I’m really grateful to my friend Whit McCullough for the redesign he did this summer of the landing page for gatheringonline.org.  Came up with a pretty clean, cool look that highlights what we’re all about – the university campuses of DC!   Also love that we were able to incorporate the photographic talent of Brett Becker into the design.  Definitely worth checking out…and, hopefully, bookmarking as we head into the school year.

If you’re moving into one of the dorms at AU tomorrow, The Gathering would love to help you.  We’re going to have a team of students near all of the residence halls tomorrow helping families move-in.  But if somehow you’ve already connected with us and have been following the blog all summer, we really want to make sure we help you out!  Just shoot my friend Sarah a quick email letting her know you want some help and we’ll meet you on campus tomorrow.  It’s just our way of saying welcome to AU.

Here’s a crazy thought: our first Gathering of the semester is coming up in less than two weeks!  That’s right, AU is the lead hitter this year with their first worship gathering on August 24th.  Not going to lie…I can’t wait!  We’ve been talking about that night, praying into that night and anticipating that night for a while.  I know it’s always hard to say good bye to summer vacation (note…summer vacation, not summer!) but I hope you’re getting excited for everything God’s going to do on campus this fall.  Just wanted to make sure you had the dates for all of our kick off services for the fall.  Here they are:

AU: August 24th

Mason: September 1st

Georgetown: September 1st

UMD: September 2nd

Mark your calendars.  Can’t wait to see you there!

I love welcome week on a university campus.  It’s a time filled with an incredible sense of optimism, possibility and expectation for all the year can hold.  It’s a time to reconnect with old friends and a time to meet the 25% of the campus that’s brand new.  You see so many different student groups trying to attract new members.  Frats, sororities, the crew team, the political clubs, the environmentalists and dozens of others compete for the attention of the incoming freshmen and transfers.  And, yes, ministries take their place in the fray as well.  It’s a time for great ministry and great outreach.

But it’s also a time where ministries can get it really wrong.  None of us are immune.  Let’s get one thing straight – other Bible believing, Christ exalting ministries are NOT the enemy!!  I know, I know…it’s so obvious to say it.  But so many times we fall into that trap of thinking we’re competing with other ministries.  We’re not, or at least we shouldn’t be.  We should be standing arm in arm sharing Christ, moving His church forward and reaching out in the name of the One who prayed we would be one.  Remember what Jesus prayed the night before He went to the cross, “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.“(Jn. 17:23)  I pray that over The Gathering and every other ministry on the campuses of DC.  I pray that would live in our hearts and I pray it would live in our actions this month.

I’ve been thinking about motivation a lot recently.  Mainly because I’m aware of just how easy it is to do all of the right things for all of the wrong reasons.  The church isn’t immune, by the way – if anything, we seem most susceptible.  People come to a service but do it to get a date, not to worship God.  People serve but do it to assuage guilt, not to bless in Jesus’ name.  People pray but do it to con God into things, not align their hearts with His.  People lead ministries but do it to make a name for themselves, not to serve those in their care.

All of this comes into focus for me as welcome week is drawing nearer on all of our campuses.  I’m dreaming of great things.  I’m praying for packed services.  I’m praying for wildly successful outreaches.  I’m asking God to lead dozens to faith and, frankly, hundreds doesn’t seem like too much to ask for.  I want to see team after team headed to Haiti.  I want to bless Daybreak.  I pray for life changing small groups.  And the list goes on and on and on.  So much.  So many good things.

But what’s the motivation?  My glory or His?  Changed lives or bragging rights?  Proving college ministry is still worth it or knowing that college students are always worth it?  I would love to tell you my motivations are 100% pure.  But I know they aren’t.  I’m fallen and sinful.  So, I’ve been praying Psalm 139: 23-24 a lot these days, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

I’m praying for a pure heart.  I’m praying for clean motivations.  As the start of the school year approaches, I’m praying you would join in praying Psalm 139 over your life.  I don’t want James 4:3 to ever be said of us, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives.”

