Walking Awareness

The title is my best attempt at a cool alliteration...

We've (finally) got new Equip T-shirts designed, printed and passed out to students!

 It's been a bit longer than I'd like to admit since we've done shirts.  And, although a new t-shirt isn't at the top of our ministry priority list, they none-the-less play a role.  For one, new shirts are always fun...so theres that.  But also, we have 2-3 dozen shirts 'walking' around campus on a regular basis with Equip's name and mission statement on them.  This can really help in making students aware of our presence on campus, of being interested in what the mission statement is all about, and whatever else.

Anyway, whatever shirts do, I thought you'd like to see them...I think they look awesome (my wife designed them, so I'm biased...but I'm right :)

Modeling the shirt is a handsome model we hired.

Free Book Fridays

We've started a new resource distribution initiative on campus.  We're calling it "Free Book Fridays", and it's pretty self-explanatory.
Every (most) Friday for the semester, we're putting up a booth in the Student Union for a couple hours.  Each time we'll be featuring a different book that we hope will be especially relevant or helpful to the 10,000+ students that go in and out of the Union each day.

Today was the first Friday for this dealio, and I had the privilege to chat with "Nick" and "Mackenzie" for quite awhile.  Nick was quite excited to have seen the booth, and tells me he'll see me next Wednesday at our large group meeting.  He asked me near the end of our conversation, "So, you'll be here every Friday?", "yep, most every Friday", "that's awesome, I'll see you every time!"
He was quite excited about it.
So, hopefully the distribution will increase to more than Nick and Mackenzie, but giving away four books the first week feels like a successful and worthwhile time.

Please pray it would increase, and that the fruit and impact of Christ-centered, biblically faithful resources would have an increasingly powerful effect in the lives of those we might not otherwise have the opportunity to effect.

It begins

We are off and rolling again! 

Students started classes yesterday, so we put up our Equip booth for a couple hours and today as well. 

About 10 minutes after the booth was up, we had a young woman who transferred from Indianapolis. She marked all 10's on her survey "interested in knowing God more...in Christian fellowship...etc." She says she reads her Bible every day, which is always encouraging, at least on the surface level.   Please pray that 'Jayma' would come tomorrow to our large group meeting, and especially that she'd get plugged into some relationships early.  

This was my attempt at a sign...

This was Kate's vast improvement (Kate got involved in Equip last semester)

Valarie and Trent manning the booth.  (actually, Trent was just stopping by, Val was there with me the whole time)

Senior Spotlight

The last Wednesday night large group of the year.  We did a 15-20 focus on the three graduating seniors.   They shared about the ways in which they've grown the past 4 years, advice they'd give their freshmen selves, their plans for the future and other responses to aspects of their lives as believers in college.  It was a bitter-sweet time.

Josh Boomgaarden, Kimberly Scholl, Ashton Pleasants

End of the year Party

Post by Bing Xu.

We had a white-elephant gift theme at our end of the year party at Equip a few nights ago.  Close to 40 students showed up, and Jino taught a few more people a game in which I can't pronounce, but which is a fun game of "pass the sign"... 

Back to the Future - Take 1: True U(niversity)

In the following short series I'll be posting some pictures and short description of some past events. Since I haven't been keeping up with posts quickly after these events all year, this'll be the next best thing. 

First up: True U

Simply put, we've been considering the question "Does God Exist?", approaching it from primarily 'scientific' evidences.  I won't attempt to try and replicate the arguments here, but suffice it to say it's been great and I think helpful for the small group (6-9) of students who have been attending.  

Of course, arguing for God's existence is certainly not the means by which God brings unbelievers to saving faith, nor is getting some final 'scientific' evidence to finally have confidence in one's faith the goal.  No.  God grants repentance and God's spirit draws unbelievers to himself.  However, especially for Christians, it is a marvelous and invigorating study to see the truth Romans 1:19-20 even in the intricacies of the cell and astronomical vastness of the cosmos, "For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."

Also, I find myself simply worshiping and exulting in the amazing creativity and design of God that we find in, for instance, the exquisite engineering in the cell and DNA. It's truly awesome.

We watch a lecture about 30 minutes long, then discuss for 45 minutes or so. 

Jump...jump around

Two quick things:
1) I have been super slack on blogging updates this semester so far.  For that, I apologize.  I am aiming to change that for the rest of the semester...
2) Starting with today's little fun trip to "SkyZone"...an trampoline place that is mainly designed for 6-12 year olds, but serves just as fun for 'big kids.'  We had nearly 25 students come, and it was a fun time, with a few new people that aren't connected to the ministry at all.  Please pray that some of the relationships might actually develop and we could followup a bit with them.  It was a good time, not least of which is car rides down with can provide some great opportunities for starting friendships.  But also nailing students in the face during dodgeball is of course fun, too...