Category Archives: Campus Ministry

Books, Campus Ministry, Discipleship, Faith in Action, Harding, Resources, Study, Uplift 2011 Resources

Uplift 2011 Faith Resources

I spent the first part of the week at Harding University teaching junior and senior high students at Uplift summer camp. This was my 6th year teaching a class and marked my 19th anniversary of attending Uplift. Yes. I am officially old!!!

Tuesday, my class focused on the Shield of Faith that Paul writes about in Ephesians 6:16. I told them that our Shield of Faith is indestructible if it is built on the foundation of the truth of who Jesus is. I encouraged them to read and study scripture and reliable resources that will help them find the truth of Jesus and who he really is.

I promised the students that I would post some apologetic resources here on the blog for them to look at. The books by Lee Strobel were books I read as a teen that were indispensable for me in strengthening my faith and showing me that Jesus Christ really is the Son of God.

It is ok to have questions about what you believe. It is ok to struggle with answers and to seek out help in strengthening your faith. It is my hope that these resources will be helpful to you as you seek the truth, face your doubts, and find security in Jesus!

The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus
The Case for Christ records Lee Strobel’s attempt to “determine if there’s credible evidence that Jesus of Nazareth really is the Son of God.” The book consists primarily of interviews between Strobel (a former legal editor at the Chicago Tribune) and biblical scholars such as Bruce Metzger. Each interview is based on a simple question, concerning historical evidence (for example, “Can the Biographies of Jesus Be Trusted?”), scientific evidence, (“Does Archaeology Confirm or Contradict Jesus’ Biographies?”), and “psychiatric evidence” (“Was Jesus Crazy When He Claimed to Be the Son of God?”). Together, these interviews compose a case brief defending Jesus’ divinity, and urging readers to reach a verdict of their own. (from the product description)

Case for Christ–Student Edition
Who Was Jesus? A good man? A lunatic? God? There’s little question that he actually lived. But miracles? Rising from the dead? Some of the stories you hear about him sound like just that–stories. A reasonable person would never believe them, let alone the claim that he’s the only way to God! But a reasonable person would also make sure that he or she understood the facts before jumping to conclusions. That’s why Lee Strobel–an award-winning legal journalist with a knack for asking tough questions–decided to investigate Jesus for himself. An atheist, Strobel felt certain his findings would bring Christianity’s claims about Jesus tumbling down like a house of cards. He was in for the surprise of his life. Join him as he retraces his journey from skepticism to faith. You’ll consult expert testimony as you sift through the truths that history, science, psychiatry, literature, and religion reveal. Like Strobel, you’ll be amazed at the evidence–how much there is, how strong it is, and what it says. The facts are in. What will your verdict be in The Case for Christ? (from the product description)

The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity
Award-winning reporter and author Lee Strobel (The Case for Christ) once again uses his investigative skills to address the primary objections to Christianity. As a former atheist, Strobel understands the rational resistance to faith. He even names the eight most convincing arguments against Christian faith:

  • If there’s a loving God, why does this pain-wracked world groan under so much suffering and evil?
  • If the miracles of God contradict science, then how can any rational person believe that they’re true?
  • If God is morally pure, how can he sanction the slaughter of innocent children as the Old Testament says he did?
  • If God cares about the people he created, how could he consign so many of them to an eternity of torture in hell just because they didn’t believe the right things about him?
  • If Jesus is the only way to heaven, then what about the millions of people who have never heard of him?
  • If God really created the universe, why does the evidence of science compel so many to conclude that the unguided process of evolution accounts for life?
  • If God is the ultimate overseer of the church, why has it been rife with hypocrisy and brutality throughout the ages?
  • If I’m still plagued by doubts, then is it still possible to be a Christian?

These are mighty tough questions, and Strobel fields them well. Rather than write a weighty dissertation about the merits of faith, he brings us along on his quest as we meet leaders in the Christian community, such as Peter Kreeft and William Lane Craig. We also encounter his everyday friends and acquaintances that serendipitously fill in the holes in each of the eight arguments against faith. The use of dialogue from personal interviews and a scene-by-scene active narrative makes this an easy and engaging read. However, easy does not mean breezy. This is a book of substance and merit, one that will help Christians defend their faith, especially during the hardest of times, when they have to defend their faith to themselves in moments of doubt. (from Amazon review)

