Fall Semester Comes to a Close

Hey all,

Been a little while, and I wanted to check in with you all and say hello. This past week wrapped up the semester for students at Collin. It was a more stressful week for them as they prepared for finals, but less so for us on staff as this time of the year typically means things get a little less hectic.

Here's a few highlights from the past month or so:

• I briefly mentioned Pizza Theology, that we had in November. We had Bill Watson, a professor at Criswell College (a local divinity school) come, and he taught for four hours to about 400 of our students on the Sermon on the Mount. One of the key things he taught that has really affected so many of the students I've been meeting with since is the idea that God's laws or rules that he gives to us are meant to act as boundaries for us to eventually come to the point where we love him and love the people around us well. So he doesn't tell us not to murder or lie or cheat or steal from our neighbor because laws like that make us automatically turn us into people who love our neighbor, but a man or woman who starts choosing not to treat her fellow brothers and sisters that way, is much more likely to start making choices that are centered around love and what is best for the people around them than someone who had none of those boundaries in play. A lot of students who I talk to have a hard time understanding the role God's laws in the Old Testament were really meant to play for the Israelites, and what that might mean for us now. Pizza Theology really helped with that, and gave them a lot to think about in terms of the challenging things Jesus then said in the sermon on the mount. Learning how God's character is shown in the "rules" he gives in the sermon on the mount, and realizing he is a good father putting boundaries in place for how his children should treat each other has been really helpful for so many of the people who went to that event, which is so encouraging to see. I also think it has really grown our love for God as we understand how good he is to do that for us. Let's praise God for that. 

• One of the sermons we did this past month covered depression and anxiety, and it's becoming more and more common to see students who struggle with one or both of those things. Either that or they're just becoming more comfortable sharing that with people so it seems to be more prevalent. Either way, please pray for students currently struggling with that, and for their peers to continue growing in how to be good support for them in those times. 

• We had our annual Christmas Party last night! We had a lot of fun, and I think our students really did as well. 

Our "Write a Christmas Card to someone you love or
someone in a nursing home" activity.

• We spend a couple hours at each campus every week in the campus common areas, doing various things to try and engage the larger student body, and that has been a real highlight of the past month for me. We had a lot more students stop and talk with us or write christmas cards to people in nursing homes at a table we had set up for that, and it has been really encouraging this past month to see all that. Often that can be a difficult part of the week, just trying to get people to have some time to stop and chat. 

This week on campus we handed out scantrons and pencils
 and doughnuts on campus since it was finals week. 

We still meet a lot of people playing spike ball on campus,
so we do it about once a week. 

A few of the guys on staff from the different campuses went
and stayed overnight at this campsite up near Oklahoma this weekend. 

Lots of rest, good food, and laughs. And coldness. 

Some worship during our Christmas party. 

Garrett is missing from this pic, so this is all the Collin guys staff
at the christmas party except for him. Love these guys and getting
to work with them is such a blessing. 

I've started working with a friend of mine out in Denton, welding trailers,
which I've enjoyed a lot and it certainly hasn't hurt to make a little extra.
Here's the latest one so far. 

Me and Nicole. She's such a joy to be around and I'm so thankful for her.