UMBC Cru Speaking Notes

Had an awesome time last night with Cru at UMBC. Kind of surreal for me since I went to grad school there and the gathering was in the Engineering building where I spent practically all my time as a student/nerd.

It was a great time though - great group of students. Watch what comes out of them. Notes are below if you are interested - obscure to probably everyone else but me. But enjoy.

[I think the audio will be up here eventually.]

====
Intro
Me
The fam
Engineer, global catalyst

Isaiah 49

Focus:
The one big idea
story

+ The big idea ===="You were created for them." ====

Your life is not meant for yourself. It's meant for others.

+ WHAT
Scriptures speak of God's people as sent.
Make disciples.
Redeem humanity.
Purpose, intention, drive, reason for existence.
The Gospel comes to us on the way to someone else. Alex McManus
Think about this in your story. You know it to be true.
When you act only in your own self interests, you are left longing.
When your small group exists just for themselves - it crumbles.

Every story within Scriptures speaks to this.
Abraham - bless you to bless others.
Jonah - travel to Ninevah so that my wrath is not poured on them.
The apostle Paul - a life for others

+ YOU
How has God created me?
unique in this room, this campus, 6.7B people, 10B people in all of human history
you were created for an epic journey - to do only what you can do
What about my uniqueness, talents, dreams, passions.
What does that look like in community - my small group, my campus ministry, my community of faith

The place where God calls you to is
the place where your deep gladness and the
world’s deep hunger meet. Buechner

+ THEM
: We must know what the world looks like in order to change it.
The global realities of the world.
Living in the most amazing times in human history right now.
Huge potential - global migration, technology, connectedness
chinese man in Yaounde, watch the swine flu trend around the world, the blue sweater
Huge need - AIDS crisis, global poverty, global sex trade, the unreached, etc.

SLIDES == urban migration, aids, etc.

+ WHAT TO DO
Understand yourself. SF
Engage someone vastly different than you
Open your eyes to living in your own culture - see your own culture as a missiologist
- redemptive analogy

:: looking for the homeless guy with the girls
risk, adventure, pioneer
you are going to look stupid
be rejected

Photo: me and Carlos - student campus director [and Rod in the middle]