"Jesus Loves You." This is a phrase that is used often in our culture. Many of our little ones are accustomed to singing songs like "Jesus Loves Me" and "Jesus Loves the Little Children" and may even do so on a weekly basis. In our culture, even the skeptics who might question the claims of Christianity understand this phrase, even if it is dismissed as sappy sentimentalism. Silly though these words might seem to some, the challenge of the gospel in our context does not usually come down to the meaning of these three simple words. We generally hear them...

Read the full post

     About a month before the beginning of the fall semester, my family and I headed up to Colorado to spend some time with my wife's family. Kelly's youngest brother and his family live in the Vail Valley, which I am convinced is one of the most beautiful places in the United States, if not the world. There are so many outdoor activities that the only question is what to do first. Since my three oldest children and I spent a lot of time at the Texas Tech climbing wall this spring and were excited to try our skills...

Read the full post

Have you ever wondered what the beginning of the Fall semester feels like for an RUF campus minister? Well... let me give you a visual! Really exciting... a little scary... I find myself wondering exactly how I got myself into this situation... Yet I am not at all sorry that I did. When you have the privilege of associating with college students on a regular basis, you certainly find yourself doing some things that you might not have dreamed of otherwise (like jumping out of a plane at 12,000 feet, thanks Nick). And you also find yourself having some conversations...

Read the full post