Big dreams.  Pure Motives.  Amazing God.  Transformed Campuses.

Tomorrow night we all come together for a time of communion and worship we are calling “Proclamation”.  We start at 8 but if you and your friends can make it earlier, we’ll start cooking out at 6.30.  All of this is going to be happening around Community Room C on the lower level of McLean Bible Church’s Tysons Campus.  I know “Community Room C” doesn’t sound all that exotic, but trust me, it’s a pretty cool space that’s going to come alive when it’s filled with college students worshipping, praying, sitting under God’s Word and taking communion.

I’m filled with anticipation for what God is going to do tomorrow night.  I’m trusting Him to use tomorrow to pour vision, desire for Christ and a passion for making Christ known on our campuses into each of our hearts.  Tomorrow night doesn’t so much mark the end of summer (that would be very premature!) but I pray it becomes a pivot point in each of our hearts; a point where we turn our hearts to what God is going to do this fall on all of our campuses: in DC, in VA, in MD and around the country.  I’m asking Him to pour much into each of us tomorrow night and do something in our hearts that unleashes a movement on our campuses this coming year.  That’s why I’m hoping you’ll be able to join us.  Not for the sake of an event.  But to spend time with the One who holds the world together.  He’s the One we proclaim…tomorrow night and every day of our lives!

See you tomorrow night,

John

Loving this reminder of God’s creative power!

Laura and I are headed to New York tomorrow for a long weekend.  By the way, I’m not talking NYC.  I’m talking “Upstate” New York which is just another way of saying “almost Canada” New York.  When we arrive tomorrow it should be a very sunny 74 degrees.  That’s going to feel arctic after the crazy heat of this summer in DC.  But it’s also going to feel really good – not just the temperatures but getting a few days of rest.  I’ll post some pictures in an attempt to convince you that Lake Ontario is really one of the great places on earth.

Hope you enjoy your weekend wherever you’re spending it!

The Gathering has an incredible group of people who pray regularly for Laura and I, the staff team, the students of The Gathering and our ministry.  They are one of the most spiritually significant components of our team.  It’s really pretty simple – I email them specific requests each week and they spend time praying for those requests as the Lord leads them during the week.  If you are interested in receiving those emails and praying into what God is doing on the campuses of DC, we would love to have you.  All you need to do is sign up online.

I wrote one of those prayer warrior emails this morning, but I’m not sure it’s going to make it out today due to some staff vacations and me not being smart enough to use the email software we use!!  So, I thought I would post that email here.  Hope it moves you to pray with us and maybe join this team on a regular basis.  Here’s what I wrote:

Hello, my friends.

Hope this finds you doing well and enjoying these last few days of July. Before I share a few specific prayer requests, I want to give you three quick updates on things you have been committing to prayer:

1. We have a room at Mason! Remember how we didn’t have a location for that crucial first service of the semester? Well, God has not only provided a space, He’s provided what I honestly think is the BEST space on campus!! On Wednesday, September 1st we will be worshipping in The Cinema in the lower level of the Johnson Center. Beautiful room, great stage and ample seating. But it’s also right in the heart of the student center. So, right there in the center of George Mason, there’s going to be a group of students worshipping Jesus! I couldn’t be more excited and see this as a direct answer to your prayers.

2. JayJay is doing well after his back surgery. In fact, he’s going to be back producing Frontline’s Tysons service this Sunday. It’s going to be so good to have him back, leading our teams this Sunday. Please continue to pray for his recovery and his easing back into the working rhythm. But I’m thrilled to see how God has provided so far.

3. We are seeing more and more people contact us to be small group leaders. This is huge! We still need many more to be as prepared as we would like for the start of the fall semester. But what God has done in the last two weeks has given us real hope for what He is going to do in the next four.

