WSU Cru

We're moving!

2010-08-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

We've been honored to have Blogger host our Blog for a while now. In order to simplify things, we've decided to move our blog to another website, which will hopefully be simpler. You can check out our new blog at:

http://www.wsucru.org/blog

If you subscribe via a reader, click on the RSS link on our blog.

Thanks for sticking with us!

Helping Seniors Transition After College...

2010-03-23T14:07:00.000-07:00

This Friday, we are hosting a dinner & seminar for seniors at Washington State University in order to help them transition into life after college.

One of Campus Crusade for Christ's goals is to send every person into their community as an ambassador for Christ. Many college students that are involved with Campus Crusade for Christ in college have a great experience during college, but have difficulty making the transition into engaging into their community (whether it be at work, at home, or at their church).

Our hope during this seminar is to help alleviate some of the concerns and difficulties that come with life after college. Some of the topics will include:

The Great Commission & impacting the Kingdom of God for a lifetime
Living out of your priorities
Practical ways to plug into a church & community
Managing Finances & Stewardship
Practical tips for ministry w/ Friends & Co-workers

One practical resource that we are passing onto our students, is a website created by Campus Crusade for Christ called All Callings. This website is dedicated to helping ministry-minded people connect with others in their community around the globe.

Have you done something similar with graduating seniors? What have you done? What else could we communicate over dinner?

Thanks to jcestnik for the photo above

More information about first year students at WSU

2010-02-10T16:50:00.000-08:00

Campus Crusade staff and student leaders were encouraged at the findings of what WSU students are willing to share on the campus of WSU. Many people think that spirituality is on the decline and that students simply aren't willing to talk about spiritual things. The data actually shows very differently.

Some can argue that the data is a bit skewed, because students had to be willing to fill out a survey that most likely involved questions about spiritual things. But, we believe that it is a fairly accurate representation of students at our major University.

The survey was 'incentivized' by a chance to win 'whatever you want' (with stipulations, of course) up to $100. We collected the surveys, and put up our 'posts' at each of the 3 dining halls around the WSU campus.

Here were the questions we asked on the survey:

Which of the following is most important to you?
- Success - Fulfillment - Security - Happiness - Love

Do you believe there is a higher power?
- Yes - No - Maybe

Would you be willing to take 20 minutes this semester to give your input on Spiritual things?
- Yes - No - Maybe

Would you like to know more about Campus Crusade for Christ's weekly meeting, Cru?
- Yes - No - Maybe

Name / Res. Hall & Room # / Phone

We were encouraged by how many students said they would be willing to talk with someone about spiritual things - and not even knowing who that person might be! Just think of how willing people might be willing to talk with someone about spiritual things if they had a relationship with that person!

One thing that was striking to us, was what students said was most important to them. The most common answer by far was 'happiness.' See the breakdown below of males vs. females:

How might we consider this as we approach sharing the gospel with students at WSU? What do you think? Do you have any ideas for how to talk with students who say that 'happiness' is their ultimate goal in life?

We would love to hear your thoughts...

What do first year students at WSU believe?

2010-01-23T23:15:00.000-08:00

Recently, Campus Crusade for Christ at WSU engaged with first year students on campus through surveys. In exchange for filling out a survey, students were entered into a drawing to win 'whatever they wanted' up to $100 - with stipulations of course.

From 3 dining halls around campus, we gathered 850 total surveys, and recorded the responses we received from students.

So, what are first year students at WSU saying? Here were some of their responses through the surveys:

Look for some more interesting statistics - like whether males or females are more likely to talk about spiritual things, or if people that don't believe in a higher power are more or less likely to be willing to give their spiritual input.

Overall, we were encouraged by the results of the surveys. We feel like many students at WSU are open to engage in spiritual conversation. Does this surprise you? What about on your campus, do you think this is similar to other campuses around the nation? We'd love to hear!

The Winners of the "Win Whatever You Want" Contest!

2010-01-15T15:45:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Alec Hinn, Sean Myers, and Kaitlyn Kamstra - the recent winners of the "Win Whatever You Want" Contest!

If you're interested, Alec will be getting a Simon Mall gift card (a little close to a cash prize, but we'll call it good and give it to him), Sean will be getting a pair of snow gloves (his choice, up to a $100 value), and Kaitlyn will be getting something of her choice (she has yet to tell us what she wants).

