Thanks so much for praying for our shared staff retreat last weekend! Undergrad and GFM InterVarsity spent the weekend together with an ice-storm keeping us cozy and close indoors! In my last post I gave you a wish-list. Many, if not all (and then some) items on that list were experienced. I’ll let the pictures do the talking below. Scripture. Prayer. Worship. Relationship building. And LOTS of fun.

Click here to be taken to Tim’s donation page at InterVarsity online.

One resource person we brought to the weekend was a faculty member from Iowa State University. We asked Alex Tuckness to share a few insights he’s distilled from his 25 years of teaching Political Science (philosophy) at ISU. I think you’ll find his five points incisive! Usually GFM speakers can be a little lofty and ornate. Alex was very approachable and practical. Alex is a known quantity to us in the GFM stream. But I as curious about how he’d connect with the undergrad staff. He was clear and very helpful to everyone in the room! Alex, thank you so much!

The Pendulum is Swinging. Five shifts.

1. Social Media Fatigue is creating a desire for authenticity. Students are hungry for face to face relationship and deeply need a community where they can experience grace and not more social scrutiny!
2. Change Fatigue is stimulating interest in old things (in Alex’s experience with student ministry he has noticed an encouraging draw to doctrine and the early church creeds).
3. Polarization Fatigue is giving way to Christian virtues. People are burnt out on be angry and feeling anger from others. The fruits of the Spirit are now more visible and being appreciated more.
4. Materialistic Fatigue may be making a way for something other than the desire for a high-paying job. There is an opportunity to help students ask questions about meaning and purpose.
5. Instability in the University stemming from a combination of the pending enrollment cliff and the broader cultural tension between populism and elitism, is creating an uneasiness about the future of higher education!

Taken together Tuckness observes that far from silencing Christian witness in the University, current cultural pressures are leading to opportunities for the mission of Jesus in higher education. Christians of mature character convinced of their calling are needed more than ever to make a redeeming impact.

Thanks so much for your prayers. Thanks so much for your giving. Please remember to let me know if you need to send a year end donation or make any changes to your giving in the coming year. At the moment I am running a typical 2nd Quarter deficit that usually rights itself in December and January. I am still trying to add to my ministry budget as I head toward the second half of my fiscal year. Thanks so much for your generosity!

A few captions from the top moving down the photo gallery:

• They left me in charge of the games for Friday night. We had a dice theme: Tenzi, Fill or Bust, Left Center Right (with real quarters, people) AND a fun print and play game called Raging Bulls – message me if you want to check it out. It was super nerdy and I DID find 3 other dice nerds who I taught it to.
• Our faculty member from Ames drove in the night before – he saw the forecast and decided that if he waited till Saturday morning to come down, he wouldn’t have come! Things melted before the weekend was over.
• My team-mate Kathy Haug – the Regional Director for the Central undergrad region was a delight to work with! We had a great time in manuscript study, she leads program times superbly as well!
• Six of my 13 member team were able to be present. Nice job with the branded merch clothing memo, George!
• We had a collaboration session on Saturday night where we broke our four-state region up into working groups around Prayer, Faculty Ministry and Effective shared Events. Just the tip of the ice-burg of how we could be adding to each others ministry.
• Kathy sent off two of the Central Region’s best leaders – Will and Esther Chu. We commissioned them as they will be leaving St. Louis to join IFES in Christchurch, New Zealand this coming summer.

Have a terrific week as you welcome the Christ-Child! As for me, I’ll get to hang out with these two cuties and their families next week (Lewyn on the left, Juniper on the right).

Blessings, Tim