Encouraging Start

Yesterday was an encouraging day, and the KFC Building was open for only half of it! Campus has life again as SHSU started classes, our cleaned floors were received incredibly well, students came by with renewed excitement, prayers were offered by and for me, we had a great first Bible study of the semester, and my productivity was higher than normal! I praise God for His encouragement.

Lord, at the beginning of the day today, I ask you for the focus you need in me to extend your kingdom one encounter at a time! May excellence compel me forward in your service. With all the new pieces of information that will come my way today, Holy Spirit, teach me your ways in those decisions. So much is before me that I could easily be overwhelmed today. May your strength, Jesus, and faithfulness work in me today. Amen.

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks find; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Luke 11:9-10

Wrestle God

I am excited about the semester! Who knows what plans the Lord is about to unfold? My prayer is that I have the courage to empower students to experience God in powerful ways. I pray that God move in such a way that when looking back one cannot help but say, "That was God!"

Tomorrow we begin our semi-leadership retreat. I say "semi-" because I haven't advertised it as a leadership retreat at all. This retreat is a small step toward one of my major goals this year: to develop a team of students committed to lead other students closer to God's heart! This will take a major investment of my time and energy.

I have even considered not doing the discipleship group for this year in an effort to streamline some of my time and energy. This is the time that I wrestle with God in what to choose. Where do I spend my time? What good, wholesome things do I choose not to do? What will have God's blessing? What should I avoid? What do I teach? Dare I say, like Jacob, "I will not let you go unless you bless me?" We will see.

Weeks and Days

I look back and see a string of activities stretching back to the beginning of the semester. It just all runs together. Discipleship meetings to class prep to website to coming home to dinner to baths to bed to another day filled with stuff. It all runs together.

Here are some questions at the forefront of my mind:

• Does my time bring glory to God?
• Is there enough space in the margins of my life?
• How can God work on me when I am so busy working on others?

I seriously don't know what needs to go, but something needs to go. I look really busy; I feel really busy; I don't know how to become un-busy.

Lord, are you close? There are moments that I see and feel your presence. You give me words to say to others and speak to me when I am silent. But my desire to be closer to you draws me to look at my schedule. Show me what needs to give a little? Do I need to finish the semester like this? Are you teaching me how quick life vanishes? Give me insight into your heart. I desire to know you more...even in your sufferings. In the character of Jesus. Amen.

Semester Prep

Well, this is my first day back in the office. I must say that it is good to be back. I am Christmas'd out. Praise God for the season, and I will look forward to the same at the end of this year. But, it is good for me to be getting back to normal.

I don't know what to think about this semester yet. I am a little nervous about what it will bring. We don't have the calendar planned out because we haven't met to do so. I think we will be taking things as they come. Since Daniel is gone I am relying on a group of students. More than anything I need to communicate to them that I am relying on them. I plan to do this soon. In fact, one student is wanting to plan our fun "welcome back" activity. I hope to contact him today about that. (Just in case you wanted to know that.)

Our discipleship group will be starting at the beginning of this semester too. I just ordered their books this morning. Words cannot describe how excited I am about taking my relationship with God and these men to another level. I am intentionally not going through the material beforehand so that these men can experience my unplanned thinking process. I think this will allow them the freedom to engage the material more readily. I will keep us posted on the development of this discipleship group.