student community...

Tonight was a great night at student community. Because I felt in my small group like we were a community. Sometimes my group can be pretty hit-and-miss--they're sophomores in high school....and they're girls. So sometimes our discussions are a little...shall we say...off. But tonight we were relatively focused, and they have just been getting along so well lately, and I'm so excited to see the relationships that they are forming, not only with each other, but also that they are starting to develop significant relationships with God.

So we have made a commitment to do a 30-day experiment, if you will. For a month we are going to go through the StuCo journals together, which includes prayer, Scripture reading, journaling, and prayer...almost daily. The question we are asking as a church right now is what's next? I'm excited that when I asked my girls to think of a next step we could all take together, they suggested the journals (which had been so lovingly pushed by Nick). It may not seem like much, but I think for us it's going to be a big step. I get so excited to see them taking next steps in their faith, and striving to make their relationships with God a real and personal thing.

I don't really remember much from high school. I was a band geek, in mostly AP (advanced placement, believe it or not) classes, youth group junkie, and a "good kid." But I can think of a few people and experiences that helped shape me into who I am right now. At summer camp before my junior year of high school I had an encounter with God that I will never forget....and that made me re-evaluate everything I knew about my faith. I want so much to communicate to these girls just how important and life-changing this kind of relationship can be. And that life is about so much more than high school tells you it is.

Isn't it funny how people can change your life just by caring? In a world overrun by apathy, it's amazing how much simple caring can accomplish. I like knowing that other people are interested in my life. What does it do for them to know that I am interested in their lives?