The Blog of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
April 18, 2012
I went to Guyana expecting to partner with Guyanese InterVarsity students in doing outreach on their campus. I didn't expect to be humbled as I witnessed their sincere passion and zeal for the cause of Christ.
This spring, Tony Gatewood and I led a group of seven InterVarsity/USA students and one intern to South America to experience "God in Guyana," the Central Region's first Black
more...
April 11, 2012
College students’ spring breaks typically include road trips, sunburns and partying on the beach. This year I was part of a team of InterVarsity students and staff that experienced all of those. We participated in Soul Surf, an InterVarsity trip focused on equipping students in evangelism and sending them out to practice on the white sands of Panama City Beach, Florida. The beach was filled with beer pong tables dug into the sand, plenty of skin showing, and a house party atmosphere. This reputation
more...
April 02, 2012
I didn’t expect Jesus to show up in a bar that evening. No, it wasn’t a hipster dude with a big beard. It was at my high school reunion where I reconnected with Chris—a formerly awkward and quiet student who now sported snazzy glasses, stylishly gelled hair, and an identity as an openly gay man.
I had braced myself for the various negative responses when I tell people I’m in campus ministry—yet that night as we
more...
March 19, 2012
“He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I
more...
January 09, 2012
“. . . and well, God is in my life now,” Sam said with a smile, as she hopped out of her chair and ran around the room, holding out her hands to receive high-fives from our chapter. After having made the decision to follow Jesus during our fall conference, Sam shared her testimony to celebrate with her new family. Just six weeks before, Sam, then a recent acquaintance, began showing interest in our dorm community.
more...
December 21, 2011
Recently I’ve talked with a number of peers who (like myself) have one or more parents who are not Christians or who are nominal Christians, showing little desire to read Scripture, pray, pursue community, or discuss anything spiritual. We've expressed to one another doubts that we, as "just their children," have the ability to affect change. But, because we are first and foremost God's children, there are ways in which we
more...
December 14, 2011
Stories matter.
Consider the story we sing about at Christmas, depicted by snow, roasted chestnuts, big red bows, and the smell of pine needles. That story is a lot of fun, but, unfortunately, even the best parts of that Christmas story have a scandalous side, such as cheap goods produced by underpaid laborers half-way around the world and post-holiday debt. Charity increases at Christmas,
more...
November 30, 2011
Lately, it seems like each week brings more shocking news of scandals, abuse, or tragedies on college campuses around the country. Many center around college athletics, such as at Penn State, The University of Miami, and Syracuse University, just to name a few. If there ever was a question if athletic communities can influence the campus, I think we have our answer. If there ever was a question of when is the right time to reach out to this community, I believe we also have that
more...
November 28, 2011
Because it’s the human thing to do.
That is, it’s the image-of-God thing to do.
When we walk into the studio or theater and start talking with artists, we enter a world of creativity that represents the other half of God’s design for our lives.
The half we’re more familiar with is that of science and
more...
October 27, 2011
The University of Chicago is inaccessible to the gospel.
That’s what we’ve believed, explicitly or implicitly, for decades. We’ve functionally believed that Jesus cannot or will not meet students here and change their lives.
He used the Red Cup to change that perspective.
The Red Cup Campaign is based around Jesus’ conversation
more...
