Until Everyone Has Heard

Piper on Prayer

2012-02-15T15:40:00.000-05:00

Sarah and I listened to John Piper's sermon form 1988 entitled "Prayer: the Work of Missions," as part of our New Staff Development curriculum with Cru. It's been a few months since we listened and reading it afresh leaves me convicted and motivated. Below is an excerpt.

"Until you believe that life is war, you cannot know what prayer is for. Prayer is for the accomplishment of a wartime mission. It is as though the field commander (Jesus) called in the troops, gave them a crucial mission ("Go and bear fruit"), handed each of them a personal transmitter coded to the frequency of the general's headquarters, and said, "Comrades, the general has a mission for you. He aims to see it accomplished. And to that end he has authorized me to give each of you personal access to him through these transmitters. If you stay true to his mission and seek his victory first, he will always be as close as your transmitter, to give tactical advice and to send in air cover when you or your comrades need it."

But what have millions of Christians done? They have stopped believing that we are in a war. No urgency, no watching, no vigilance, no strategic planning. Just easy peacetime and prosperity. And what did they do with the walkie-talkie? They tried to rig it up as an intercom in their cushy houses and cabins and boats and cars - not to call in fire power for conflict with a mortal enemy, but to ask the maid to bring another pillow to the den.

So my first point is that, if we are going to mobilize a powerful prayer movement for missions or even sustain the will to pray in our own hearts, we must talk about something else first, namely, war. We have so domesticated prayer that it is no longer, in many of our lives and churches, what it was created to be - a wartime walkie-talkie for the accomplishment of mission commands."

To hear the entirety of Piper's sermon visit: Desiring God

The Collegiate Day of Prayer

2012-02-15T15:00:00.001-05:00

Spilled soup leads to the gospel

2012-02-08T13:59:00.000-05:00

The freshman dining hall at the University of Rochester was packed with students. I was meeting one of the guys I mentor for dinner before our weekly Cru meeting. I picked up a dish of Swedish meatballs, a big plate of salad, and a bowl of split pea soup. The only problem was, there were no trays! I tried my best to balance the plates as I walked to our table through the sea of students.

Half way there, the Swedish meatballs, which I had been balancing delicately on top of the bowl of soup, slipped, sending hot green soup all over the floor. I grabbed napkins from the nearest table and began to clean up the mess. As I was mopping up the soup, a student sitting nearby noticed and encouraged me.

After I finished cleaning up the floor I approached the student who had commented on my predicament. I noticed he was sitting alone and had a foreign accent. I began to talk to him and found out he was from an island nation in the South Pacific. I told him that I worked for a Christian organization and he said he came from a Christian background, but hadn't been to church since he arrived in the US. I asked him for his email and invited him to our meeting that night.

When I showed up to the meeting an hour later, he was the first one there! That night I talked about the Facebook phenomenon, our desire to be known by others, but also our tendency to hide at the same time. I spoke of God's intimate knowledge of us and the restoration in relationship with himself that he offers through Christ. If we come to God and agree with what he already knows, that we are sinful, and believe that Jesus Christ died for all of the things we hide, we can be forgiven and have new life. Then we can have real relationship with others, because we no longer have to hide out of shame and guilt; we've been forgiven and made clean.

At the end of the night I was thrilled. I realized the power of a simple invitation and the way that God leads our steps. I just said hi, shared about myself, asked a couple questions and invited him to come. The Lord was at work through all of these simple things, so that one student could hear about his great love and be invited to receive it.

I began to wonder how many students there were who were hungry for Christ and just needed an invite. How many neighbors, coworkers, family members, friends?

Unusual Normalcy

2011-11-11T11:21:00.000-05:00

God has opened up many doors for sharing Christ lately. Through initiative (talking with people we don't know), through relational (sharing with people we do know), and through community (inviting people to experience Christians gathered together).

What amazes me is that most of the college students we talk with have never had a real conversation about Jesus. I usually ask something like this, "Do you talk about spiritual things often among your friends?" The usual response is, "No, I've never had a conversation like this," or "No, religion is personal, it's not something that people talk about."

Students talk about all sorts of stuff: science, art, sex, politics, food, sports, video games, etc. But not God. That's what is so exciting about being an ambassador for Christ, whose normal life is filled with introducing people to the unusual: Jesus. We having the privilege of being some of the first people ever to share the gospel with lost people. Perhaps the first person in years to bring up the subject in a loving, gentle, and respectful way.

