October

(A sweet moment captured at Fall Camp by my friend Nathan. This is a student named Forrest and I getting to know each other during a "walk and talk". Obviously we opted for a "sit and chat")

Hey friends and family! I have another update for what God has done on campus in the lives of these sweet students. I want to thank you again for partnering with me in this ministry. In a lot of ways, these students are only getting met with through YOU and YOUR contribution to this kingdom mission. 

(TCC Core back in October. From right to left: Minh, Rowan, Taylor, Me, Emily, Eldrian)

The first bit of exciting news to share is about TCC, Tarrant County College. Taylor Nelson, one of my copastors, Emily, my wife, and I have been heading up the TCC Northeast campus. We just planted there this semester, so it’s so very small and fresh. We set out in August, going on campus and just meeting with students who seemed to be interested in Christ and community. Soon enough, we had three fun and consistent friends coming to core every week: Rowan, Minh, and Eldrian. Rowan and Minh are both quiet and funny girls; Taylor is doing our Focus on Jesus studies with both of them. I have been meeting and studying FOJ with Eldrian all semester and he is such a sweet guy. You might remember in my last update the photo of him playing worship music at his church. Well some neat news on him is that he’s now helping out with worship at UTA’s Thursday Night Fellowship! He really feels like God is growing him in sharing his faith other people. He has shared with me multiple times how encouraging FOCUS has been to him and his faith. God is developing my friend Eldrian into a disciple of Christ who brings the Good News to others. I am so lucky to be a part of that journey with him. Thank you for allowing me to be.

(Here is Taylor tabling at TCC with Eldrian. This is one of the ways we get to equip students to become outreaching, Jesus loving disciples)

Other news at TCC is that we just became an official organization! We are now allowed to start advertising and tabling at events. We are becoming more of a presence on this small campus, allowing us to meet more students. We have had an influx of about 3-4 new students the past couple weeks. I have gotten to meet with a couple of the new guys one on one and hear their stories. Be praying for this growing community that we can keep finding the lost and lonely on campus, inviting them into alternatives only God can provide. 

(Worship during one of our Thursday Night Fellowships)

At UTA, God is growing our men’s ministry in friendship. We had a lot of really committed guy leaders graduate this past year. That means a large chunk of our men’s leader team is younger guys, who miss their older Christian role models. This leaves a gap for these younger students to really step up. I have seen God growing and pushing these young men to really take responsibility and leadership. Our guys team is in a really healthy place, despite the loss of strong role models and a weird year of COVID. God has equipped these young men to meet new students with love and care, inviting them into new friendships and old ones. I as well have been blessed in my transition to get to work with such a fun group of young men. 

My cofa, Richmond, is one of these leaders I am talking about. He is doing three, hour and a half Bible studies every week with three of our core guys, co-leading a core with me, attending leader meetings, balancing classes, and work. He has really made priorities in his life for God and his Kingdom. He also recently got a car. The first thing he told me when talking about his new ride was that he couldn’t wait to start giving rides to our core guys to events and lunches. This is a mission minded young man. Praise God for making Richmond who he is, and for putting him in a community where he can grow more in Christ and serve. 

(A very indepth read, but one I cannot recommend enough)

I am still taking classes with my fellow apprentices and recently we have been reading a book by Gordon D. Fee, a theologian from Regent College, called “Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God”. It’s all about Paul’s theological understanding of the gift of the Holy Spirit within us, and what it means for us as God’s children and redeemers. It is powerfully affecting how I view others and how I proceed into the mission field with The Holy Spirit’s blessing and presence. Be praying that in my ministry, I am relying on the Spirit. Also be praying that as I learn more about the Spirit working in me, I can share what I learn with the students and people around me. I want to bring people into a closer, more exciting relationship with the Spirit and God.

Thank you for reading this once again. I love what I am getting to do in this ministry. Please, send me prayer requests from your life or any specific questions you have about what’s going on with campus ministry. 

(Our staff dressed up as Toy Story for our Halloween party)

(Here I am at the Halloween party with my pal, Eric. He is very consistent to our TNFs. He is slowly opening up to the idea of coming to core. Be praying for him to take the plunge)