Believers at multiple universities in Florida are seeing the glory of growing the Kingdom of God, one group at a time. Staff members coach a few student leaders, who then start discipleship groups with new believers they share the gospel...

During the past two school years, a handful of music students at the University of Houston met in a classroom every Friday morning at 9am, not for a class, but to pray for each other, their lost friends and their...

Campus ministers from twelve ministries at Clemson University pray together weekly and strategize towards seeing multiplication and unification on campus.  In the spring of 2016, a few of the campus ministers began talks about regularly working together. They followed up with...

Students at Oral Roberts University partner with community organizations in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to reach out to the their community and show the love and redemption of Christ.  ORU Outreach and Missions encourages students to reach the community of Tulsa in a variety of different...

The full moon on the clear night backlit the red brick buildings with their white detailed inset windows. The bronze toe of Mr. Harvard’s large foot shone in the moonlight as I touched it and I prayed over him, this...

Friday nights are wild in a college town.  They are particularly wild in Lawrence, Kansas.  It’s as if the students on the hill (as the locals refer to The University of Kansas campus) leave their Friday afternoon classes with enough...

It Started with One Question In January 2015, Brian Jenkins, now a senior at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, returned from a short term mission trip to Atlanta, GA with a question. After meeting people who...

Last month, several ministries at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) hosted Dr. John Lennox (mathematics, Oxford) to speak on the topic, “Has Science Rendered Belief in God Irrelevant?”  One of the most prestigious ballrooms on campus was...

One spring day in 2013 at The University of Texas at Austin, freshman business majors Tim Nelson and Chris Uhlig were hanging out, sharing thoughts about their first year of college. At one point in the conversation, they both realized...

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” Matthew 28:19 I was brought up in church hearing this passage time and time again,...

Ten percent of the student body at The University of Kansas, where I pastor, is made up of international students.  Ten percent.  That means every fall, our little midwestern town gains around 2,500 temporary residents from outside the US.  International...

When you first meet Pradeepan, a senior biology major at The University of Texas at Austin, he may seem a bit on the quiet side. However, it doesn’t take long for his smile to take over, and you discover his...

I love the way the Lord uses some of the most mundane things to bring Him glory. I saw an example of this first hand last week, when my outreach partner and I spent time one morning on campus at...

“He ministered in me by giving me a firm conviction to follow through with something that was on my heart for a while – to start a missional community within my major.” This was a response I received when I...

Little, Green New Testaments Every semester, the Gideons pass out little, green New Testaments (with Psalms) to the student population at the University of Texas at Austin. And every semester, some people reject them, some people laugh, and some people...

Chelsea’s Story Chelsea had seen many of her older friends fall away from their faith in college.  She did some research and learned that this happens to 7 out of 10 students, and she was determined to not let it happen...

The gospel is offensive. I’ve known this for awhile, but in a much more abstract way. In the back of my mind, I thought it was because Christianity–loving God, loving your neighbor–was offensive. It confused me, because this was my...

Everyone knows that college life is full of temptation.  College students have more freedom than ever before to do whatever they want to do.  There is temptation around every corner, the biggest of which is particularly damaging.  It can ruin...

If you’ve been wrestling with how to make your small group more missional, I feel your pain.  It is really difficult to do.  Our default setting is to exist for each other, not the people groups we’re reaching out to. ...

I love the evangelistic approach of Pope Francis in presenting the Gospel message in so many unique and refreshing ways.  The choosing of his name when he became Pope immediately suggested a new approach to the Papacy.  This may all...

For about the last fifteen years, I have worked to develop a campus-wide missional community movement at the University of Texas.  While we’re still far away from our goal of planting missional communities in every college, club, residence, and culture...

As I’ve shared the vision of missional communities with students, I’ve noticed a pattern. Most of the time, students get overwhelmed. It just seems like so much. Building relationships with non-Christians can seem daunting when you look at your schedule...

“…Who can withstand His icy blast?” I paused my reading of Psalm 147 to let out a guffaw as my shaking hands testified with the Scripture.  Trying to steady my hands so I could read from the snow-dotted iPhone screen,...

When I first arrived at college, I had a slew of beliefs that I’d acquired from a lifetime in religious America. Call it an ‘us vs. them’ mentality, or ascribe it to my natural tendency to assume the worst, but...

For those of us in the Roman Catholic tradition, we have heard the Church speak quite a bit about a new push in Catholicism, “The New Evangelization.”  The word “evangelization” is somewhat new to Catholic circles.  Not the concept or...

I miss neighborhood churches.  I know, I know.  In today’s world it’s not likely that we’ll ever go back to the liturgical tradition of parishes, but I am encouraged by some of the newer churches being planted to reach a...

Seeker-Friendly When I was 22, I took my first job leading worship for a church.  It was 2007, and the church for which I worked had spent the past five or six years operating in a model they had adopted...

A salient thing I have learned from Baylor is that there is joy in serving those around you.  God never calls us to be successful, rich, or important.  He calls us to serve faithfully.  As I walk through my years...

  A new semester always brings me a sense of boundless optimism, usually along the lines of “I can do all the things!!” I have trouble remembering the burnout that overcommitment brought me in previous semesters, and feel (once again)...

Last January, as I sat on my bed and sketched out my goals for the year, I kept coming back to one simple and scary fact: I was just days away from co-leading a missional community (MC) at the University...

You loved all the incredible things that happened in college. Maybe you were plugged into an awesome campus ministry, grew in your faith, and made some awesome friends. You may have even spent time among the lost, sharing your faith...

The other day a couple of students popped by my office to visit, chat and grab lunch at the same time. While we were sitting around the table catching up on the latest happenings, they told me about a sermon...

