November 15th, 2010

Ben is growing like crazy...he and I spent time in the Word together and he is eating up Genesis like you wouldn't believe. He can't get enough of the Word right now and it is exciting to see.

God has really given me a gift in this young man. A freshman with zeal for God and a desire to see the Navigators established on campus. Praise God!

Pray for Ben:

1. That he would develop in his heart for the lost

2. That the Word would transform him

3. That we would have open doors on his hall

October 19th, 2010

Sorry I have not been more attentive to this blog!

I will be updating weekly again now. So sorry.

Ben has been a key student so far this year, connecting me with other people and meeting with me faithfully for discipleship. Would you pray for him?

1. Pray for growth and discipline in his relationship with Christ

2. Pray for a heart to reach the students at USC

September 24th, 2010

Pray for me this week, would you? I know you do, but I feel the need of it.

Pray:

1. That I would be strengthened and encouraged by the Word

2. That I would be persistent and bold

3. That I would be discerning and see where God is leading

September 17th, 2010

Finally had my first freshman Bible study last night...the one I have been praying towards and working on for several weeks. It was encouraging to finally get the guys together. There were five guys...exactly what I was praying for! We studied Genesis 2-3 and then played some racketball together. Praise God!

Some prayer requests:

1. I am reading the Bible with a non-Christian named Jay. Would you pray for God to open Jay's eyes to the truth of the gospel?

2. I am still exploring new possibilities and ideas. It is sometimes fun and exciting, and sometimes discouraging. Would you pray for protection from the enemy for me?

3. Next week, I am going to help two girls launch an IBD on their co-ed floor. Would pray for many curious people to come?

September 9th, 2010

This has been an encouraging week!

I have been able to meet weekly with four guys, which is pretty exciting...would you pray some things into these guys?

1. Pray for a hunger for the Word

2. Pray for true spiritual growth

3. Pray for a heart for outreach

4. Pray that they would be men I could build around over the course of this year

Their names:

Jon, Ben, Israel, Omar

Note: I have no idea if these guys are going to stick around! But they have been responsive and I am praying for them.

September 2nd, 2010

So, this weekend I am going to get some time to reflect on my first two weeks at USC (and my first two weeks as a campus director, and my first two weeks pioneering).

Would you pray for me? I will be spending all day Monday at a friend's house with no phone or internet, praying, reading the Word, and planning.

1. Pray for God's Spirit with me

2. Pray for leading on the future

3. Pray for wisdom from above!

August 25th, 2010

Sorry that I am late in updating this...I have been so busy! It is a lot of work trying to recruit students and get a ministry up and running, especially since I am going alone.

Would you pray for the following things?

1. For men to join a Bible study--

I am still in the process of recruiting a group of five or so believers to join a Bible study. Pray that the contacts I have now would respond!

2. For our first large group meeting--

Pray that God would bring many people and that he would speak through me as I share on the Parable of the Sower

3. Pray for courage and persistence for me--

Emotionally, I am up and down. This is hard work! Pray that I would stick close to Jesus in this.

August 16th, 2010

This is it.

On Wednesday, I will walk on to campus and begin my new ministry at the University of Southern California. My first day I will be carrying a clipboard and a stack of surveys (and some candy to entice people). As the new freshman class moves into their dorms, I will be looking for a group of students who want to study the Bible with me!

What I have:

1. A clear call from God
2. Three years of training in college ministry
3. An id card, official recognition, and a room reserved

What I need:

1. Prayer
2. Guidance to the right students
3. Patience, persistence, wisdom, and courage

Would you pray for me?

1. Pray for guidance to the right students
2. Pray that I would work hard during these first few weeks
3. Pray for courage and boldness in approaching students
4. Pray for the Spirit to be present with me in all I do!

August 9th, 2010--

USC students arrive on August 18th!

I am praying towards that day...what will God do through me at USC?

Remember a few things:

1. Starting a new ministry from scratch is a work of God. I am going to do whatever he asks me. But in the first year, I may have only a few students involved. 

2. My vision is starting to form, slowly, for what I want God to do through me. The first year will solidify it, but here are a few thoughts:

--I have been praying for all of Los Angeles to be transformed. Students at USC are leaders. Reaching them reaches more than just the campus

--I want to see students have a heart for holiness, and to be humble 

--I want to see students develop a heart for prayer

3. How can you be praying for me?

--Pray for the right students to join me. This requires discernment, patience, and faith.

