Christian Community
You know that feeling when you’ve spent enough time around someone for them to show their inner goofball? Turns out our whole team is like that. From the pensive Michael Bouterse to the articulate Ellis White, the community developed on this team is one in which all of us got to show our true colors. If you’ve never experienced the fullness of healthy Christian community, you’re missing out. You can bounce between witticisms, stupid puns, and theological discourse in one breath. It’s awesome.
The impact of the Gig Harbor team on the larger FEARLESS Q team was substantial. Without our help, it would have definitely been a skeleton crew. But that’s not the cool part. The cool part is that we know for a fact that God has brought healing, compassion, and openness to a very dark campus. And for some incalculable reason, He chose to do so through our feeble hands. The inclusion of the Church into ministry is a privilige that only benefits believers. God could show himself to the whole world and evangelism would be obsolete; yet He chooses to grow us through the experience of being His ambassadors.
And the impacts are not isolated to the ASU campus, or even Arizona. All of the team members bring home specific applications for their experience. I’ll be starting Waffle Wednesdays as an outreach to GHHS. I plan to offer free waffles at lunch with Bible verses written on the plates. Oh, but to make it less “churchy” and to help give us some identity, the verses will have slight twists. “For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Waffle.” Mike Tart has determined he needs to start ministering and creating fellowship for other fathers, and a variety of other members have made a commitment to learn more so they can more effectively defend and share their faith. I have a feeling this will do nothing but fire up the young Reverend Ellis White (don’t miss his coronation on Sunday night!)
Oh, and it would be remiss if I didn’t mention that we had a great time changing Michael Bouterse’s last name every day. Highlights include Michael Benedryl and Michael Balaclava.
We’re about to board, so I’ve got to make it quick. I want people to know God is moving in the world today and He is pursuing students and adults alike with an intensity of a desperate father. What we saw this week only adds to the immense pile of evidence pointing to a personal, active, passionate God.
As was my catchphrase for the week, it’s all about Jesus. In the middle of writing this I met a young man named Jared sitting next to me at our gate. He became a believer just five months ago and he’s already accutely aware of the transormative power of Christ in his life. This unity of believers and the body of Christ is so immense it blows my mind!
We came to ASU to give Satan hell, and I would say mission accomplished.
Eric Anderson for the ASU Go Team