The other day I was sitting having sushi with a good friend of mine when we started talking about a classmate of hers in her college. A fellow Christian, this person was capable of spending hours in prayer everyday, constantly...

I love missional communities. Not simply for theological reasons, but because of how they help cultivate spiritually healthy people. As I have taught and practiced missional community over the past year and a half, there have been three main ways...

  I few weeks ago my blog entitled Stop Praying For Me generated quite a buzz that I hope led to meaninful conversations on the important subject of how to pray for the disabled.  This week I’d like to give some...

This semester I would like to compare and contrast the different styles of evangelism.  In so doing, I hope you can learn to understand and respect those who think and act differently than you and, more importantly, be challenged to...

About a year ago I was enjoying a day of yard work while listening to The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Yes, I must have been the last person on earth in leadership to read the book! I wish...

For those of us in the Catholic tradition, today is the feast day of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini.  Frances Cabrini was born near the city of Milan, Italy in 1850.  Fascinated as a young girl by the stories of missionaries,...

What is courage?  How do we define courage today?  While thinking and praying about this topic I seriously considered putting a picture of John Wayne opposed to writing.  I mean what else needs to be said.  I could place a...

This semester I would like to compare and contrast the different styles of evangelism.  In so doing, I hope you can learn to understand and respect those who think and act differently than you and, more importantly, be challenged to...

The Preparation One day in August, I eagerly answered a phone call from the youth minister for Gateway Community Church in Wylie – I had been looking forward to this call for quite a few iterations of phone- and text-tag....

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It...

This semester I would like to compare and contrast the different styles of evangelism.  In so doing, I hope you can learn to understand and respect those who think and act differently than you and, more importantly, be challenged to...

A friend of mine, Abby Pound, has recently started to paint.  The pictures she paints are simple yet powerful.  I bought a simple painting from her that had three words on it, “Go Be Love”.  I look at these words...

This semester I would like to compare and contrast the different styles of evangelism.  In so doing, I hope you can learn to understand and respect those who think and act differently than you and, more importantly, be challenged to...

This semester I would like to compare and contrast the different styles of evangelism.  In so doing, I hope you can learn to understand and respect those who think and act differently than you and, more importantly, be challenged to...

This past week I reached a new milestone in my life. I crossed the 1,000 friend mark in Facebook. And while I can already hear some of you groaning and rolling your eyes at my “achievement,” this really got me...

There is a lot of debate when it comes to methods of evangelism.  Individuals and campus ministries each have their preferred way of sharing the gospel.  Their convictions on such matter is deeply formed by their theology and their ministry...

Someone once said: “When life goes as planned, I am disappointed because God’s plan would have been better.” As one who likes order and structure, I can’t say my first reaction to an event that follows a nicely written schedule,...

I don’t mean to brag, but I live in the coolest neighborhood in Austin.  Northloop really was recently named the “hottest” neighborhood in Austin by Austin Monthly.  However, it’s not about the cool places to shop, the coffee shops, the restaurants,...

It has only been several months since the passing of Nelson Mandela, one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century. He was the man who unified South Africa. Ravaged by many years of apartheid and racial tension, many lives...

We have been examining the values of one of the most influential churches in history – the church at Antioch. We find the beginning of their story in Acts 11: “Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that...

Recently we had a great time having dinner with our network in Rollingwood which is made up of several families and singles from 5 different small groups and serving teams. We talked about the need for extended family in our...

Graham Tomlin, principal of St. Melitus College in London, has written in The Provocative Church that the problem with reaching people with the gospel in a post-Christian context (the majority of the western world) is that people have been inoculated to the message. Most...

This semester I have been writing about how prayer and mission go hand in hand.  You can’t have one without the other.  There might be no better passage to prove this than the story told in Acts 10 when God...

The Missional Community on the River While wandering through the internet and listening to a past sermon from a guest speaker at church, I remember the speaker mentioning a story that hit a chord in my heart. It spoke volumes...

This year I have been writing about the character traits and skills of effective missional community leaders. I wrote about missional leaders being proactive, hospitable, generous, available, attentive, persevering, holy, kind, and culturally aware. This post will look at how missional leaders are present in the moment...

This semester I’ve been writing about how prayer and mission are inseparable.  Sometimes the prayer people can look at mission people and think, “You’re all about planning and strategizing, but you need to pray so you’re not operating in a...

Being involved with college students means creating community every semester or at least every fall. Often, we have to learn to create community from scratch. Here are seven principles for Catalyzing Community whether you are trying to start a small...

Christians have become enamored with organized religion.  We are thrilled to be a part of official bible studies, official church groups, and official volunteer organizations.  However, we forget the true significance behind the missional community.  While organizations are pertinent to...

John was playing squash with an unbelieving colleague who had recently joined the company.  They had had a couple of brief chats over coffee in the cafeteria.  Simon was new to the area and so welcomed the chance to do...

This year I have been writing about the character traits and skills of effective missional community leaders. I wrote about missional leaders being proactive, hospitable, generous, available, attentive, persevering, holy, and kind. This post will look at how missional leaders are culturally aware.  To do so, I...

Learning to Walk in Faith and Not By Sight “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase” (Martin Luther King Jr.). Living in the world’s most influential and powerful city, you are often reminded...

This semester I’ve been writing about how prayer and mission are inseparable.  Sometimes the “prayer people” can look at mission people and think “you’re all about planning and strategizing, but you need to pray so you’re not operating in a...

“The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.”   Acts 11:21 These words were used by Luke to describe the church at Antioch. Their story starts like this: Now those who had...

