The season of giving

When the holiday season begins, we get in the “giving” mode. This year we started with Thanksgiving. My local church in Miami gave away over 5,000 turkey baskets with all the trimmings to the needy in our area.

The Saturday before Thanksgiving our CRU (Campus Ministry of Campus Crusade) students at the University of Miami held an outreach to the homeless in a blighted area near the campus.

Several of the students got some donated turkeys and one student, Aidin, spent all day cooking them in four ovens on two floors of her dormitory. Others contributed potatoes, veggies, desserts and other goodies. The mother of one student even flew down from Charlotte to help!

Then we car-pooled over to a busy street corner and set up our portable feast. Soon we had a crowd and served over 100 people. The students handed out “the Four Spiritual Laws” booklets along with an encouraging Thanksgiving note. We chatted with the people as they ate and tried to share God’s love and good news with them.

Next comes Christmas. I love to shop for gifts and find that special something for each person on my list. Actually, I shop year-round, especially during my travels, so Christmas is never far from my thoughts.

But of course, the greatest gift for all of us is Jesus Christ – and the best gift we can give to others is telling them this good news:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Feliz Navidad!

What is your favorite Christmas tradition?

When my brother was little, he asked our mom -- Why, if Christmas was the birthday of Jesus, did Jesus not have a birthday cake? Good question.

SO...our family started a new tradition. Each Christmas Eve we have a birthday party for Jesus. We bake a cake, decorate it with yellow frosting with colored coconut to similate hay, and put the baby from the Nativity scene on top. We invite the neighbors and have a birthday party.

What is your favorite Christmas tradition? Does your family do something a bit unusual?

Feliz Navidad!

"Tragedy reduces football issues to instant insignificance"

So read the sports headline in the Miami Herald on November 8. UM defensive tackle Bryan Pata had been murdered inside his apartment near the University. As the writer stated: “Football [is] peripheral . . . . Death is never choosy. Doesn’t play favorites. Doesn’t care who you are.”

The students involved in CRU (Campus Crusade’s ministry to university students) were already dealing with this issue. As you may recall, our UNILID office is helping our local Miami Metro campus staff after the untimely death of staff member John Spracklin. Dean and Jan are working with students at Barry University, while Eric, Chris and I are working part-time with the U. of Miami “Hurricanes.”

In God’s timing, our planned speaker for Wednesday night CRU meeting was Jenny Spracklin, John’s widow. In an emotional interview, she spoke about the problems adjusting after the shock of losing a loved one, and how her faith in God has sustained her through this difficult time.

Then we also had a generous offer to pay for advertising on the Hurricanes’ Facebook, an online network of University of Miami students. Over the next two weeks, we will send out 15,000 flyers per day that will link to an evangelistic website, everyUMstudent.com. Students can read articles like “Where is God in the midst of tragedy?” and “Peace of mind in an unstable world.”

For now, we are going to see where are students are at, help them cope with the situation, and develop relationships. Chris is a Christian counselor and has already spoken on grieving. Part of the discipleship process is learning how to get through such rough times.

Of course we won’t neglect the basics of discipleship either. We are strongly committed to the win-build-send strategy and the need to train up solid Campus leaders. So we are meeting individually with the Leadership Team members and small group leaders to continue the training that John and Jenny have started.

A Strange Age

Yesterday I turned 54. That is a strange age -- old enough to join AARP but not old enough for most senior discounts.
Sometimes I feel older -- When my body aches, I don't have the stamina that I used to have, and I have no clue where I put the car keys. Or when the clerk gives me the Senior discount without asking, even though I am not old enough yet. That happened to me Sunday at the movie theatre. Now I know I have a lot of well-earned grey in my hair, and I probably looked ancient to the teenager behind the counter. But REALLY, I am only 54.
Many times I feel younger. I remember an old saying that "Youth is wasted on the young." I know what they are talking about. I have more dreams and visions now than when I was 20. I am no longer afraid of taking a chance --- I have failed enough times in the past, that what is one more? And I might get lucky.
Then I realize that I only have a few good years left. Only God knows how many. And I want to make the best use of them that I possibly can. I have a sense of urgency. Too bad my energy level doesn't match! So I guess I will just have to learn how to use my time more wisely and efficiently. I no longer get angry at every injustice. That is just a waste of precious time and energy. Oh, I know they are wrong and I want to do something, but I know I can only do so much, and I pick my battles wisely.
May God grant me the time and energy that I need. I have tons of projects and ideas. And sometimes I worry if I will ever get them done. But then I remember what a co-worker who fought cancer said, "I have a 100% chance of finishing the work God has for me." That's a pretty good attitude. I can live with that.

Welcome to Lynn's News

I am on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ and travel a fair amount in my work. I have just returned from almost 3 months in Bolivia and have much to share. Over the next few days I plan to post a summary and the best of my photos. For future trips, now that this site is set up, hopefully I can post the news as it happens.
In addition to talking about my travels, I will share things about my life and thoughts. Please feel free to comment and ask questions. That's how we all learn.
God bless you all / Que Dios les bendiga.
Lynn