--Pray for encouragement. Maybe the experience will be easy. Maybe it will be hard. Either way, I need God's power to be with me!

--Pray for vision. I do not want to get caught up in small things!

I will be updating this on Mondays this whole semester, once a week!

From Russia, June 21st, 2010

For the third straight summer I find myself in the amazing country of Russia.

My team is currently resting and recovering from our flight at the apartment of a local Navigator by the name of Jim Conner. For the next few days we will be joining with a few Russian believers who we will be partnering with in this camp. Then on the 23rd, we will head to the Caucuses to begin our camp. The camp will run for two weeks. After the camp, we will return here to St. Petersburg, where we will spend a lot of time with our campers and see the city.


For some reason, I am more excited about this summer than I have been about the last two. I think I am encouraged by the excitement of our team. But we are in desperate need of prayer, since we are storming a stronghold of the enemy!

1. Pray for faith for us, that we would continue to believe in the power of God.

Sometimes, it is hard to believe that God can really change the lives of the students, many of whom seem so far from him and so uninterested in spiritual things. We want to have our fixed on the invisible things.

2. Pray for protection from the enemy.

Already some of have felt attacked with doubt, discouragement, etc. We need your prayers desperately in this area.

3. For open hearts for our Russian friends.

I believe the gospel is "the power of God for the salvation of all men," and that "he is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine." Would you pray for his Spirit to go before us WITH POWER?

4. Finally, a personal request: Every time I leave the comfort of my daily habits, I struggle to connect deeply with God. So far, he has shown me a lot of grace in this area. Would you pray for continued grace for me, and the endurance to move into the Word and prayer despite how I feel?

May 26th, 2010

Sorry a day late!!

Here is an urgent prayer request:

Would you pray that Jim (our Russia trip receiving staff) would be able to recruit about 15 more Russian students to the camp we are working at?

New Address

Hey Praying Friends--

Here is my new address:

4801 W. 21st Street #1
Los Angeles, CA 90815

Quick Update: I am now stand-in director for the second half of the STP. This is a sudden promotion coming off of some health concerns of the director's wife. Could you pray for me? I am not worried or stressed or anything, but still, it is a much higher degree of responsibility than what I was expecting.

May 19th, 2010

Special Announcement/Prayer Request


I got a call on Friday from the leader of our two-week regional summer training program. They were in need of another team leader for the STP and I was asked to consider it. After some prayer and pondering, I decided to do it. This will make my summer a bit more packed, but I am happy to help out with the STP and excited to see what God does with it.


Would you pray for the following things?


1. That I would be able to fund-raise while at the STP.


2. That God would give my team unity.


3. That God would give me adequate rest in preparation for my trip to Russia.

May 12th, 2010

Well, this is my last week with the guys here at Long Beach. It has been an amazing experience meeting with the Bereans, and I am really proud of all of them. This week I have been sharing with them some closing thoughts and encouragements. It has been bittersweet.

Would you be praying for their summers? All of them are doing different things, and my prayer for them is that they would continue to grow and prosper this summer. Summers can be difficult times, but they can also be opportunities. Here is what each of them is doing this summer:

1. Andrew-- Staying in Long Beach, helping to lead the Navigator summer Bible study, a short STP in June.

2. Jordan-- STP to start the summer, then summer school in Sacramento

3. Cavin-- Russia with me! And at home outside of Sacramento

4. Ben-- Boy Scout camp for most of the summer, he'll be an archery instructor (awesome!)

5. Jaime-- STP to start, then work in San Diego

6. Rudy-- STP in San Antonio/Mexico

Would you pray the following?

1. That they would remain close to Jesus this summer

2. That God would protect them from spiritual attack

3. That they would return in the fall excited and eager to grow!

I thought you might enjoy a truly awesome photo of us (minus Jordan)

May 5th, 2010

Just wanted to update you on how Men of the Beach went. 

I could tell that people were praying over it because of the sweet spirit of fellowship and earnestness that the guys showed throughout the month. Every Monday morning at 6 AM 25 tired but eager guys showed up, paid attention, and surprisingly, did not fall asleep. It was a joy to hear them not only listening, but later talking over what they had heard and applying it to their life.