On February 7th, a group of students plus a group of my adult friends gathered to watch the “Compelled by Love” documentary about Rolland and Heidi Baker’s life and work in Mozambique. There were many amazing things in the movie...

This year I have been writing about the character traits and skills of effective missional community leaders. I wrote about missional leaders being proactive, hospitable, generous, available, attentive, persevering, and holy. This post will look at how missional leaders are kind. kind: of a good or benevolent nature and disposition, as a person...

At The Austin Stone we are deeply convicted about the role of missional communities for effectively carrying out the life and mission of our church in the city of Austin. This conviction is especially true when it comes to the...

When Jewish psychiatrist Viktor Frankl was arrested by the Nazis in World War II and put in Auschwitz, the infamous death camp, he was stripped of everything: property, family, possessions, and a manuscript he had spent years researching and writing...

This year I have been writing about the character traits and skills of effective missional community leaders. I wrote about missional leaders being proactive, hospitable, generous, available, attentive and persevering. This post will look at how missional leaders are holy.  To do so I will reference...

This year I have been writing about the character traits and skills of effective missional community leaders. I wrote about missional leaders being proactive, hospitable, generous, available, and attentive.  This post will look at how missional leaders are persevering. per·se·vere continue in a course...

Look over your shoulder after you take your next sip of that latté. The man sitting three tables back that glances occasionally in your direction is likely with the king’s security force. We think he is also the one who...

Jesus said that we should give alms a certain way. He didn’t say it was optional, or we should do it when we feel like it, or if we think the person is worthy, or if we think the person...

May God be a light for you in dark places, when all other lights go out. Walking through New York City, you cannot miss being surrounded by the enormous flashing billboards, neon lights, and the array of advertisement convincing you...

This semester I’ve been writing about how prayer and mission are inseparable.  Sometimes the “prayer people” can look at mission people and think, “You’re all about doing stuff, but you need to pray so you’re not operating in a worldly...

Sometimes, being grateful is a choice. Actually, gratitude is always a choice. Jealousy versus Gratitude We choose to be grateful, despite the fact that someone else may have more friends, more money, or a “better” life. As a Christian, I...

A ministry formed by  a few freshmen is not something that’s heard about everyday on college campuses.  When it does happen though, it’s definitely impressive and catches people’s attention.  The Honors Quad Missional Community did just that. CRM Media recently...

How Much Salt can a Saltshaker Shake on a Campus? Flipping through channels on Saturday night led me to be with God. I finished dinner while watching the History Channel; as a history major you never get too old watching...

I’m not sure how long the term “missional” has been in vogue in Christian ministry, but it is a fairly recent focus of the Church. Though it has only come to the forefront in books and conferences in the past...

Entering a new culture is like admiring Austin’s Barton Springs pool from the top of the hill and then suddenly getting plunged into its icy plant-filled waters. This is no ordinary pool, and it sure is cold! When students first...

This semester I have been writing about the character traits and skills of effective missional community leaders. I wrote about missional leaders being proactive, hospitable, generous, and available. This week I will write about missional leaders being attentive.  I will reference a great...

In Luke 21: 12-19 (the Olivet Discourse), Jesus utters a prophecy about the future disciples and their response to persecution.  Persecution on this side of the globe, though painful in our eyes, is nothing compared to the persecution of those...

They are all around us, those who give the impression that being a Christian is all about condemning and judging others. They come in the form of the traveling preachers who stand on our campuses and condemn all who pass...

Not Prepared! It was an evangelists dream. I had been visiting with Shelly for a good hour about her thoughts about God, her experience with church, her life dreams. Our conversation had moved to a place about talking about Jesus,...

Hello Barcelona Rising from the horizon, it will be the tallest church in the world when completed. Even so, it won’t compare to the tallest mountain in city of Barcelona. There stands the unfinished work of architect Antoni Gaudi –...

This semester I have been writing about the character traits and skills of effective missional community leaders. I wrote about missional leaders being proactive, hospitable, and generous. This week I will write about missional leaders being available. If you’re like...

Among all the sermons, books and blogs in the world, it seems everyone wants to talk about what appears to be concrete, the “musts,” “shoulds,” and “should nots.” But I have learned over nearly a decade of leadership and ministry...

Recently at a conference I was attending, I had a conversation with a worship pastor from another church where he insisted: “Sundays are for the saints.” I asked if it was important for those leading in different church communities to...

Christians at universities popularly seek the presence of God in retreats – heading to camp sites, rural churches , or outdoorsy camps to seek God in motivational speakers,  great worship bands, and some much needed time away from our iPhones,...

Something New “Missional communities” is one of the hottest trends and buzz words in Christianity right now. They have become so popular that in a recent campus minister’s meeting I was in one pastor commented, “I’d be interested to know...

I am in my fourth year here at Missouri State as the director of the Baptist Student Union. Each year, I have had to monotonously fill out state reports that would require me to list the number of salvations or...

Up To Speed In my last post, we talked about missional.  It was a brief overview of what the definition of a missional community is – and what it is not.  We noted that the Abraham event, what Paul calls...

This semester I have been writing posts about the character and skills of missional community leaders.  I’ve entitled the series “Missional Leaders are…” Missional leaders are proactive. Missional leaders are hospitable. This week: Missional leaders are generous.   gen·er·ous :...

In Mark 3:14 we are given two reasons why Jesus calls disciples: “And He appointed twelve (whom He also named apostles) so that they might be with Him and He might send them out to preach.” Embedded in this verse...

Street Youth Ministry (www.StreetYouthMinistry.org) has several missional communities within the UT student body. Missional communities is a very wide topic, and I frankly don’t know everything about it… perhaps even very little. I just want to present the case that...