And what is amazing is that people are interested in talking. More college students at the U of R have said "yes" to talking about God than those who have said, "no." God is at work.

I'm blown away by the privilege we have to engage our neighbors in love and bring up the most important and monumental topic: Jesus Christ.

14 U of R Students Share Christ

2011-11-04T08:42:00.001-04:00

Last night instead of our usual weekly meeting we broke up into 8 groups of pairs and headed out to initiate spiritual conversations. We prayed before we left; asking God to open up doors for His Word and to take away our fear.

We read Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." and correlated it with Jesus' promise after he gives the Great Commission in Matthew 28:20 "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

In just 1 hour we had 11 Spiritual conversations. Here is what God did:

1) 6 freshman stepped out in faith to share the love of Christ; some for the first time.

2) One group talked with a student for 40 minutes. They were able to share the whole gospel and dialogue about sin, Jesus, and grace.

3) One group talked with the VP of the Hindu Student Association who was open to learning about other religions.

4) One group talked with a guy who called his friend over to join in the conversation. Afterwards he gave our students his email and said he wanted to meet up again to keep talking.

5) One group talked with a girl who was interested in coming to our meetings and church.

6) One group was turned down 3 times, stopped to pray for 20 minutes and then had a great conversation about God.

One of our students said afterwards, "We are thinking about doing this more often."

We hope this will help our students to have spiritual conversations with their friends with less fear, having seen the openness on campus and the awesome ways God answered their prayers. We have three students to potentially follow up with as a result.

I really believe more college students have said yes to talking about God than have said no! So grateful for our student leaders who suggested going out and the courage and faith of all who went. Many heard and thought about God for the first time last night!

Two conferences bring new life

2011-10-24T12:01:00.000-04:00

Where to begin... so much has been happening as we are transitioning to full-time campus work.

A few weeks ago we brought about 70 Rochester area students to the Upstate New York Fall Getaway. It was a great weekend to see our new students connect with others, our returning students connect with those from other campuses, and all of them connect with God through our guest speaker: Drew Hyun, a pastor from New York City. The most exciting part of the weekend, for me, was hearing students share about their experiences with God. One girl told me that she hadn't had Christian friends before, and honestly shared that she had some negative assumptions about Christians. However, through a friend on campus, she could see herself being more open to Christianity. Another had been doubting God's love and his Word for 7 months, and God used the title of the message the first night to help her remember Truth (God sees all of me and accepts me).

Earlier this week, St. John Fisher College hosted Vintage, a young adult ministry located in Buffalo. They students did all the prep-work, inviting and planning. We gave rides to ten University of Rochester students. While there, the pastor recounted the story of the prodigal son and made a parallel of turning to Christ, to receive everything he is offering or turning away, choosing myself and what I can offer. He asked if anyone wanted to respond by turning away from their 'I know better' attitude, and instead give their whole lives to God. Eight people did! We are now meeting with those students and trusting God to help them grow in their new faith in Him.

Roberts Students Trusting God to Reach Out

2011-09-08T10:31:00.000-04:00

Last night Sasha and I met up with some students at Roberts Wesleyan College, a Christian college in Rochester. Three young women were throwing a kickoff party for Cru; informing students about who we are and sharing the vision for where God is calling them.

The Roberts students have a great vision: To partner with Cru on other campuses in Rochester, helping them to reach their campus for Christ and make a difference in the lives of others. For example; if the University of Rochester was giving away snacks during finals week to people studying and offering to pray with them, Roberts would send a group to come and join in.

Here's a video the students chose to show at the info party to show the impact one person can have.
http://vimeo.com/20835112

Sasha and Sarah @

2011-08-31T12:33:00.001-04:00

Sarah and I have started to meet with our staff team in Rochester. It's been great to be together as a team to pray, get to know one another and prepare for the new semester. I feel like a sponge, absorbing all I can from the veteran staff. We will be working with students from the University of Rochester, RIT, and St. John Fisher. We've already met with some students and are getting to know the campuses. We've got a lot to learn!

Our New Name

2011-07-22T15:40:00.000-04:00

Greetings from Ft. Collins, CO! Sarah and I are attending our biennial National Staff Conference. We wanted to write and share the news that you may have already heard: Campus Crusade for Christ is changing its name to "Cru." We have included a link to the official website that has answers to lots of FAQ's and other helpful info.

