Christian Challenge at MSC

The last day at Glorieta is always a sad one.  People start petering out early and heading home, and Glorieta just feels smaller.  I'll have my last coke tonight, the last one for fifty-one weeks until I return.  We go back to life and work and preparation and meetings and bills and mortgages and leases and everything, and we hope that we can bring some of what we experienced here back with us.

That's one of the reasons I took so many pictures (you can see them here, hopefully), with many more to come as I collect from everyone. These are memory triggers for those that attend, which helps us to remember.

Bobcat Bite's is amazing.  The green chili cheeseburger is like nothing else I've ever eaten.  It's as close to magic as I've ever encountered, but like the amazing Coca-cola here, it too must wait another 51 or so weeks before I can enjoy it again. 

In reflection, this year was odd.  All of the wives stayed at home (at least from our group).  Bobby Pruett wasn't there to make everyone smile.  Joe Ricks wasn't there.  Neither was Max Barnett, due to his recovery from surgery.  And again, it rained in Glorieta on Cerena Melazzo's birthday - thanks Cerena. 

I hope I can bring back what I've learned and apply it to the new events that we're starting up this semester.  I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information I received and need to use.   God willing, I can at least put a portion of it to use, and I hope that the students that attended this year can do the same.  If we do even just a small bit of what we learned, there is no way that Mesa State College, or Grand Junction, or even the World as we know it could be the same.  I hope and pray that we can start to make more of an impact, that we can increase our volume and velocity enough that we can see the wheels of change turn in our community.  I hope....

David Platt - Day 6 - The Four Facets of Jesus' Unique Compassion (that we should learn) 

1. See their sighs

1. The crowds and multitudes were harassed and helpless
2. Many of them rejected Him

Today was a good day.  Michael Kelley spoke on Jesus and Lazarus.  We lost in the 3-on-3 basketball tourniment, but not due to the lack of trying of any of our players.  We tried to make a trip to Bobcat Bite's, but it was incredibly busy, so we had to reschedule until tomorrow.

I attended a seminar on Social Justice in the church... I learned a lot of good stuff, but I have to hold off until I can post it all at the right time. 

David Platt - How will we respond when disaster strikes? - Luke 13

1. Natural disasters remind us death is unpredictable

1. Death will probably be sudden
2. Death is surprising
3. Death is sure

1. Life is fleeting, and people are perishing. - Romans 5
   

Day 4 was a trip into Santa Fe - we ate at La Fonda's all you can eat Mexican buffet, then went wandering town.  We took a great look around the Five and Dime, as well as the famous Chuck Jones Museum, which were both great.  There are photos on my facebook page. 

 Next we went to the St. Francis Bascilica, one of the largest catholic church cathedrals in the southwest USA.  St. Francis of Assisi was a pretty cool guy.  Aside from being a great monk, he wrote a lot of things, one of which is one of my favorite quotes: "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words."  A pretty great guy, and a really cool church.

That evening, we attended David Platt's Secret Church.  There we had a long, intense time of teaching, much the way that the underground church in China has to train it's pastors, secretly, in hiding.  Check out www.SecretChurch.org for more information, along with a ton of downloadable stuff, including all of the teachings in mp3 format.

Well, it's day 2 - And it's been fun.

We had pancakes for breakfast again. They were even more better since I didn't have to get up early and make them.

Michael Kelley spoke again this morning (notes coming).

We took 3rd place in the all collegiate 10 on 10 dodgeball tourney.  It was intense.  There was a guy with red shorts that was probably a ninja, but Z took him down.  We still lost though, and there was much sadness amongst the Colorado students.

I attended two seminars today.  The first was an interesting and useful seminar about the dynamics of a small group in a postmodern world.  We hit a lot of topics (notes coming) but his main point was that a good group needs to be open to confess our sins to each other.  I will keep this in mind for the group I want to get going this semester - More on that sometime too.

We ate dinner with the band tonight.  They're really cool - leading worship at one of the largest services in Lubbock, TX.  They're no Mercy Me, but I never had a burger with Mercy Me.  The lead singer Lainey and the electric guitar player John both showed up and had a great chat.  They are a lot of fun, and expecting their first child soon (well, in 7 months.)

David Platt - Why we must be desperate for His presence - Exodus 33

1. We have an assignment we cannot fulfill.
2. We have a privlage we cannot forsake.
3. We have a family we cannot forget.
4. We have a God we cannot fathom.
   

Interesting talk.  If there is no desperation, that means that you (or I) are content not knowing God, that we are casual about Him.  We need to be desperate for him.  When we are desperate for the Spirit of God, God will do amazing things.  We cannot do anything apart from Him, and when we are within Him and His will, we know that all that we do is in His power; then, through God and the power of His Spirit, we can move mountains.
 

