other end of the spectrum, if I compare my stuff with someone else’s that aren’t as nice, I feel superior to them, rot with pride. There’s no joy in pride either.

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Where Is God?

God’s ways are not my ways…and that’s a very good thing.

If you are a Christian, all of your hopelessness died on the third day when God the Son killed death itself and rose to life again. Victory and power rests in the empty tomb of Jesus Christ, and because he holds the keys to life and death, I can trust that he knows exactly what he’s doing in my life through my pain.

Photo: Unsplash, Martin Adams

I’ve been a chronic pain patient for several years, suffering from degenerative disc disease that puts pressure on my sciatic nerve, causing radiating nerve pain in my right leg. It’s been absolutely miserable for me, but also one of the most spiritually formative things in my life.

I’m reminded here of the eulogy former NFL player Jonathan Evans gave at the home-going celebration of his mother, Lois Evans, when she lost her battle with cancer. He admitted to the hundreds of people in attendance that he had been wrestling with God over why she was not healed and allowed to live despite all the people who were praying for her around the world.

Evans confessed that he questioned God by stating, “[Her healing] was an opportunity for us to see your glory—where are you?”1 And then Evans told the crowd that as he wrestled, God answered. Here’s what he said God brought to his mind:

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Help for Couples on Valentines Day

In light of Valentine’s Day approaching, I thought it would be good to intentionally talk a bit about dating and romance. I have a lot to say about this (especially because today’s romantic scene is quite complicated), but I think I’ll only talk about one aspect of the subject right now…

Photo: Unsplash

I’d be willing to bet that dating’s major selling point is not the glitz and glamour of “serving another person.” In fact, I would be really surprised if that were one of the top ten reasons for anyone to enter into a dating relationship. One doesn’t intrinsically think, “It would be really great to date that person so I could serve them sacrificially.” We simply aren’t wired that way because the undercurrent in every human heart is selfishness. Our sinful nature makes it nearly impossible to push “service” to the front of the line when it comes to main motivations for dating.

We view dating through the lens of “what can this relationship do for me?” Of course, we don’t actually ask ourselves that question when we’re single, but the truth is it’s probably the main reason any and everyone jumps into the dating pool head-first.

Think about it. When you look back on your motivations for getting into a relationship in the past, what were they? If you’re having trouble, let me help you along with a few of mine from the past…

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Isolation Breeds Forgetfulness

Without the presence of other people in our lives who love Jesus and walk with him, we become islands who try to spiritually self-feed and it never works. Despite our delusional belief that we are fine on our own and can spiritually mature via self-appointed authoritative measures (like watching sermons online or listening to podcasts), we need other flesh-and-blood people in our lives who are willing to get involved with our messiness and point us toward Scripture.

Photo: Brooke Cagle, Unsplash

For someone who has been in full-time college ministry for over twenty years, I know all too well what self-appointed authority leads to: disobedience.

I have seen numerous young men and women who have walked away from Jesus for a variety of reasons, but nearly all of them have one thing in common—they isolated themselves from the body of Christ.

Mike was a student leader in the campus ministry at James Madison University in Virginia where I was on staff with a campus ministry. He shared his faith, read his Bible, lived with a house full of other godly men, and even interned with our ministry for several years after he graduated.

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Your Future is Life Not Death

The future of a Christian is secure in life because of the death and resurrection of God’s Son. He died so that we don’t have to.

Even though every person eventually dies, death is not at all natural. Every human being will one day pass away, but death itself was not a part of God’s original plan. Death entered the world as a consequence of sin.

Photo: Unsplash, Umit Yildirim

There is a reason we instinctively abhor death and the fact that it eventually swallows everyone we know and love. We as human beings are made in the image of God, and God is the Author of life. It is written into our hearts that life is precious, valuable, and worth preserving. This is why death is so vile to us. It is why we cry when we hear the news about someone passing away. We are made to enjoy and radiate life, not death.

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God’s Economy of Worth

Is there something in your outward appearance that you don’t like? Is there anything about your body that you would change if you were able? I would.

Photo: Tiago Bandeira, Unsplash

I’m short, and I’ve always been that way. I was constantly made fun of as a kid, and now as a five-foot-six-inch man today, I’m often viewed as “less than” or “unable” when it comes to typical male-dominated things like carrying heavy furniture or a casual game of tackle football. It’s always been a great source of pain for me, but what about you?

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Six Things to Help You From Becoming a Digital Fool

 

When we type with our thumbs, they are an extension of our mouths, and as Scripture says, our mouths are an extension of our hearts. (Matt. 12:34)

Photo: Warren Wong, Unsplash

Consequently, your thumbs represent who you are. So by observing what you post online and what you text to others, who would people say you are? Are you wise or are you what the Bible calls “a fool”? (Prov. 29:11)

Regardless of how you may answer, let me offer six ways to help you from being or becoming a digital fool…

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Boundaries are a Gift of God’s Grace

God’s boundary lines are an authoritative gift of his grace. In fact, the giving of the Law itself to the Israelites in the book of Exodus is a loving act of God’s favor extended to his people.

Photo: Sylwia Bartyzel, Unsplash

Now, authoritative law-giving and grace aren’t often closely associated with one another in the minds of many, because Mount Sinai generally correlates in our thoughts with thunder, lightning, thick clouds, fire, trembling, and rules. We see the giving of the Law as pretty scary, but all of the jarring noise and breathtaking visuals were more likely akin to a school teacher in front of an unruly room of students, calling for their attention and shouting, “Class! Class! Listen up! I’m going to speak now about something that’s extremely important.”