So, you can now follow me on Twitter.  Just click on the appropriate box on the right of your screen and you’ll be all set.

Depending on your perspective, this is either:

- news so long overdue that it can hardly pass as interesting

- news that is completely uninteresting on it’s merits alone

- or a monumental cave in, a sell out of the first order, a betrayal of all I believe in and the kind of position reversal that could only come out of DC.

I don’t think it’s much of a secret that I haven’t been the biggest fan of Twitter.  Believe me, I still have reservations.  I would much rather see people living an original life than watching other’s lives pass by one tweet at a time.  I really find it hard to believe that following me is going to enrich people’s lives; I’m with me all the time and it’s just not that interesting!!

But, here’s the thing.  Everyone uses Twitter – especially college students.  So, in the spirit of the Apostle Paul, “I have become all things to all men” – tweet that!

One of the things I enjoy most about the summer is the chance to pull back just a bit and ask the really big questions.  Questions about what God is calling me to do with my life.  Questions about where He’s leading The Gathering.  Questions about what kind of culture we’re creating on the university campuses on DC.  If I’m 100% honest (which is probably a pretty good idea!), it’s an alternately exhilarating and painful process.  It’s filled with moments where God shares a glimpse of what His church should look like; usually followed by moments where I realize how far short of that I fall.  But for all the highs and lows, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

We all need times to pull back, take a deep breath and ask ourselves if we like the overall trajectory of our lives.  I really would encourage you to spend some time this weekend asking yourself those questions.  Don’t settle for cheap, quick answers, either.  Let the Lord stir things in you, even if they are uncomfortable.  That tension may very well be the Holy Spirit molding you just a bit more into the image and likeness of Jesus.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

- Psalm 139:23

To me, that’s one of the most powerfully frightening passages in the whole Bible.  Maybe it’s so frightening because we all know that if we pray it, the Lord will answer.  Don’t let that stop you – let it push you forward.

Last night, our summer Bible studies came to life in five locations in and around Washington. These past few weeks have been a much needed time of rest, planning and praying for our staff team and I’m really grateful the calendar forces those weeks on us every year.  But I was more than ready to jump back into all things Gathering last night.

It was pretty cool that I got to be at the AU study – life just seems a little out of balance if I’m not on that campus on a Tuesday night!  I loved being able to sit with students and start to pick apart the different themes in 1 Peter.  We spent our night taking in the first 9 verses.  I know it doesn’t sound like a lot, but we honestly could have spent three weeks on those verses.  It blows me away that the primary thing Peter uses to encourage a persecuted, suffering church is a reminder of all that is ours through the Gospel.

That’s what I want to clink to today.  I want to meditate on the Gospel.  I want to keep my eyes on a heavenly inheritance, not on the troubles of this world.  I want to focus on the eternal life that belongs to all followers of Jesus and not the obstacles that will confront me today.

Whether you were at one of the studies last night or not, find some time with 1 Peter 1: 1-9.  You’ll find them amazing, encouraging verses…and you’ll be ready to jump in with us next week when we start in verse 10.

Tomorrow morning, a group of students from The University of Maryland are going to be heading down for a week long Global Impact trip to New Orleans.  It’s pretty shocking to think that city is still rebuilding from the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.  Nearly four years have passed but I’ll never forget heading to Slidell (just north of New Orleans) within the first weeks of Katrina’s landfall.  Words and pictures can barely capture how desperate the situation was.  Even with the passing of so much time, there is still much to be done.

The team headed down there tomorrow is such an inspiration to me personally.  Not only are they going to do some difficult work.  But they’re going at a time of year when everything in them wants to rest, chill by the pool and slide into summer.  Not that there’s anything wrong with those activities!  But these students are a reminder to all of us that God has things He wants to do this summer.  He has lives to change, communities to restore, people to serve, hearts to mend and children to bless.  And He wants to use you and me to do it.

So, as we get ready for the Memorial Day weekend, let the UMD New Orleans team inspire you to ask God who He wants you to step out in faith in the weekes to come.  If you do, you’ll never regret it!

I spent yesterday morning with the team who will be teaching all of our Gathering Summer Bible Studies.

It’s a pretty cool time for all of us to get together and study the passage we’re going to be covering that week in the study.  By the way, you know something good is going on when we’re all finding a way to be up and at a local coffee shop at 7 AM!!  But, I have to tell you, I love those early mornings.  God has blessed The Gathering with an amazing team of teachers and you are going to be so challenged and encouraged by them no matter which of the five locations you find your way to next Tuesday.

This summer we’re going to be working through 1 Peter.  I don’t want to give all of next week’s study away, so I’ll just say you shouldn’t miss it.  Peter comes charging out of the gate in his first letter and the verses we’re going to be looking at next week are amazingly powerful, life giving and hope breathing.  If you’re feeling the pressure of the world, feeling like it’s hard to stand firm for Christ and needing some encouragement, then make sure you’re there next week.

By the way, if you need to get info. on locations for next week, go visit The Gathering’s web site at www.gatheringonline.org.

I love reading Paul’s words to Timothy.  How cool is it that you and I get to listen in as one of the epic figures of the faith teaches a young follower what it looks like to lead a church and live a life worthy of the Gospel?  Amazing.