If you weren't aware, WSU Cru set up tables near campus dining centers at WSU during the first week of the spring semester. The "Win Whatever You Want" contest was a way for us (WSU Cru) to get some feedback from first year students at WSU about their spiritual interests.

Here are some of the questions we asked first year students at WSU:

Which of the following is most important to you?
- Security - Love - Fulfillment - Success - Happiness -

Do you believe there is a higher power?
- yes - no - maybe -

Would you be willing to take 20 minutes to give your input on spiritual issues?
- yes - no - maybe -

Would you like to know more about Campus Crusade for Christ's weekly meeting, "CRU"?
- yes - no - maybe

We'll try to post some of the interested statistics from this survey - especially what students feel is most important to them! Thanks for helping us out, WSU students!

Any feedback from this survey? What's most important to you? Feel free to comment below!

Campus Crusade for Christ & Haiti

2010-01-14T13:12:00.001-08:00

Above: Capitol Building in Haiti.

Following the devastation of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday evening in Haiti, Campus Crusade for Christ is doing what we can to help all that are affected by the destruction.

There are staff members in Haiti that we are praying for - involved in the Campus Ministry as well as the Jesus Film Project. We appreciate your prayers for those staff members - so far there have been reports that those who have been found are doing well and in good health. Our national team is still trying to contact those that we have yet to hear from - please pray for them and their families.

Global Aid Network (GAiN) is another ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ that is responding to the physical needs of Haitians that are affected by the quake, as they specialize in relief and development of those countries / areas in need. GAiN currently has containers in Haiti that contain 1 million meals, and another 8 large containers of food and much needed supplies ready to be shipped.

If you are looking for a way to be involved in the relief, GAiN is in need of financial resources in order to distribute food and supplies. You can give financially directly through their website, www.gainusa.org

We also know of one fellow Coug that was in Haiti at the time of the earthquake, Megan Simmons. We have heard that she is doing ok, but nothing more.

Please nclude your prayers, prayer requests, or any information you might have about people in Haiti in the comments below.

WSU Cru alumni - Kelsey Martin and "Women of Hope International"

2010-01-13T12:44:00.000-08:00

Kelsey Martin is a 2008 graduate of WSU. She was a leader with Cru during her time as an undergraduate and is now working for Highline Community College as an Employment Consultant. Kelsey has been actively involved with a ministry called "Women of Hope" that exists to bring whole person healing to women with disabilities in Sierra Leone. Here is a portion of a recent update we got from Kelsey...

A summary of our last trip is difficult, but we were able to accomplish the majority of what we had set out to do in the short two and a half weeks there. The first week was dedicated to meeting with the local non-governmental organizations (NGO’s), other humanitarian aid agencies and governmental officials in the area. Our focus was on assessing the services already provided to women with disabilities and to begin networking with those already serving women there. We were so thankful to be welcomed warmly by everyone we encountered as they openly affirmed of the tremendous need forWOHInt. We hired three full time Sierra Leonean staff and assembled and met with our SL Advisory Board during this time as well.

The second week was emotionally exhausting as we held focus groups with representatives chosen from the blind, deaf, polio, amputee, war-wounded and leprosy communities. Every woman had a unique story about how society tells her she is worthless and the many barriers she faces living in the poorest country in the world. Most women were sexually exploited in some way, and all experience isolation and significant poverty. We facilitated brainstorming around solutions. While I had been to the country before and I had researched the trials of women with disabilities, nothing could have prepared me for hearing their deeply personal stories for myself, and developing friendships.

I returned home overwhelmed. I wrote this letter three different times before today. Each time I struggled with communicating all that I learned while still questioning what role God has me play in His desire to bring restoration to the women. Today I am sure that God wants to use myself and Women of Hope International to facilitate healing and the restoration of dignity and hope to women with disabilities in Sierra Leone. He has given WOHInt a strategic plan of action and our prayer is that gospel transformation will take place for these women and inspire the development of a community!

Venture 2010 - Final video

2010-01-08T14:56:00.000-08:00

Great conference, Cougs! We're excited for the upcoming semester. See you next week!

Venture 2010 Conference Final Video from Venture on Vimeo.

