40 Days of Prayer: Day 1

We launched our 40-day prayer campaign yesterday and the theme our Regional Spiritual Formation Director sent us was about good soil, from the parable in the book of Mark.

It reminded me of a talk Bill Hybels gave at this year's Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit which I attended earlier in the month.  He mentioned the same parable, but from the book of Luke, and talked about something he had noticed when he read it, even though he had read it many times before.

He noticed that there was a 75% rejection rate.  Three out of the four types of soil rejected the seeds that were sown.  Hybels pointed out, though, that it would be really easy for us to grumble about the rejection.  However, "instead of complaining about how few trees have grown," he said, "we should spend more time planting more seeds...different kinds of seeds."

Plant more seeds.  That's something that stuck with me since the Summit.  To me that's a call to make more invitations.  Often I and many others get lost in the insecurities and fears of inviting people more than once - let alone once - to meet Jesus.  We make it all about us, our reputation and how we feel and let rejection stop us from reaping the harvest that is plentiful.

Plant more seeds.  I also think it's a call to be creative.  You know that quote that says, "Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results?"  Sometimes we need to change the input if we want the output to be different.  So it calls for us to think outside the box, discover our gifts and passions, and diligently steward those gifts with commitment and discipline.  We need to explore new paths and try new methods with the expectation that there is a good possibility we may fail.  Our success is defined differently than the world's.  We are called to obey.  We are called to be faithful.

Plant more seeds.  I think it's a call to pray.  We need to listen for where God is leading.  I am not inherently faithful, and obedience is not always easy, and sometimes it takes a lot of discipline to be creative.  None of this seed sowing should be on our own or by our own power.  We need to abide in Jesus.

Why?  Because the trees that come from planted seeds that grow in good soil - lives that are transformed by the living God of the gospel - are worth it all.

Good Soil. Bold Witness. Changed Hearts.

InterVarsity is a conversion ministry. Skeptic to seeker to follower to leader to world changer. The conversion process moves as we PRAY that our message makes its way to Good Soil, to engage others by Bold Witness, passionately inviting men and women to say YES to Jesus, resulting in Changed Hearts: theirs and OURS!

Please join us as we enter this season of extraordinary prayer for 40 days from August 22-Sept 30th.

Why Now? Because there are 1.2 million college students studying on our campuses in NY/NJ and although we have more students involved in our ministry now than ever before, there are far too many who still do not yet know Jesus. They are hungry for meaning, thirsty to belong and dead in their sin. New students especially make friendships in their first weeks on campus that will last their entire college career. We want to meet them so that they can meet Jesus.

Why You? Because the land is healed and sin is forgiven when we, with humility, seek the Lord. (2 Chronicles 7: 14) IV staff, students, alumni, donors, churches, friends of IV—it actually takes more than a village.

Our Goal: 40 people come to faith in Jesus in 40 days!

What to expect? Every day you will receive a brief email from me, with a short devotion and a specific way to pray for our campus ministry. I hope to keep it to one screen length.

Please let me know if you would like to receive these. This is a vital way that you can partner with us at such a critical time of ministry. I believe we will see God's mighty hand at work among us as we all join together with one voice asking God to act.

Leave a comment or sign up for my email updates at the tab that says, "Join Tammy's Support Team" on the top of this blog!

A new chapter

Whenever I think about the craziness of this past year, I realize I've had to muster up a lot of faith and courage to say, "Yes," to Jesus time and time again.  I didn't know where I was going to end up, and I still don't.  But here I am, in the city of Rochester, in a new apartment with a new husband and a whole new chapter of life from which I've started to turn the pages.

I guess saying yes to Jesus can sometimes feel like you're Rip Van Winkle waking up from a 20-year-long nap that felt like 20 minutes, only to find that you've moved, you're married, and your job re-located to some place you know absolutely nothing about.  You're disoriented.  You think it's a little crazy to be in this position at this age, but the dizziness from sitting up too fast has worn off and the facts just haven't changed.  You rub your eyes but you're still where you are even though you've begun to regain balance.  That's what it sort of feels like right now.

At the same time, there's been this undeniable peace with me the whole time.  I'm happy, too.  I know happiness doesn't last that long, but I try to embrace it (though lightly) when that particular wind blows my way.

Besides a new chapter in life, there's also this new InterVarsity chapter to embrace.  Honestly, it's very difficult for me to make plans for a chapter I know very little about.  But it forces me to pray and trust in Jesus.  And while I keep asking Jesus, "I want to know more," He keeps saying, "I want you to trust more," in return.

This year's NY/NJ Regional Staff Conference theme was called, "Abiding, Bearing Fruit, and the Art of Self-Leadership."  And while I'm still processing some things, one thing that has stuck is the importance of abiding in Jesus.  Honestly, I still don't know what that looks like for me...or what it looks like to have a husband alongside of me in this journey.  But as I seek knowledge, hope, direction and the comforts of structures and routines, Jesus seems to keep reminding me, "You'll find all that you really need in me."