We wanted to communicate to all who are partnered with us in this ministry: we have not changed one bit of our vision or mission. More than ever we are committed to reaching lost college students with the gospel of Jesus Christ, building them up in their faith, and sending them to the world to reach others with the gospel.

We love Jesus and his name is the only name that ultimately matters. May he use us for his glory!

Visit the link below to learn more:

www.ccci.org

Smartphone App

2011-06-24T15:49:00.001-04:00

Check out the Campus Crusade Android and IPhone app: "God Tools."
It's a free download and may prove useful for sharing Christ. We have had some good opportunities using it.

It's been a good resource to encourage people with a smartphone to download alongside a free Bible app.

Check it out from your Android phone:

http://market.android.com/search?q=pname:org.keynote.godtools.android

Or check the Apple App Store for IPhone version.

2011-03-28T12:31:00.000-04:00

We found this stained glass window in the attic.
Another confirmation that we are right where God wants us!

God provides...thanks for praying

2011-03-28T12:23:00.004-04:00

Our new apartment!

God is faithful. We will live in the upper apartment of this house located in the 19th Ward neighborhood in Rochester. It is across the river from the University of Rochester and not far from RIT. It is a one bedroom but has ample living and dining space--perfect for having students over! Thank you for praying for this apartment.

When we met our downstairs neighbor she told us that she had been praying for good neighbors upstairs! It turns out she is a Christian and she invited us to visit her church. God orders our steps and responds to the prayers of his children. He knows all of our needs (Matthew 6:25-31).

Evangelism Talk Outline

2011-03-04T17:17:00.000-05:00

Evangelism Seminar

“God wants to use you to bring others to Christ!”

I. What is evangelism?
        a. Communication of the Gospel
        b. God’s plan: not our plan
                • Matthew 28:18-20
                • Mark 16:15-18
                • Acts 1:6-8

II. Who does it?
         a. The whole church
              • 1 Peter 2:9
              • 2 Corinthians 5:17-20

III. Why do it?
           a. Obedience
           b. Love
           c. Why not?
                  • Fear (of people’s reaction)
                  • Unbelief
                  • Distractions, idols
                  • Don’t know how

IV. How do we do it?
        a. By the Spirit
              • Initiative
              • Relational
              • 1 Corinthians 3:6

Questions:

1) What is your experience with evangelism?

2) What are some reasons you have been hesitant to share you faith in the past?

3) What do you think is the most important thing you have learned about evangelism?

4) Make a list of three people in your life who you want to share Christ with and pray for them as a group. Commit to praying for them and ask God for opportunities to share the gospel with them.

BWC 2011

2011-02-24T11:06:00.002-05:00

Here is Kevin, sharing his testimony with the Boston Winter Conference after recieving Christ earlier that week.

Update on Kevin

2011-02-24T11:06:00.001-05:00

Kevin believed the truth of the gospel and surrendered his life to Christ at the annual Boston Winter Conference! After the conference was over he was asked to share his story with others on his campus in Rochester.

Stepping out in faith, Kevin stood up at a student meeting and shared about what the Lord had done in his life. After hearing his testimony another student, Mike, had questions about his God and his own life. A few days later he met with Nate, a Campus Crusade staff member, to talk. Nate shared more about the claims of Christ and how Mike could know God personally. Mike believed and put his faith in Christ!!

We're reminded of the account in John 4, where the Samaritan woman encounters Jesus and then returns to her town and tells the people to come and meet him.

"Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's
testimony, "He told me all that I ever did" So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world." John 4:39-42

God has entrusted us all with the stewardship of everything we have. Not only our finances, but our time, relationships and testimony also. My prayer is that you and I both honor God by sharing what He has done in our lives with others. May we be people who are in awe of who God is and are eager to share about his activity in our lives!

Sasha and Sarah with Kevin in Boston

First Email Prayer Letter

2011-02-05T12:25:00.000-05:00

We just sent out our first email prayer letter! Praise God for what he is doing in the Rochester area! If you would like to receive our e-prayer letter, or receive it by mail, please let us know.

What is a missionary? By Oswald Chambers

2010-11-07T13:13:00.000-05:00

From: My Utmost for his Highest Oct. 26

"As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you." John 20:21

A missionary is one sent by Jesus Christ as He was sent by God. The great dominant note is not the needs of men, but the command of Jesus. The source of our inspiration in work for God is behind, not before. The tendency today is to put the inspiration ahead, to sweep everything in front of us and bring it all out to our conception of success. In the New Testament the inspiration is put behind us, the Lord Jesus. The ideal is to be true to Him, to carry out His enterprises.