Steve Yen bringing some eternal perspective

2009-12-19T21:41:00.000-08:00

Steve Yen is assuming the role of Missional Team Leader with WSU Cru next semester as Darren and Samantha Holland transition to join the Greater Northwest Regional team of Campus Crusade for Christ. Steve had the following thoughts about our upcoming Winter Conference...

We are less than two weeks from Venture 2010 in Portland, Oregon! As I anticipate winter conference, I find myself reflecting on a talk I gave on "eternal perspective" a few weeks ago at our weekly meeting. During that talk I focused on the fact that there are really only three things in this life that will truly last forever: our relationship with God, God's word, and God's people. What excites me is that these three things will be present in nearly every aspect of the upcoming conference, and so I am confident that taking part in Venture 2010 is a valuable, eternal investment for the staff and students of WSU.

Cultivating a relationship with God is the most important investment of time one can make. At Venture, staff and students are invited to do this in many diverse ways. There is a prayer journey where we can journal, pray, listen to music, appreciate God through art, and take communion. Every year, countless students express feeling like they took a big step forward in their walk with God simply by going through the prayer journey. Another way to deepen our walk with the Lord at conference is by listening to the different guest speakers. I have found this to be a great way to gain new perspectives on God and his character.

God’s word often comes alive and teaches us in new ways during conference. Sometimes it’s gaining a new perspective on a passage we have heard countless times, and other times it is learning about a part of scripture that we have never heard before. Through worshiping in the main sessions, listening to guest speakers and attending seminars led by staff and students, the word of God begins to reveal to us the plans the Lord has for our lives. We know that God’s plans are better than ours. By stepping into the plans he has for our lives, we can trust Him to use us to make a lasting impact on eternity. When the word comes alive to us, especially in a group setting, God moves in our hearts and his people are changed forever.

God designed us to experience him and his word together, as the body of Christ. At Venture 2010, over five hundred students from all over the Northwest will be collectively encountering the living God and his powerful word. Have you ever worshiped with over five hundred people? It is breathtaking. Have you ever considered taking faith steps and risks for the sake of God's Kingdom? At conference, students catch the big picture of God's heart for people, and they begin to challenge each other to go back to campus and reach others for Christ. God has spoken to his people at past winter conferences, and I trust Him to do it again at Venture 2010.

I can’t wait to see many of you at Venture! Together we can make a lasting impression on eternity, not only at the conference but especially back at WSU on the way to the World. I hope all of you have a Merry Christmas and a relaxing break. See you in Portland!

Venture 2010 - looking for photographers and videographers

2009-12-03T10:45:00.000-08:00

We received the following message yesterday from the Venture 2010 Winter Conference design team. If you are interested, connect with Tristan via facebook or go here...

Hello! Hope you are all getting excited for VENTURE 2010!

We need students to volunteer as photographers and also students to volunteer to work on the video team!

Requirements for Photographers

Need their own digital camera, preferably a DSLR or a high megapixel point and shoot

Preferences for Video Workers

Knowledge of Final Cut Pro, imovie or any video editing software

A good storyteller/ creative eye

Able to arrive on Dec. 28th

Thank you for helping make this conference great!

Tristan Boyce
Campus Crusade for Christ

Venture2010 Artistic Director

Helping change the world through IT...

2009-12-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

Nathaniel Fremd graduated from WSU in spring of 2009. He is now on an intern at the Campus Crusade for Christ Headquarters in Orlando, FL helping provide the IT backbone that supports and resources the 25,000 staff around the world as they share Christ and launch movements "so that everyone will know someone who truly follows Jesus".

Above is Nathaniel's December update to friends and ministry partners that help fund his ministry. We're excited to see him at Venture 2010, the Northwest Winter Conference!

Drop him a note of encouragement via email (or other communication means). We're sure he would love to hear from you on his computer, whether at work or home. ;)

Tim Keller talks and sermons

2009-11-22T23:44:00.000-08:00

There are an ever-increasing number of resources on the internet for spiritual growth, but our WSU Cru staff team (and many of our students and alumni) keep coming back to Dr. Tim Keller for his challenging, Christ-centered sermons.

Dr. Keller's church, Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York city recently announced that they were making many of their sermons free (there was previously a small cost to help fund ministry and outreach in NYC). Dr. Keller is the senior pastor and author of recent books "The Reason for God', "The Prodigal God", and the recently released "Counterfeit Gods". He was also a keynote speaker this summer at the Campus Crusade for Christ national staff conference.

