An interesting dynamic has been happening in my house. My 5-year-old son is having a difficult time. Children with my son’s type of special needs have ebbs and flows in their development. When he was younger we dealt with his separation anxiety and thought it was over. Well, we are going through another round of that process, and it is hard to deal with to say the least.

Every time I walk away for a brief moment he looses it. In his mind I have abandoned him. I found myself reassuring him. “Daddy is here, I am not going anywhere. If I go away for a moment I will always come back if I can.” I hope to get through to him that daddy is dependable and that I am always here for him. Even though I have not done anything to undermine his trust in my stability and love for him, all I can do is continually remind him that daddy is here.

I have written several times of my struggle with abandonment from my father, so it’s interesting that I have to continually address the issue with my son. I have the awesome responsibility to represent a relationship with God as our heavenly father, with my son. It’s my goal that he will approach God based on how well I interact with him. Jesus taught us that God is a father. "This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…” Whatever type of father we have is automatically attributed to God.

In a conversation with my pastor on the subject, I told him that I have to stop on occasion and remind myself that God is watching me. I know as a communicator of the Gospel that doesn’t sound good, but that is the reality. I am not used to thinking about the ramifications of disappointing a father. I have no concept of a father’s wrath, punishment, disappointment, joy, love, or pleasure as a son. That is why I need to “check in with the Father” and I am not ashamed to admit that.

While encouraging my son recently I believe I heard God speaking to me. While telling Him that I was still there, God was saying the same thing to me. He was there, because He loved me and didn’t want me to be alone. He like me was as close as a call or prayer away. It was hard to hear, but powerful at the same time. The Bible says, “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, Abba, Father.” The same way I am reassuring my son that Daddy loves him and is here for Him, God is letting His son (me) know the same thing. It’s really impacting my life and I hope I am showing my son a better way.

 I recently spent some time at a conference held at Saddleback Church in Orange County California. Many people know the church because of their amazing pastor Rick Warren. Over the course of the sessions we were taught many concepts from some great pastors. Andy Stanley, Mark Driscoll and Perry Noble we just a few of the great leaders teaching. It wasn’t so much of the main points or emphasis intended that impacted me. It was one statement from Rick Warren that has not left me. “When you experience delay after delay, get ready for a miracle”.

 Now, there is a very serious reason that I latched onto that statement. I have been experiencing delay after delay as it pertains to my book, College Impact: Empowering Collegiate Christians for Campus Influence, for which this blog is named. The first proof looked good, but it was riddled with mistakes. The second proof looked even better, until I went to my wife’s dedication page and saw two typos. Well that just was not going to do. So, we did a third proof and it really looked good. I was so ready to say Print IT! Until the publisher realized that the word Foreword on the cover was spelled Forward. Uugh! So, we went back through the entire book to catch any addition imperfections.

 We are currently waiting to hear from the printer to let us know that the final version (for now) is ready to print. We are going to do the first printing and proof all at the same time, as we are pretty confident that is ready. The point is, I am expecting God to do some miraculous things with this labor of love called, College Impact.

I ask for your prayers, as the goal of the book is to spark an awakening among college believers. We are almost there. 

“The Pew Forum reports that fewer than 20% of people age 18 to 29 attend church services regularly, but about three-quarters of them believe in an afterlife -- about the same rate as older generations.” (Los Angeles Times) http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-beliefs22-2010feb22,0,7143343.story

There seems to be a growing disdain for the need for a local church among young adults. That breaks my heart as a college pastor, because I know how vital the church is to our survival as believers. This is especially true when in our young adult years. Why, because young adults have a tendency to leap before looking, due to their inexperience and lack of impulse control.

Biology tells us that the brain does not stop developing until about 25 years old, and it’s in the area of impulse control. The thing that the local church can offer is a sense of guidance and constant reminders to remain true to your belief system. The church will not be healthy without young adults nor will young adults be well rounded without a local spiritual family with which to belong.

I believe in the local church. I believe in the church because Jesus believed in it. Jesus did not start schools, or governmental organizations, but he started the church. Why, because he knew that was the best thing for the growth of his family. That’s why a Christian without a church home is a contradiction. The early church understood this as a call to meet locally. That’s why we see Paul writing to local assemblies to assist in their development.

 It’s important that we guide and help young adults back to the church. Not some random loosely affiliated “Christian faith” but to a body of people where they can know and be known. So, my prayer is that this article would fuel the church to once again make young people a priority. 

