Posts

Reaching People for the Kingdom: Strategies and Emotions

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     Howdy and hello! I am feeling extra thankful for all of you on my support team this month. God is doing a lot on campus, that I get to witness and participate in because of your generosity. Plus, Emily and I just moved into a bigger apt for some more space/storage. I have been thinking a out more about this type of missionary fundraising we do. It is such a testimony to God’s character that he has equipped you all to be generous, so he could equip me to then go love and equip others. So seriously, thank you. Lunch with Mario from UTA. Sweet guy trying to figure out how to make Jesus more involved in his life. I want to share this encouraging letter Emily and I received from a student: "To the Spencers,  Words will never be enough to express just how much you two mean to me, but I'll try my best! Thank you for greeting me with warmth and open arms from the very first minute we met. Thank you for showing me community and being such beautiful examples of life ...

God, Continue to Move Like You Have!

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HOWDY and HELLO! We have finished January and have begun the school year. We kicked off the year like we always do, with a Winter Retreat with all of our campuses together. Around 500 students from across various DFW colleges came to worship and learn for a week.   All the UTA students who came to Winter Retreat Our tiny TCC crew. Considering we had two students come the year before, this is INSANE! God is good. Winter Retreat is always a really encouraging event. We held it at Riverbend Retreat Center this year. We had students from eleven different colleges get together.  My favorite part of these retreats is the closeness it creates between people. Through shared experiences and meals, so many of our students saw themselves as part of something bigger than themselves. When I was a student, I remember realizing for the first time I was really a part of the Body of Believers at this retreat. Worship in the morning UTA guys  I also got a lot of one on one time with variou...

A Refresh Before a Fresh Start

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HOWDY AND HELLO IN 2023!!! The new year has begun, and college students all over the world are getting ready to start their Spring semesters. A time of life where they are open to change. friendships, and conversations that could alter their life for better or for worse. That is why I am so excited to go and meet them. To go and tell them about the Good News of Jesus, and that they are a part of something much bigger than just getting a degree. The week leading up to Christmas, till MLK day, our students are home with family and friends. They are given a chance to rest from the rush of the semester. We campus pastors do the same.  I spent a majority of the past two weeks, resting, reading, praying, and traveling. Emily and I saw much of our families in this time, caught up with old friends that are out of town, and we even got a puppy named Waldo. All of these things take energy, but are restful and meditative for the heart. I am feeling ready to go out and meet some students. My c...

Wrapping Up The School Year

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 Howdy and hello, friends! Merry soon to be Christmas!  Of course I am posting this once again a week into the new month while covering the last one! I feel equipped to minister to students, but sometimes feel so forgetful of these important tasks, like sharing good news with you all! Thankful for you, your patience, and your prayers. We are coming on up on finals, so the school year is coming to a close. We celebrated with a Christmas party with both our UTA and TCC students together.  Say hello to Waldo!! (p.s. Emily is ecstatic) A friend of mine on staff created this graphic to help explain some of our commonly used jargon in ministry. Our theme for the party was Christmas in Hawaii, so there was lots of great decorations, outfits, and themed snacks. Where so much of my job is meeting with students one on one, and having pretty serious conversations about life, scripture, and sins, I find that these celebrations do a great job of forming relationships and making memori...

Baptisms, Roadtrips, and Costume Parties

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  This is going to be one of my favorite photos ever. Love this guy. This is my friend, John. As we were finishing up our 10 week Bible study, FOJ, he decided he wanted to get baptized and commit himself to the Lord. It was with great pleasure and a full heart that I got to welcome my dear friend into a committed life with Christ. John is now figuring out how he might disciple his classmates, coworkers, or really just anyone around him. He is full of life and God's Spirit. I pray that Christ will reach many through my friend, John. Helen and Emily reading some scriptures before Helen getting baptized. As sure as John was, we had two more students get baptized in the same week. When John invited everyone to come to his baptism, two girls, Helen and Sam shared that they had been thinking about this decision as well and were ready to make the commitment. God can be so good like this. Emily got to baptize these sweet girls after John and I went. It is that time of year where we get to ...