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Simple, but risky

matthowell — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:37:06 +0000

I admit, when I read this the first time I thought it was a little trite.

Then, I repented of my pride and admitted that there is much here to challenge me. The call to seek out the spiritual edge is one that both excites and terrifies me. The actions are simple on paper, but difficult in reality.

Hope you find something here that challenges you today.

If you’re spiritually stuck - not growing much closer to God - you need to step out of your comfort zone and into the adventures God has planned for you. True spirituality means following God to the edge of what’s comfortable and taking the risks necessary to grow closer to Him.

Here’s how you can live on the spiritual edge:

http://tinyurl.com/yl7zs7y

View of “Spirituality” at One College

matthowell — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:18:25 +0000

One person’s view of spirituality on a campus known for ignoring God:

“Walk the paths that wind through Hampshire College’s wooded campus and you will find offerings left behind: Prayer flags and God’s eyes hang from trees. Stacked stones mark certain paths, with students referring to one cairn-filled location as the Zen Garden. Poems, hopes, meditations, and prayers are left behind, stashed in plastic lockers. These items are continually shifting and replenishing.

No one organized this. It is a spontaneous outpouring of spirituality that is powerful, personal, creative, and unconventional — like our students themselves. Yet the world often seems to perceive mine as an institution hostile to religion and devoid of spirituality.”

The entire article is at http://tinyurl.com/yep9rcr

Should I Go To Grad School?

matthowell — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:48:38 +0000

Chances are you’ll have a discussion with the college seniors in your ministry about their plans for “next year”.

Colleges.com has an interesting article about the decision to look for a job or go to grad school. Here’s how it starts:

It is the dreaded question that every parent asks: So what are you doing after you graduation? Often the answer is: Whatever pays well. In some cases this could mean staying in school for a year or more to bump your bachelor’s degree up to a master’s.

In fact, you may have heard those nasty rumors floating around campus that a B.A. is a dead degree in the real world because of the demand for higher education — not to mention higher pay.

You can read the entire article at http://tinyurl.com/yfh5aul

Student Frustration

matthowell — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:46:30 +0000

Chances are, you have students in your ministry who echo these comments (in fact, you may have felt them yourself in your college days):

I can’t stand school anymore. I am tired of homework, busy work and class work. It’s all becoming a blur. All I know is that when I had a job it was easy. All I did was learn what I had to do, I did my job and I got paid for it. And, I had one boss. Here I have five “bosses” (my professors) and I have to pay to learn. … I just need to be done with school and never go back. I can learn without having to pay someone to teach me.”

Tim Elmore writes about this experience and offers some suggestions (including a commercial for his firm) on dealing with it.

http://tinyurl.com/ybfbr8k

Supreme Court to Decide if Religious Groups can Limit Membership/Leadership

matthowell — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:14:15 +0000

This news item came out in The Chronicle of Higher Education in early December, but in the rush of the end of the semester, finals, and the approaching holidays, you may have missed it.

At issue is whether religious groups on campus can be denied recognition (i.e., money) if they place limitations on membership or qualifications for leadership. In this case, it deals with the issue of religious group restrictions on gays and lesbians.

Says one side: “It’s completely unreasonable—and unconstitutional—for a public university to disrupt the purposes of private student groups by forcing them to accept as members and officers those who oppose the very ideas they advocate.”

Says the other: “The Christian Legal Society is seeking a ruling that would treat religious groups differently than all other student groups by exempting them from nondiscrimination and open-membership policies.”

According to the Supreme Court’s website, this case is scheduled for arguments on Monday, April 19.

Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

The full article is available at http://tinyurl.com/yc49a2n

Top Apologetics Resources

matthowell — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:04:36 +0000

Outreach Magazine has published its annual list of the “Outreach Resources of the Year.”

Outreach recognized three books in their Apologetics category. You can see their list of books at http://tinyurl.com/yadbqoo. If you would like to add to, subtract from, or expand on their list, please do so in the comments section below the post.

Six Sigma in Campus Ministry?

matthowell — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:03:05 +0000

In an article on the Christian Leadership Alliance website, David Claar says “In this article, I will discuss why continuous improvement should be a part of every Christian organization. I will present a process that enables organizations to think through continuous improvement and suggest seven areas that organizations should consider when putting their plans and measurements together.”

We may not think about our individual ministries as organizations, but you may find some transferrable knowledge between your ministry and Claar’s recommendations.

See what you think at http://tinyurl.com/yhxb4mm

Simul Justus Et Peccator

matthowell — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:35:31 +0000

“Martin Luther often employed the phrase simul justus et peccator—”simultaneously justified and sinful.” He understood that while he’d already been saved from sin’s penalty, he was in daily need of salvation from sin’s power. And since the gospel is the “power of God for salvation,” he knew that even for the most saintly of saints, the gospel is wholly relevant and vitally necessary. This means heralded preachers need the gospel just as much as hardened pagans.”

Be Transformed Yourself as well

matthowell — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:35:28 +0000

The CCO’s mission statement is built on transformation — transforming college students to transform the world. Our goals, our activities, and our planning all revolve around that laudable goal.

It’s good to periodically be reminded that we need transformation ourselves. Carrie Cavanaugh from the Best Christian Workplaces Institute offers us this reminder … make sure we arent’ neglecting ourselves as we seek to see Jesus transform others. See what you think …

http://tinyurl.com/ykxo63v

How Will You Lead In The Future?

matthowell — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:00:57 +0000

From Bill Drayton and Valeria Budinich at the Harvard Business Review website …

“We are on the cusp of a fundamental change — a worldwide change in the skills everyone needs to succeed, in the nature of organizations, and in how businesses must be led. … We are transitioning from a world in which a small elite runs everything to a world in which everyone needs to be a player. ”

If this is true, how will this impact the way we lead our ministries. College students will learn how to lead organizations by watching the way we lead. What will we teach them?

Read the full post at http://tinyurl.com/ygnxk49