February 4th, 2009

Tuesday nights are our my freshman small group Bible study. The time has grown from and original gang of four Bereans--Cavin, Rudy, Andrew, and Ben--to our current group of 7-8 young men. This semester, Jordan, Chris, Charles, and Austin have all told me they plan to come each week.

My goal for this time is two-fold.

First, I want these guys to get excited about the Scriptures. The study we are doing, an inductive study of Romans, is designed to be deep and thorough. If the guys put some good effort into it, it can really take off and become exciting.

Second, I want them to grow deeply in their friendship with each other. I was struck this morning when I read Hebrews 3:13--Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. These guys were meant to help each other, to build each other up, and to guard and protect each other. That is the kind of environment I want to see flourish.

Pray:

1. That the Spirit would speak through the Word, both as these guys prepare, and as we discuss.

2. That these guys would get a heart for defending and encouraging each other.

3. That both of these things wouldn't stop after Tuesday night, but would grow deeply into their lives.

January 28th, 2009

Faithful pray-ers, I am so grateful for you! God has impressed on my heart so much lately how powerful your prayers have been last semester and this semester.

Praise God for his faithfulness to me and to the students he has allowed me to work with!

Jordan is a guy that I have written about in my recent newsletter. I had lunch on Monday with Jordan and asked him what he wanted out of this coming semester. His reply:

"I want to really learn the Bible cold, and I want to learn how to reach out to my non-Christian friends."

I was shocked! How exciting! I am really looking forward to working with him this semester.

Pray for Jordan:

1. Praise God for moving through Cavin to call to Jordan's heart!

2. Pray that Jordan would lead someone to the Lord this semester

3. Pray that his hunger for God would continue to grow

January 21st, 2009

I am glad to announce my prayer blog has officially begun Spring Semester weekly updates! Check back here every Wednesday for updates on how you can pray for my ministry at California State University-Long Beach.

It has been a very long break for me, and I am excited for school to get started this week. I want to give you some long range prayer requests...some things to be praying for throughout this semester.

Please pray:

1. For our Spring Break trip to Nogales, Mexico. Dates--3/27-4/3

--Pray that God would bring many students on the trip.
--Pray that He would use to create unity and a heart for the lost in our ministry
--Pray that He would guide Emily and I as we prepare for this trip, and as we lead it.

2. Pray for our Winter Conference, Feb. 20-22

--Pray that God would bring many students on this trip.
--Pray that He would use it to encourage our students to grow.
--Pray for me as I lead a workshop on Biblical Masculinity

3. Pray for the Bereans. (my freshman Bible study)

--Pray for a heart for the lost for them.
--Pray that they would grow in the Word.
--Pray that God would lead them to use their summers well.

December 24th, 2008--

Merry, merry Christmas!

Thanks you all so much for your faithful prayer. It is humbling and encouraging to have such a faithful group of people raising up my ministry in prayer each week.

Would you pray for the following things this week?

1. Pray for the non-Christian guys I have interacted with this semester...Haroon, Jordan, Stuart, Paul, David, Cody. Pray that God would open their hearts and prepare them to hear the gospel next semester.

2. Pray for open doors in the dorms. Next semester, I hope to be much more active with non-Christians. God has the power to give me favor! Pray that he would give me a clear path.

December 10th, 2008

I am currently attending a training session in Colorado Springs. Enjoying the beautiful mountains, and also connecting with friends on staff with the Navigators.

The next few weeks will be busy. As you may have heard, our economy has hit a bit of a rough patch. Consequently, I have lost a few donors. In addition, I am hoping to help lead a missions trip to Russia this coming summer. Because of these two facts, I will be spending a large chunk of time fund-raising. Would you pray for me?

1. That God will protect my attitude, and that I would continue to rely on Jesus to meet all of my needs.

2. Pray for new contacts and open hearts as I fund-raise.

3. Pray for sacrificial givers in the midst of tough economic climate.

December 3rd, 2008--

Unbelievably, this is my last week of 2008 on campus! It will be a busy week of meeting with all the men that I have worked with this semester to try and impart a few more words of wisdom from the Scriptures. I wanted to thank everyone who has been praying this semester. Your prayers have had great effect!

Would pray the following for my Bible study guys (Andrew, Cavin, Rudy, and Ben)?

1. That they would maintain and strengthen their relationship with God over the break.

(I know from experience and observation that this can be tough)

2. That they would be blessed with good times in the Word and in prayer over the break.

3. That they could share with family what God has been doing in their lives.

November 19th, 2008

Two things spring to mind this week:

Cavin and Rudy, two of my favorite guys, have both made an exciting decision this week. I will spare you the details of it, but praise God for a significant step in faith for them! I am so proud of them.

I met up this past week with two new guys, both of them "on the fringe." I think God is strongly at work in each one of their lives, but these last few weeks of the semester could be crucial for them. Both are interested in growing in their relationship with Jesus.

Pray:

1. Praise God for his work in Cavin and Rudy's lives!

2. That these two guys would have a broad impact on the rest of my Bible study.

3. For Jordan and Austin, that God would call deep into their hearts.

Here is a picture of me and Rudy on our recent roadtrip to Sacramento. (by the way, the scruffy look is because the guys and I are doing "No-Shave November")