Personal attachment to the Lord Jesus and His point of view is the one thing that must not be overlooked. In missionary enterprise the great danger is that God's call is effaced by the needs of the people until human sympathy absolutely overwhelms the meaning of being sent by Jesus. The needs are so enormous, the conditions so perplexing, that every power of mind falters and fails. We forget that the one great reason underneath all missionary enterprise is not first the elevation of the people, nor the education of the people, nor their needs; but first and foremost the command of Jesus Christ - "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations."

When looking back on the lives of men and women of God the tendency is to say - What wonderfully astute wisdom they had! How perfectly they understood all God wanted! The astute mind behind is the Mind of God, not human wisdom at all. We give credit to human wisdom when we should give credit to the Divine guidance of God through childlike people who were foolish enough to trust God's wisdom and the supernatural equipment of God.

Campus Crusade for Christ Chile encourages trapped miners with MP3'S

2010-10-19T15:36:00.005-04:00

You may have followed the recent media coverage of the 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for two months, and recently rescued. You may have noticed in photographs, the men emerged wearing t-shirts with the Jesus Film Project logo on the sleeve and "¡Gracias Señor!," (Thank you Lord!) on the front.

Campus Crusade for Christ Chile was able to serve these men by providing them with MP3's of the Bible and the Jesus Film Audio Version (a complete dramatization of the Book of Luke) while they were trapped underground. Visit the two links to read the entire story.

Chile Ministry Helps Trapped Miners :: Campus Crusade for Christ International

The Story Behind the Chilean Miner's Jesus T Shirts :: CNN

Murali's Full Story

2010-10-07T13:34:00.000-04:00

I was born in India and raised in a Hindu family. It was not the world I expected. I was brought up with too many rules and regulations. Since the days of my childhood I had a strange feeling that there is something out there which can break all these rules that were set up and that God had created me to be part of Him. But in my religion there were no answers to my questions and I was told to follow all the instructions to get God’s blessing. I had a question in the back of my mind…If we don’t obey God or if he created us and we are turning into evil people, then why did God create us?

My journey started with my religion which sometimes made sense and sometimes didn’t. It was my family’s culture and tradition and I couldn’t fight back. If I did try they would fight back against me. Like I said, since my childhood, I had a feeling there is something out there which can help me make my life more sensible and more meaningful. But I was restricted to learn about it due to my family’s boundaries. My life went on with all of these questions with no answers. My head was totally blocked with all the customs and religious traditions of my country.

I was told that there is a reason for everything. Even though it was a general statement, I consider it my first step to know about God.

When I graduated, I was told I could do anything I wanted with the education I possessed. But it didn’t make any sense to me. To be frank, I did pray to all the gods and goddesses of the Hindu religion and to the Muslim god and finally to Jesus to make my life less complicated. I didn’t get any response from any of them. I was lost and my relationship with my parents was breaking apart. I felt like a flesh without a soul. I was willing to do anything. My heart was wounded from different things. But I kept on going because, “everything happens for a reason.”

Finally I got something in my head to pray to Jesus again. I was in the job market selling myself to earn and be a slave. But I needed something more than that. I decided to pray to Jesus to remove the block from me and help me to find the path to lead to Him. A few weeks later, I got advice from a friend to apply to graduate school in the US. I had to fight with my family to be able to go.

I arrived at JFK airport and no one was there to receive me. I didn’t know anyone. I started to pray and asked Jesus to help me out. My first few months were horrible. But I was not worried because Jesus was with me. Even though it was excruciating, I thanked God, because I was finally free from my home.

I began college at SUNY New Paltz. This was the first time I ever left home. I was suffering in an apartment with 14 other roommates…it was a disaster. I felt a lot of pressure to get a job, but being a foreign student, finding one was like searching for a needle in a sandstorm. After months of prayer to Jesus, my prayers were answered with a job on campus. At the same time, a friend invited me to a Christian meeting. This is where I met Sasha. He taught from the Bible and it was the first time that I felt that Jesus was really with me and working in me.