Take a look at the free sermons site and have a listen this Thanksgiving break...

Redemptive work in Australia

2009-10-18T19:26:00.000-07:00

Kara Michael graduated from WSU last spring. She was involved with Cru, and is now getting ready to go on a year long mission trip (STINT) to Australia. Here is a little bit of her story...

"Throughout my four years at Washington State University, I studied Sociology expecting to learn ways I could bring hope to an aching world. Semester after semester my classes dove into global social issues, discussing ways to bring hope into these pressing situations.

As my studies continued, I noticed my professors’ solutions did not seem to implement the hope required for the brokenness we experience everyday – whether it be with warring countries, political instability, the hurting within our families or within ourselves. The textbook answers and my professors’ theories for hope were not satisfying.

As my relationship with Christ deepened, He demonstrated what hope could look like in my fractured life personally, as well as in the fractured world we live in. Being involved with a Christian group at WSU called Campus Crusade for Christ, I experienced a transformational community of believers, with truth and grace being pillars in our relationships. It was here that I began to catch a vision for how God could bring hope into our broken lives and world.

Using similar communities built on grace and truth, God is bringing hope to students throughout the world. Three summers ago I had the joy of being a part of His redemptive work on the University of Newcastle campus in Australia. Since then, He has been patiently and persistently calling me back to this ethnically diverse and spiritually apathetic culture. It has been a beautiful process, knowing there is no other place I would rather be than in the center of His will."

Kara is currently raising support for STINT so she can leave for the start of the Australian school year in January. You can help by giving here!

"I need to" or "I am"?

2009-10-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

Here is the train illustration Tim Rule used when he spoke to us a few weeks ago at our Cru Fall Retreat. As you may remember if you were there, the facts we believe and put our faith in lead to the feelings we experience. If your Christian life has consisted more of thoughts about what you need to do, instead of living out of your position in Christ, perhaps this would be worth looking over again. It goes well with a reading of Ephesians 1.

Looking for a Cru small group?

2009-10-14T01:47:00.000-07:00

Have you connected with a Cru small group yet? If not, know it might be the best way to connect with others from Cru in an environment that lends itself to spiritual growth and development. You might hear them called different things (discipleship groups, bible studies, small groups), but they all have a few things in common:

Looking at the Bible and interacting with God's word together.
Helping group members go deeper with each other and experience authentic Christian community.
Guide us towards self-discovery and a rich experience with Christ.
A desire to see life change in group members as they are transformed by knowing Jesus.
Vision to see people that don't know Christ be impacted through the prayers and faith steps of group members.

Look at the Cru list of small groups to find one near you. Interested in starting one with some friends or classmates? Contact us at wsu.cru@uscm.org.

To tweet, or not to tweet...

2009-10-13T00:12:00.000-07:00

If you've been coming to Cru this semester, you have probably heard us encourage you to follow wsucru on twitter. We've even gone so far as to give away a copy of C.S. Lewis' classic "Mere Christianity" to all who 1) follow wsucru, and 2) send a tweet with the following somewhere in the 140 characters: #wsucru Mere Christianity.

Are you a twitter skeptic, agnostic, or convert? If you're like most, you probably are at least a little bit skeptical. Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson publishing, has a great blog on leadership. He has a helpful post that answers the "top 10 twitter objections", many of which he had himself at one point.

So how could twitter help to enhance our Cru community? How could it help us stay connected in ways that might go beyond facebook? Could it help us produce "movements everywhere so that every Coug knows someone who truly follows Jesus"?

If you're on twitter, consider sending a tweet this week tagged with #wsucru. It might be after spending time in the word, talking with a friend about Jesus, or a Cru event that got you thinking.

What our Cru friends down in Gator land have been up to...

2009-10-12T23:03:00.000-07:00

You may have seen this floating around facebook recently. Someone had a vision for an impressive video to start the year at UF Cru...

Any creative ideas out there, WSU Cru?

Event calendar now on Cru blog...so hot right now

2009-10-12T22:51:00.000-07:00

We've been doing some work getting our online resources up to date. Erin D. has done a great job getting some useful small group info up on our wsucru.org site, our various wsucru profile pics (fb, twitter) now reflect our updated meeting situation (Thursdays at Emmanuel Baptist Church at 715 pm), and the wsucru blog now has an event calendar and facebook fan page feed (as well as a couple other fun widgets).