Also available as Case for Faith–Student Edition

The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God
Are Christianity and science incompatible? If there is a God, is he only an impersonal starter force? An introductory high school biology class first propelled Lee Strobel toward a life of atheism. God and science, he reasoned, were mutually exclusive. When the former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune converted to Christianity, he decided to investigate the science he had once accepted as truth. Did science point toward or away from God? As Strobel interviews a variety of scientists on everything from debunking evolutionary icons to the implications of the Big Bang to the existence of the human soul, he builds his case: scientific evidence points toward Intelligent Design.
Although the discussion often veers into the academic, Strobel works hard to make it accessible to those without scientific training. Throughout the book, he salts interview transcript information with interesting personal stories of his own spiritual and scientific quest for knowledge, as well as sometimes over-detailed descriptions of the actual interviews. Each chapter contains suggestions for further reading on particular issues of science and faith. (from Amazon review)

The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
Why does God allow suffering in the world? How could a loving God send people to hell? Why isn’t Christianity more inclusive? How can there be one true religion? Why have so many wars been fought in the name of God? Timothy Keller addresses the frequent doubts that skeptics and even ardent believers, have about religion. Using literature, philosophy, real-life conversations, and potent reasoning, Keller explains how the belief in God is, in fact, a sound and rational one. To true believers he offers a solid platform on which to stand their ground against the backlash to religion created by the Age of Skepticism. And to skeptics, atheists, and agnostics, he provides a challenging argument for pursuing the reason for God. (from the back cover)

Is the Bible True . . . Really?: A Dialogue on Skepticism, Evidence, and Truth
Did the Resurrection Happen . . . Really?: A Dialogue on Life, Death, and Hope
Who is Jesus . . . Really?: A Dialogue on God, Man, and Grace
With over 40 million books sold, bestselling author Josh McDowell is no stranger to creatively presenting biblical truth. Now, partnering with fellow apologist Dave Sterrett, Josh introduces a new series targeted at the intersection of story and truth. The Coffee House Chronicles are short, easily devoured novellas aimed at answering prevalent spiritual questions. Each book in the series tackles a long-contested question of the faith, and then answer these questions with truth through relationships and dialogue in each story.

In Is the Bible True, Really?: A Dialogue on Skepticism, Evidence, and Truth, we meet Nick, a college freshman at a state school in Texas. Nick has his spiritual world turned upside-down with what he hears in an introduction to religion class. His questions turn into conversations as he dialogues with professors, friends, and family about the authenticity and authority of the Bible. The other two books in the series: Who is Jesus, Really? and Did the Resurrection Happen, Really? continue the unfolding story at the college campus and the coffee house down the road. (from product description)

Is God Just a Human Invention? And Seventeen Other Questions Raised by the New Atheists
Atheism is making a comeback. From bookstores to bus campaigns, the question of God is up for public debate–and well-known atheists like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens are leading the charge. While these authors, who have been dubbed “The New Atheists,” argue against religion in general, they aim most of their criticisms and complaints at the world’s largest religion–Christianity. Why are people reading books that bash God and ridicule faith? And how can Christians respond? The writings of the New Atheists are especially challenging to the emerging generation who are skeptical of authority and have not been given answers to the hows and whys of faith’s honest questions. For these readers especially, authors Sean McDowell and Jonathan Morrow have penned an accessible yet rigorous look at the arguments of the New Atheists. Writing from a distinctively Christian perspective, McDowell and Morrow lay out the facts so that the emerging generation can make up their own mind after considering all the evidence. Divided into two parts–the first addressing the scientific and philosophical challenges to belief in God and the second dealing with the moral and biblical challenges–Is God Just a Human Invention? will respond to each major argument in a way that is balanced, thorough, and easy to understand. McDowell and Morrow believe that the current religious landscape is both an opportunity and a challenge for people of faith. Now is the time to respond. (from the publisher)

I’d love to hear from you what you think of these resources. Drop me a message in the comments or hit me up on Facebook or Twitter. I really hope that at least one of the resources will be helpful to you and your faith journey. My prayers are with you a you…

Seek the Truth.
Humble yourself.
Be Introspective.
Enlist help.
Listen.
Decide to stand!

peace,
Micheal

Campus Ministry, Discipleship, Jesus is the Christ, Leadership, Ministry, Youth Ministry

Gauging the Temperature Pt. 1

I’ll let you in on a little secret ambition of mine. You ready?

I want to be the Bobby Flay of my sphere of influence.

I want to be known as a great cook. Not just someone who can prepare a good meal. No, something greater! I want to amaze people with the way I combine meat, seasonings, flame, and creativity. For my birthday last April my parents bought me an honest to goodness bar-b-que smoker and grill. I love grilling and had no problem using the propane side of my new toy. About a month ago, I gave the smoker an inagural spin. I bought a book extolling the virtues of Low and Slow grilling and followed the lessons to a T. What happen was that I was able to cook two whole chickens perfectly! The flavors of the marinade combined with the flavors of the smoke made for and incredible dinner and a lot of leftovers. I can’t wait to work my way up to slow cooking some ribs and pork shoulder. Believe me- it is on!