I hope you are as encouraged by those answers to prayer as I am. I want you to know your prayer on behalf of The Gathering is making a difference. So, in that spirit, here are a few focuses for the coming week:

1. Rest. Laura and I are headed out of town tomorrow morning and will be returning Tuesday afternoon. We’re spending a couple of days with my family on the shores of Lake Ontario. We can’t wait for a few days on the beach, long evenings with the family and the chance to rest. But we’re also really aware of our need to rest. We’re seeing this as a quick tune up before the chaos of the fall descends. Please pray we come back more renewed after four days than is humanly possible.

2. Small group leaders. Yes, God is providing. But we would still like to add another 20 leaders before the start of the school year. That would be absolutely huge and give us the ability to serve an additional 200 university students this fall. Please pray our small group team would continue to grow through word of mouth recruiting, bulletin announcements and people randomly stumbling across our website and blog. These leaders are essential to our ministry and we’re asking the Lord of the Harvest to send us more and more laborers!

3. Communion & Worship Night. We’re pivoting all of our attention to the fall this coming Tuesday night as we end the summer season with a night of communion and worship. Our prayers is to infuse vision and a desire for awakening on campuses in students before they head back for the fall. We’re asking God to make this Tuesday so much more than an event – we’re praying it launches students into the fall ready to impact their campuses with the message of Jesus Christ. We would love to have you praying towards that end with us.

4. Welcome Week. The end of August represents the most significant outreach opportunity of the entire year as the incoming freshman class arrives. Please, we want to be praying now that God will pour out His Spirit in amazing ways during that time. We’re praying we see students come to Christ even before the first day of classes. Only the blessing of a sovereign king could bring about what we are dreaming of for our campuses. If you would commit to praying daily for this, I would be so appreciative.

Even as I’m writing this, I’m praying for you guys. I pray God blesses you today with a sense of how much you matter to Him, His unconditional love for you and His amazing invitation to be used by Him to share the hope of the Gospel with a lost and broken world. I pray you know the joy of walking with Christ today.

God bless,
John

We ended our summer Bible studies this week with a brief survey of what theologians call eschatology – the teachings of the Bible about the second coming of Christ and His reign here on earth.  We were talking about what people commonly call “the end times.”  Yes, I’ll admit, that’s a fairly unusual way to wrap up a summer Bible study!  But it made sense given where we were in our study of Joel.  I also have to say I loved hearing the stories of students pouring over the Scriptures last night, wrestling with difficult passages and trying to piece the whole thing together into a coherent timeline. For our staff team, the conversation didn’t end last night.  The highlight of my day in the office today was an impromptu, hour long conversation with our whole team and Will Pavone about some of the more nuanced sections of this discussion.

Before I make my main point for this post, I need to say one other thing: any “brief survey” of eschatology is bound to raise as many questions as it answers.  We knew that going into this week – so if you’re feeling that way, don’t let it worry you.  Some of you were exposed to brand new sections of the Bible last night.  Some of you heard a different view than the one you’ve grown up hearing.  So, don’t worry if you don’t feel like you’ve mastered the subject.  But don’t throw in the towel either.  Let your questions fuel your curiosity.  Keep reading, keep thinking and keep asking your small group leaders and our staff team for help when you need it.

For this post, I want to address one of the major questions we all wrestle with when studying this topic is: does all of this make any impact on our lives today?  Why should I care?  Does this even matter?  To that question, let me give one simple answer.  There are many others we could talk about – God’s sovereignty over human history, God’s provision for Israel, God’s faithfulness to His promises, etc…  But the verse I want to insert into this discussion is 1 Thessalonians 4:13, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.”  The second coming of Christ, our eternity with Him, His provision of a glorified body, reigning with Him in the Kingdom and all that is in store for us should be a massive source of hope for us in life.  It’s a promise that we will be reunited with believing family and friends in eternity.  We grieve the loss of a loved one for sure.  But that grief is changed by our hope in a bodily resurrection.  The grave is not the end!  There is more to come.  There is eternity.  Together.  With God.  Joyous.  Worshipping. Transformed.  Holy.  His.

So, yes, all of this matters.  The details too.  But those details are held together by a story that shouts hope to you and me today.  Paul couldn’t stand the thought of the Thessalonian church missing out on that hope.  I don’t want you to either.

