One Word!

-
Last August I had the opportunity to attend our Loudoun/Fairfax/DC Staff retreat.  It was an awesome opportunity to learn more about the ministry and get to know my new colleagues.  Prior to the retreat, we had been asked to read a couple of books, one of which was One Word by FCA Mid-Atlantic Director Jimmy Page.  In his book, Jimmy encouraged people to pick a focal point for the year and sum it up using one word that you could post on your mirror, dashboard, wherever you’ll see it and be reminded.  He does this every year along with his wife, kids, and other friends and family members. 
The word I chose for myself at the retreat was “bold”.  I am not a particularly outgoing person by nature and while leaving my former job certainly required some boldness, I knew my new job with FCA would require even more of me as I stepped into schools and donor appointments where I knew nobody.  I want to be bold in reaching out to students and coaches to share Christ because that is what God desires of us.  2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity but of power, love and discipline.”  Please pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to fill me with boldness as I visit schools this month, some for the first time, and that I would be able to share that same power of the Holy Spirit with the student leaders and coaches I encounter so that they can impact their schools and teams for Christ.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What's it like to work with Loudoun students?

-
Over the past two-ish years since I started this FCA journey, I’ve had the opportunity to meet FCA staff from all over the United States and the world.   It’s always interesting to talk to people who are doing ministry in different places.   There are times when it’s helpful because you learn that many people face similar challenges to do ministry in their places.   But there have also been times when I realize how different Loudoun County is from other parts of the US (and even other parts of Virginia!).   Virginia might be considered a southern state in the general sense, and parts of Virginia definitely fit into “Bible-belt” culture, but Loudoun County certainly does not.   Compared to other counties in the southern part of the state, Loudoun is far more diverse, affluent, and highly educated.   It is not the norm to call oneself a Christian here.   Our schools have a wide variety of cultures and religions represented, and although that can create some challenges for ministry, it’
Read more

Step by Step

-
Image
Tomorrow morning I leave for my first FCA camp of the summer, Virginia Leadership Camp.   My role at this camp and our upcoming multi-sport camp at the University of Richmond is Huddle Leader Coordinator.   I love this role because it means I get to the camp early and train and equip the college athletes who will then lead the middle and high school students attending the camp.   If I’m honest, over the past couple of weeks, I’ve spent more mental energy stressing about filling these Huddle Leader roles than I have spent praying about it, forgetting that the battle is not mine, but God's (2 chronicles  20:12 ). What if, every time I start to feel my anxiety elevate, I pause and praise God in the midst of the battle? What kind of great blessing would I see then, both for our camp in and in my own life?   I believe the enemy knows that students’ and coaches’ lives are changed at camp and he will do whatever he can to discourage us before we even get there.   I need to remind myself
Read more

The Idolatry of Safety

-
My favorite scene in C.S. Lewis’s book, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe is when the children are learning about Aslan, the Christ figure in the books, for the first time.  In the scene, Susan, Lucy, and their brothers are talking to Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, who inform them that Aslan is likely not exactly what they expect: “Aslan is a lion – the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"... "Safe?" said Mr. Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.” He’s not safe.  But He’s the King.  How often do I live in a way that equates safety with God’s goodness?  I mean, this is crazy thinking, right?  But don’t we all feel this way sometimes?  Even though the Bible clearly says that following Jesus means taking up your cross (which doesn’t sound very safe to me)
Read more