The most important thing that I’ve learned about this style of cooking has been learning to monitor the temperature inside the smoker/fire box. You don’t want to keep opening the lid each and every time you check on your food. The lid has to stay closed. 1.5 hours for my chicken and up to 8 hrs or more for pork shoulder. The only thing that gives me insight into what’s happening inside is temperature reading on the outside.

As the summer comes to a close I’ve been thinking about my students and their return to school. Right now many of them are running hot and on fire for Jesus. They have expressed excitement for their faith, concern for their friends, and many have made deep commitments to discipleship. Summer gives me the perfect opportunity to be among them on a consistent basis outside of their school year routine. When I am with them I get to monitor the temperature of their lives. As they head back to school I want to make sure that I find ways to monitor their faith, give them encouragement or direction, and help feed their spiritual fire.

Next: 3 Ways to Monitor Your Youth Group Temperature During The School Year

Campus Ministry, Faith in Action, Ministry, Sermons, The Word, Wrestling With Scripture, Youth Ministry

The Star Maker

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Psalm 147:4
He determines the number of the stars & calls them each by name.

Growing up I always felt pretty average. I wasn’t ever the best at sports or the smartest in class or anything like that. I was smack in the middle. Completely average in every way.

In football, I was the only starter under 6 feet. I played hard but my name never appeared in the paper next day and there was never any chance that I would play beyond my four years in high school.

As for my grades, I graduated 25th in my class… out of 54. It doesn’t get more average than that!

Even today I still feel pretty average. I’m not the best looking or the most talented. This average guy is just pretty plain vanilla. Rather than feeling sorry for myself I feel pretty great about my average status. When I look in scripture, I see a plethora of average or below average individuals. Even a cursory reading of the Bible makes me see that I am part of a very large group of average men and women. Some might even have called these people losers. They started life out as average joes and janes but they didn’t remain average for long. These average people rose above themselves and became great and powerful, amazing and world-known. These individuals went from average so-and-sos to international super stars. Let’s take a quick look at a few nobodies to find out who they were and what they became.

David- When we first meet David he is a mere shepherd boy so average that his own family essentially forgets about him. When Samuel comes calling looking to annoint a new king they “conveniently” forget he’s even a part of the family. However, this shepherd boy showed his mettle when he killed Goliath, became a feared warrior, and became a great and mighty king. Don’t forget that he also came to be known as a man after God’s own heart. Average no more.

Gideon- In Judges 6, Gideon is told (by the angel of the Lord no less) that he is a mighty warrior. Gideon’s reply shows just how average Gideon saw himself. “How can I save Isreal?” he asks. “I am the least in my family.” The least in his family ended up leading the army of Israel into a great battle where they triumphed over an army that greatly outnumbered his own.

Moses- He left Egypt as a disgraced prince and lived for 40 years in utter obscurity as a shepherd. He returned to Egypt in order to lead the Israelites out of slavery and triumphed by standing toe to toe against the most powerful man in the world.

Joseph- Joseph was seen by his brothers as some punk with a loud mouth and a big head (full of crazy dreams). To silence him they sold him into slavery. After toiling away as a slave and then in prison, Joe rose to the ranks of a great leader and literally saved the world from famine and starvation.

The Woman at the Well (John 4)- She was an outcast so outside of her community that she had to fetch water at a time when no one else would be at the well. But after a chance encounter with The Living Water she went back into town and became a powerful witness for the Gospel. “Come and meet a man who told me everything I ever did.”

The Apostles- They were simply a rag-tag group of no names and nobodies. They were simply average men living in the middle of Palestine, a obscure Roman outpost. It is hard to believe that these nobodies took the message of Jesus to the masses and turned the world upside down.

But let’s be clear. In fact, I want to be crystal clear that these people became stars because of one reason and one reason alone.

They didn’t become stars because they were the smartest, the best looking, or the most talented. It wasn’t because of their titles or their deep pockets. They didn’t become stars because they were born that way.

The only reason these average people became stars is because they had the faith and the courage to obey when they heard the voice of God.

One more time: The only reason these average people became stars is because they had the faith and the courage to obey when they heard the voice of God.