A little while back I was telling the pastor of my new church that I had been debt free for the past 4 years and he looked at me and said, “What does that feel like?”  I couldn’t quite put it into words except to say “Uhhh...great??  Yeah...great.” although that doesn’t quite describe the feeling that I feel when I think about my financial freedom and what that means for me, my family (current and future) and my ability to give back.   Another friend of mine who has been struggling with the whole concept of tithing recently told me that she felt that she should start tithing partly because she felt that she knew I did and that she saw God opening doors for me career-wise in a way that she felt doors hadn’t opened for her.  I told her that I didn’t know if there was a one-to-one correlation really.  There may be.  I don’t know for sure.  All I know is I figured I would just not question God on that one and now it’s not really a big thing to me.  I think I got that concept before I actually got completely out of debt, but I am still challenged in that area from time to time with supplemental income and every time I release my hold on money I get it back tenfold – whether it is just in the peace of knowing I am being obedient to God or if it is in blessings that come my way that I find rather ironic coming after I have given back to what I know is God’s work.

Financial freedom is twofold for me.  It’s not just being out of debt, but being out of debt so I can give back to other people freely without any kind of worry about how my bills are going to be taken care of.  I can buy all of the things I need and many of the things I want and it’s stinkin’ awesome!  I can sow into dreams for my life that I feel God has placed in my heart as well as the dreams and lives of other people – friends and strangers.  I like stuff just as much as the next person, but there is nothing quite as rewarding as being able to anonymously give money away and possibly change the course of someone’s life forever just by my contribution.  Individuals are changed and they go and help make changes in other places because now through my little contribution they’re able to do certain things, pursue God’s purpose for their life….which could be to change a nation or several nations!  You just never know.

Now I want to tell everybody and help everybody get to this place.  I want friends and family of mine to really and truly get that concept of sacrificing now to save for later so that you can be free to pursue your God given talents and give back to other people.  When we’re all tied up with stuff – especially stuff we still owe money on, it holds us back in a way.  The bible says that “the borrower is slave to the lender” and it is sooooo true.  You can’t go too far when you owe somebody money.  It’s always a chain around your ankle.  But when you get rid of it….wow.   I think so many of us are used to it – we’ve bought into the lie that says you have to have this or that.  I know I did, but then I realized that I could wait for some stuff.  It wasn’t going to kill me.  And God would honor that.

My encouragement to the kids in high school about to go to college is look for scholarships, go to school in your hometown – a degree is a degree.  It really doesn’t matter.   Get a job (or two) in college and pay your way through it so you don’t come out of school saddled with school loans.  And for those that didn’t have that advice and now they’re out of college and have tons of loans to pay off….get to paying those suckers off --- now!  Pay those things off as soon as you possibly can.  Don’t get a brand new car.  Buy a used beater with cash and pay those things off.  A little sacrifice now will mean a huge payoff in just a few years.  So when you meet that special someone you’re not coming into a marriage saddled with a bunch of debt and craziness.

Overall, I’ve learned that I don’t have to have everything right this second.  When I see people with fancy stuff, nice cars, houses, clothes, etc…I’m reminded that probably 75% of the time, they’re in debt up to their earballs and for the others, it took time to build that.  So I’m gonna be patient.  I’m going to take my time and be a good manager of the money God has entrusted to me so I can continue to have enough to take care of myself like a real live grownup and be able to help advance the kingdom.

Submitted by: Candice A. Smith, Lay Leader, One Church International

“To enjoy this growing knowledge of God will require that we go beyond the goals so casually set by modern evangelicals. We must fix our hearts on God and purposefully aim to rise above the dead level and average of current Christianity.” –A.W. Tozer

This is a quote from Tozer, made in the early part of the 20^th century is a criticism of the evangelicalism of his day. I think we have the same issue in our day that Tozer was addressing, lifeless faith. This is ever my challenge as I both attempt to keep the flame within stoked, and encourage others to do the same.

Personally, I am challenged to distance myself from the desires in me that have their attention aimed everywhere, but on God. I have discovered that I am not the only one with this struggle. This difficulty though unseen by others robs the life of an impassioned pursuit of a holy God. 

When challenging others to chase after God with complete abandon, the response is often, “it doesn’t take all that”. In that moment I want to scream, IT TAKES THAT AND MORE! Though in my fainting heart, I know the sentiment. So what is the solution? I think Paul said it best, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus” Philippians 3:14 I think modern day evangelicals as myself need to hold tightly to this concept as to never drawl back on our life in Christ.