Testimony to God's goodness!

I wrote this in December 2019 as a reflection on my summer. I spent 12 weeks making 50 asks to individuals and churches to support the work of InterVarsity in the Inland Northwest. I share this as a story of God's goodness, abundance and generosity!

MPD= ministry partnership development. We invite people to become partners with InterVarsity who financially give, pray, serve and advocate.

I have been afraid of MPD for as long as I can remember-- deep, 15 years in the making, decision-altering
kind of fear. I felt overwhelmed by it, unsure of what I should do when faced with the reality of it. I wanted
the fear to just go away but I had no idea where to start. 

When I said ‘yes’ to being an Area Director, I knew I needed to address my MPD fear. I didn’t want to pass
along my fears to staff that I supervise. I felt powerless to help others thrive on staff when I was crippled
with fear.

Last December my supervisor asked me to consider the Elevate cohort. My first feeling was shame, “How
did I left my fear shape my life so deeply?” My second feeling was skepticism, “How can I possible make
50 asks in one summer?” As I took some time to pray, I felt a deep sense of peace and partnership with
God; I felt like this cohort might be the fear-facing opportunity I needed. 

And yet, even as I said yes, I didn’t really believe I could make 50 asks in a summer. I kept telling myself
that even 35 would be more than I had made in a single summer. I figured that the cohort would give me
the tools to make at least 35 asks. I would get some training and accountability to make it possible.

About three weeks into the summer, we studied the passage out of Exodus where God gives the Israelites
directions about how to collect the quail and manna, detailed and daily instructions. I wondered why God
would involve the people so regularly in the importance of gathering food? Why not sure provide them with
food that never ran out and never spoiled in a central location? I wondered if God was using the food
gathering process as part of the people’s formation-- was God inviting them to trust Him every day through
the process fo collecting?

And something in my heart leaped at the invitation this passage extended to me-- God is inviting me to
trust in Him as I make regularly asks in MPD. MPD was no longer about the yes and no answers or the
money raised. MPD was part of my spiritual formation. Would I engage in the process that God invited me
into? MPD was about confronting my fears but about daily trusting in God’s faithfulness.

Internally, that shift made all the difference. I found freedom in responding to God instead of being confined
to accomplishing what felt like an impossible task. I was quicker to ask for prayer when I struggled. I
made riskier asks for appointments because I believed God was doing something in the process of
asking, not just in the yes or no to an appointment.

Spicy Faith

by Annie Crawford, Lewis-Clark State College CSM

Could Spirituality be Spicy?

At the Welcome Fair, students walked up to the table and saw an array of spicy foods: Flamin' hot cheetos, little hot sauce packets, atomic fire balls. Some were shocked, some excited. As they walked up we asked "Do you like spicy food?". Often, they responded with an enthusiastic "Yes!" or an emphatic "No!", with few in between. Whether or not they enjoyed spicy snacks, I would say "We're InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and we believe your spiritual life could be spicy". Following this, they might laugh and start talking about their own spiritual lives, but others responded differently.

One conversation with a student went like this:

Me: Do you think spirituality could be spicy?
Student: Hmm... I've never thought of spirituality like that.
[by this point he's looking like he's trying not to offend me]
Me: Why not? How do you think of it?
Student: I always kind of thought of it as...boring.

I think this is a pretty common idea of faith, bible studies, and our spiritual lives as a whole. Sometimes when we try to imagine particularly spiritual people it might evoke a vision of someone studious, engulfed in hours of silence, who's too busy being "spiritual" to laugh or play. I think this is the picture most students have when they get invited to a small group. Little do they know, choosing a spiritual life with Jesus can be so spicy (so enthralling and full) that even quiet contemplation can be life changing. I told this student and others that choosing to follow Jesus has been the spiciest thing I've ever done, and that my spirituality is full of flavor and life!

When I say spicy I mean full of life, excitement, joy and depth. The kind of faith that moves you to do bold things, meet new people, and go to new places. Spiritually spicy people laugh, play, question, throw parties, and have quiet times. All together, they live a life that is full. This year, I hope students say yes to the spicy spirituality that God has offered them. 

