2024 November Update: Loving God's Word

How do you get a generation that is extremely biblically illiterate to become lovers of God's word? That's a question we've been asking for a few years. More and more often we have students who grew up in the church be unable to identify who Saul, David, or Solomon are. They don't know the stories of Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob. They don't know who Samson is or any of the judges. They have heard the names of some disciples but couldn't tell you that Paul wasn't one of them. Many of them have never read an entire book in the Bible. Here's how we try to address that issue!

Pizza Theology

For longer than I've worked for FOCUS, we've done Pizza Theology twice a year. We get to spend hours diving into a biblical topic. This semester, we invited Dr. Rikk Watts, a retired seminary professor, to teach our students about 1 and 2 Samuel. Dr. Watts has taught our communities multiple times over the past decade and regularly teaches our apprentices every year in their studies on the New Testament. His understanding of Scripture and love of Jesus has deeply impacted our staff and our ministry even if this generation of students don't know it. What they got was more than even we bargained for. He didn't just teach on Samuel, he challenged and opened our eyes to why God might choose stories and narratives to be the genre in which he would communicate to us in his book. As humans we are defined by our stories and when we read the Bible as it is and not as we want it to be, we might be able to define ourselves by God's story. It was an awesome experience that I know will bless our community for many years to come.

Scripture Smackdown

To capitalize on that momentum, we implemented a competition for our students that we have named Scripture Smackdown. A battle between the sexes on reading the Bible. They are awarded points for reading entire books of the Bible (this is not a memorization verse competition, but a steeped in the Word competition). We incentivize consulting other resources and reading it aloud with others to heat up the value of hearing the Word as it was originally heard: out loud and in community. We know that this is only one step towards becoming like Jesus, that simply reading does not in itself create disciples, but our students have attacked the challenge with fervor. In one week they've read 138 books of the Bible already. And the only prize is a small engraved plaque on a trophy signifying who won this year. We're very happy with how much they're already getting each other in on it, and we hope God will produce a lot of fruit from this!

Thank You!

This year has been an exciting year of innovation and change. The world has changed a lot and what has always worked for us has needed to adapt to the needs of a new generation. But it's only thanks to you guys that I get to be here and a part of it. The gospel message of God's love to the world has not changed, but the ears and the minds that hear it have. So, in a reflection of God's example, we step towards them rather than have them climb their way to us. Thank you for believing in the kingdom vision here, and I ask for continued prayer for the ways our community is growing, that it will take deep root in our students' lives and that they would follow Jesus for the rest of their lives. 

2024 October Update: The Grove and The Getaway

The year of the rebrand continues on as we attempt to embrace Gen Z as they are and rather than push them to be something they're not, meet them where they're at and bring them towards Jesus. The Grove continues to build momentum as students are excited about coming together and fellowshipping with one another. They've loved the challenging teaching, the new song repertoire by the worship band, and the care we put into establishing the Grove as a place to rest from the week and reorient towards Jesus.

The Getaway

We also rebranded our annual fall retreat to The Getaway. Historically, it's been a small group-oriented event that deepens bonds within the small groups that come. However, challenges arise when some small groups have few to no members who end up coming. This year, we decided to rethink our goals and that resulted in a new vision of wanting our larger community to form and deepen bonds with one another, without a focus on the small groups. As individuals get to know others in the community beyond just their small groups, their dedication to showing up and participating increases as well. They end up encouraging one another, feel empowered to reach out to one another for support and for advice, they spur one another on to love and good deeds. This new emphasis on the importance of God's greater community has been taking root in our community and hopefully will bear great fruit as the year continues!

Baptisms!

The baptisms keep rolling. Every week there seems to be another baptism. God is pulling us out of the muck and into his saving grace. Whenever we study the Bible with anyone, we make our intentions clear, that not only are we reading the Bible to get to know Jesus but that they'll be brought to a decision point on whether they want to follow Jesus or not. Jesus is not a museum exhibit that we learn more about, he's a person who has extended an invitation, "Come, follow me." And we cannot ignore that invitation, we can say yes or no. And praise God that people are saying yes!

Thank You!

Without your support, I could never be a part of and bear witness to what God has done at this campus and in this community. Thank you so much for all your support, for the prayers and the donations that enable me to serve these college students every day. After nearly 10 years, God continues to show up for me and for them to make us more like Jesus every day. 

2024 August Update! Another Year!

 

Welcome Week

The students love 9-square!

The year has started! And just as it starts every year, this year is no different. We go hard from sun-up to way past sundown in order to meet students and give them a great first experience at UTD. Some of these students will end up joining our ministry. But the vast majority will not, and that is their choice. The gospel, though, is that God loves them where they're at and wants to be with them. And if he wants to be with them, then we do too. So, we pursue and we put ourselves out there and we make them feel welcome at this campus. Over the course of the two weeks, we probably meet between 1,000 and 2,000 unique students. A lot of students, and yet a far cry from the over 30,000 that attend this university. Our hope is that each and every student would be invited to know Jesus at some point in their college career, and this is the planting season when they are most open to that invitation. 

The Grove

We fill up the classroom!