What could you contribute to help our online community go from lukewarm to fall retreat bonfire hot? Stay tuned...

Lost and Found - Luke 15 at Cru

2009-09-15T13:21:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, we heard from Darren Holland about what it means to be lost. Here are some notes from the talk...

Have you ever been lost? When did you realize you were lost, and how did it make you feel when it dawned on you?

Our mission is to "turn lost students and faculty into Christ-centered lifetime laborers." With this as our mission, it is imperative that we understand what it means to be lost. Luke 15 has three different parables that help us understand what it means to be spiritually lost. We want to look at the middle parable, the story of the woman with the lost coin.

A few observations:

Woman loses a coin – worth a day’s wage for a laborer.
She has nine others. However, the 9:1 found to lost ratio doesn’t keep her from looking for the lost one.
Searches diligently. Doesn’t rely on the coin just “turning up” in front of her.
Finds it – this must be celebrated!
Her community is part of the find – calls together friends and neighbors
Jesus compares this to angels rejoicing when a sinner repents. Clearly, someone being “found” is cosmically huge.
Jesus compares a coin being found to repentance (?!?)

Some application...

From these parables, it seems to be lost is to reside outside of the relationship you were designed for. When people live outside of the relationship with God they were designed for, they are lost.
The lost can’t save themselves. Finding the lost is a work of the seeker, Jesus, who came "to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10).
There is very little to be said about how they got lost. Little in the way of moral judgment. The main thrust is how the lost get found…by God.
Have you been found by God? “Lord, you’ve found me.” This is repentance! We were lost, but someone found us. Since Jesus sent out the 12, Jesus has been using the found (fishermen) to find (fish).
A story that illustrates the darkness of being lost, the celebration of being found, and the burden of seekers to find the lost.

Like the story immediately above, Jesus doesn't stop seeking the lost because they are too valuable to give up searching for.

Are there lost people around you that God may be uniquely calling you to help find?

A revival of the campus, a revival of the heart

2009-09-08T15:57:00.000-07:00

What would it look like for there to be spiritual movements everywhere at WSU so that everyone had a chance to know someone who truly followed Jesus? How would these movements start? Erin, a senior and student leader with Cru, has been thinking about questions like that. We asked her to share a little more with us....

"Thinking of what COULD happen comes naturally to me. I was given a vision of what might happen this year on campus--that massive numbers of students would return to the one who created them, with a passion and zeal to follow God and share about him with others. Some might call it "revival" or "spiritual awakening," something that we long for God to start in others through us. However, there are a few things that need to be true about ourselves before he can use us.

Before revival can start in others, WE need revival. This is why:

1. I don't always believe that God can answer my prayers and I don't pray like I believe
2. I'm not humble
3. There's sin I haven't confessed
4. Even if I confess sin, it's hard for me to agree that God's forgiven me
5. I don't feel any compassion or burden for others
6. I don't move towards people
7. I don't feel like I'm hearing from God when I meditate on his word
8. I'm not willing to surrender

Stop for a minute to ask yourself if any of those things are true of yourself.

If you're ready, God wants to invite you to be his own servant. There is a way, that's beyond any of our small-minded notions of Christianity, beyond just going to church once a week.

Firstly, find out what is hindering you from hearing the Lord's voice. What haven't we surrendered to him? What am I fearful of? I've been finding out that a lot of my fears are caused by not believing in his sovereign authority to have his will done (or rather that I fear that my will won't be done). At the root of our sin, there's a idol. Power, control, pride--all these idols will cripple us from being revived and transformed by him. Think about the weight of these sins--if we continue in these sins, what might happen? Will we fall away? If we really understand how depraved we are, it's easy to feel a sense of hopelessness and grief.

The thread that holds us from really falling apart is the hope of our forgiveness. After agreeing with God that we've sinned, we need to also agree that God is Lord over everything, capable of forgiving even the worst sins. I feel worthless and inadequate, but because God is so good, he gave me the spirit to live in my heart and do his work on his behalf. This is the start of humility--recognizing our lowliness yet our value--because God is good and he lives in us, therefore, we are good.

Can you really believe that God is so good that he would choose to use you to fulfill his greatest plans? Can you believe that God is so big, that he CAN and WILL answer your prayers, that he listens and works for the good of the people he loves? Pray with faith, believing that God will fulfill his perfect and flawless plan, and for the knowledge of his will, so that you can pray what he wants you to pray for so he can accomplish it by his power.

