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Archive for College Ministry

I just want to sleep but I’m too busy

By michaelcriner · Comments (0)
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

Have you found yourself saying, “I just want more sleep but I’m too busy.” I find myself saying this often, and it’s actually true. I want more sleep and it’s that time of the year where the pressures of school/work/family are mounting. I think as a college student, we DO want more sleep – we could certainly USE more sleep; and I think we ARE busy – but we’re not busy equally.

What I mean by this is that on one level, we’re busy because of assignments and projects – but that’s because we procrastinated so much that we’ve had to stay up later whatever to accomplish them. On another level we’re busy because, well, we’ve overcommitted ourselves to things.

I’m all for sleep, and I’m all for being part of tasks that make a difference in my life and those around me. But – nestled in Paul’s letter to the Romans – he actually warns them about sleep and about busyness. Check it out:

“you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light… put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Romans 13:11-14, ESV)

Here’s my point – make sure you don’t become so absorbed and exhausted in your to-do list; projects; assignments; obligations; that you lose tack of the time and sleep… oblivious to God. Be awake to what God is doing around you! God is sanctifying you in 1,000 ways that you’re not even aware of! We can’t afford to waste one moment of time… these days are precious, so don’t procrastinate today – accomplish what must be done so that you might be alert to observe His movement around you and in you.

So, get sleep; complete your tasks – but be aware of God’s movement all around you.

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Reflections from College Hour 10.24.2010

By michaelcriner · Comments (0)
Sunday, October 24th, 2010

Today somewhat marked the end of Homecoming week – a week that was simply INCREDIBLE for Baylor University. There was a special buzz on the campus this week despite the rain and two hour rain delay at the football game… This will be short, but here are some of my reflections from College Hour today:

-Seeing the faces of so many parents is affirming – one, the fact that students want to bring them to our church; two, the conversations I’m able to have with them and be encouraged by them… so good!
-We’ve got people wanting to be baptized – this is AWESOME! Be looking for a Sunday morning when we’ll dunk them.
-We’re in the middle of the B-B-Beatitudes (I made a Community reference and nobody got it, looks like I’m the dork).
-Everyone hungers and thirsts for something. Everyone has desires. There is by nature a built-in ambition in our lives. If you claim to have no ambition, you’re a liar. The question is whether you’re ambitions are godly.
-Godly ambition is to hunger and thirst for the right thing.
-”One way to clarify your spirituality, is to clarify your ambition.” Donald Whitney
-I can know the depth of your relationship with Jesus when you tell me what you’re passionate about.
-This beatitude is about what we care about. We should care about being righteous.
-Our part is to seek; His part is to satisfy.
-Jesus will tell the crowd that he’s just fed: “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). I say this because when we hunger and thirst for Jesus and His righteousness, we’re satisfied beyond comparison and understanding…
-As Sören Kierkegaard once said, sin is “when we look to something or someone other than Jesus Christ to gain our primary significance and baseline security.”
-My God is near. My God is constant. He is Faithful. BELIVE IT!
-The band sounded A-W-E-S-O-M-E today. SO thankful for Greg Foster and his leadership this year.
-Ummm… on a personal note – did you see the dress on my daughter today? SHE LOOKED ADORABLE!!! Her Grandmama made – that’s right, MADE it.
-We also had a meeting with our leadership team. I LOVE these men and women. They are SO faithful to our ministry and our church and mostly to THE JESUS and His Gospel. I love them. I’ll post later this week the notes from my talk to them.

It’s going to be another full week – but God by His grace keeps pouring out mercy and love on us. I’m so thankful for the opportunities Abigail and I have been given to serve at First Woodway. God has been and IS faithful.

enjoy.

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A quick word to Baylor and Homecoming Week

By michaelcriner · Comments (0)
Wednesday, October 20th, 2010

It’s Homecoming week. You’re busy. You’ve got a lot on your plate. You’ve made a lot of plans. But in all of this, remember Proverbs 19:21: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”

So take a second and consider the plans you’re making today. Consider your plans that you’ve made in your mind and ask, ‘have I considered the purpose of the Lord IN these plans?’

By asking this simple question, we just might begin to see His purposes unfolding before us.

By asking this simple question, we just might be able to re-calibrate our minds, hearts, and soul with a view towards His purposes rather our plans.

By asking this simple question, we just might begin to see our plans transformed and be redeemed for His glory and our good.

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Questions I asked my staff

By michaelcriner · Comments (0)
Thursday, October 14th, 2010

The other night, our staff took some time to sit around the fire pit in our backyard and just talk. I think at times, it’s easy to fool yourself in ministry and assume everyone is doing great, or that they’re having an awesome season of life… But I know better. I think we all know better.

So, I posed a couple of questions to the staff for us to talk through and discover together:

How is God working powerfully in your life right now?
Are there prayers that have been answered recently?

It was so encouraging to hear from each person and affirm them in what God was doing in them. I then took time to read 1 Corinthians 15:58 as a springboard to encourage them:

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

I pointed out two things to them:

1. We’re loved apart from our performance in ministry. Proof? Jesus’ finished work on the cross!!
2. God is using us, us!! to advance the Kingdom. Let that sink in! God has lots of options and he has chosen by his sovereign grace to use us! Unworthy, selfish (at times) people… How great is that!?

In the end, it was a blessing to sit back and hear from each other while siting outside around a fire pit.

enjoy.

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No Reflections from this morning

By michaelcriner · Comments (0)
Sunday, September 5th, 2010

Sorry for not posting any reflections from this morning. We’ve traveled 200+ miles today and were unable to post anything.

We DID however see Tom and Nona Mosley who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. (YES marriage at 12 was legal then, ha!). Abigail was invited to capture some moments with the entire family. We ate dinner with them and felt as if we were part of their family. They were ever TOO kind to us, and Abby used the word “relaxed” and “loved” to describe the evening. Mr. T & Nona are evidences of God’s grace on our lives – two people who have touched countless individuals of which we’re thankful to God to be some of them.

At any rate, we’re spending this labor day with my folks who have graciously allowed us to crash at their home. I was also informed that there’s a *number* of things I need to do tomorrow around the house… don’t tell the parents that I’m clueless and will probably cause more harm than good.

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