Mark Camp 2019 (from the other side)

Every Spring Break for the past five years I've spent 5 days (7.5 hours each day) with college students studying scripture. When I tell people of this practice, their eyes get wide and they something like "That's intense!" And, I quickly rush to explain that it's not that intense and students enjoy the experience. While that's true-- it's not complete. There is an intensity to the experience of that much scripture because that much time in scripture changes us.

I wish I had words to explain what it is like to lead students through that process of transformation. It's not formulaic. It's deeply personal and yet, as the years go by, I've noticed some of the signs that transformation. Students start to ask big questions that connect scripture and their lives. They start to tell stories about their lives and ask if Jesus might have something else for them. Some even begin to acknowledge their needs for healing or forgiveness. One or two students might even decide to follow Jesus for the first time as adults.

Spring Break 2019 I spent time with students in the book of Esther. We decided to offer a manuscript study for students who had finished the book of Mark, something that would deepen their understanding of God at work in the world. In Esther, the name of God isn't mentioned prompting the question, "Where is God?" When the people of God are threatened with genocide, where is God? Why doesn't God just appear in power and set all things right? And yet, the text is about people figuring out how to be faithful. People fasting and praying, seeking answers. People asking for change but being sure if it will come. We wondered as a group, how different is this scenario from the world today? We consistently need to ask where is God, to fast, pray and act. One group summarized that central message of the book as "God uses evil people and broken systems for good."

My prayer is that this study of Esther prepares students for living in the world as agents of transformation for the kingdom of God. May they not be discouraged when God doesn't work on their timetables in the midst of their strategies. May they seek God in all things and be looking for the ways God may have placed them in their communities, churches, and workplaces for 'such a time as this.'

I'm grateful that I get to witness this transformation. I'm grateful for your support of this transformation.

I've attached a couple of the summary photos-- when we looked for the central point (middle of the chiasm) in the book of Esther. These 'armchair theologians' are coming soon to churches near you :)

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.

Go and bear fruit-- fruit that will last

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit--fruit that will last-- and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you." John 15:16

Last Saturday, the Inland NW area hosted a student leadership day. We gathered student leaders from Gonzaga University, Washington State University, and Whitman College to give them a vision for how God might use leadership in their own lives and how He might use it to transform the lives of others back on campus. As I prayed for the day (and continue to pray for the student leaders), this verse from John keeps running through my head. God calls up to bear fruit that will last.

I find it tempting to do things in ministry that might look good on the outside but not produce long-lasting results. Honestly, I am tempted by these things to satisfy my own internal desire to be successful. I want to know that what I do day to day matters. I want to know that I'm making a difference.

As I've stepped into being area director, God has been consistently pointing me to invest in the things within the ministry that produces long-lasting fruit. He points me to solutions instead of quick fixes. He shows me the big picture instead of snapshots of success. I'm thankful for the clarity. I also struggle with the timeline. I wonder, "Why does this take so long God?" And God points me back to "bear fruit that will last."

Will you join me in praying that the Inland NW will be an area that bears fruit that will last?

This week I'm praying for the funding in our area. My staff work diligently to invite and partner with individuals and churches across the area. I'm thankful for their faithfulness and the generosity of so many. I also realize that our area still needs $46,500 for all staff to be fully funded. Being fully funded means staff being paid at 100% of their appropriate salary range and having expense money to host student events. Staff often function at 80-90% of their funding, which translates to receiving a lower paycheck and buying supplies out of pocket for student events. This short-term fix can leave staff feeling unsupported and questioning the value of their work on campus. I feel that part of bearing fruit that lasts is having an area staff team that feels supported, valued and is focused on campus. If you are praying with me this week, would you comment below and let me know? I appreciate your partnership in the gospel.

If we only do one thing this year...

2 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.

These verses have been running through my head since June. At National Area Director training, we studied the book of 2 Timothy. While it's always a treat to study scripture with InterVarsity staff, this study felt like a reminder of one of the core InterVarsity values that drives me: student leadership development. 