When we truly recognize how good the Lord is and love what he loves, we begin to notice others around us. We notice their lives still enslaved to them, and can begin to have compassion on them. Pray to have compassion, to be broken and burdened for all the harassed and helpless wandering sheep in our midst. Move towards these people that the Lord loves, so much that he would die for them.

This is only a taste of what the Lord could do this year at WSU!

"And it will be said: 'Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.' For this is what the high and lofty one says--he who lives forever, whose name is holy: 'I live in the high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.'" (Isaiah 57:14-15)

I've been marked by Isaiah's vision of the Lord's work in revival, as well as 'Fireseeds of Spiritual Awakening', a short book by Dan Hayes. I'd love for people to develop their own vision for revival, in themselves and in others."

Two masters

2009-09-06T21:05:00.000-07:00

Jack Heimbigner has been involved with Cru since receiving Christ his sophomore year while living in Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He now works for the athletic department helping produce Cougar sporting events. He recently shared with us something the Lord has been teaching him...

"Do you remember the last time you saw a child with his or her parents in a store, and one parent says, 'Don’t touch anything' and right away the child reaches out for whatever is in reach? I have realized that I am like that child when God gives me truth or direction. I am always asking God to reveal his path for me. But when God says 'follow me', I immediately try and go a different way.

I currently work on campus. As I am no longer a student, I wasn’t sure how I could be best used to help live fulfill the Great Commission here at WSU. As I talked this through with a Cru staff member, he asked if I would consider coordinating many of the operational needs within the movement. Right away, as the child did, I said 'no'. I felt like that didn’t align with the things that I believed I needed to be doing this year.

As the next couple of days passed, I was reminded of something that same staff member had shared with me. He realized God was calling him to something specific but refused to do it right away. However, he said that he was reminded of how he would challenge students to take steps of faith because he felt it was part of God’s plan for them and realized that was the same thing he was being asked to do. So he accepted the calling of God. I realized I was in the same seat: God was calling me to be obedient to his call.

There is a passage of scripture that has hit close to home in this process. It comes from Matthew 6 as Jesus speaks about serving God or serving other things. For me, it speaks of being obedient to God or rebelling against Him. Matthew 6:24: 'No one can serve two master. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.'

I want to choose the Lord...and obedience to him."

"...and I'll make you become fishers of men."

2009-09-04T00:10:00.000-07:00

Some notes from Darren Holland's talk at the Cru large group meeting earlier tonight. Darren is the Missional Team Leader with Cru at WSU:

Last week we talked about the invitation Jesus gives to "follow me." But what comes after that? Jesus says, "Follow me and I'll make you become fishers of men." This is a small window in to what the future holds, though those fishermen being called could not imagine all the ramifications.

Jesus starts with average men. They were what amounts to commercial fishermen. Not highly educated religious leaders, but rather men that were teachable, would work hard and get things done, and most importantly, would follow Jesus no matter the cost.

Jesus promises to change these average men into something new. He will do it. It will be a process that is not completed overnight, but he promises these men are going to change others. The followers will fish, and they will fish alongside others. As commercial fishing was a team endeavor, fishing for men would be a community endeavor.

What if we all went fishing? Is it worth the cost, effort, and sacrifice to fish for men and women? If we are followers, are we not called to fish? And as former fish ourselves, don't we know how good it is to be "caught" by the gospel?

Perhaps Mark 1:17 could be summarized as "changed lives, changing lives". Is your life being changed as you follow Jesus? Who's life will be changed because of you?

New member of WSU Cru staff team - Rachelle Richardson

2009-09-03T15:54:00.000-07:00

We are always praying for God to raise up laborers in the harvest (Matthew 9:35-38), both here at WSU and around the world. One of the ways God has answered those prayers for laborers is to bring Rachelle Richardson (photo at right) back to WSU to serve full time with Cru. After working for a while after graduating, Rachelle joined staff this past winter and just moved to Pullman this week. Here is a little bit of her story...

"I was the typical 19-year-old at Washington State University thinking about my next class, my latest crush and getting into the coolest sorority. I had no concept that I had a Father in heaven who was plotting a rescue for my life. I was so far from Christianity that I thought when someone mentioned “Jesus Christ” that his last name was “Christ”! I felt empty and unsettled.

