The Importance of a Local Church for College Students

College is a wonderful time of learning, growth, and freedom. There are boundless opportunities to fully become the person that God has created you to be. Let me encourage you to explore new subjects, make new friends, try new food, and take a class or two that has nothing to do with your degree. You may be an athlete, you may be in 15 different student organizations, you may be in Greek life, you may be a transfer student, or even a non-traditional student.

Don't miss out on opportunities to build lasting relationships and opportunities for you to grow in your faith or even begin your faith journey. Get involved in one of the great campus ministries on your campus! BCM, RUF, CCF, CRU, Wesley, UKirk, and whole host of others are staffed with college ministers and interns who want to help you navigate the seas of college. Don't stop there though, visit some area churches, find one that is a good fit for you, even if it is different denominationally or theologically than what you experienced before starting college. Visit several churches before you make that final decision to associate yourself with a local church. Look for a local church that will love you and help pour into your life. Look for a local church that will provide you with opportunities to be around different generations of people. Look for a church that will offer you a place to serve and minister to others rather than simply being a consumer of the worship or Bible study opportunities. Campus ministries are phenomenal but they can't offer you everything a local church can. If you don't know which churches to visit, ask your college minister or campus ministry staffer, they will point you in the right direction.

Get engaged in a campus ministry where you find community and a faithfulness to the Lord. Attend or even join a local church that will provide a broad community of people who love God and long to see the community and the world changed by Jesus!

The Prodigal God

I was first introduced to Tim Keller by my RUF (Reformed University Fellowship) campus minister, Paul Bankson while a student at Mercer University.  Paul often referenced some nugget of truth he had extracted from Keller's sermons he listened to on tape, yes I am that old...before podcasts and cd's of sermons there were tapes. In college I read one of Keller's books that talks specifically about service to the "least of these" but I hadn't read any of his recent books until I picked up Prodigal God at a bookstore going out of business. It was a great reminder of the depth of my sin and the lavishness of God's love and grace and mercy!

If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then we must not be declaring the same message that Jesus did (18-19).

Bulloch Academy Baccalaureate

Last night I had the privilege and honor of getting to speak at Bulloch Academy's Baccalaureate Ceremony! It was such an incredible experience for me to get to share in a special moment with graduates and their families. I am grateful to the senior class as well as Anne Lomax and Deborah Carico for giving me the opportunity to share my heart and advice on such a special occasion.

It's strange to me to think about graduating from high school and getting to start a new part of life's journey as you begin college. In many ways, because of my own experience at Mercer University and the people (faculty, staff, students, community) I would love to get to do it all over again, except for the studying part. The years that Cyd and I spent at Mercer formed us and shaped us more than any other time period in our lives. We are so grateful for parents who sacrificed to put us at Mercer, the wonderful people (too many to name) who poured into our lives, and the churches that reached out to us and feed us spiritually, thanks hardly seems sufficient.

To all of my incredible students who are part of the class of 2010 I wish you the best of luck and God's richest blessings on your life as you continue along your journey with Him!! Thanks for letting me be a part of your lives the last 4 years!!