This year we have rebranded our Friday Night Fellowship meetings to The Grove. We found that FNF meant a lot to our members, but was unmemorable to our campus. So to begin with, we wanted to articulate our values for this meeting so that we would have a clear vision. Those values boiled down to rooting deep in the word, branching out to others, and bearing fruit of a transformed life. This is how we came to the language of The Grove! It required buy-in from our current students who were attached to the old language, but they decided to follow the new direction. And it seems to be connecting because we had 240 students show up to our first meeting! For the past few years since COVID, our first meeting numbers have been around 170-190. So this is encouraging to see that something we're doing and something int he culture is shifting to being willing and open to engage in Christian community.

Core

Our cores, what we call our small groups, have started this week and will continue to build foundations and momentum for their groups in these next few weeks. Please be praying that students get involved in this part of our ministry where they are able to grow deep in their friendships and grow in vulnerability with one another. This is the core of our ministry because so much happens when we choose to live life together like Jesus lived life with his disciples. That time together changes us to be more like him when we choose to follow, so pray for great groups!

William

William and his cousin!

With both myself and Emily back at work (and intense work!), we've been getting in the routine of dropping off William at daycare. It's quite a change in schedule to account for dropping off and picking up! He's been loving getting time with his cousin though. He's been such a happy baby, no sicknesses, no issues, and generous with his smiles. He's waking up in the wee hours of the night, but on the scale of babies, he's been quite kind to us. Pray for continued healthy growing for William and for energy for Emily and me as we continue to power through by the help of the Holy Spirit and God's gift of caffeine.

Thank You!

Thank you all so much for another year on the team. It's because of your support and generosity that I'm able to continue to minister to these college students and pass on a Jesus-loving culture from one generation to the next. Looking forward to a great year, one full of problems and opportunities that God will use to grow his people! 

2024 June Update: Summer

Hey everyone!

 Summer is here and often people ask what do you do in the summer? Well, there's still students around so there's still ministry to do! However, thank God that the pace is more relaxed than the school year. During the school year it can often feel like a sprint. You have 10 months to build a deep relationship with many of these students, and often by simply acting like Jesus you become the best friend they've ever had. By being purposeful in your questions and authentic in your care through the good and the bad, you become one of the closest confidantes for most students that come across your path. However, that requires a lot of time and energy. And it's meant to set the stage for them to see an example of Jesus like that and become that kind of an influence on others. So the summer comes as a change of pace, because it's impossible to grow at that pace forever. Just as God created the world to have seasons of growth, harvest, and rest, so do our lives. Summer is the chance for those relationships to rest in their growth, to enjoy the harvest after 10 months of growing, and for us ministers to rest a bit before getting up to do it again in just a little while. That doesn't mean I no longer meet with students! There are still a couple that I keep going in the summer because of their needs, and there are new students that I may not have gotten a chance to meet in the school year! But a lot of time becomes dedicated to support-raising and getting to catch up and visit with old friends and maintain the fields of my life that may have been left untended during the school year.

JaM Camp

Emily, William, and I were able to help out our church’s kids camp called JaM camp that is hosted in Oklahoma. It’s a long drive and a four-day trip so it was a commitment, but it was a great experience and ministry is more than just for college kids. 

Service

 Our college students still get opportunities to serve and be together over the summer. Here’s a crew that helped out a church take down VBS decorations. What college students lack in finances and experience they make up for with strong backs and willing hearts!

Thank you!

 Thank you for all your prayers, love, and support. It has been a sweet summer working on integrating my family and ministry so that I can continue to do what God has called me to as a college minister and now as a father. But it’s because of all of you that I get to continue this journey and be like Jesus to so many kids who need him. So thank you all so much!

 

 

2024 April Update: He's Here!

Unity in the Body

During Holy week, the week leading up to Easter, we put on an event with the other campus ministries as well as many of the churches in the area called Resurrection Fair. This is an opportunity to evangelize to the students on campus, bless them, and show the campus that we are united ministries and not competing ones. Though we may have slightly different doctrines, and meet on different days of the week, we all believe in the resurrection of Jesus and his saving power for us. 

Baptism

The baptism train is still rolling! We've had Kayla, Renae, Maddie, and Esther get baptized in the past month! God is still moving all the way to the end of the year, and we are so glad that he pursues us when we're lost. And we have such amazing student leaders who invest week in and week out into these students in friendship and leading them to Jesus. Their impact has eternal consequences because of their faithfulness this year!

William is Here!

The baby is here and I am so thankful for everyone's support! It was a relatively smooth pregnancy and delivery and he's been gaining weight like clockwork. Praise God for an easy first baby to convince us that we can handle more down the road!

2024 March Update: Baptisms Galore!

Ainsley being baptized!

Baptism!

Praise God, this past month or so, we've had so many baptisms! We believe that baptism is such a important part of a believer's life, a moment where we step out in obedience and choose to experience God's grace even deeper. We participate with Jesus in his death and resurrection as we die to our old self in the water and are raised to new life. And within our Focus on Jesus study that we aim to do with every student in our ministry that wants to study the Bible we have a lesson on baptism, repentance, and rebirth. It ensures that everyone gets the invitation to be baptized in Jesus Christ. Over the past two months, we've baptized Roger, Ainsley, Shree, Jared, Hannah, and Michael. We find pools on campus, pools in people's backyards, or the baptistery at a church. It's always such an encouraging time to hear of how Jesus has been transforming hearts and lives and how our community gets to be a part of that!