But my troubles are not over yet… Even Jesus has trouble with Satan… and I am just a common man, I don’t even come close to what Jesus has suffered. From different locations, from different situations, from different relationships with people, from being homeless for a couple of months, from being torched with different people, until having a place to sleep, having peace of mind, having a good friend, and also best friends, having a Christian family who supports me to grow spiritually, being taught from pastors and leaders from church, being involved in serving others, having a job which I really like, and the best part: having a relationship with Jesus Christ! That is the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me in my life. Even the food I eat, the house I live in, and the trouble which He gives me (which by the way, helps me to grow more in Him),

Since my arrival until now, God is shaping me with different things. From meeting a good friend to a great Christian friend who help me start my first steps with Jesus Christ, until having an emotional and mental relationship with God… Even though it sounds and feels good, the journey was really heavy on me, but I never gave up on God and He didn’t either and that really helped me to know more about Him. Each and every step I took was like a lesson from a professor teaching me how I should live my life and what should I do in my life and the best part of it is the question bank in my mind is vanishing at the same time.. And I didn’t even notice…

From being a soulless person, Now I can say, I have a soul which was given by Jesus and He is the true God who has no boundaries, no rules, no Regulations that I must keep to be accepted, but only LOVE…(Which I am truly loving!)

Life is just so daily

2010-10-05T21:06:00.000-04:00

I read an article last week which really inspired me to live out my faith daily. So I am re-posting it here for you.

I have a problem. I love ideas. I love to find new concepts and theories. I love to read about them. Study them. Turn them over in my mind. Talk about them. Look for examples of them in the world around me. Contemplate how they play out in life. Consider their different facets, applications, relationships. I find great joy in the pondering and imparting of ideas. The Bible is full of these ideas. As a spiritual leader, my job is consider these ideas. To talk about them and teach them. As a follower of Jesus my job is to put these ideas to practice in my everyday life. So, what's the problem?

Life is just so daily.

Take for example this idea: If you want to be great in God's kingdom, learn to be the servant of all. (See Matthew 20:26, 23:11, Luke 22:26) There's something very revolutionary (and therefore very cool) about this upside down nature of God's kingdom. As a follower of Jesus, I live under a different set of rules and a different rewards system than my American culture. It's like being an indie artist who isn't looking to be on the radio because I won't want to sell out to the system. It's fun to be an indie artist until you can't pay the bills. And it's fun to be a leader in God's kingdom until you actually have to serve all.

As a church leader, "serving all" preaches (and it's handy for recruiting volunteers). As a follower of Jesus who is a wife and a mom, "serving all" pushes me far deeper than my natural abilities enable me to go. Serving daily in the monotonous details of life uncovers the deep roots of selfishness in my soul. Feeding, sheltering, and clothing my family translates into cooking, cleaning, and laundry EVERY day for years with no conceivable end in sight. This is no short-term missions trip. The constant demands of two young children on my time and energy sap the strength from me. This daily serving can make me downright cranky. This is when I wonder how God's idea could possibly be true. Rick Warren has led the free world to their purpose in Christ and is feeding Africa. I reorganized the toys today to fool the kids into thinking they are new (Free Parent Tip: This works!) How great am I in God's kingdom?

One day I was having lunch with a friend who is currently in full time ministry. Somewhere in the middle of a lengthy conversation, she said, "I want to tell you what an example it is for me that you are obeying God by staying home with your children right now. I know it is difficult for you but you still choose obedience. Your life encourages me to obey God." That’s when it hit me. Well known leaders often inspire and challenge us but it is "daily life" leaders who deeply influence us. It is our mothers and fathers, our community members, our neighbors who imprint God's kingdom ideas in our lives. I've often preached that the key to life is not balance but obedience, but when I live it day after day those around me take notice.

'Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant... if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty'. (Matthew 23:11-12 MSG)

Joanna DeWolf
Catalyst Groupzine Vol.2: The Culture Issue

What does frisbee have to do with evangelism?

2010-05-25T14:33:00.002-04:00

Not too long ago, a campus ministry at Syracuse University partnered with our church for an afternoon of outreach, during their spring break. Sasha went to LeMoyne College with a group of students to see what God might do there. He found himself invited into a pick-up game of frisbee on the quad. After the game he and the five students he had just met took a break from frisbee and talked. Sasha asked them about their spiritual backgrounds and one by one the students told about their experiences with church, God, or other situations they equated with spirituality. Then Sasha asked if any of them would be interested in going to a Bible Study on campus. Four students said no, for various reasons, and after some time left the quad. One student was left. He told Sasha about his upbringing in a Christian family and his recent desire for more meaning in his life. He ended by saying "So, I would be interested in going to a Bible study."