Day 0 

I really don't like being a passenger.  It's hard for me to let someone else drive the car, especially over winding, dangerous mountain passes.  Lucky for me, Katie Cupp was an awesome driver.  We made it quickly and safely, with a minor adventure (we watched a hit and run driver get caught by the police.)  We arrived early and easily, and promptly found that no one else was there, so we went to the chuck wagon for some amazing Glorieta coke.  Then dinner, then we had the first evening meeting, where we first saw the awesome band Pearl Merchant and heard Michael Kelley.

Michael is a great speaker, and really challenged us with a great opening night talk, all of which I can't remember right now, but I will update when I can borrow someone's notes to copy down.

Day 1

I cooked some amazing pancakes for breakfast, then we were all off to hear Pearl Merchant again and listen to Michael speak.  (Notes coming forthwith)

I had the opportunity to visit a seminar entitled "Soul Work and Sabbath Rhythms" that was all about how important it is to take a day to not work.  The Sabbath isn't about us being bored all day, or about going to church and not watching football, it's about God giving us a gift that we can use to recharge.  It was good, and I will upload some scans of the notes soon.

David Platt - Four Pictures of Jesus (Luke 9:51-62)

1. Jesus is the Savior of our souls.  (Luke 9:51)

1. Jesus sets off toward Jerusalem to die for our sins.

1. Jesus is the goal, not everything else
2. Do you want Christ?

1. Not stuff from Christ!
2. "All stuff is rubbish."  ~Paul (my  translation)

1. Christianity is a radical transfer of loyalty

1. Your plans are nothing, compared to proclaiming the Kingdom of God.
2. When you are changed by Jesus, you no longer get to choose your path in life.

1. It is He that we desire and love more than any others.
   

I'm a day and a half late, and much longer than that since we have updated the website, but I am here and just put together two and two to think, "This place has Wi-Fi in every room.  Almost all of the people attending has a laptop."  SO... I'm going to try to keep a running set of posts as I buzz around, flitting among the Chuckwagon Cafe and various seminars, and I'm going to do my best to encourage others from MSC to do the same.  I hope anyone who may catch this will enjoy it - and to those who read this later, may it serve as a training tool and reminder of the amazing ways that God works here at student week.

 
-Kevin 

Newly made, with pics from this previous weekend -

Click here

It's pretty dang cool....

Facebook.  It really is an amazing thing.  I'm really not that into it, and yet I check it every day.  I don't have that many friends on there (like 40 or so) but I love to see what they're up to, what applications they've added, what events they're attending, and what's going up on their walls.  I can download music, and I can watch videos there.

 
But Facebook has much more possibility than this, especially within the context of Christian Challenge.  We have a Christian Challenge MSC group, and that's a good start.  However, we have 7 members, and I know for sure we have 15 or so regulars to attend on Thursday nights, plus everyone else we have contact with during the week.  Even if we have a 15% luddite (non-technology, like Z) percentage, that's still 20 people or so who know how to use a computer. 

Now, imagine if we all used this online application and were all friends.  It'd be an instant infusion into community.  We'd know each other's birthdays (and if we forget, Facebook tells you), favorite things, and hometowns, as well as be able to keep in contact with each other via messages and walls.  We could give each other silly gifts for no reason at all.  It'd be a great community.

In reality, Facebook is a high-tech band-aid for a deeper problem college students have.  Since they can't find community elsewhere, they find it online.  Even within our own group. we find difficulty in creating that community that draws people.  I know for a fact that Jesus didn't have Facebook to help him.  But He knew his friends, and they knew Him.  His followers lavished Him with gift.  He lived in community.  

If Facebook is the tool we need to develop a community at ChallengeMSC, I say use it.  If anyone has a better idea that will work, I say use it. 

 I know there are some tea afficianados that read this, so here is the cream of the crop tea in the world - Monkey Picked Tea.  Hand picked by trained monkeys in a small village in a remote mountainous area of China, this tea is supposed to be some of the best (and most expensive) in the world.

 When I read this, I thought about Genesis 1:28-31 (click to read it).  God said for man to rule over the animals, and gave the plants to the animals.  So what do these people do?  Train the animals (which they have dominion over) to collect plants (which the animals have dominion over) and drink the results!  Shoot-dang! I love it when people around the world figure out what God gave us to do so long ago. 

It's almost as cool as the Kopi Luwak coffee, though not as, um.... craptastic.

 

I don't know how I pulled it off, but I thought this needed to be here too...  A flashback from yesteryear!

 Woot!.... woot indeed.