This semester I have been writing on the character of missional leaders.  Two weeks ago I wrote about missional leaders being Proactive. This week I will write about missional leaders being hospitable.  Consider first how it is defined. hos·pi·ta·ble :...

What if sharing our faith was simply loving people like Jesus did?  Evangelism can be an intimidating idea and often times have negative connotations. What if evangelism didn’t have to be so scary, what if it could be, dare I...

As school is back in session, now is a great time to create new friendships. In the midst of those friendships, we have the opportunity to bring our faith, love, and hope into their lives. Even in a growing city...

Christians forget a lot of people. Despite the abundance of churches in Waco, students can easily get lost and forgotten by the Christian community. As a sophomore at Baylor University, I look back on my freshman year and remember being...

Developing Missional Christians The Anglican theologian Martin Thornton, writing in the early 20th century, developed a theory of church leadership that he called “a theology of the remnant.” He believed that every church was composed of three tiers of people,...

We would imagine that the phrase “missional community” would be somewhat self-explanatory given that the name seems fairly straightforward.  However, since the word combo emerged several years ago, there has been a great deal of confusion regarding what a “missional...

Every other week during the fall semester I will be writing about “the character of an effective missional community leader.” Student missionaries don’t just need to do the right things, they need to be the right people. It starts with...

Last week I was in Houston visiting some of our ministry partners. The highlight of the trip was a visit I took to Southwest Electrical Energy Group, a company that gives much of its profits away to non-profits like Campus...

Lately I’ve noticed a trend in my friendships and in the ministry I’m a part of on my campus. I know a lot of people who, not only don’t, but are unwilling to share their testimonies. I realize it’s hard...

I’ve noticed that there are two “cardinal sins” that are objected to in our day: Sex and Greed. Few people are vocal about both sins. Rather, special interest groups, (political, religious, social, ethnic) shout about one while neglecting the other....

This will be my final blog post for Campus Renewal Ministries. I have worked as an intern for CRM for the past two years, and have loved my time with the organization—I would like to say thank you to CRM...

Those of you who know me, upon reading this blog post, will simply laugh. I’ve been known to be particularly anti-Church culture, meaning that I think the culture of Christianity cultivated in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s is mostly garbage hindering...

This weekend CRM staff attended the 6:4 Fellowship Conference in Dallas.  The 6:4 Fellowship is a network of pastors and ministry leaders committed to the priorities of the apostles in Acts 6:4 who said they would “give their attention to...

Last week I met with the two students that lead the missional community to the Arabic Department at UT. One of the students, Eric Rogers, was actually led to Christ by the former leader of this missional community, Scott Tipton,...

I recently saw this quote by Rick Warren bouncing around Facebook. It was posted during the recent Supreme Court proceedings regarding gay marriage.  The topic of homosexuality and gay marriage is at forefront of the nation and has been a...

The Man, The Myth It has probably already been established throughout my blog posts that I am a literature nerd. I love reading. I love books. God is really cool because He uses this love to teach me new things...

One of the things that makes Campus Renewal Ministries (CRM) different from other churches and campus ministries who practice missional communities is that we believe in uniting the Body of Christ in each people group.  Most campus ministries birth missional...

This week, I’ll be doing a little de-brief on what stuck out to me about Rez Week. I’ll be giving a story and something that stood out as a major conversation point during the course of the week—the story is...

Think your life sucks? It doesn't. You aren't burned out. Here's what you can do when you're burned out (besides wait miserably).

Acting is easy, but being a Christ follower is hard.  Towards the end of last school year, I was convicted of being an actor, playing the part of the type of person I think I’m supposed to be, and not...

This week, I’ll be writing about the missionary’s best friend. I think I’ve been burned out so much over the past two and a half years that now, when Satan tries to do it again, there’s nothing left to do;...

I always had a great time going to college football games. I loved the floods of people all decked out in the same colors, the fight song, the kick-off, the halftime performance, the whole experience. Generally, watching sports has always...

God Speaks God often speaks to me through literature. I’m an English major and I spend a lot of time reading. The books I read, obviously the ones in my courses at UT, are rarely Christian books. They are neither...

I am often disturbed by the way my fellow Christians respond to the world in which we live. When confronted by the friends, family, media, art, literature, film, government, or education that do not share our Christian worldview we seem...

This week, I’ll be writing about the relationship between a healthy prayer life and a healthy dose of evangelism in the life of a believer. For stock quotes, comments on international politics, or my picks for this year’s World Series,...

One of the keys to living a missional life is to live holistically by not compartmentalizing life into the two categories of “the sacred” and “the secular.” We tend to consider church, small groups, devotional times, and service as the...

It is my earnest wish that this blog post will be short. Every blog post that I’ve written, whether for this series or for The Gospel Rants, has contained the word ‘short’ or the phrase ‘won’t take much time’ in...

What is Slut Shaming and Why Should We Care About It? Slut shaming refers to making a woman feel guilty or inferior because of her sexuality. This could occur because a woman violates a cultural sexual norm (having sex outside...

During the month of February, many campus ministries at the University of Texas are working together to have students on campus sharing the gospel each week day from 10am to 7pm.  We call the initiative Beautiful Feet. Last Thursday, my...

A blog post dealing with Gospel strategy (missiology), outreach to international students on college campuses, and the Insider Movement.

In the American church today, we really like addition. We are encouraged to invite our friends to church services, bibles studies, campus ministry meetings, etc. We even hold social events specifically as means to invite our friends into the church....

Yeah, I’ve done this one before, but it’s important so I’m doing it again (see The Gospel Rant 3: Some Theology, as well as The Gospel Rant 4: Evangelism and God’s Busted Plays). The themes addressed in this blog will...

