Chi Alpha Blogspotting

People often wonder what we do in Chi Alpha in the summer. Since students are gone from the university there is nothing for Chi Alpha pastors to do right? WRONG!!!

Lori and I have been very busy since the students have left campus last week. First we have started a summer session of Chi Alpha for those who are left in town. It is interesting that we had 8 men show up for the meeting and 1 woman. When we started Chi Alpha at CMU my prayer was for men to disciple. God has answered that prayer! It is a wonderful time to invest in these lives with smaller groups.

We also went to our district meeting for a couple of days and met with pastors from around the state, visited with some Japanese students (one who left), and prepared to meet new students from Japan who are coming in next week.

Plus our regular duties of being available for direction and help when the students need it. With email and cell phones we are never far away from any of our students. Sometimes going back home with all the changes can be difficult.

It is also a time for us to focus on some of our volunteer ministries. Jon is involved in a prison ministry that hold weekend retreats in prison that gives inmates a "short course on Christianity". It is a special time of sharing God's love with those that rarely see any compassion. It is great to see God break through in these lives and see the transformation.

We also like to go to motorcycle rallies. It is an interesting place for Christians to find themselves. But we like to think of it as campus ministry...same issues, just older people. During these times we wear our Christian Motorcycle Association vests and pray for opportunities to share Jesus.

Our plans are to be with students, love them, disciple them and to get a little rest this summer (that is important too). It is fun to visit with them where they live. It is also a good time for us to visit churches and friends that stand with us in this ministry. With out you we wouldn't be able to touch lives at CMU with God's love.
Thanks

The spirit of James 1:27 is this; taking care of those that can’t take care of themself is worship.  It is simple and yet sometime because of systems, paper work and Halmark it gets lost.  So let’s make it simple.  Mother’s day is this Sunday.  Our Chi Alpha group, The Church Reloaded, is going to Wal-Mart and buying a ton of diapers, wipes, baby food and baby powder.  We are going to see if Wal-Mart will match our purchase.  We will take all of product to the local Pregnancy Resource Center.  Done.

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. - KJV

External religious worship religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world.  AMP

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.  NIV

Anyone who sets himself up as “religious” by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.  MESS

Our Chi Alpha chapter (at MIT) recently co-sponsored a program called: “Global Genocide – Lessons from a Liberator and Holocaust Survivors.” It was one of many interfaith observances during Holocaust Remembrance Day. One of the speakers was a former platoon sergeant in the liberating unit of the 7th Army’s 45th Infantry Division. The second speaker is the author of a book about Boston area Holocaust survivors.

The author mentioned a museum in a small town near Munich, Germany, both known by the same name – Dachau. The memorial museum is located on the grounds of an infamous Nazi concentration camp. It is a site visited annually by millions interested in history, yet a place of horror for those who revisit where they had been imprisoned and tortured. A phrase is noticeable on the Iron Gate entrance to the place where prisoners once entered: “Arbeit Macht Frei” or work makes you free.

The phrase is misleading because the Nazi agenda was cruel and the words were a blatant lie to those subjected to the savagery of their German captors. “Work makes you free” gave false hope to the wretched souls forcibly detained and beaten by the Nazi’s, and most of them would die within the walls of their prison.

There is another lie still taught and believed today that gives false hope – “Be good, do good, and you will make it (fingers crossed) into heaven.”

The Holy Scriptures teach that to pass God’s standard of perfection and holiness, each of us would have to live a totally sinless life. Yet no one has ever been able to accomplish that. Not until Jesus of Nazareth came along.

Scripture asserts that only through Jesus are we able to be made right with God. The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him, we might become the righteousness of God.”

Jesus took on our sin and in exchange offered us His grace and forgiveness. Paul wrote to the Ephesian Christians (2:8-9), “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Does that mean that good works have no place in God’s plan? No. It means that the good works that God expects of us come AFTER we put our faith in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:10 reads, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” Read Titus 3:3-8. The author of the letter to Titus was Paul, and notice what he said in v 8: “Those who have trusted in God should devote themselves to doing what is good.”

Think theologically. Do not believe the lie that your “works will save you” from eternal death. Scripture says that it is only through the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross that we can have real freedom from sin.