I’m not kidding.  If you want to find some of the real heroes of The Gathering, spend time with our small group leaders!  By the way, I define heroes as the people who have had the greatest impact for Christ in life.  When you look at it that way, our small group leaders live that out every day of the semester.  Gathering small group leaders do so much more than facilitate weekly Bible studies.  They mentor students.  They develop the next generation of the church.  They make a huge difference in the spiritual trajectory of the university students I love serving.

People ask me all the time what the best way for them to get involved with The Gathering is if they want to make a real difference in the lives of students.  The answer is always the same and always real simple – lead a small group!!  We’re constantly looking for additional small group leaders but that need is particularly strong at the beginning of the school year.  We could use more leaders at each of our campuses.  So, if you are interested, we would love to talk with you some more.

You can apply online if you are interested and someone from our small group leadership team will get in touch with you to set up an interview.  If you want to learn more about what the role would look like, I’m posting a copy of the “job description” here as well.  Small Grp Ldr

Bottom line – if you have a heart to reach the next generation, we would love to have you leading a small group!

I know way too many Christians who are starving to death.  While physical starvation is all too prevalent in our world, that’s not what I’m talking about today. I’m thinking about spiritual starvation.  It’s symptoms are easy to see: indifference, moral laxity, passionless worship, inability to serve, no desire for community, no heart for the world, no concern for the lost.  You could probably add to that list of symptoms.  Anything that happens or doesn’t happen as a result of anemic spirituality counts.

But why are we starving? The Apostle Paul goes a long way towards answering that in his first letter to Timothy.  Notice what he says, “In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.”  The Scriptures, the doctrines they contain and the history of our faith are meant to be a source of constant nourishment in our lives.  Their consumption needs to be as regular as our consumption of food; remember we are to be “constantly nourished.”

I don’t know exactly what your week has looked like.  I don’t know all the difficulties it has contained.  I don’t know the stresses.  But I do know this: no matter what you are going through, 30 minutes in the Bible will change your perspective and fill you with renewed joy and energy.  No, reading the Bible is not a magic cure-all.  Trouble will still be there when you’re done.  But the trouble will look smaller, God will look bigger and you will feel spiritually recharged.  So, spend some time this weekend feeding yourself on the words of the faith.

I feel like there’s a massive traffic jam in my head.  Ever been there?  So many thoughts trying to get out at the same time that they’re trapped in mental gridlock?  For the record, I always get nervous when I ask questions like that.  I develop this fear that you’re all (all 4 of you) sitting there, reading this and thinking, “nope. no idea what you’re talking about, McG.”  If that is what you’re thinking, I have no idea why you called me McG.  But that’s not the point.

The point is I’ve realized posting to this blog is essential for me.  It’s a place to process, to record thoughts about life, faith, leadership and The Gathering.  Yes, it’s a place to share information.  Yes, it’s a way for a ministry on campuses all over DC to try staying in sync.  But it also eases the traffic jam in my head.

So, I’m going to be doing my best to post more regularly.  I’ve learned enough not to promise 3 posts a day.  I’m not even going to say daily.  But that sure would be nice.  I need it.  And if you happen to enjoy reading it, so much the better.

If you’re looking for something to do this Friday night, join me and a bunch of The Gathering staff at The ComCast Film Festival in Old Town Alexandria.  We’re going to hit up The Blindside.  If you haven’t seen it, you should.  If you have seen it, you know you want to see it again.

Think big, outdoor movie.  Think summer.  Think fun.  Think good chance to hang out with some friends from The Gathering.  Think free!!

We’re getting there at 7PM.  You can come with a group or just meet us there.  We’ll be the ones in a Gathering T-Shirt.

If you want more info, click here for the Facebook event we created.

Spending the day with our Gathering and Daybreak teams in Lincoln Heights. A little yard work, a little cleaning and a lot of time with some awesome kids. Great day – just praying for the energy to keep up with 9 year olds!!