I think a lot of the growth happened during the small groups. I gave them discussion questions to talk over, but they quickly moved beyond my suggestions to discuss every aspect of the talk. I heard about one group whose discussion time lasted 3.5 hours!

Another great thing was seeing God bring to the surface some deep sins that had never been shared. In week two, we talked a lot about hiddenness and the power of sin when it is not brought into the light. That week, lots of things came to light as the guys deeply shared with one another. Awesome!

Finally, our all-night closing ceremony was a great way to end things. We ended the night of introspection and fellowship by sharing communion.

Of course, the goal was to lay a foundation of Biblical Manhood in these men's life, not to once for all solve all their manhood related problems. I am continuing to pray that God would use the things that we discussed to build these men up into strong and might Men of God!

Praise God!

April 28th, 2010

Thank you again for your prayers.

Let me start to give you some insights into where God is leading with USC. I want my praying friends to know what God is telling me about this new season. I have some ideas of what God wants me to aim at.

I want my time at USC to be used to produce lasting fruit. That phrase ('lasting fruit') really resonates with me because I want the students I work with to be still walking with God 50 years from now. I want to influence students not just for the four years they are at the university, but for their whole life. I want them to be like the seed that produced a crop 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown.

Pray for USC:

Pray that through my work, God would raise up lifetime laborers for the kingdom.

Pray that God would produce lasting transformation through the Navigators at USC!

April 21st, 2010

Men of the Beach is really going great! I am so excited with the responses I am getting from the men that are going through it. Praise God that he is using this program to shake things up in the hearts of the guys!

Would you continue to pray for this event?

1. Pray for me this weekend as I plan our final talk.

2. Pray that God would use this to raise up lifelong leaders.

3. Pray that God would create lifelong friendships amongst the guys through this.

I am so thankful for your prayers.

April 14th, 2010

Tomorrow is not just my birthday, it is also my first time traveling to my new campus! 

I will be going to USC tomorrow to pray over the campus, spend some time with God in his Word with the question "What vision do you have for the Navigators at USC?" in mind, and meet up with a student and a staff member with another ministry.

I am really excited to go. Would you pray for a few things connected to this?

1. Pray that God would continue to give me vision for the ministry.

2. Pray for contacts at USC.

3. Pray that I will be able to fill out the necessary paperwork to become an official campus ministry.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

April 7th, 2010

Update on Men of the Beach:

I am leading a month long Biblical manhood program entitled "Men of the Beach."

Monday morning at 6 am, we had 22 guys gather to hear me speak on the Biblical foundation of our identity as men. It was exciting, and I think has potential to cause some ripples in our ministry. The guys were attentive, teachable, and eager to apply what the Bible said to their lives. I am really excited about this!

Would you pray?

1. That God would continue to speak through me and the other leaders as we share from the Word.

2. That these men would have the courage to share deeply with one another

3. For transformation in the lives of these men!

March 24th, 2010

Want to see some pictures from our ministry?

Here is our Russia team. Pretty awesome group of people!

Praise band from the recent "Truth Conference"

So, this coming week is our Spring Break trip, and we will be taking a group of about 25 students to the central coast area of California. We are going to be spending a lot of time in the word, serving the homeless in San Luis Obispo, and camping at a beautiful national park.

Would you pray for this trip?

1. Pray that God will meet us in the word. Last year, God used this trip to get a number of our students excited about the Bible. It was exciting to see.

2. Pray that God would put together all the details of the trip and be with Emily and Josh as they continue to plan.

3. Pray for a good spirit of unity and a family atmosphere.

March 17th, 2010

One of my favorite subjects is Biblical manhood. I have spent a lot of time researching and reading and studying the Word in this area, and I love to share the insights God has given me with other men. It is always exciting to see guys get a vision of what it looks like to be a man of God! I think this is something our culture desperately needs, with the growth of homosexuality, passive men, and a dearth of male leadership in the church.

In the month of April, I will be heading up a little project I've named "Men of the Beach." This will be four-month program designed to pass on truths to the men in our ministry, and get them excited about Biblical manhood. Mondays and Thursdays, we will be meeting at 6 am to both talk about and reflect on various topics. The whole shebang will culminate in an all-night ceremony on May 1st.

Pretty exciting stuff! I think there is potential for a lot of growth through it. However, I really need God to be moving in it, and bringing the guys in with open hearts to listen and be transformed. Would you be praying for this event (leading up to it, and throughout it)?

1. Pray for me, for wisdom as I lead and teach.

2. Pray for open hearts and transformation in the 20-25 guys that are coming.

3. Pray that God would use this to bear long-term fruit in these guys lives!

March 10th, 2010

Here are some events coming up to be praying for:

1. Spring Break:

We are taking about 20 students to Big Sur up the central coast. We will be doing a service project in San Luis Obispo and camping at a national park.

Would pray for safety and for God to meet us on the trip?

2. Men of the Beach:

I am leading a four week Biblical Manhood course. I was expecting about 15 students to sign up for it, but there will probably be close to 30! This is exciting, but I will be adjusting the format a bit to accommodate the interest.d

Would you pray for God to guide me as I plan this?
Would you pray that God would use it to build an atmosphere of Biblical manhood in our ministry?

Thanks for your prayers!

March 3rd, 2010

I had a wonderful but busy weekend. As you may know, I am leading a missions trip to Russia this summer, and over the weekend our whole team assembled in Irvine for an orientation and training session. I would love some prayer for our team in relation to one specific area.

Cumulatively, our team needs to raise 40,000 dollars. There are ten people going and the trip costs 4000 per person (I am good at math). Most of the team is raising money for the first time, and it can be a scary, discouraging process. I believe that God, who has called us all to the trip, is able to provide for us as well. Would you praying the following with relation to our funding?

1. That it would be an encouraging, faith building process for:

Tiffanie
Cavin
John
Rory
Caitlin
Kate
Elise
Callie
Alissa

2. That God would bring the money in!

3. That we would be prepared in our hearts, both emotionally and spiritually, for our Russian adventure!

February 24th, 2010

I sat last night in the back of the room listening to testimony after testimony of how God used the conference to answer prayer, increase faith, and stir up zeal in the hearts of our students. We had an "open mike" night last night, intending it to go for about forty minutes...however, the students talked for almost 90! This included 6 of the guys I disciple. What an amazing encouragement and sign that God is moving in this ministry! Thank you so much for your prayers, I am confident they are the reason God is moving!

Here are some follow-up prayers coming out of the conference:

1. Jaime--

Jaime went and immediately became everyone's favorite guy! Seriously, I had no idea how charismatic this guy is, but it seemed like at the end of the weekend, he knew all 300 people at the conference! It was awesome to see how fired up he is right now about the Lord.

Would you pray that this would continue and increase? (II Tim. 1:6)
Would you pray for us as we take the gospel to his roommates Tory and Matt?

2. Zach--

Cavin's brother seemed to have a great time, and more importantly, made some new friends. He was excited to be at our large group last night and people were excited to see him. He came to my workshop on "The Reliability of the Word," a topic that has been a source of doubt for him in the past. He still has some questions, but Cavin says he has not seen him so open for a long time.

Would you pray that God would "seal the deal" with Zach?
Would you pray for wisdom for Cavin as he moves towards his brother?

3. Keriann--

I don't know too much about her experience.

Would you pray that she would go to an STP, or summer training program, this summer? (Alicia told me that this was something she viewed as "impossible" but that she is praying for)
Would you pray that she would be convicted by the Word to live a holy life?

Thank you for all your prayers!

February 17th, 2010

The conference is coming up this weekend! We are excited to have over sixty people coming, which is amazing considering that when I first arrived at Long Beach, there were about twenty students involved. Now, as you know, it is not about numbers, but we do believe that the conference is a great time for students to hear from God, so it excites us that so many are going.

I am especially excited about a few people. Would you pray for these folks?

1. Zach--

This is Cavin's brother, and his roommate. Zach is nominally Christian, but has shown zero interest in God this year (he is a first-year student). But he is excited to go to the conference, and lately has shown some signs of life. Would you pray that God would speak to him this weekend, and excite him for the gospel?

2. Jaime--

I am really excited that Jaime is coming, and I would really like this to be a good time for him to deepen his friendships and get more plugged into the Navigators. Would you pray for that?

3. Keriann--

This is a girl in my teammate Alicia's Bible study, a young believer who still has a lot of baggage from her partying past. Would you pray for her to hear from God, and get a vision for holiness and growth?

Also: Continue to pray for Cavin, for comfort for him in a hard season. I am proud of a decision he made, but it was a hard one and he is hurting.

February 10th, 2010

One of my favorite prayers for my guys is Isaiah 61:3:

They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting for the Lord,
for the display of his splendor

I love the imagery of the guys standing tall as oaks of righteousness, 10, 20, 50 years down the road. I want to build into these guys spiritual transformation that will last them the rest of their lives!

God is really moving in the Bereans this semester. It is exciting to see, but I have to say that it is "for the display of his splendor." The growth is so amazing that I can only stand back in awe of what God is doing. He may be working through me, but the things that are happening clearly show that it is God who gets the glory!

Here are some highlights:

--Jordan is reading the Bible with a Jewish friends and getting increasingly excited about evangelism.
--Cavin brought his suitemate to Navs last night...it is cool to see how much this non-Christian friend admires and looks up to Cavin.
--Andrew continues to lead a group of non-Christians in Bible study each week...several of them are close to coming to know God!
--Ben is moving in evangelism as well, with his friend Jacob

In addition, the guys are gelling as group, encouraging each other, helping each other out, and in general growing in their friendship...something I have been praying for since Fall of 2008!

Pray:

1. Praise God for his work amongst these guys!

2. Continue to pray for Cavin and his decisions.

3. Pray that the conference would be a place where God's word is spoken with power! (Cavin is bringing his brother Zach to it...pray that God would move in Zach's heart)

Thanks you so much for your prayers!

February 3rd, 2010

Cavin is one of my favorite guys to meet with. He is teachable, insightful, a careful thinker, and possessor of a soft heart towards God.

Cavin is currently going through some tough times, trying to make some difficult decisions. I don't want to share the specifics of it, but I want to say I'm proud of him and praying for him. Would you join me in praying for him?

1. That he would have wisdom in what to do in his current situation.

2. That he would have grace and courage to make hard decisions.

3. For joy and delight in the Lord!

January 27th, 2010

The semester has started and I am very excited! It is awesome to see all the guys I'm meeting with and hear about their Winter Breaks. I feel like God has really been moving in their lives this break, and in general this year. This semester could be HUGE!

Did you know that God does listen to and respond to our prayers? I'm sure you do, but sometimes I forget until I'm amazed by seeing fruit from the things I've been praying and asking you to pray about!

The Navigators is not a very "events-oriented" ministry. Most of my time is spent in one-to-one and small group situations. But we do have a few larger scale events at certain times, and one of those is our Winter Conference. This is takes place from February 19th-21st.



The theme this year is "truth," and there will be a wide variety of speakers and workshops. I will be leading a workshop on the trustworthiness of the Bible.

We will be recruiting students to come to this conference in the next few weeks. Every year students come to Christ at these conferences or have God move in a significant way. Would you be praying for 60 students from Long Beach to come this year? Last year we had 30, so this is a big prayer.

1. Pray for 60 students to come.

2. Pray for wisdom as I prepare and lead my workshop.

3. Pray for God to move in the hearts of everyone who comes!

Additional opportunity:

We already know that several students will be needing scholarships for the conference and we don't have as much funds as normal this year in our Long Beach account. We need to raise around 1000 dollars as a staff team so that we can offer support for everyone who needs it. Would you consider giving a one-time gift of $100 or more towards scholarships? If you are interested, you can send me a check, made out to "The Navigators." Just include a note saying you want it to go towards these scholarships.

My address:

5271 E. Anaheim Rd. Apt. 2
Long Beach, CA 90815

January 20th, 2010

My first prayer blog entry of 2010...

And school is starting up again this Monday. Long Beach has an incredibly long winter break. Over a month off! I am eager and excited to get back with the students and enjoy the coming semester, one which I hope will be significant in the lives of the Bereans and some of the other guys I'm working with.

Would you pray for the following guys who are considering their summer plans? I am hoping that several of my guys would go overseas, and some of them to an eight week "STP" (summer training program) designed to equip students for growth and ministry.

1. Jordan --Eight-week STP in Vermont

2. Cavin --Russia trip (with me)

3. Justin --Russia trip

4. Ben --Middle East trip

5. Rudy --NavVida STP

6. Jaime --Three-week STP

Pray that God will speak and call them to these trips.