Providentially, God put me in a room in my sorority house right across from a girl named Jenny. Jenny was totally different. She always hung out and had a great time but she never got wasted or hooked up. I kept seeing her love and help others with a quiet joy. What did she have that I didn’t? One day she told me about the God who created her and the relationship she had with Jesus Christ that changed her heart. By God’s grace, I knew that same God had created me, and I desperately wanted to know Him and get this new heart. So I knelt of the floor of my sorority and surrendered my life to Christ.

Later I found out that Jenny was a student involved with Campus Crusade for Christ. She felt specifically led to share Jesus with the women in my sorority. Her obedience resulted in my salvation. When I graduated last year, I knew that God was calling me to go back to WSU to share the gospel with girls like me by going on staff full time with Cru. Jenny was my inspiration but my deepest prayer is that God would allow me to follow in the only footsteps that really matter-the footsteps of Jesus Christ."

We're excited to have Rachelle back at WSU. Undoubtedly she will be used in the lives of students in similar ways to how the Lord used Jenny in her life.

I just said "okay"

2009-09-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

Eric LaPlante is a Cru student leader getting ready to graduate at the end of this semester in math education. He has lived in a residence hall throughout his time at WSU. We asked him to tell us more about why...

"The decision for me to stay in the dorms was never a divine message sent from Heaven that I heard through the crack of lightning and the roar of thunder. I simply saw a need for students to hear the Gospel in the freshman dorms and saw I could help fill that need. God calls us to "make disciples of all the nations” and to simply follow Him. I just answered His call by saying “Okay!”

I think this calling to the dorms was exactly what I needed. For so long in my Christian life I wanted to be called in a grand way where I would never question my path. I've realized, however, that there isn't much faith required in that scenario. It forces you to have faith to follow the path God sets before you when the path is actually a direction without defined boundaries."

Eric is one of many WSU Cru students that have chosen to live in Stephenson complex, and other WSU campus living groups, with a purpose. We look forward to posting stories of lives being impacted by Eric and others as the year goes on and the gospel goes out.

NW Winter Conference - Venture 2010

2009-09-02T23:52:00.000-07:00

Is it too early to start making New Year's plans? Though it is a few months out, some details for this year's NW Winter Conference have been released by the conference design team, which is facilitated by WSU Cru staff member Jason Larsen. The following is an excerpt from an update that went out tonight to Cru staff throughout Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Montana, Nevada, and Alaska...

"The theme this year is 'Venture 2010'. Why 2010? Well, if you remember, the dates of Venture 2010 have been changed to span further into the new year... from Dec. 29th to Jan. 2nd. We're excited about this change and what it could mean for the last day of conference (Jan. 1st).[The conference will again be in Portland, OR at the Doubletree Hotel and Oregon Convention Center]

The theme "Venture" will drive the heart of the conference this year, inviting people to 'venture' into the journey of following Christ. The verse that will saturate the conference is Luke 5:1-11, where Jesus calls his first disciples to follow him.

The speakers have been invited. Our very own Regional Director (and author) Matt Mikalatos will open and close the conference as our main speaker this year. Dave Horner is our other main speaker. He is currently an associate professor at Talbot School of Theology and Biola University. Other guests for seminars, etc. will include Dave Butler and Cas Monaco. Our band will be Page CXVI.

The website, venture2010.com, is under construction but will soon be up to speed. You can also follow the conference at twitter.com/venture2010."

Has a past Winter Conference changed your life? Are you going this year? Who will you bring?

"She has got to be out of her mind!"

2009-09-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

One of our student leaders with Cru, Jessica Stebbins (on right in photo), has talked about how she has seen God use her despite feeling inadequate for the task of leading. We asked her to talk a little more about her process over the last year or so.

"It was only last December when Megan Yen (one of the Missional Team Leaders with WSU Cru) and I sat down for our last coffee date at Zoe cafe before Christmas break. I knew we would probably discuss my strengths and areas to be developed for the following semester. What I didn't expect was the challenge to lead a bible study in my sorority, Chi Omega, the following spring. "Who me?" I thought to myself, "She has got to be out of her mind!"

