Freedom

I just finished the bible study I have been doing on the Fruit of the Spirit.
P-O-W-E-R-F-U-L, let me just tell you!

Part of today's lesson centered on Gal 5:1


Gal 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Consider this verse in light of the fruit of the Spirit. Are you choosing to be chained rather than choosing to be free?

That's right, we have a choice. If you have become a new creation in Christ, he has broken the chains and we are free to live lives full of the Holy Spirit.

Full of:

Love that never fails, Joy the comes new every morning, Peace that rules, Kindness that tenders, Goodness that does, Faith that fights, Gentleness that bows, and Self Control that stops.

Did you notice how all of this fruit is active? It is not there just to look and smell pretty. Neither are you!

Choose Freedom.

Break for Change

Fresh on the heels of the President's visit to AU...

Tomorrow Greg and 5 students are making their way to Washington DC for spring break. They are taking part in a program that Intervarsity has put together called Urban Plunge.

The goal of the program is to "show students the needs of the urban poor, to let them experience the amazing strength, beauty and resilience of those who are oppressed, and to connect students to individuals, agencies and churches that are making a difference in the city. These projects are designed to help "seek the shalom of the city." Jer. 29:7."

Please pray for their safety in travel and open hearts as they become a part of what the Lord is doing in urban DC.

Obama at AU!

Friday afternoon the news spread like wildfire that Obama was coming to AU to give a speech on healthcare. As you can imagine, Obama Hysteria erupted! Tickets were given out at Saturday around 3:30, but students began to line up outside the Gym at 7pm Friday night!

Check them out:



All that waiting just to get this:


Some camped out again on Sunday night in order to get good seats on Monday!

A few students who are also in ACF were chosen to sing the national anthem!


Here are a couple pics from the speech:



There were secret service agents all around campus. There were even some stationed in the parking lot of our building as I came back from the store! And check out the heavy machinery:



There was also a tea party protest in front of the university, here is a segment from the local news coverage:

Greg was not planning on going, but he was on campus Monday morning when someone said there were extra standing room tickets if he wanted to go. He said it was a bit like a rock concert with people yelling and screaming "I LOVE YOU!" to the President! Politics aside, it was a fun experience.

Just Because

Warning, this will be a random assortment of thoughts.

It is a bright March morning and you can feel spring trying to break up the last few patches of snow. It feels like we are about to come out of hibernation, and we are SO ready! We all need to get outside and play! The kids are climbing the walls...see:




Next thought:

Last night in ACF large group we announced that it is time to start the application process for our leadership team for next year. This is a bittersweet time. The group of seniors that are graduating this year have been with us since the beginning of our time here at AU. They were there during the days when 8 people would show up for large group if we were lucky! (Last night there were 37! Praise the Lord!) They have seen the Lord so some amazing things on this campus and are very protective of this ministry they have taken care of for 3 or 4 years. Please pray for our team as we seek the Lord's will for the ACF servant-leadership team.

Here are the application and questions for anyone interested:
ACF Covenant and Leadership Application

87

Greg here.
The university hosts a dinner for graduating students each spring. It's called "87". That is, 87 days until graduation. Your guess is as good as mine as to why it isn't 88 or 41 or 99. I'm probably wrong but perhaps the class of 1987 started the tradition and it stuck.
Each student is permitted to invite a few favorite faculty/staff. It could be they hoped to get extra credit by inviting a prof or that they truly respected the character of an administrator. Perhaps meaningful conversations inspired the student and they wanted to show their appreciation. In any case, it is considered an honor to be invited by a student.
Last night one of my student leaders, Dana, told me a really cool conversation she had with another student, "Mike". Mike is a senior. He's well liked and well respected on campus. I've spent countless hours hanging out with Mike over the past 2.5 years. He doesn't have a relationship with Christ, though I continue to look for the opportunities to share. I really enjoy spending time with him and have shared Christ with him on several occasions. When it came time to tell the school which faculty/staff he wanted to invite to 87, my name was one of 4 on his list. Unfortunately, since I'm not employed by the school I'm (understandably) not able to attend the dinner. Nonetheless, I'm thankful for the encouragement that my relationship with him has meant something significant to him. Pray for "Mike" and more open doors for the Truth.