In 2 Timothy, Paul reminders Timothy of his legacy of faith which starts with Timothy's grandmother Lois and then his mother Eunice (2 Tim. 1:5) Paul reminds Timothy of the things that Paul himself passed onto Timothy: "fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands" (2 Tim. 1:6). 

And what is Timothy to do with this legacy? He is to entrust it to others who are qualified to pass it on.

My job as an area director is to pass leadership on-- from staff to student leaders, from student leaders to student members. I am always looking to entrust God's good gifts to reliable people who will then entrust it to others.

I felt like once this job description clicked in my brain, all the other strategic planning fell into place. I always need to be thinking how to pass on what we do to the next generation. I always need to ask how to lead and teach in ways that others can replicate. Nothing in this job is about me, building a program or structure that I can run or feel successful in doing. I build with eyes to give away.

To that end, I've asked my staff to have one primary focus in the next year: develop student leaders who will find and develop two others. 

I sometimes stop and laugh at myself because I feel like I have the same job description now as I did when I was an intern with Intervarsity almost 15 years ago. And yet, that's also what I love-- the ministry we do isn't magic. It doesn't take a special personality or years of training. Instead, we "entrust to reliable people who will teach others."

Thank you Paul for the constant reminder of the lessons of ministry. Thank you to my fellow new ADs for the scripture study.

To God be the glory.

"When Jesus interrupts our plans"

talk given at Whitman College Large Group
September 21, 2017

Welcome to WCF and InterVarsity. I’m so excited to be here with all of you tonight. This feels like a special kind of homecoming for me. I graduated from Whitman many years ago and was deeply influenced by my time as a student with InterVarsity. I can still remember some of my freshmen small group discussions in Prentiss where I felt like I was learning about Jesus from Jesus himself through scripture study

After graduation, I moved to Moscow, ID (about 2.5 hours north) to work with InterVarsity, to help start a new chapter at the University of Idaho. I got to lead some of those freshmen bible studies, helping to introduce people to Jesus, the Jesus we see in scripture, just as I had been introduced to him here at Whitman.

I never intended to work for Christian organization after graduation. And yet, with the perspective of 15 years, I can’t imagine a better career for myself. Tonight, I want to tell you about the Jesus I discovered in scripture and how that Jesus changed my life’s purpose.

Before we get there, I want to talk about the classic question, “What do you want to be when you go up?” I have little kids and I’m amazed how early others start predicting what they might do in their adult lives. My son is 2.5 and he loves to bang on drums/tables/any flat surface. I’ve had multiple people say, “I bet he’s going to be a drummer when he grows up?” I smile and nod but internally I’m thinking-- he just likes to make noise-- this is just developmentally appropriate behavior-- nothing savant like about it!

When I was five, I wanted to be a ballerina.  Classic little girl story, right?  I carried about a teddy bear dressed like a ballerina and listened to the Nutcracker while falling asleep at night. I have no idea why I made this my career aspiration at such a young age-- there was just something magical about ballerina.

Turn to your neighbor and tell them one of your childhood dreams.  I’d like to hear a few from the audience.  

By the time I was a freshman in high school, I hadn’t taken ballet lessons in almost ten years so I moved onto a new dream: be a lawyer.  I took this career aptitude test in high school-- do they still do that?  Well, ‘lawyer’ was in my top 5. I job shadowed a lawyer for a project freshman year and I was captured by the power and prestige of being a lawyer. When I say that out loud it sounds selfish like I wanted to be a lawyer so I could be powerful. That’s not how I felt. I felt like I wanted to be a lawyer because I wanted to change the world and lawyers seemed to have the power and the position to change the world. And so, when I came to Whitman, I thought I would graduate and go to law school. Jesus interrupted my plans.

Tonight we are going to get in the shoes or the boat of Simon Peter who had a clear career path until Jesus interrupts him.

v. 1-3 SIMON PETER.

For us, this is a strange scene.  In a modern era, Jesus would just get a microphone but given the lack of technology in Jesus’ day—Jesus gets into a boat so the water will act like a natural amplifier and more people can hear his message. It's a very practical solution.