Introduction to the Selfie For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of a “selfie,” you clearly don’t hang out with many teenage girls. A seflie is a picture you take of yourself on your phone and then text to...

As I was driving home from winter break, that fabulous one-hit wonder song, “What is love? (Baby don’t hurt me)” started playing on the radio. As I jived to the funky techno beat, singing the main chorus as loudly as...

  As you have done unto the least of these so you do unto me- Jesus Not the Jesus I was Expecting: I saw Jesus on Saturday in a rundown part of town and I didn’t recognize her. Yes, her. I...

“Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of...

One of the ways we, Campus Renewal Ministries, teach students how to live on mission and to get out of their Christian bubbles is to change some simple patterns in their lives.  We call these “missional rhythms.” I shared four simple...

When you think of international student ministry, how do you see your role? Why is it important? Or is it not? What are international students needs? What are your expectations? A while back a few friends of mine wrote an...

One of the ways we, Campus Renewal Ministries, teach students how to live on mission and to get out of their Christian bubbles is to change some simple patterns in their lives.  We call these “missional rhythms.” rhythm “movement or procedure with uniform or patterned recurrence of...

My mother once caught me climbing the side of my house naked as an 8 year old child. As a young child I believed everyone of us had super powers, but they lay dormant within us. In order to activate...

In 2010, the University of Texas was named the nation’s #1 party school.  We (UT) seem to find ourselves on the top 10 or 20 of this list every year. As a result, many well meaning high school students, parents,...

  Last Thursday at the University of Texas, 76 college pastors from 35 different campus ministries met to discuss the “state of the campus.”  This was the 12th annual gathering where we discuss the Longhorn Chronicles, our annual “spiritual map.” We...

A few years ago we developed a simple worksheet to help students think through how to share their story of God’s work in their life. Some students couldn’t identify with the traditional approach that was largely based on Paul’s life...

This week, I’ll be tackling a question I’ve had since I was a little kid: How can people live the way that they do? How can they lose everything in their life that matters to them, their wives, their children,...

This week’s Gospel Rant is going to be a little heavy on theology; I apologize for that, but theology is something I believe in, so I’m going to go through with it. This is my answer to a question I...

Over the past week I have spoken with a number of people and the topic of training Christians to be missionaries has come up again and again. The question “How do you train someone to be a missionary?” has been...

I am being a bit facetious with my title, of course. I really love the Great Commission. It’s the aim of Campus Renewal Ministries to equip students to be missionaries in the marketplace, in the neighborhoods, and especially overseas among...

Perhaps some of you read my recent blog entitled Am I Spiritually Sick. There I spoke about the recent need I have been feeling to care for my soul. I am so busy “doing” that I forget about “being.”  As...

I hope the title to this blog is not too offensive to anyone. Or maybe I hope it is. That’s kind of why I am writing I guess, because I was bothered by it myself. Good Christian Bitches is the...

I’m am tired of the tolerance movement – at least as far as it is defined by the University of Texas and so many other campuses across America. In about two weeks incoming freshman will descend on UT’s campus for...

God is bringing the nations to our doorstep, and we must engage them with the Gospel. This is strategically important to fulfilling the Great Commission because international students who begin following Christ in America can return to start Christ-ward movements among unreached people groups in their home countries.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have...

The other day I found myself thinking back to a particular moment in my life, about 3 years ago. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, then you might know that from the summer of 2008 to November...

Last week, things got a little heady. I think it’s time to take things back down to earth. To do that, we’ll be talking about a few implications of the law of grace that we went over in TGR 10....

Are we more sinful or more sanctified, more flesh or more Spirit? Why don't Christians follow the Torah? What law now applies to us, if we have died to the old?

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” -1 Peter 3:15...

On the eve of their country’s collapse, four Middle Eastern students were hiding out with their families in the center of the city. Twenty-four hours later their capital city fell to the invading army and not long after they were...

One of the most common irritants of the college student’s spiritual life seems to be the threat of marriage. Being twenty years old (and unmarried) myself, I don’t have any wisdom on the issue, but I think it may be...

The topic this week will be works; what do my works really mean, now that my flesh has been crucified? Am I still functioning as I was before, or do my actions have their genesis from another entity, such as...

I’m taking a class this semester called “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement.” It’s an intriguing course about cross-cultural evangelism, or what has traditionally been called “missions.” There’s no way I can summarize the class in one post, so I...

A few weeks ago, I walked into the office ready to begin another week only to have some of my interns and student leaders (most of whom are Asian) inform me that my Asian card had been temporarily revoked. Why?...

Last week was a particularly unique week in Austin. My beloved city hosted three unique events, each with its own “revival lens.” Austin hosted the Verge Conference, where about 2000 pastors and ministry leaders from around the world gathered to...

God’s pursuit fuels passion, which fuels missions. I am a father of two sons (5 & 3). One of their favorite movies is “Finding Nemo”. During a window of about 3 months we watched the movie 84 times. To be...

Last weekend I was invited to Jefferson City, Missouri to speak to campus minsters and student leaders from the Baptist Student Ministries across their state. I was asked to speak to about the missional community movement at UT and what...

I wrote last week about the newly reformed partnership of six campus ministries at UT called “Renovate UT.”  Our vision is stated this way: “Renovate UT is a partnership of campus ministries seeking the redemption and restoration of God’s kingdom...

Someone I used to know is going through a rather public break up at the moment. I’m not in the habit of keeping up with random people’s love lives, but with the constant barrage of status updates popping up on...

What does it really look like to partner in mission? A long time ago, 1999 to be exact, I suggested to college pastors that we share a common database and connect our students across ministry lines to be missionaries in...