I was open to the idea but terrified to say the least. I had been attending a bible study at AGD's since there wasn't one in my own house. But I didn't speak up much and was still struggling with how to walk by faith in the Greek system. Over Christmas I had the opportunity to attend Winter Conference in Portland. During these four days God revealed to me that I didn't have to have it all together or need to know it all in order to have a leadership position.

From that point forward there was no looking back. I knew it was time to blaze a trail and I couldn't do it if I was ashamed of the gospel. Throughout the spring I was able to rely on the Cru staff and other student leaders as a resource. Did I make mistakes? Absolutely. Do I feel worthy of this position today? No way. But I know Chi Omega is the nation that God has called me to. I'm excited to see what He has in store for this year."

How is Chi Omega a nation? Jessica read a passage from the bible daily last semester. Jeremiah 1:4-10 is an account of the call of Jeremiah, and his appointment "over nations and kingdoms." Jess says "it transformed my attitude and helped me develop compassion toward the lost women in my sorority."

3 attributes of a leader

2009-09-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

Matt Mikalatos is a Regional Director with the Northwest region of Campus Crusade for Christ, giving focus to our Worldwide Student Network (WSN). He just had his first book published titled "Imaginary Jesus" and is going to be one of the speakers at our NW Winter Conference this year. He posted some thoughts today on leadership:

"Tomorrow morning is the first regular meeting of my team... we meet once a week for three hours to cover the most important issues facing us at the time. I'll be leading our devotional time tomorrow, and I'm going to walk us through three attributes that the apostle Paul said made a leader worthy of respect."

Read the rest about working, caring, and instructing on Matt's blog - it's worth a read (as is his Amazon.com profile).

My major and my God - Neuroscience

2009-09-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

What does our major have to do with God? We asked Sam Kammerzell, a WSU senior in neuroscience and student leader with Cru, how his studies have informed his faith...

"The more I learn in neuroscience the more I am humbled by how little we know. We still don't understand exactly how memories are formed or why some memories are able to persist so much better than others. We have good guesses and can identify some of the major players like serotonin leading to a cascade involving PKA, CREB, MAPK, etc. but we are still at a loss to how a lot of it goes down. The complexity of the human nervous system is truly awe inspiring. Neuroscience helps me affirm there is absolutely no way (in my opinion) that we are here by accident. There had to be a someone who created us."

Do you have a story of how your major has informed your faith? Are there times where your major has caused you to question your faith? Affirmed it?

Four Sevens

2009-08-31T22:49:00.000-07:00

A great resource WSU Cru staff have been going through, as well as many of our student leaders, is a 4 week devotional appropriately called "Four Sevens". Here is a description on the CruPress site...

"Four Sevens begins with a commitment to spend time with the Lord each day for 28 days. The devotions are written in such a way to demonstrate how to structure a devotional time. Over the next four weeks, study of the Word follows along with the Gospel of Luke: learning about Jesus, learning to be Christ-centered, learning about the Great Commission.

Introductory content explains how and why to have a quiet time, how to study a passage, the ACTS model of prayer, why Bible translations differ, how to start a prayer journal, and other content foundational to a daily time with the Lord."

There is a sample on the Four Sevens page. If you would like to pick one up, contact one of the Cru staff and we can get one to you at the group rate of $5/ea.

An Invitation

2009-08-28T00:05:00.000-07:00

Some notes from Darren Holland's talk at Cru's first large group meeting of the semester:

Jesus' invitation to "follow me" in Mark 1:17...

...centers on him. He doesn't give details, just himself. It doesn't involve religion or "to do's."
...involves others. It's not just one person, it's a team of 12 that end up being called to follow him.
...does not reveal the destination, just the path. If Jesus is worthy to be followed, he is worthy to be trusted. In effect, Jesus is saying "I'll worry about where we're going. You just follow...and trust me."

This invitation doesn't have a when, a what, or even a where. It only has a "who". The invitation Jesus gives is to follow the person of Jesus. We need not know everything about him, only that he can be trusted.

Will you follow him tonight? Will you follow him forever?

Cru is back for fall 09

2009-08-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome back, Cougs!

Add this blog to Google Reader or whatever RSS feed you use and you'll get updates about what is going on with Cru, as well as thoughts from Cru student leaders and staff.

This week, we'll be starting Tuesday morning Vision and Prayer at 715 am in CUE 518. Our first weekly meeting is Thursday at 715 pm in Todd Auditorium (Rm 116).

See you this week...