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!