That’s me (3rd from L) with some of my gals from Stanford Chi Alpha up in the Redwoods for our winter retreat last weekend. We were joined by Chi Alpha students from Southern and Northern California, Nevada, and Oregon for a three day weekend getaway. It was an awesome time of growing in relationship and learning together. Our speakers were Berkeley Church Planters Earl and Jan Creps and Sacramento Pastor Julian Newman. One of the main messages that I walked away from the weekend with is that the call to follow Jesus requires a laying down of self interest.
Back on campus life is full, week 4 of winter quarter starts on Monday and it’s been a busy one already. In addition to two small group Bible studies for undergrads, I am co-leading senior seminar with Glen this quarter about transitioning to life after college. We have a large group of students who are planning to graduate in the next few months and helping them prepare for their next steps is bittersweet.
In about 10 days, Chi Alpha at Stanford is co-sponsoring a lecture by Francis Collins, director of the Human Genome Project and a beleiver. We’ve been promoing the event where he will speak on why science and faith do not have to be mutually exclusive. Collins wrote the New York Times Bestselling book The Language of God, which I (and many of our students) have been reading in anticipation of his talk; I really reccommend it, it’s interesting even to a non-scientist. Please pray for Dr. Collins and the lecture, which will also include a time of question and answers with the students, faciliated by the chair of the Stanford neurobiology department. We are hoping to have more than 1000 in attendance.
Thank you for your prayers for me too. I have been traveling a bit this quarter, speaking up at a high school chapel in Marysville and a youth group in Cupertino. I’ve got a few more dates lined in the next couple months where I’ll be speaking on the road, as well as my responsibilities here on campus–including this afternoon’s project–my sermon for Chi Alpha this week on the lesser known book of Jude. I pray for you today as Jude prayed, that “…mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.”
These are students enjoying their Thanksgiving meal at our annual Chi Alpha dinner. We fed 20 folks this year and had a great time. One gal, a student from Korea, brought her parents. It was the first American Thanksgiving for all three of them–it’s always interesting to introduce traditions and hear about other cultures.
Since then, we’ve been winding up fall quarter on campus. Last week was our last worship meeting until they return from the holiday break in January. I spoke about waiting for Christmas, how to learn from the stories we read in Scripture of Mary, the Magi, and Simeon.
On Friday night, we had our Chi Alpha Christmas Party, a yearly tradition complete with a graham cracker gingerbread house competition and found object white elephant gift exchange. We laughed a lot and celebrated together before everyone returned to their books–finals are this week!
Glen and I have been meeting one on one with each student, talking and praying with them as they prepare to leave campus for almost a month after they finish their exams. This week I finishing up some administrative work and theological study before heading up north for a week in Alaska with my family–I’m really excited for the time at home!
I leave you with a goofy group shot from last week–hope your season is filled with the peace and joy that comes from Jesus!
The pic above is from our Chi Alpha meeting last week, since our Wednesday meeting fell on Halloween, we had a party following large group. Festivities including pumpkin carving, with some pretty creative results, including the Bay Bridge, the Stanford logo, and even Memorial Church, the giant cathedral like building in the middle of campus.
Hard to beleive it’s already Novemeber. Last night I invited all the Chi Alpha ladies over for dinner to celebrate the end of midterms. There were some tired faces! Then this morning we went out on our second outreach this school year, to work with Bayshore Christian Ministries, a local service group in the community of East Palo Alto. We helped them with some yard work and painting projects around their facilities.
Time is flying, there are four weeks of school remaining before finals, plus a week long Thanksgiving holiday. I am preparing to speak again this week at our Wednesday meeting, the topic is “brotherly kindness.” The following week we’re looking forward to a missionary guest from Croatia.
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