Love is a verb,

Mike

Last Friday, we celebrated our second ever baptismal service at Tulane's outdoor pool. This time around, there was only one to be baptized, but it was great!

Welcome back, friends. Many of you got your first look at www.nolaxa.com last week, as I accidentally pointed you there with my newsletter email. Feel free to check that site on a regular basis if you like, or just check the headlines listed to the right. That'll help all you praying types to know how you might pray more specifically - thanks!

Recently, I had a conversation with a college student who confessed his philosophy on life - the glass is half full.  Not bad as far as philosophies go these days.  I was wondering in the 45 minute car ride if there was more than meets the eye to that philosophy.

And there was.

Self Awareness (SA) is not easy but it is a sign of maturity.  I had an opportunity this past March for someone to examine my ministry and me as a minister.  We went in depth with my devotional life, my marriage, my time on the campus, my preaching, my heart for God, my everything.  I could have spun the truth and given this mentor a “half full glass of milk” but who would I be cheating?

I would be cheating me.  I would be cheating God’s best for me.

I am making a confession of the soul right now and it is this; my glass is half full and half empty.  God is doing some amazing things in my life, in my marriage and in my ministry.  I have some skills, knowledge, experiences that lend me to be a campus minister.  I am also deficient.

Getting into a CMA or CMIT program is not really about a philosophy of how you will you view life from this point as much as it is an opportunity to become self aware of your glass of milk.  It is not an easy road but it is worthwhile.  Trying to spin your life for your whole life is burdensome.  It is time to let go of virtual self image, get an honest view from God and others, find joy in the glass that has milk and work on filling up the rest.

For the student in the car, for you, for me, may the grace of God take us into truth and may that truth set us free.

I just re-watched the hit animated movie Monsters, Inc. It is based on the idea that kids are afraid of what lurks in their closet(s), and their fear provides the electrical power for Monstropolis, where the monsters live. The main scarer at Monsters, Inc., is a furry blue giant named Sully, assisted by a green, one-eyed creature named Mike.

The plot of the movie is something we all can relate to based on our childhood – when the lights go out, we get afraid of the dark. Yet the fear subsided when mom or dad came into the room at the sound of our cry and turned on the light (and of course, looked under the bed or in the closet).

When we live is spiritual darkness – away and apart from God – we may experience fear. We cannot see what lies behind or ahead, we are not sure what is in the shadows, and our feelings may get the best of us. We need God to enlighten our way. If and when we ask the LIGHT of the World (John 8:12) to be light to us, he responds by initiating friendship with us.

We can also struggle with darkness as children of God if we ignore Him and his Word. We have a responsibility to develop and feed our faith. If we refuse to read Scripture and walk in the light God shines into our lives, it should not surprise us when we stumble around in the dark. We often revert to our old ways. We ignore and even shut out God’s light. You know what happens next: we get more easily enticed by temptation, we seem to enjoy darkness more than light, and even stop following God, saying we are too busy.

The apostle John had a pragmatic approach to life and spiritual health. Read 1 John 1:5-2:2. To him, living in the light involved walking in the light. John felt following the example of Jesus had two obvious implications: First, it calls for obedience. That theme is reflected throughout 1 John…”anyone who claims to be in Jesus must walk as he did” (1 John 2:6).

The second implication as you walk in the light is that you notice other believers (Christ-followers). John said when we are in relationship with God, we are also enabled to develop proper relationships with others, and we can walk in the light together.

One helpful benefit of light is that it helps you see everything. Light repels the darkness. No monsters can hide, because the light will expose them. We have nothing to fear while walking in God’s light.

How will you walk in the light today? Will you get back to (or continue) a daily discipline of reading the Scriptures? Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Grow devotionally. How about reading Psalm 119 once a day for a week? 5 Psalms a day for a month? One chapter of Proverbs a day for a month? Remember that whatever you feed (darkness or light) will grow.

How will your life change because you are walking in the light? The characters of Monstropolis do not need your fear to power their gadgets. But your spiritual adversaries crave and seek to cultivate your fear so they can rob you of the spiritual energy and resources made available by Jesus. Ignore them, turn on the light and walk in it. It is always easier to get around in the light, and you’ll find more joy and laughter.

