Salvation Story of a Tulane Freshman

Last Monday was the first Gathering of the semester here in New Orleans. The Gathering is our monthly worship gathering, and it is a city-wide celebration. This one was hosted at Tulane University, and we had a pretty good turnout-lots of new people! Close to 40 students from Tulane, Loyola, UNO, and Delgado came out to encounter God.

One student in attendance, a freshman at Tulane from Tennessee had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ!

Student musicians led the group in a living worship experience, and then I had the great privilege to step up and share from God's Word! I wanted to challenge the students to live by faith, and not to merely exist according to the patterns of the world around us. When I concluded, I challenged students that may not yet have a faith relationship with God to talk to someone about how they might start one, and then I prayed that everyone in attendance would have courage to live by faith every day.

After an offering for Cry Africa, and a challenge from one our Tulane seniors to go out and make a difference for God, we dismissed. I was whirling around unplugging computers and projectors, and helping take down the sound equipment when this student asked to talk to me.

She said that she wanted to start a relationship with God, and would like my help with that! Well, I was more than happy to put down the speaker cables, and give her my undivided attention.

Before I go on, you've got to hear a little background on this freshman: We already knew her, because she had indicated on her 'Religious Preference Card' that she did not know what her religious beliefs were, but she was interested in the religious life on campus. Wow!

Jen had that preference card for a week, but hadn't contacted the student yet, because she wasn't sure exactly what to say. Well, we met her in person when she showed up to an ice-cream social we were hosting. Her roommate is a committed follower of Jesus from Texas who got involved with the Chi Alpha community from day one! God had this girl's number.

As I spoke with her, she said that she had grown up in church, but had been angry at God since age three when her father died. However, the Holy Spirit grabbed her heart at the Gathering, and she realized God's care for her, and that God has so much more for her life than bitterness. She prayed to confess her sins to God, and make Jesus the Lord of her life!

Heaven has one more citizen, and she is quickly starting on the road of following Jesus!

a continuation from Matt's talk Monday

Some exciting things happened at the Gathering Monday. I'll be posting about that soon. In the meanwhile, here's something I typed up for students, as I reflected on the message I shared Monday night:
---------------------------------------------------------------

At the Gathering on Monday, I talked about faith. Sole fide: only by faith can we be pleasing to God; only by faith do we have meaning, because God alone can make our lives worthwhile.

I struggled toward the end of the talk to bring the point of it all home to the everyday. I challenged everyone there to do everything by faith: go to class by faith, to work, to sleep, to prayer… Yet, I still felt I was missing the tangible examples to make the point real, not merely abstract. This bothered me, because I’m a firm believer that the material world of our everydayness (eating, sleeping, working, playing, relating, and mating) is the place for true spirituality to work out: “Faith without deeds is dead.¹”

Yesterday, while talking with a student, I got what I was looking for.

“Seek first the Kingdom of God and [everything] will be added to you.²” --Jesus

In our lives, we have goals, dreams, and ambitions. Some of these come from ourselves, some from our families or society at large, some even come from God. We make plans, and work those plans to accomplish these exciting possibilities. We get seriously happy when they are realized. We are devastated when it all goes to pieces.

“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.³”

Good ol’ James knows how to lay it down.

The point is: our work will not accomplish the dreams of God, the only dreams that really matter. The dreams we make, the ambitions of our world and our friends and our families are all too narrow, lack justice, and fail the test of eternity.

It’s a great goal to hope to graduate with a 4.0gpa, but whose goal is that, and at what expense will you pursue it?
It’s a great goal to be respected by your co-workers, known as the one who always puts in extra time, but whose goal is that, and who will suffer as you prioritize work over others?
It’s a great goal to build a sweet resume in college, but, again, whose goal are you pursuing? What opportunities will you miss, God-devised opportunities, because you’ve over-committed yourself? The list goes on and on.

“Apart from faith, no one can please God.⁴” This is where we are. I believe with all my being that God’s economy works. God instituted the practice of tithing: the first 10% of our income belongs to God. No one will ever live as well on 95% or 98% or 100% of their income as the one living on 90% devoting the first ten to God. This principle applies in every area of our lives.

Say we dream of attending a prestigious law school after undergrad, so we work to build a stellar resume and a perfect gpa. Kudos to you, my friend, but the person who has prioritized the Kingdom of God (seeking to know God and obey His commands), and missed a few resume builders, and got a few B’s will find realization to her heart’s desires first.

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.⁵

Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and turmoil with it.⁶

Better is a little with righteousness than great income with injustice.⁷

Notes

1. James 2:17

2. Matthew 6:33

3. James 4:13,14

4. Hebrews 11:6

5. Psalm 37:4

6. Proverbs 15:16

7. Proverbs 16:8

September (fall) Newsletter is Online!

The newsletter is up. Check it out:
www.nolaxa.com/usewords/9-2006.htm

practice

Hey, welcome to the new blog.

A newsletter is on its way.

I'm checking out some of the new blogger-beta's options.