The Davis Download

I ran away.

2012-01-18T23:49:00.005-05:00

It's January 18th. And my last post was in September. And I'm okay with that. New phase of life, new phase of blogging. Thanks to all 1.2 of you that may actually still be hanging around waiting for a new post. :) Here ya go...

So, today Paul did an amazing thing. A very very very amazing thing. He took a day off and kept Thatcher all day so I could run away and have some time to myself. Did you hear me? All day. I slept in. Took an uninterrupted shower. Shaved the woolly mammoth fur off my legs. (Yes, I did just type that on the internet.) Had a long life-giving phone chat with my since-college best friend. Hit a thrift store. Meandered through Big Lots. And ate fried dill pickles at Zaxby's & listened to my Jim Brickman Pandora station on my phone while having a quiet time. I feel like a new woman.

But it's the quiet time I want to talk most about. See, I have really been struggling in that area in this new season of parenthood. I try to allow myself freedom in 'snacking' on God's Word here and there when I can in my pj-clad, applesauce-smeared, one-eye-open mommy state...but inevitably I end up spiraling into guilt because I'm not heavily entranced in scripture like I was in college. Oh how I long for those days. And that free time. (Dear 19 year-old Merideth: make the most of your time!)

I have been praying lately for God to give me a renewed desire to be in the Word. Like, an unquenchable desire that over-runs sleepiness & distraction. Normal day-to-day life seems to be my biggest enemy. I've tried several ways to overcome the distraction...all to no avail. So today when I opened my journal, I prayed for renewed desire & lack of distraction again. And here's what God returned to me:

³⁵ In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. ³⁶ Simon and his companions searched for Him;³⁷ they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” ³⁸ He *said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” -Mark 1: 35-38

Several things God drew me to today:

Jesus went away:: Even Jesus needed to get away from it all sometimes & just be alone, un-distracted with the Father. As I processed today I listed all the things that make me distracted and less likely to spend 'quality' time with God at home. Noise. Laundry. A messy house. Sleepiness. But God could meet with me in my crazy messy noisy house. I know that. But Jesus could have also met with God in His bed at Simon & Andrew's house. But He didn't. What a relief. What a relief to know that there is something sacred about running away to steal some time with God by yourself. Jesus gets me. He needed it too. And if He needed it, surely He understands my need.
Jesus understood the desire to be closer to the Father:: What a burden it must have been to be so distant from God in flesh while for so long being so close in nature. He wanted to be near God. Just the ~~two~~ ONE of them. Again, Jesus gets me.
Jesus kept eternal perspective in the midst of pressing circumstances:: I *LOVE* that in vs. 36 it says Simon & his party posse interrupted Jesus' alone time saying "Everyone is looking for you." Oh man do I know that feeling. Well, not really. But I do know what it feels like to not go to the bathroom by myself. Or not read a magazine without someone needing to know when someone else needs to go down for a nap. Or not get to spend time alone with the Lord during 'nap time' without being interrupted by mid-nap crying. But how does Christ respond? “Let us go somewhere else...so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” He knows his role in eternity. This passage begged the question of me - Do I know my role in eternity? Am I content to live out that role despite pressing circumstances? Or am I going to spitefully hoard my "me time"?

I am not God. I am, however, a wife/mom/campus missionary. And I need to be prepared, through the power of the Spirit, to respond as Christ did in this passage. And what a relief to know that in this season of life, the Lord of my life and God of the universe actually 'gets' me. He was well acquainted with desiring God more, needing space & yet still being asked to serve.

Would you join me in praying for me (and you!) to live out this passage? Oh, how I desperately needed this sweet reminder!!

Thanks y'all. See ya again when God inspires another post. ;)

Another summer story...

2011-09-08T22:08:00.002-04:00

Want another student's take on the Summer Project experience? Here ya go!

This summer was incredible for me. After hearing so many testimonials from CRU staff and students about how amazing Summer Project was, I decided to do one in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and was really glad that I did! During my Summer Project, God did incredible things in my life and helped me grow into a much stronger person. I learned what successful evangelism looks like and I was pushed by the staff and by my brothers and sisters in Christ to take steps of faith by the power of the Holy Spirit and leave the results to God. I was also discipled by a CRU staff member and taught what it looks like to be a biblical man of God. Perhaps the part of project that took me most out of my comfort zone was stepping up and being co-director of evangelism for my Project after the staff left after four weeks, but I learned from this experience that with a humble attitude and with God's help, I can be a successful leader and help spread the gospel. By the end of my summer, my Project group had seen about seven people come to Christ (about five of those being international students), and we all came back home walking closer with Jesus and having a greater understanding of what the gospel is and how to share it with other people! -Thomas, USC Junior

I'm just LOVING all these guys' stories!! Thanks for doing all YOU do to help these students fulfill the Great Commission!

Growing, growing...

2011-08-29T00:22:00.002-04:00

Catching you up on little man's growth...

