Wesley Week

The semester has officially started!

This week is Wesley Week for us, which means we are doing different events all week to welcome the freshmen and returning upperclassmen to campus. We've had our first Tuesday night supper (called SEESAW), our first worship, and a bowling night. We still have a cookout tonight, a game night tomorrow, and a lake day on Saturday. These are long days and late nights for me, but it's fun to finally be among the students. Here's a glimpse at some of what we've been up to:

From Drop Box

Lorin and Gonzalo crack eggs for a breakfast we prepared for new international students.

From Drop Box

Our first worship.

Bowling night.

Change

A theme of our lives right now is change. We change diapers, we change little boys' clothes, the boys change/grow everyday. Our lives are revolving doors of change. Just when you get used to one thing, it is replaced by another.


And yet, amongst all this other change, there are even bigger changes ahead. Last week, I accepted the position of Campus Pastor at the Wesley Foundation of Macon in Macon, Georgia. This is not a change we saw coming. I mean, I did apply for the position and interview for the position, but if you had asked us in January if we thought we might move this summer, we would have said no.


So, why move? Why now? The boys are not the only ones changing these days. Corrie and I are changing, too. We're growing as people, as parents, as a couple, and in our faith just by living life. One major thing that has changed in our hearts since Ezra was born is a desire to be closer to our families. We are keenly aware of how far away our boys' grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins live - and that has changed us. The desire that grew in our hearts became a prayer, and that prayer became a way for us to be open for God's next movement for our family.


We are truly happy in Oxford. Each new day with this decision makes us aware of how much we will miss this place. Our friends have become our family, and we are beginning to grieve the loss of community we will experience when we leave. This is also an exciting time for the Wesley at Ole Miss. My time as campus minister here has been characterized by building and foundation laying for a ministry that needed to figure out who it was. That has happened, and good things are stirring. I feel like Moses looking over the promised land - seeing it from a distance, but not experiencing it in person (Deuteronomy 34:1-4).


But we are also very excited about what's ahead. We believe the new position will enable me to minister and grow in ways that complement and challenge who I am; we believe there will be good space for Corrie to write her dissertation; and we believe Macon will be a great environment to raise the boys (especially since we'll be closer to the Braves!).

Retreating

Our Wesley had a joint retreat this weekend with the Wesley from the University of Arkansas. My friend, Omar, is the Director there, and last fall we decided that a joint retreat would be a good idea for each our ministries. We had 32 students altogether, and it was everything we wanted it to be for them.

Our speaker was our friend JD Walt, Dean of the Chapel at Asbury Seminary, and alum of the Arkansas Wesley. He challenged our students to live Jesus' story, a story of down, versus the story of the world, the story of up. (See the Asbury Reader site for more on that.) I could tell the students were getting a lot out of each session, and I am very thankful for events like this that  complement and propel our everyday ministry.

But the retreat was also good for me personally. I needed time with like-minded pastors to remind me that I am not alone. Campus ministry is pretty lonely; no one understands what you do, there is sometimes minimal support from the surrounding community, and the fruit of ministry is not always immediately seen. I am also realizing that I think and minister in a different way from a lot of other pastors, which makes my job even more lonely. Omar and JD were such an encouragement to me this weekend - affirming me, praying for me, and just listening to me. 

(The picture to the right is just before parting ways today. I call it "Los Tres Padres.")

Somebody's gotta do it...

People often wonder what I do and what it means to be a campus minister. There are many parts to my position, some of which seminary adequately prepared me for: preaching, teaching, writing, developing leaders, answering questions about about God and the universe, etc. etc.


There are other things that seminary did not prepare me for: fundraising, keeping budgets, house maintenance, computer problems, etc.


One of the most important parts of my job happens twice a year. Like Jesus teaching on the mount, crowds flock to the Wesley House with excited anticipation. The line extends throughout the house, everyone longing to see, but only a few being able to experience the wonder of it all. What is this holy event that I'm describing? The Pancake Exam Break, of course! And one thing seminary did not teach me, but I have learned with much practice is how to make a griddle-sized pancake. OR as someone said last night, 


"That's not a pancake. That's a MANcake!"

Where in the world...

fathertide is on location this week in Blaine, KY. I brought some students here for a Spring Break Mission Trip. What's that? You've never heard of Blaine? Well, most haven't. It's a tiny little community nestled in the mountains of Eastern KY. Get a feel of what it's like by looking at the map below.


View Larger Map

This place is about as remote as you can get. If you're looking to come visit, go to the end of the world and take a right. I have no cell signal, we're 30 minutes from the nearest Wal-Mart, but the community does have a general store (hopefully some pics of that will come later), and a bank. Something they do have, evidently, is high-speed internet because I'm currently "borrowing" a neighbor's signal! Wow.