The world around you will encourage you to be average. The world wants you to look and be just like everyone else. They will tell you to just go along. Don’t stand up for your beliefs or stand out in the crowd. Don’t cause a scene. Do as your told. Blend in.

That is no way to live your life. Nobody should shoot for average.

The only way for us to shine out like stars is to give our lives over to the Star Maker. No one in the kingdom of God is average. Jesus Christ came to this earth to invite us into the family. The Father takes us in and through the power of the Spirit average lives are transformed in to the extra-ordinary.

In order to shine like a star you must have the faith and the courage to obey when you hear the voice of God.

So here’s the question.

What is the voice of God calling you to today?

Do you need to make that apology? Do you need to confess that sin? Patch up that friendship? End that relationship that is dragging you down?

If you want to rise above mediocrity- to be more than average- you have to step out in faith and into obedience.

Campus Ministry, Discipleship, Ethos, Experience, Faith in Action, Wrestling With Scripture, Youth Ministry

Event vs. Lifestyle pt. 1

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I had the opportunity to speak in chapel at Dallas Christian again this week. I have been able to speak to the students there about a dozen times over the last few years and I very much enjoy being with the students there and sharing Jesus with them.

I was given the topic of “Service.” Now, being that this could be a very broad issue I decided to do two things. 1) I wanted to be up front and honest about our attitudes surrounding “service” and 2) I wanted to leave these students with a few practical “service” ideas that they could begin practicing right away. So, the following is what I shared with them earlier this week.

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If you speak, you should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If you serve, you should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” (1Peter 4:8-11 TNIV)

I think we can all agree that we, as followers of Jesus, are called/challenged to serve others. We are to be servants of all and in doing so we show others the love of God and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. The problem comes when we fail to live lives marked by service. Service or serving others should be a lifestyle for the believer rather than an event to check off our Christian “to-do” lists. We aren’t called to DO service but are called to BE servants.

When you look at service as merely an event or something that you simply check off a list every once in a while, your serving can be hindered by 3 things. These 3 things seek to stop your service dead in its tracks by trapping your mind in fear and apathy.

Serving Can Seem Like a Waste
You step into a situation and you begin to immediately call things into question- “Do these people really need help?” “Have they even tried to get a job?” “Why are we here?”- or you begin to become hyper-critical- “All we are doing is slapping paint!” “It is too hot!” “Nobody said ‘Thank you’ to us!!!” Because you see service as a one time event your heart isn’t in a condition to really see the people your are helping. You have no long-term perspective on how to show and embody love in this situation. No wonder it seems like a waste.

Serving Can Be Scary
The people you deal with. The neighborhoods you have to go into. The equipment you use. The weirdoes you encounter. The situations you’re forced into. Serving can be scary and when something is scary we avoid it like the plague. We’re in, we’re out, and we leave a smoking trail behind us as we hightail it back to our homes and what’s comfortable.

Serving Hurts
While in high school I was helping tear down a garage for a family during work camp. As we were shoveling debris away I stepped right onto a nail. I threw down my shovel, pulled out the nail and the board it was attached to, and threw it down the street as far as I could. For the rest of my time there all I thought about was how much my foot hurt (and if I was going to get lockjaw). I wasn’t thinking about the service. I wasn’t thinking about love. I wasn’t thinking about Jesus.

I’m not going to lie to you. I have to battle against every single one of these mindsets. Romans 12:10 says that we are to “outdo one another in showing honor” (ESV). This means that service is an all new mindset. Service is 24/7/365. Service is a lifestyle. If we can begin to change our minds/hearts about service than our fears, our bad attitudes, and our focus will then be centered. We will then be focused and empowered by the embodiment of true sacrifice- Jesus Christ!

Event vs. Lifestyle pt 2 Tomorrow

Awesomenessness, Campus Ministry, Collecting Experiences, Leadership, My Life, Study, Youth Ministry

Looking Forward

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I am so excited about an opportunity I’ve been given. At the end of the month I’ll be teaching a seminar class at Harding University for the youth ministry department. My seminar will focus on weighing the differences between Campus Ministry and traditional Church Youth Ministry. I’ve titled the class Bringing the Big Man to Campus.

I am super excited about this. It has been a goal of mine to pursue opportunities in public speaking and teaching. This opportunity fell in my lap and I am running with it. One day I would love to travel and speak. I love inspiring people and discussing issues of ministry, leadership, and development. This is a chance to do something different and to work on my skills. This also lets me meet and interact with students who are about to set out and serve teens and their families. This is promising to be a great weekend.

Please keep me in your prayers as I am preparing to teach this class. I’ll be sure to post some content for the weekend here soon. Thanks for your prayers!