What is the Gospel? The Good News is that “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). So why did God become a man? “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son,...

To wrap up the blind man’s rambling on discipleship, I’ll take two common questions and throw some thoughts at them. This is a much shorter post than normal because these questions, although asked often and important to understand, aren’t difficult...

The atmosphere was rough. I stood there in the middle of Jester lobby, home to about 4000 college students and one of the biggest dorms in the country and I couldn’t help but feel slightly defeated. My good friend Sabrina...

During my few years in college ministry I’ve quickly learned the importance of developing a strong community within the different groups of students my wife and I have worked with. We’ve seen the most students reached and effectively discipled when...

If you want people to reach out to, look no further: International Students. This is not to say that we should not share the Gospel with our neighbors, our classmates, or co-workers. International students are not any more in need...

Are you convinced Bono is the Antichrist? Do you still wonder why so many people started saying "Your Mom goes to college" at exactly the same time? Is Harry Potter really Satan? This post is for you.

Last Saturday we held a lively gathering of current and potential missional community leaders at UT. Those who have been faithfully leading missional communities were there to share stories and cast vision to a number of students who were hearing...

“The gospel isn’t one class among many that you’ll attend during your life as a Christian—the gospel is the whole building that all the classes take place in! Rightly approached, all the topics you’ll study and focus on as a...

This weekend I was teaching CRM’s Spark Course to students from the University of Houston.  I shared various examples of what students were doing at the University of Texas to live on mission in their dorms, colleges, and clubs.  I also...

If you approached me two years ago and asked me what living for Jesus looked like, I would have told you that a life with Jesus is a life of prayer. It is an extravagant lifestyle spent in intimacy with...

Romanticizing Ministry Oftentimes I believe that there is a sugar-coated understanding of the reality of Christian ministry. You know the connotations of being a full time minister, an overseas missionary, a missional community leader and other baller Christian titles. Serving the lost...

“It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem...

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” -Proverbs 3:5-6 It’s interesting how much we tend to rely on ourselves....

The last two Gospel Rants have been pretty heavy on theology. In the interest of keeping everything practical, I want to get things back down to earth this week. Now almost as much as I love evangelism, I love discipleship,...

Seems to me things are getting a little antsy around Austin. I see more evangelism around me than ever, but I see more frustrated faces as well. Perhaps with the rise of Gospel-spreading has come the rise of harvest-hoping, and...

A Confession How often do you ignore God’s voice when He tells you to do something? How many times have you kept quiet when you knew that someone needed to hear the gospel? Have you ever decided that the cost...

These next few blog posts are not meant to be negative or controversial. Honestly, I am just a little worried that many are calling groups “missional communities” when they are not missional at all (by Campus Renewal Ministries’s definition at...

God is doing some awesome things on college campuses today! Students are starting to catch the vision that God has placed them on their campuses to reach out to their peers and share the Gospel with them. Many are recognizing...

When the Lord first put The Gospel Rants in me, I had no idea where He would take them. I still don’t, but I think this week’s article is an important step toward TGR becoming what the Lord wants it...

These next few blog posts are not meant to be negative or controversial. Honestly, I am just a little worried that many are calling groups “missional communities” when they are not missional at all (by Campus Renewal Ministries’s definition at...

As students, we often don’t get to hear about what our professors are like outside of a classroom setting as a normal human being. This semester, I took a really great class offered at The University of Texas at Austin:...

These next few blog posts are not meant to be negative or controversial. Honestly, I am just a little worried that many are calling groups “missional communities” when they are not missional at all (by Campus Renewal Ministries’s definition at...

What if the default path for Christians after college was to go and not stay? The default mentality among many students is to think, “Where am I going to get a job after I graduate? Where will I begin my...

The following is an excerpt from my book Campus Renewal – A Practical Plan to Unite Campus Ministries in Prayer and Evangelism. The need for training One of the most difficult aspects of developing a missional community movement is learning to...

Soiled Jeans of Glory It’s once a century that I hear a true, God-given gift of a story. They make me pee my pants when I do. I don’t mean like Aladdin—I don’t want your daily provisos, as glorifying as...

Everyone gathered around the table as we presented a decadent fudge chocolate oreo cookie brownie cake lit with candles, loudly singing “Happy Birthday.” He smiled while looking slightly uncomfortable from all the attention, yet simultaneously glad about all the fuss...

These next few blog posts are not meant to be negative or controversial. Honestly, I am just a little worried that many are calling groups “missional communities” when they are not missional at all (by Campus Renewal Ministries’s definition at...

Ambassadors represent their kingdom, and in order to accurately represent the Kingdom of God, we must be rooted in its ways. We get this foundation from Scripture.

The following is an excerpt from my book Campus Renewal – A Practical Plan to Unite Campus Ministries in Prayer and Evangelism. The Way It Used To Be For a long time campus ministries mostly functioned as safe places for Christian...

I’ve seen it over and over again in young believers, old believers, new believers, and long-term believers; so many people don’t feel qualified to declare the gospel. Some think that they don’t know enough, and they are waiting for the...

You Just Go For The Throat I have too much ambition. I remember the first day I hit the UT campus, the snot-nosed freshman looking to change the world dressed in his high school letter jacket, seeing atheists and agnostics...

The other day I got punched in the gut. Well, not literally, but it was definitely a wake-up call. Have you ever had one of those moments where you see or hear something and immediately go “Oh my gawd, what...

Summer is over and students are pouring back onto campus. As the semester gets started, it’s sometimes hard to stay focused on the things that are most important. Here are a few things that are really helpful for me to...