We see time and time again that God has not abandoned the college campus- even if many students are rejecting Him- He is calling people into relationship with Himself everywhere! Sasha was glad to pass along the information for the group he was partnering with that day. We pray that God would continue to bring opportunities for students to meet Christians and hear about Jesus at Lemoyne College.

God's intimate involvement in our lives

2010-03-10T13:27:00.003-05:00

A few days ago, Sarah and I were invited to share about our ministry with Campus Crusade for Christ with a couple who live in our neighborhood. They served tea and while I was in the kitchen I noticed a Scripture painted on their wall. It read: My soul makes its boast in the LORD. Sarah immediately recognized the verse! Just a few days before we had begun memorizing this psalm! It was cool to be reminded of God's Word in such a creative way. To me it was God saying, "I love you, I am leading you, look at the majesty of my orchestration!"

Here's what we have been running through our minds lately:

Psalm 34

¹I will bless the LORD at all times;
   his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
²My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
   let the humble hear and be glad.
³Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
   and let us exalt his name together!

Why Pray? (the outcome)

2010-02-23T10:45:00.003-05:00

The joy that I have when I am with college students cannot be adequately described. I love seeing their passion about growing in faith and sharing Jesus with others.

Although Thursday night was bitter cold and included lots of falling snow more than 50 students came out to worship Jesus! After I spoke, a freshman student walked up and pulled me aside. She explained enthusiastically that she had, "found God," a few weeks earlier and this was the first Campus Crusade meeting she had attended. She was facing a tough situation with a boyfriend (at which point I asked if could get my wife!) and was asking for biblical advice. We talked for a while when the freshman boldly said "I want to devote everything to God." She had such a desire to do what was right and to honor God in her relationship, even if it meant that she might have to end it. We were able to pray together, share scripture with her and direct her to the support of some good friends within the Campus Crusade community. It was so beautiful to see Christ transforming her heart.

Why Pray?

2010-02-10T09:11:00.003-05:00

Last week Sasha had been asked to speak to the students of Campus Crusade for Christ at Syracuse University. The topic he was given was "why pray?"

At first we though: there are so many reasons why we pray; how could he possibly speak for 20 minutes on such a broad question?' We thought about God's command to pray, Jesus' example of a life dependent on prayer, God's desire to have an intimate relationship with us including communication, and God's capability to act in all circumstances when we cannot. But, after more prayer, we found that God was leading us in a different direction with this opportunity. Sasha has been memorizing the 15th chapter of John and at first, we didn't think that this passage had too much to do with prayer. God began showing us otherwise.

John 15:5 (which became the main text for the message that night) says: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Although abiding in Christ can not be limited to prayer- we see prayer as the primary way we do this.

After studying and asking God if this was what He wanted us to share with the students, Sasha found John Piper wrote a newsletter on the very same thing! He said:

"we are easily deceived into believing that we are vines, not branches. Remember Satan’s original deception, 'you will be like God'? That’s what we want to be: vines! We don’t want to be branches. We want to bear our own fruit!"

This was a wonderful confirmation from the Lord that He was leading us as we prepared. Sasha had not yet told me about this new direction, however, at that time I was reading in a devotional book with pre-selected scripture. That day, I happened to be on Matthew 6:5-15. Though I had read this many times, as I read it this time, certain themes jumped out at me: God as father, submission, dependence, recognition of God's ability etc. Sasha interrupted to tell me about the Lord's leading for the message and then I shared with Him that I knew this was exactly what the students at SU needed to hear that night, for God had confirmed it by showing me His capability to act (and conversely, our incapability to act without God).

Our First Blog!

2010-01-31T20:14:00.001-05:00

As Sarah blends sweet potatoes and chicken sizzles on the stove, I am writing our first blog post ever! Today was a restful day. We worshiped with friends at Catalyst Church, here in Syracuse, and had a taco lunch together to kick off "Community Groups." Pastor Mike preached about the reality of Sin in our lives and God's offer of forgiveness in Jesus.

We are Sasha and Sarah Hallock - new staff with Campus Crusade for Christ, and passionate about growing in our relationship with Jesus and sharing his love with college students.