Fish and Invitations

Here are two stories of how God has been moving at CSUN and in InterVarsity lately:

From our first MNF: (a post I put on Facebook)

"CSUN had our first large group meeting tonight and it was clear God is moving on our campus! 

We had no room to meet in so we met outside in the University Student Union. We handed out free root beer floats and had 70 people come! Most who came by came because we followed up with them and most of them were new! We did things a little different where instead of hour long talk we broke it up where we discussed things in small groups. We saw people bond together as a community and make friendships with people they just met. 

We made also 2 calls for response. We called people to make decisions of faith (first time/adult) and called students into mission. We had 4 people stand up to make decisions of faith (last year we had zero) and 15 people stand to go into mission on campus!

I spoke out of Luke 5 and I felt that passage was lived out in that moment. God asked me to go out into deeper waters for another catch after a year that felt like we came up with rather empty nets. I was overwhelmed with what God did and seeing his glory right there in front of me on campus. Several leaders were almost in tears, I was shaking by the end of the night because I just felt the Spirit was going crazy! We saw a sense of community after the first night unlike any others. Our leaders are pumped more than ever to keep reaching the campus after a night like this."

From our first dorm bible study that met on Wednesday: 

Last week our dorm study had only 2 people show up. And those two couldn't make it this week. 

So tonight Ryan and I took 2 freshmen who came and went inviting people in one of their dorms. We only went onto to floors but we ended up getting 6 contact cards. 4 couldn't come tonight but 3 dropped what they were doing and came to study right away (one was a friend visiting from UCI).

We ended up w a total of 11 people at study (including Ryan and I). It was great to see Freshmen take risks and invite strangers and it paid off.

Crazy things are happening here! 

Alive

Ok so this is the first month where I've probably gone a whole two weeks without blogging. I blame NSO. NSO is New Student Outreach - which in the InterVarsity world means no life for a staff worker.

But I swear I'm alive. Here is a small snapshot of what has kept my attention for the past two weeks.

• 267 contact cards (a record for IVMCF)
• 205 of them texted, emailed, or called
• 77 of them met with face to face
• 29 of them met with face to face at least 3 times
• 80 people at Monday Night Fellowship
• 5 bible studies
• 4 new believers
• 15 new students wanting to go into mission on campus
• Several new ministries on the horizon (transfer students, deaf studies, athletes) 
• 1 conference down, 1 to go 

God is moving here at CSUN and it is crazy all the things that have been happening. I'm excited to see where God is taking us. 

Being Sent (30 Days of Gratitude)

I am thankful today for the powerful words that Ben Vail shared with our CSUN students. I am grateful that our students were challenged to live life on campus as one who is sent there rather than one who has been exiled. I am thankful people were challenged to prayer, a vision we have had since the start of the semester - now confirmed. I am grateful because I see a room full of students who are able to make a difference on this campus and are beginning to see themselves as I have always seen them - as world changers and campus changers - people who can make a difference, whose radical love for CSUN, the people and the campus begin to radically bring revival here to the campus.

I am grateful for hope and a future of this campus, for these people, for this fellowship. For a promise to prosper rather than to harm.

A Second Chance

Fresno has turned into my home away from home. I never would have thought that after going to FUI (you know, that internship thingy I discuss a lot. Apparently it was important in my life. I will you look back at old blog posts for references and cool links). And one of the coolest things about being back in Fresno this time around was that I got to see a second chance for the Iron Bird Cafe.

The Coconut Mocha from Iron Bird Cafe

The place closed down shortly after I left Fresno for my second summer at FUI. It was heartbreaking to many of the people who frequented the establishment and loved their coffee. And they were thus overjoyed by it's return. The current owner is Amy Liao who owns Teazer World Market tea shops in Fresno (which I also LOVE). When I was in their last, I got to meet Amy and in her words "We've got to focus on making the good coffee and good food." Then she'll worry about the publicity.

I love this place because I feel like it is a metaphor for the city of Fresno. The city is virtually split into 2 parts - North Fresno is the rich area with the large shopping centers and tourist attractions. Downtown Fresno is full of poverty, homelessness, brokenness, and it easily forgotten about. People drive on the 99, past Fulton mall, past downtown, to get straight into Riverpark and Clovis and beyond. The downtown was left in the wake of their dust.

Years ago, the city learned that they were in the city with the highest concentrated poverty rate (people in a designated area living below the poverty line - they have the most designated areas). Since then people have worked to give their resources, time, and even Christian men and women have moved into the neighborhood to invest their own lives, money, and time into the city. Like IronBird, the city was given a second chance, was given hope to be renewed.

"Shout for joy, you heavens' rejoice, you earth; burst into song you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. But Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.' Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; you walls are ever before me." - Isaiah 49:13-16

Like Zion, Fresno will not be forsaken or forgotten by the Lord. During times of trouble, I feel like Zion and Fresno, I feel like God has left me and forgotten about me. But this verse reminds me, reminds the cities, that the Lord can no more forget, can no more walk away than a mother could possibly walk away from their nursing baby. Even in times of trouble, the Lord has not forsaken us but calls us to rejoice. Gives us hope and a second chance.