The other day I found myself thinking back to a particularly interesting conversation I had with one of my former co-workers a couple of years ago. “I used to be really awkward around non-Christians…” He said. “What?! No way, you’ve...

Last week I chanced upon a testimonial given by Janice and Sonia Lee. If you’ve never heard of them, they’re a pair of Korean Australian twins who have become big youtube sensations especially in South East Asia. I like them...

For several weeks I have been writing about the eight practices of missional communities, what Campus Renewal Ministries calls “Spark Groups.”  These eight practices are described with greater detail in CRM’s Spark Course, which trains missional community leaders. Reproduce Spark Groups The final...

For several weeks I have been writing about the eight practices of missional communities, what Campus Renewal Ministries calls “Spark Groups.”  These eight practices are described with greater detail in CRM’s Spark Course, which trains missional community leaders. Produce Disciples This is the...

For the next few weeks I will write about the eight practices of missional communities, what Campus Renewal Ministries calls “Spark Groups.”  These eight practices are described with greater detail in CRM’s Spark Course, which trains missional community leaders. Proclaim the Gospel The...

For the next few weeks I will write about the eight practices of missional communities, what Campus Renewal Ministries calls “Spark Groups.”  These eight practices are described with greater detail in CRM’s Spark Course, which trains missional community leaders. Prepare the way for...

Joe Fox: “It wasn’t… personal.” Kathleen Kelly: “What is that supposed to mean? I am so sick of that. All that means is that it wasn’t personal to you. But it was personal to me. It’s ‘personal’ to a lot...

For the next few weeks I will write about the eight practices of missional communities, what Campus Renewal Ministries calls “Spark Groups.”  These eight practices are described with greater detail in CRM’s Spark Course, which trains missional community leaders. Presence In The Community...

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting with a friend listening to her recount a situation at the bookstore she worked at. A man had walked in wanting to place a special book order, but since the associate whom...

  For the next few weeks I will write about the eight practices of missional communities, what Campus Renewal Ministries calls “Spark Groups.”  These eight practices are described with greater detail in CRM’s Spark Course, which trains missional community leaders. #3 – Pray...

In a recent post I shared some ideas about Serving Christ as a Summer Intern. What I didn’t say in that article is that I am currently working in the co-op program (basically an extended internship) at a NASA contractor...

The students that share the Gospel with others benefit and grow as much as those who hear it. A few years into leading a ministry with Campus Crusade for Christ I noticed the students that shared their faith regularly (a...

For the next few weeks I will write about the eight practices of missional communities, what Campus Renewal Ministries calls “Spark Groups.” These eight practices are described with greater detail in CRM’s Spark Course, which trains missional community leaders. Partner With Others...

God has a mission: He “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:4). God has called all believers to join in His mission by becoming Christ’s ambassadors to the world...

For the next few weeks I will write about the eight practices of missional communities, what Campus Renewal Ministries calls “Spark Groups.”  These eight practices are described with greater detail in CRM’s Spark Course, which trains missional community leaders. Pick...

She was visiting our Friday night group for the first time. People were everywhere, chatting in the kitchen, grabbing food off the buffet spread on the dining table, and playing games on the Wii in the living room. We sat...

  Although some take summer classes, many college students leave their campuses during the summer to get a taste of “the real world” by working as a summer intern in their career field. For some Christian students, it may seem...

  Street Youth Ministry hosts a prayer hour each week at the Campus House of Prayer (CHOP). It is attended by my summer intern (a Bible college student from Missouri), by a food volunteer (a different person each week makes...

That’s me, months before God got ahold of me during my freshman year of high school. I was an angry teenager looking for meaning in athletic success and popularity, when a man named Barry Bowling, from Student Venture (Campus Crusade’s...

The following is an excerpt from my book Campus Renewal – A Practical Plan to Unite Campus Ministries in Prayer and Evangelism. A Day in Ethiopia Recently, I was able to spend a week in Ethiopia with my wife Brenda and...

It’s that time of year again.  Summer missions season, which means my inbox is full of reports from students on the mission field. We print the reports and pray for the UT missionaries every week in the Campus House of...

Recently I had the opportunity to catch up with a friend whom I haven’t seen in a while. As we spent the day wandering around enjoying the sights, sounds and food of the city, our conversation soon turned to reminiscing...

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it really means when we talk about “counting the cost” of following Jesus. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t think that being Christian means you’ll have an easy life where everything is...

The following is an excerpt from my book Campus Renewal – A Practical Plan to Unite Campus Ministries in Prayer and Evangelism. Being In The World “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you...

For the first time this semster, I had a roommate I didn’t choose. We had never met before we arrived at our apartment to move in, and we didn’t know anything about each other. Many college students experience this with a “potluck”...

  Jesus told his followers to “Go” make disciples in every nation.  On our campuses we don’t have to “Go” very far.  God has brought the nations to us.  Our campuses are filled with international students.  Since many universities are...

The following is an excerpt from my book Campus Renewal – A Practical Plan to Unite Campus Ministries in Prayer and Evangelism. We’re Sent Like Jesus Was Sent In Jesus’s longest recorded prayer in John 17, He said to His Father,...

The other day I found myself looking at this picture of me and my good friend JJ. This was taken when I went to spend Thanksgiving with her and her family in 2006. We were confident, vivacious girls in our...

Many of you have heard the quote attributed to Francis of Assisi: “Share the gospel always.  If necessary use words.”  I get what he was trying to say, but have always felt like it led followers of Jesus to think...

I thought I understood the Great Commission. The more I study, the more I’m finding out what Jesus really desired His followers to do. This has had a tremendous impact on how I view campus ministry. I like my comfort...

