I love college hangouts – like the Saxby’s in Georgetown I’m writing this post from. I’ve got a meeting up on campus this afternoon and had a lunch meeting in Arlington today, so it just didn’t make sense to treck all the way out to our offices in Tyson’s. So, I’m holed up in the back of Saxby’s trying to get way too much done in way too short a period of time. But what a cool spot to be working in!

Not only are college hangouts great places to catch up on some work but they also become a great way to sense the mood of the campus. If Saxby’s is any indication, Georgetown is “focused” today. Many papers being written. Many exams being studied for. No one’s wasting time over here – these guys are working!

I know many of you are fighting through papers and finals right now. Just remember, if you are a follower of Jesus, He’s with you. He’s providing you what you need. He’ll focus you on the task at hand. Just stay connected with Him. He provides rest for the weary. He doesn’t stop being God when life gets stressful. It’s in those times that we need to run to Him even more.

Time for me to get back to work…

If you follow this blog regularly, you know we’re in the process of applying for affiliated ministry status at Georgetown University. I’m really hoping the Lord is going to make a way for us to be more involved in serving students on that incredible campus.

I have a meeting this afternoon at 4.30 with the group that will be making a recommendation to the full decision making committee. I’m really praying this time goes well and that this group sees our heart in wanting to serve students at Georgetown. If you think of it, I would love to have you praying for that conversation at 4.30 this afternoon. Set you cell phone alarm and just spend a few minutes of your day praying over that campus.

There may not be much of an update after this meeting in that a final decision isn’t expected until the end of May. But if there is anything to share, I will definitely let you know!

Today’s going to be interesting. I spend most of Monday working from home writing talks for the week. But I’m going to be taking a little break this afternoon to do one of the funnier things I get to do in my job. From time to time, I get invited to teach a class at a local college. It cracks me up – I’m about the most unqualified person ever to teach a college class! Can you imagine rolling into class and finding me?!?

But this afternoon, I’ll be the “guest lecturer” for an Explorations in Religion class.

True, I’m laughing about it but I’m honestly looking forward to the chance to be with this group of students. I’m praying for many good conversations to come out of our time together.

There has been one thread knitting my week together – the celebration of communion. From Tuesday night at AU through this morning at The Edge, God has been using that time in really powerful ways in my life. I love following in the path Paul laid out in 1 Corinthians 11:

“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” – 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NIV)

It’s one of the most shockingly beautiful proclamations of the Gospel I can imagine. I love watching people line up to take communion. I love knowing that each of their lives was created to proclaim the glory of Christ. I love knowing that proclamation is only possible because of the unthinkable grace God showed on the cross.

Watching students line up to celebrate communion is one of the sweetest times I have in life. It’s so powerful watching that proclamation happen on campuses. It’s powerful in the Smith Center.

It’s powerful where ever it’s genuine.

I can’t wait for this afternoon – we’re pulling the entire creative team from The Gathering together for a little spring cookout. It’s going to be a great time to hang out with our worship leaders, musicians, production teams and sound techs. I love this group of people and can’t wait to just chill with them this afternoon.

Check this out: in one semester, The Gathering does a minimum of 42 worship services! Add in the other times we get to lead at other schools and you can see how busy this team is. This team basically does a year’s worth of church every semester. That’s amazing to me!

Don’t ask me why, but I get a great deal of satisfaction out of plugging all my electronic gadgets into their chargers at the end of the day. Strange, I know. But I like knowing the PowerBook, cell phone and iPod are all getting recharged. Maybe it’s just a reminder that they’re pretty worthless if their batteries run out.

The same’s true for you and me. I know it’s finals time and nobody’s taking an extended vacation right now. But a couple of hours to recharge yourself might not be so bad. Or maybe just the first really good night’s sleep in a while.

Does anyone else feel like a giant cloud of pollen is chasing them around DC these days?

I’m not sure what’s going on – but, man, it seems like the allergies are out of control right now. It’s torture – wanting to be outside because it’s beautiful but needing to stay inside so as to continue breathing. Not even the medications seem to be working! Any one else suffering?

Last night at AU was filled with so many poignant moments for me.  

This afternoon is going to be a really cool time of worship at George Washington University. I’m really excited to be there with an incredible group of Christ following students. It’s the end of “Jesus Awareness” week at GW and I’m looking forward to the chance to be a part of what God is doing on that campus. I pray that at the end of the week, God will stir radical affection for Christ in each of our hearts. I pray that He will move students at GW to live for the fame of Christ.

Take a minute to pray for GW today.

The busier life gets, the more I appreciate unscheduled time. It’s honestly pretty rare for me these days. But I had about 4 hours this afternoon and I loved every minute of it. I didn’t want to fight traffic on my way to Howard tonight, so I came into the city about 2.30. Yeah, I spent some time getting caught up on work at Starbucks (the amazing one on Wisconsin with the rooftop seating). But then I just went for a walk through Georgetown. It was great to just chill in the neighborhood I did my college years in. Brought back so many memories and reminded me of why I love serving college students.

I’m really excited to be speaking at Howard tomorrow night. It’s a school with an amazing history and such a significant place in the life of the District. It’s going to be great to spend tomorrow night with the students from the Impact Movement. If you’re in the area, come join us:

Friday, April 18th.
7.30 PM
The Blackburn Center.

Even if you can’t make it, please be praying for the students of Howard that they would live for the fame of Jesus on that campus!

It started in the quiet of the night. Students coming together around three giant SeeSaws. Students believing they can be used by God to make a difference. Students believing their lives were meant to count for something more.

As the campus is waking up this morning, what began in the quiet of the night is capturing the attention of a community. Students are donating. Students are riding. Students are seeing their potential.

Measuring time is so hard for me. In some ways, it feels like it was only yesterday that I got pulled out of a meeting at the office to learn about “an incident” at Virginia Tech. In other ways, it seems like a lifetime ago. As that day unfolded, it became clear that the “incident” would forever alter the landscape of Blacksburg, VA. It would touch the hearts of students here in DC and around the globe in powerful ways. It would remind all of us that life can be short and how we spend our days really matters. Eternity seemed closer and living for Jesus just seemed obvious.

Here we sit one year later. The wounds have healed a bit. The pain has subsided a little. But I pray the lessons of Virginia Tech still echo in our hearts. Life is short. Live for Christ.

But today, we remember. We pray for Tech. We look back. We mourn with those who grieve. We believe there’s hope. His name is Jesus.

After a little hiatus, The Gathering Podcast is back! So, if you miss a week or want to keep up with the messages from afar, you can! Just go to our website gatheringonline.org and click on the iPod.