Love is a verb

Mike O

P.S. Don’t miss the other benefit of walking in the light listed in 1 John 1:7-9. If and when you stumble and sin, God is ready and available to forgive you. That’s something not even Sully and Mike can do for you.

Chi Alpha Boston, launched a series of weekly podcasts back in January to aid in the discipleship and development of students, as well to others in the digital world. I am excited to report that it has recently been added to the NEW & NOTABLE Listing on iTunes.

As far as we can tell, this is the only campus ministry sponsored podcast that has garnered such attention, but we need your help in three ways.

1. Go to www.abovethehaze.org and click on the green subscription button. It will automatically subscribe you to iTunes, and you can get the podcasts we make available each week. They cover topics such as Christian biographies, arts and culture, the vocabulary of worship, apologetics, and much more.

2. After joining and please write a review of the podcast.

3. Help us spread the word. Place a link on your facebook, invite friends to view the pod cast, etc… The more traffic and reviews bumps us up the viewing list.

Thanks for considering my request.

Eric Lovejoy

One of our worship leaders, Awa, has some of the most quotable lines of anyone I know.

As exhibit A, I submit the following excerpt from an email to our group last week:

It’s spring quarter people, time to procrastinate so you can enjoy the beautiful warm weather and the beautiful peeps of Chi Alpha. I mean, we are a good looking bunch…I say that in truth and with humility…

How magnificent is that language?

Anyway, at least one reporter at the Stanford Daily agrees with me: Awa was quoted not once but twice in a recent article as was Chris, another of our students.

For context, the article is about a Hawaiian Lu’au on campus.

…kahlua pig … is traditionally prepared by filling the pig’s abdominal cavity with hot stones, then placing the pig in a pit containing hot stones.

“But I’m sure Santa Clara County wouldn’t have been too open to that idea, so we hand-shredded the 40 lbs. of pork ourselves using forks,” said Lu’au Co-Chair Awapuhi Dancil ‘10. “The hardest part was figuring out how much of each item to buy. People at Costco kept staring at us since we had 40 tomatoes, pineapples and pounds of salmon.”

And then later on,

“The members of the Hawai’i Club poured our heart and soul into this event, working at 100 mph,” Dancil said.

And the contribution from Chris:

Perhaps the most interesting side dish was the poi, pounded taro root that is kneaded into a smooth paste, traditionally meant to be eaten by scooping it out of a bowl with one’s fingers.

“I still haven’t made up my mind about the poi,” said Chris Olivares ‘10. “But everything else is absolutely delicious. I came last year and had to come again to support friends and watch the great dances. And how often do you get to have authentic Hawaiian food that’s really good?”

So a big shout out to you both for your 15 minutes of fame.

Although next time you’re talking about slaughtered pigs and root paste try to figure out a subtle way to work in “Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship meets at 7:30pm every Wednesday school is in session in building 300-300.” I’m not quite sure how to do that elegantly, but there must be some way. Maybe something like “Of course, slaughtered pigs cannot atone for our sins. They are merely tasty. However, there is one sacrifice that has already been given on our behalf, and we’ll be talking about it this Wednesday… etc, etc”.

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A friend of mine traveled to Japan and later told me about a shrine he visited. This shrine held hundreds of similar looking figures, with minor, but subtle differences. The tour guide informed my friend that worshipers would select a figure that resembled an ancestor and pray to that statue. My friend said he remarked that the custom seemed a bit odd to him as a western Christian, but the tour guide informed him that it was a very normal response in many Asian cultures.

I have worked with many international students over the past 26 years and remember a young man from Japan who went by the name Lee. He had come to the United States to study economics and we met through a friendship conversation program on campus. I learned that Lee practiced ancestor worship and he found stability and comfort in praying to his grandfather, who had passed away when Lee was a boy. Lee had fond memories of his grandfather and told me he found the experience warm and personal because he could pray to someone he knew.

I had the opportunity to introduce Lee to Christianity when he asked about the religious practices of my family. As I described some of the spiritual disciplines I followed, like Bible study, prayer and fasting, he remarked they seemed a bit odd. Why learn about, worship, and pray to an invisible God? Christianity sounded like a fairy tale to him, based on western ideas and thinking.