I’m not in the habit of staying out incredibly late on Saturday nights. 5 years of being in the worship team at my church means a bright and early arrival at 7.15am on Sunday mornings to set up with the...

If you are a Christian, then, in my opinion, the answer to that question is yes. We are all called to glorify Christ where God has planted us.  That’s our assignment.  To make Jesus flesh among those we are living,...

Valentine’s Day, or Singles’ Awareness Day as some friends like to call it, is an interesting annual occasion. For some, it’s a day where one gets flowers, chocolate and a romantic dinner with one’s sweetheart. For others, it’s more like...

My church is starting the Alpha Course in about a week, so it has given me the opportunity to invite friends and neighbors to join me.  The Alpha Course is an opportunity to explore the Christian faith in a relaxed...

It’s embarrassing to admit, but that is me at 17 years old.  I had a ridiculous haircut and a sweet red  1977 Camaro.  More importantly, by God’s grace I was already walking  closely with Him and was being used by...

One of the things that Christians always seem to be doing, is either finding or talking about a church that they really enjoy going to.  That’s great, it’s important to have a community of fellow Christ-followers that are an encouragement...

One more day and we’ll be in December.  All to soon we’ll be saying goodbye to 2010 and hello to 2011. There’s something about this time of the year that makes me reflective. Call it nostalgia, but I like to...

At worship this morning I heard a story that was both amazing and depressing.  The amazing part was the life story    of a man who is part of our church.  His name is “Bear,” and is one of the...

In my last blog entry, I discussed the effect that Missional Community leading can have on Christian Students.  They are encouraged heavily to spend time outside of the Church bubble, and like Jesus, spend time with people and in environments...

Back in 2003, during my freshman year at The University of Texas at Austin, I had the opportunity to attend the Urbana Conference in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s a conference held every 3 years for...

One of the most significant values of Missional Communities, is also the least recognized.  MC’s are created and sold based on the value of conversion. In other words, “adopt missional communities as your outreach program, and you will expand as...

5 Years ago, when UT’s Missional Community movement began at UT, one of the most difficult aspects of developing our training programs, was encouraging progression.  At the end of the day, Missional Communities differ from other outreach programs primarily because...

As one in the current mainstream church culture, let’s be honest, the word evangelize is scary to most of us. Often the image of the infamous street preacher comes to mind and you know not many people think highly of...

It seems that today many believers are recognizing the need to get outside the “Christian Bubble.”  They have realized that the “bubble” has made Christianity appear more like a club to join than a people in partnership with God on...

One of the biggest pressures on Students that have committed to be missional, is the expectation to have “spiritual conversations” with others.  Because missional communities require Christian students to really spend time with their people groups, deep relationships are formed...

I was all set to go. Phone? Check. Purse? Check. Keys? Check. Getting into my car, I put the key in the ignition and… nothing. The radio came on, the dashboard flickered and clicked, but no go. My car was...

Some students are exceptionally good at managing their time.  They find a way to go to their classes, hold a part-time job, sleep well, exercise, eat right, spend time with friends, and of course, enjoy many organized functions with their...

Looking Back Earlier today I got a call from an old friend.  One of the guys that was a part of an old missional community I led for runners.  It’s funny, that as I consider my feelings about the group...

“There is just something about Jesus on the water.”  This was the comment that resonated with me as I drove home after a night of dinner and conversation with my friends Alf and Kelly Evans.  It was on that evening,...

I’ve never really been much for cats. Dogs? Yes. But cats? Well, that’s a whole other story. Now if you ever chance to meet my roommate Jill, then one thing you’ll quickly learn about her is her dream of becoming...

“…Can you imagine what it would look like if college students who claim Jesus as Lord were equipped and released to lead their friends to Christ, Baptize them, and allow new legitimate local church communities to birth…?” Michael was a...

In my work with campus ministers and students around the nation, I often tell the story of UT and its missional communities.  Though I attended the University of Texas and grew up in Austin, I do my best to not...

In Ephesians 4, Paul gives what may be the greatest key to regional transformation in all of Scripture. To turn the key on a transformational engine and create momentum is the unique calling of every student ministry. It’s the missional...

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to sit in on many sermons, given by many pastors.  Perhaps this can be attributed to the nature of my job over the last 5 years, to work with campus ministers of...

Two weeks ago forty students from ten different campus ministries at UT spent three days together at the “Mission(all) Retreat.”  The retreat, aimed at equipping many of this year’s missional community leaders, was a collaborative effort.  College pastors from eight...

As students are being encouraged to become immersed and imbedded in the greater university cultures around them, missional churches are both excited and terrified of the impact on their pre-existing ministry communities. On the one hand, these missional churches (and...

Thoughts on Verge During the Verge conference in Austin , TX last school year, we were blessed to have a pre-meeting to the conference.  During this time, many of the nation’s leaders in missional community thinking came together with local leaders that...

“Christian living does not mean to be good but to become good; Not to be well but to get well; not being but becoming; Not rest but training. We are not yet, but we shall be. It has not yet...

For the last five years I have watched ministries wrestle with the need to meld prayer and mission.  “Cell Groups”, “Simple Churches”, “House Churches”, “Alpha Courses”, “Seeker Friendly Services”, etc.  are all programs put in place by ministries to make the...

I have a confession to make. I HATE doing the dishes. I’ll cook you anything you want to eat, whip up salads, bake desserts, but dishes? Forget it. There is a reason why God inspired the invention of the dishwasher,...

In my experience, Christian freshman that come to large state universities most often come with what I call a “retreat mentality.”   Since their schools are viewed as large party schools, they are advised by well-meaning parents, friends, and youth pastors...