Praises, Year 1 at USC: Jim

I would love to share more details about what God did in Jim's life, but some of it is sensitive. Also, I changed his name.

Jim is a business major, fraternity member, and has the outgoing personality that is representative of many students at USC. However, he also embodied the darker side of Greek life: sexual promiscuity, misogyny, and rampant drug and alcohol abuse. In addition, Jim was obsessed with money and worldly success. He had every reason to expect it.

This past semester, God boldly intervened in Jim's life. Through a serious of events, Jim's life was turned upside down and he found himself to be a hated man on campus. Shocked, he found himself questioning everything he knew about his life. Around this time, his next-door neighbor was challenged by me to reach out to the people on his hall. At just the right time, Jim was invited to lunch with a Christian student who shared the gospel with him and invited him to church. On seeing people singing songs to the Lord and listening intently to the Word, Jim began to transform.

A few weeks after this, Jim and I met up. I shared with him about the cost of following Jesus and the true value of the kingdom of God. God used this conversation to convince Jim to throw off the remnants of his sinful life that he was still clinging to. We began meeting regularly for discipleship.

What a miracle to sit down with Jim just two days ago and examine his plan for growing spiritually this summer!

Vision for Prayer

Prayer is a great indication of where the heart is.

Time devoted to prayer is a great indicator of growth in maturity. It also shows zeal.

I have been praying for the type of student that God would produce out of my ministry at USC. Here are some of the attributes I have been asking God for:

1. Love for the Word
2. Heart for Prayer
3. Lifetime Laborer
4. Mature
5. Zealous
6. Committed to Evangelism
7. Leaders
8. Interdependent

On campus at USC, there is a beautiful prayer space called "The Little Chapel of Silence." It has been there since the university was founded; a relic of its Methodist past. I have spent many hours praying for the USC campus in this chapel.

Every now and then, another student or faculty member will be there too. Many times, the other people present are meditating, or even doing homework. It is rare that I get the sense that the other person there has the same heart for the campus as me.

This is what I am praying will change! I am looking forward to the day when I walk into the prayer chapel and it is full of people earnestly lifting up their campus! I want to have to sit on the floor!

Now, the reason I want this is because it is indicative of the zeal and passion for God's glory present in the student body.

Pray:

1. That God would give ME a zeal for prayer, by the power of his spirit.

2. That God would give the students I am working with a zeal for prayer.

3. That God would give all the Christian students a UNITY of zeal for prayer!

Vision for the Dorms

USC has 9 main dorms. Of these, 7 are mainly for freshman.

The dorms are where most freshman will make their friends. Many will remain with these friends throughout the next four years of their life. The habits and patterns of life that begin in the freshman year of college often continue for the next four years. I think that the first three weeks of freshman year are when students are most open to the gospel.

The dorms at USC are places of strong community. In some of the halls, everyone knows everyone and doors are always open. Establish a foothold with a few people, and it is possible to share the gospel with everyone on the hall. This is a time commitment. It is possible to spend the whole year laboring deeply on one hall (as I am doing this year).

My vision for the dorms is that there would be people (especially older students) at work on every hall in every dorm at USC. Each hall would be "owned" by a pair of students or staff who is leading a Bible study (either with Christians, or evangelistic) on a weekly basis.

I haven't made an exact count of all the halls, but this would mean dozens of students firmly committed to investing in the lives of others, and trained in discipleship and evangelism. They would have to have a heart for their community and a desire to see God change USC.

How to pray:

1. Pray for God to raise up laborers to go into the dorms at USC. (Matthew 9:37-38)

2. Pray for the dorms:

Birnkrant
New/North
Pardee
Marks
Trojan
Arts and Humanities
IRC
Fluor
Webb

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.