 

Pizza Theology!

Pizza Theology teaching

We also had our semesterly Pizza Theology! We get together for five hours to talk about a topic in-depth. This semester we did it on the Bible, bringing it back to the basics. Over 400 students came to deepen their understanding of how to read the Bible and listen to God through his word. 

Baby William

It's baby week! The baby is due on Saturday and latest he'll come out is Tuesday for the induction. So please pray as he could come at any moment! We're both very excited to see him!

Thank You!

Baptizing Jared!

Thank you for all your generosity, I couldn't do what I do without your support. Because of you I got to baptize Jared and watch Roger get baptized. Both of them were in my small group two years ago as young men and now they've grown so much. Roger was baptized by another one of the guys in that group I led that year. That year and those relationships we formed has been sharpening all of us and God has used us immensely to help each other grow. So, thank you for investing in this ministry and in guys like them! They get to experience Christ and show him to each other because of you.

This is Roger during our weekly Bible Study!

Michael getting baptized!

February Update: Leadership Selection!

 

Leadership

Two student leaders I meet with!

It's leader time! This is the time when we're identifying and inviting potential student leaders to attend SICM, our leadership conference in the summer. They're making those decisions now on if they are willing to invest in their spiritual journey and maturity into leadership, so please pray that those who are called would make the decision to heed that calling!

 

We're also receiving applications for our 10-month apprenticeship for graduates and students who are set to graduate this May. So it really is leader time. We'll be interviewing them in March, and we are always seeking God's wisdom in who to select and how best to use this time to grow them into ministers who can be effective and faithful in any walk of life!

 

It feels like there's always more to do because there always is! When it comes to people, we're always growing, always changing, and there's no time to take a break. But we have to trust that God is the primary mover, who makes things happen and we're just the aides who get to participate in a small part of it. 

 

Holy Spirit

Class Discussion!

I've been teaching a Holy Spirit Class for our students to help them understand and ask the right questions about the third person of the Trinity. These students voluntarily signed up for a 2-hour a week class to learn more about the God we serve. It's been exciting to discuss with them and see how they are helping each other learn and be accountable to learning, and dive deep into their faith so that it can withstand the storms of life.

 

Life and Death

Nursery is ready!

In other news, it's just about a month until baby William is coming! For our firstborn son, we wanted to name him after both of our fathers who are both named William. I'm enjoying the last few weeks of being a non-father but also eager to start the next phase of life as a dad. Just as God gives life, he takes away as well. My first dog, Penny, passed away at home two weeks ago. She was almost nine, so we knew it would be coming sometime soon, but not quite this soon. It's been a time of grieving as she was the first dog I rescued about six years ago. We would appreciate prayers for all of life's transitions that we're going through.

 

Thank You!

Thank you all so much for supporting me, for caring for me. Without you, this life that God has called me to would not be quite as sweet. Thank you for your generosity and your continued prayers for me and my family!

Penny

January Ministry Update: Winter Retreat is Coming

Winter Retreat

The whole fam on Christmas!

Merry Christmas and happy new year! Hope you all had a great holiday season full of family, friends, and rest. Our semester is picking back up and we kick off the winter spring semester with our Winter Retreat every year. It's going to be this weekend, Jan 12-15, and our speaker is one of my seminary professors, Dr. Daniel Lee. He's coming to speak to our students about disruptive grace.

 

 

Theology of Grace

My niece hugging her unborn cousin!

When I took his class a while ago, it was his teaching on the theology of grace that finally made the gospel click for me. Having grown up in church, heard about God's grace, and learned the good news of the gospel, it just seemed like something that all Christians had to believe. And there was work to be done to spread the good news and teach others about the grace of God. But it was his lectures and readings on how crazy and backwards God's grace is, how extravagant it is, how free it is that finally turned the good news into actually good news. That there was no cost or payment plan that I needed to sign up for to receive God's grace. It's not a pyramid scheme or a wage garnishing method. God's love and grace are not contingent on my work or goodness. It freed me up to minister out of joy rather than expectation. And I hope it will do the same for our students and other ministers who suffer from the same internal battle of needing to be "good enough". So, please pray for Winter Retreat and that our students would get to know God as he really is!

 

Winter FOCUS

Teaching her early!

Our students have taken it upon themselves to keep meeting over the winter break. In Dallas and Austin, they've formed groups to keep each other pursuing God even when their school schedules and work schedules have shifted to relaxation mode. It reminds me of Hebrews 10:25, "And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another..." Our students have not neglected to keep meeting together and encouraging one another. I'm excited that our leaders have caught visions of continuing to ministers even when it's not part of their job description or title.  

Thank You!

I hope to be able to relay many more stories after Winter Retreat this weekend and pray that momentum is continued into next semester. Thank you so much for your continued support for me and God's work here at UTD!