I’ve often wondered why Simon lets Jesus get into his boat.  But, what does Simon get out of it?  Maybe he’s just being a nice guy?  Maybe he’s honored to be asked by this rabbi he’s about it?  

Letting Jesus into their boat is a small step toward the most amazing moment of their lives. And yet, maybe it’s accidental. Maybe it’s just luck.

The same is true for some of you. Coming here tonight is like letting Jesus into your boat. Checking him out. It’s being brave and courageous, especially for those just checking out faith or maybe trying to figure out what you believe, not what your parents do but what you truly believe. I remember those first encounters with Jesus-- they felt a little bit crazy. I didn't grow up in church. I wouldn't have called myself a Christian. I was the poster child for being 'spiritual and not religious.' And yet, a persistent friend kept inviting me to church. When I said yes, I was captivated by what I experienced there. The Jesus they talked about was not what I expected.

v. 4&5 Jesus, what do you know about fishing?!  Remember, this is Peter’s career, what he has spent his life up to this point perfecting.  What could this rabbi know about the ins and outs of fishing especially in Peter’s lake-- the place he’s been fishing most of his life. In these spots Peter probably had fishing down to the a science.

Up through v. 5, this is just a nice story. A chance encounter between two average people just living their lives. But there is nothing average about what comes next… this is miraculous:

Vs. 6&7  

DREAM

Growing up, we all have dreams.

• As a little girl, I thought the ultimate dream of a ballerina was to dance the role of the sugar plum fairy in the Nutcracker
• For me, when I was thinking about being a lawyer, I thought about arguing a case in front of the supreme court
• If you are a Basketball player….March Madness. National Championship game. 3 seconds left, you are down by 2, 3 point shot, all net! Dream comes true.  

Peter is about to see a dream for a fisherman realized.  A catch for the record book.

v. 7 This is the dream catch. This crazy dream IS happening. Their boats ARE sinking.

Simon got his dream because he let Jesus into his boat. This isn’t the way dream are achieved, right? It should be hard work mixed with just a bit of luck. Did Peter work hard? Yes but it had nothing to do with this catch. Could this just be luck?

So often, especially if you grew up in church, you walk around thinking you KNOW Jesus—what He can and can’t do.  Jesus doesn’t just teach us to pray or study the bible. Jesus is an expert on your major, your career, your dating life, your summer internship, your hopes for grad school.   You may try to tell yourself that you know better than Jesus how to handle these important topics.  Simon tried to play that game.

Once Jesus is in our boats, he will NOT be relegated to the few things we already think he ‘does.’ He wants to transform and redeem all parts of my life   

C.S. Lewis quote

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to?

The explanation is that He is building a different house from the one you thought of —throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

Many of you here want a few minor adjustments to your life.  “Jesus, fix this little thing.” My friends, Jesus is turning your cottage into a mansion!

Let’s look at Simon Peter’s response:

In v. 9, they were amazed at the genius catch. Their dream had come true!  But now, standing on the shore, they have a new, life-changing choice.

Option A. This is my dream catch! Go with the pile of fish and sell it at the marketplace. I have always wanted this. I will be the talk of the town

Option B. Go with the Dream Fulfiller Himself.

v. 11 Simon chooses wisely. Later Simon becomes a world changer, leader of people, willing to die for Jesus and the Gospel.   

In a few minutes, I’m going to give you a chance to respond, a chance like Simon Peter had when faced with the miraculous catch of fish, to believe that the fulfillment his dream was the pinnacle to having an awesome life or to follow the one who is the Dream Fulfiller himself.

I thought I had my life figured out-- I would change the world through the legal system-- righting the world’s wrongs through the courts. I came to college not knowing how that would work but very sure it would. Jesus interrupted my plans and asked me to trust in Him to right those wrongs. And then, He started the righting the wrongs within me. You see, I thought that all the brokenness existed out there but Jesus gently showed me that I had to start dealing with brokenness inside me first. I thought I said yes to following Jesus so I could have a decent little cottage. Yet Jesus started building a castle inside of me: a life full or purpose, adventures and peace where I followed him. What might He be inviting you to tonight?