But then Lee had the chance to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas in the home of an American student colleague and his family, all whom happened to be Christian. He experienced a Christian family in action, learned about American and Christian traditions, and even heard the story of Jesus for the first time. While different from the narratives he had heard in Japan, the story of Jesus captured his attention. He asked for the story of Jesus in Japanese and received a Japanese Bible a week later, which he started reading. He read the Gospel of John over a weekend and kept coming back to John 1-3 with a lot of questions.

Lee realized he never actually received any tangible help from ancestor worship and prayers. But as he read John 1:1-18, he began to feel the pull of the Holy Spirit. After a while, he decided what John was describing was not foreign worship, but the truth, and trusted Jesus as Savior and Lord, according to John 1:12 (believe + receive = right).

It took patience, love, a few members of the Body of Christ doing their part, listening, asking and answering questions, and a clear explanation of the gospel before Lee even showed interest in exploring the person and work of Jesus. Of course, it also took the work of the Holy Spirit to draw and convince Lee to trust Jesus.

Read Acts 17:16-34. When people we know see Christianity as foreign worship or something that does not make sense to them, we need to respect their ideas, questions, objections, skepticism, and even their heritage while showing them unconditional Christ-like love. We also need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit by taking initiative to reach out to others around us with the message and grace of God. The Holy Spirit knows how to do His part. Will you do yours? Serve globally.

Mike

P.S. Take a look at www.onemorefriend.org for help in caring for the international students around you. Ask God for help in initiating friendship with a student from another country and culture.

Looking for some inspiration in an unexpected place? Check out this Discovery Channel commercial.

Reminds me of an old Rich Mullins song With The Wonder…

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One of the great things about working with Chi Alpha is the chance to get out and be with people that normally would not go to church. For what ever reason they will not come to us if we open our doors, so we take time and go to them.

Yesterday we took advantage of the nice weather and set up a table in the middle of campus to pray for people. During this time I took a young man with me who we have been working with to teach him about reaching out beyond the four walls. During the 2 hours that we sat there we had 10 significant conversations. Some were with people we already knew, but many were with new people. One of our prayers was that we would be able to pray with someone who was confused and we were able to do just that.

God opens doors when we pray. We need to remember the power of prayer. Things happen when we pray that don't happen when we don't pray. Pray!

An update: We have been praying for a friend of ours that works on campus who was told that she had cancer. We were able to pray with her, she had the operation but they could find no cancer!!! Even better, her relationship with God is deepening through all of this. Pray.

Brian just tagged me with this seminary questionnaire. As I’ve mentioned before, seminary is great preparation for ministry. In fact, I think the ideal ministry trajectory is for someone to go a secular university for their undergrad and then to get seminary training. This is more common than many suppose - roughly half the students at my seminary came from secular universities.

Anyway, here’s the meme:

This Seminary Meme is part of a competition sponsored by Going to Seminary and Eisenbrauns. If you’d like to be entered, simply answer the 7 questions below and tag 5 other people. You’ll also need to post this paragraph (links included) with your answers as the links will be tracked back to your blog and will count as your “entry” into the competition. On April 30th, 2008, one blogger will be selected at random to win a $100 gift certificate to the Eisenbrauns online bookstore.

1. Where did you attend seminary?
   

   The Assemblies of God Theological Seminary

2. What class do you think has most impacted your spiritual life?
   

   Effective Leadership with Mel Ming.

3. What seminary professor was most influential while in seminary?
   

   Tough call. Remarkably tough. Every prof I had at AGTS rocked my world one way or another.

4. What was the greatest challenge you faced in seminary?
   

   Not coasting.

5. What was the greatest reward you experienced in seminary?
   

   Graduating.

6. What did you do after seminary?
   

   The same thing I did while I was in seminary - I ministered to students at secular universities.

7. While in seminary, how many times were asked what you’d do after graduating?
   

   Almost never - I telegraphed my intentions pretty clearly.

I’m supposed to tag five people. The amazing Mr. Zickafoose has not participated, and I don’t think Earl Creps has either. Nor have Lane Douglas nor George P. Wood nor Mark Batterson. Prediction: probability of any of them participating is less than 5%.

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Mike and Jen Godzwa are the lead missionaries for Chi Alpha at American University. Here are links to their thoughts on our recent spring break trip their way: