Men's Retreat

For the past few years, the women of our church have had an annual retreat, bringing in a guest speaker and growing and building up our community of women. This year was no different, as Aimee and Kirstin pulled their resources to put together yet another great retreat (from what I hear).

This year, both John and a few of our older guys decided that a Men's Retreat is something they wanted to push for. Two weeks out, two separate ideas for a retreat showed up. I found myself a part of a team to help develop the vision and strutcture of the retreat. For this to go well, we had to make some real progress in a hurry. So, in our conference room from 9pm to almost midnight on a Tuesday, five of us hammered out the concept of the retreat.

We called it "Stepping Up" as an invitation for the men in our church to claim ownership of the Gospel, growing as men of God and living that out in our world. The "-ing" came from an invitation from the older guys and an understanding that we're all in this together. Some of us need a hand up to take the next step in our faith something. My design for the flier came straight from this idea.

It went so well. 40 of us traveled an hour north to a lakehouse we rented. Because of the recent snowstorm, we were confined to the cabin the whole time. I got to co-teach with Andrew on a "Call to Anguish" based on my recent convictions and sermons I've been listening to. We had two other talks, lead by older guys, each accompanied by small group discussions. And of course we had fun, playing cards, fooseball, ping-pong, and eating lots of food.

At the end of the retreat we opened the time up for confession. The Lord met us in a huge way, bringing deep convictions to the surface and past hurts, some of which had never been shared before. I was floored with the honesty of guys confessing sins and sharing some vulnerable stuff. A few of the situations even called for the staff men to discuss how to further help these men heal.

Please be praying for our men and that our church would follow suit in being honest and real before each other. Pray that we submit to the Lord in our sins, our convictions and that we trust him to restore us to him.

anonymous gift

I received an anonymous gift in my account last month for a large amount. I wish so much that I knew who to thank so in case you read this, thank you so much.

Special gifts and recurring financial partnerships are what keep me on campus sharing the gospel with students, helping them grow in their faith and, by God's will send them out as disciple makers. This is what my life, my job, my calling. I can't say it enough how honored I am to have you all labor with me.

Valentines Day Dinner

Last week we transformed our living room into a fancy restaurant. And by fancy I mean we had white Christmas lights, we plugged in our electric fireplace unit and we all dressed up for dinner. It was our first Canvas Group Valentines Day Dinner. The gentlemen of our CG cooked an Italian meal for the ladies, served them, waited on them and played host to this event, which last about 3 hours including desserts, talking and picture-taking.

The hope was first to bring some unity to the group. Even college kids have a tendency to clump together in their friend groups and can forget that they're part of something bigger. The second hope was to help our men serve their sisters, to treat them with care and respect, especially on a day where single people can otherwise tend to be very bitter.

I'd say it was a bullseye on both counts. I was so proud to see the guys step up and serve so well and I was so proud to see us bond as a group. Even how we sat people was strategic, so that people could get to know others in the group they wouldn't necessarily sit by typically.

My prayer is that this carries over from here. That upperclassmen and fresh men can care for each other, that guys and girls don't separate like a junior high dance and that we continue to build trust within the group so we can be real together and live for God together.

February 2013 Prayer Letter

Hey Everyone!

Finally got out my first prayer letter of the new semester. There's a lot going on that I didn't even get to in here. Be looking for updates on this blog very soon! In this letter, I recap Winter Break, share about our Equipper Retreat and how we're kicking off things this semester.

Click the picture to view it!

Thank you for your support and prayers,
Chris

December 2012 Prayer Letter

This month I share a lot about a couple of major life changes for Aimee and I as well as the beautiful challenge of God's restoration among his people. I hope you enjoy!

Additionally, the end of the year can be a great opportunity to give a special gift amount or consider becoming a regular financial partner with GCM. Please prayerfully consider what God might be leading you to. You can go here for information on how to give.

God bless,
Chris