I especially love the parts where Paul gets really practical and lays it out for Timothy.  I mean, could it be any clearer when Paul writes, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone“? (1 Timothy 2:1)  First of all!  Love it – not much doubt about Paul’s priorities, is there?

Paul’s focus on prayer points the way for us.  In order for the campuses of this city to come alive and see the glory of Christ, you and I must be people of prayer.  Not just shallow, “hook me up today, God” prayer.  Consistent.  Persistent.  Passionate.  Only God can do what we all long to see happen.  So, let’s pray  like it.

Just a few things we can be praying for this week:

- Our summer Bible study teachers. That God will fill them with wisdom, passion for Jesus and a supernatural ability to communicate God’s word.

- College students home for the summer.  Desire for the Word and prayer.  Zeal for holiness.  Connection to a local church wherever they are.

- Our friends in Haiti.  That the Gospel would continue to advance and bear fruit during these months when we don’t have students on the ground.  That the people of Percin would know we are standing with them in prayer and longing to be back soon.

Prayer matters.  God hears.  Lives change.

Summer Goals.  The idea seems pretty oxymoronic at first, I’ll admit.  Goals seem to imply work, stress, pressure and exhaustion and summer still reigns in our hearts as the opposite of all that.  Summer’s the time to kick back, relax, let the pressure melt away and have some fun.  Believe me, I’m all about enjoying the summer!

But I’m realizing that I don’t want to waste these next three months either.  There are things I want to get done – books to read, workouts to intensify, beach trips to be taken, etc…  Doesn’t seem so bad when those are the goals, does it?

Here’s the question: Where does God fit into that picture?  Is a summer Bible study on your agenda?  Where are you going to serve?  Who are you going to bless and pour your life into?  Is there some group in your neighborhood that would be amazingly blessed by 5 hours of your time every week?  Will you carve out time with God every day?

I’m going to be spending some time today thinking through my goals for the summer.  Just wanted to encourage you to do the same.

Don’t ever count God out.  Don’t ever think anything is beyond Him.  Don’t ever think you’ve got Him all figured out.  Don’t ever forget; He will always be the God of the Unexpected.

Last week, I posted very briefly about our UMD Haiti team’s submission to a short film festival being held at College Park last Friday night.  We mentioned it at The Gathering on Thursday night and then just prayed and waited to see what God did.  We really weren’t sure what to expect. We just knew it was a good film, told a beautiful story and pointed without apology to Christ.

We were blown away by the response on Friday night.  So many who didn’t know Jesus were moved by what God is doing through The Gathering in Percin.  We were stunned to hear that the film was given a $1,500 award.  Praise God for that and praise God that all of the award is going right back to moving our partnership forward in Haiti.

God provides for His work and His church in ways we could never expect or imagine.  I love the thought that a fiilm festival on a campus can be a part of God’s provision for us.

He can be pretty unexpected and I think that’s one of the things I love most about Him.

Gathering_Haiti Mission Trip from Terp Changemakers on Vimeo.

Sometimes it’s hard to share in words what God has done.  That’s why I’m so grateful to the members of the UMD Haiti team who put this video together for all of us.

This short film has been entered in Terp Changemakers’ “Transform Your World: A Film Festival For Social Good.”  We’re praying God would use the story of Haiti to show UMD what Christians are really all about, what the church should be and how we want to be known.  Our real prayer is that the film would get students thinking about God, Christ and their need for a Savior who compells ordinary college students to do extraordinary things.  The screening will be this Friday night, May 8th, from 6-8 PM in The Grand Ballroom of the Stamp Student Union.  If you’re at UMD, grab your friends and come support this film!  But I hope all of us are encouraged by the reminder of just how much God is doing in Haiti.

This time of year is one of the greatest and most difficult for university students.  Somehow the pressure of finals, expectations for the summer, saying goodbye to friends and anticipating things to come fuse together to make the beginning of May one of the more intense times we walk through.  I know I feel that tonight as I sit in Deep Creek, Maryland and not The Kay Center at American University.  I love the chance to be up here but I would be lying if I said I hadn’t missed my friends at Georgetown and American today.

In the midst of all the transition, there’s something else at play.  This can be one of the times of the year when we are most vulnerable to Satan’s attacks.  He’s the master of getting us when we’re tired, drained and running on empty.  He’s a wimp – he doesn’t attack when we’re strong.  He waits until we’re drained.  He knows just when to strike with a “Hey, you really should _____ before you head home.  It’s your last chance.  Just once more.  You can make a fresh start in a few weeks.  Come on, it’s the end of the year.  Have a little fun.  Just live like everyone else.”

1 Peter 5: 8 warns us, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

That’s what’s on my heart tonight.  Be alert.  Stay strong.  Invite God to keep living His life through you.  That’s my prayer for all of us.

With graduations right around the corner, there’s a whole bunch of Gathering students who are about to enter into alumni status – not only for your University but also for The Gathering.  But we don’t want to lose contact with you just because you’re graduating and moving on to whatever God has in store for you next.

So, before the full chaos of finals and graduation hits, take a few seconds to join our new Facebook Group for Gathering Alumni.  It’s one simple way we can all stay in touch.