I am so lucky...

... to have a front row seat to see God transform lives.

I was sitting in church on Easter morning when this thought popped into my mind.

I just returned from two weeks of teaching the gospel of Mark. And, when I say teaching, I really mean facilitating the students discovering the text. I provide some training about how to make observations about the text, how to use these observations to form good questions and how to have a conversation as a group which helps lead to an interpretation of the text. I prepare questions in case the group is stuck. I have an idea of the main themes of each section we study. However, my goal is to really train students so that they can study the text on their own.

And, every year, students encounter God in ways I never expected. I am amazed.

This year, I taught the second half of Mark during Holy Week. I felt the parallels and thanked God many times for the gift of time to study this text in preparation for Easter worship. On the last night of Mark Camp, we took the evening to walk through the traditional stations of the cross, using images from different cultures. We posted these images around the room and invited students to walk through, spending a few minutes meditating at each. I also invited students to do the whole process in silence.

45 minutes later we were still in silence.

I wish I could describe what it feels like to be in a room with college students who are meditating on the cross. Words fail me to describe the intense beauty and deep sorrow. They are fully present to the death of Jesus. They place themselves in the scene, not distancing themselves because of time and circumstance. Students wept. Students knelt. Students prayed. I felt like I was on holy ground.

I am so lucky to have a front row seat to watch God transform lives. Thank you to all of those who support my work with InterVarsity. God is at work doing amazing things that will impact campuses, churches, and workplaces in this generation and the next.