This is going by waaaaaay too fast. Thanks to so many of you who have challenged me to not take any moment for granted!

It's Fall Semester Time!

2011-08-29T00:09:00.005-04:00

Fhew. Poor little un-tended-to-blog. What on earth ever made me think I would be good at this? :) This season of my life is kickin' my hiney! But - while I'm not blogging - I'm out changing diapers & watching God change lives!

The school year has kicked off here & we're super pumped to be back with students again. We had a great summer...but nothing beats being with this generation that we are SO passionate about.

Thanks for praying for our summer AND our student's summers. Here's a little short-and-sweet snippet of what one student who spent his summer in Australia recently shared with us:

"So, my summer was great. Worked for about 5 hours a day on campus at the University of Newcastle getting into conversations with students and trying to share the Gospel. I saw everyone on the team constantly growing in boldness and love, learning to deeply care for almost-strangers. By the end of the summer, we had, as a team, shared the Gospel about 65 times and we had seen two students come to Christ. While this might not seem impressive, the STINTers (year-plus long missionaries) who had been there each for either a year or a year and a half had only seen one student come to Christ, as Australia is a very spiritually dark place. In addition to that, we saw one student kind of rededicate his life. We found him drunk off his butt at 4 in the morning one day, and had him plugged into a Bible Study the next week. We were also able to help at least two Christian students find a solid community in Student Life (the Australian name for Cru)." -E., USC junior

Love that & love what God is doing all over the globe through these students! Thanks for joining with us on this journey!

Exciting news....

2011-07-20T14:10:00.002-04:00

We're having a BLAST at our National Staff Conference! Thanks for your prayers for a refreshing time!

We wanted to pass along some exciting news - after several years of prayer, research and hard work...Campus Crusade for Christ finally announced our new name change at our meeting last night.

So...drum roll please....

Here ya go:

It's an awesome step in the right direction of "being all things to all people" as our ministry continues to change & evolve to best bring our entire culture to Christ...all while keeping the mission and message the same! If you've missed some of the conversation, one of the key motivators was that the "Crusade" portion of our national name delivered a negative connotation amongst those we are eagerly trying to reach.

If we're honest, Paul & I were nervous, excited, & anticipatory about the name change. What would it be? Would it carry with it the same 'message' as our old name? But...Paul and I were simply in awe of the stories of how the name was chosen to be "Cru"...versus some of the other choices. They are pure God-sized stories. So humbling and exciting. Even the logo & the colors were carefully thought through and chosen with a purpose. I love that we work for a ministry that is so intentional about reaching the lost that it labors over every detail with love and prayerful attention!

If you'd like to read up on the name change, you can check out more here: www.ccci.org/Cru

Meanwhile, continue to pray God will direct each and every one of us as we seek to serve Him best! Can't wait to see what else He has in store for us this week!

Spreadin' out...

2011-06-01T23:04:00.005-04:00

Paul & I have had an awesome summer so far! We've been spending our time resting, reflecting, pulling together bits & pieces from the last school year, wrapping up the campus finances, and getting out from under the huge huge HUGE mound of paperwork that piles up in our office throughout the semester. Call it a job hazard. ;)

We've also been staying glued to our phones as all of our students attending Summer Projects have spread out across the globe now. We have students serving Christ with their summers in:

Argentina
Lebanon
Other parts of the Middle East so sensitive we can't even mention!
Zambia
Ecuador
Smoky Mountains, TN
Santa Cruz, CA
Charleston, SC
...and all over the globe!

Would you join us in praying for these students as they begin their crazy summer adventures? Many of them reported to their locations just this past Monday, and are eager to see what God has in store!

Please pray also for our staff team, as many of us will be making the trek to Fort Collins, CO for training and our biannual National Staff Conference within a week or two.

We look forward to sharing stories as they begin to role in!

Food for thought...

2011-05-31T14:08:00.004-04:00

Here's a great opinion article from the New York Times on today's college graduates, titled "It's Not About You". Good thoughts. Definitely worth sharing.

Thank you for partnering with us to reach such a crucial generation for Christ, so that they WOULD live for something other than themselves.

A little picture catch up....

2011-05-02T21:55:00.003-04:00

We've been blessed with a very full past few weeks! Here's a little recap of the latest...

Thatcher turned a very handsome 2 weeks old!

Then...in the blink of an eye,
Thatcher turned an even MORE handsome 1 month old!
Fhew, time is flying! Our little man no longer fits in his newborn clothes. :(
= Mommy having a bit of an emotional melt down!

Thatcher attended his first bible study with his lady friends. :) Needless to say, my sweet junior-soon-to-be-senior girls were SUPER precious with him.

We said our goodbyes to a HUGE load of Seniors this year! This is absolutely one of the hardest parts of our job...yet the most rewarding! So many of these sweet faces are getting ready to set out all over the world to serve Christ full time!!

We celebrated our first Easter together as a family of 3! Neither Thatcher nor Paul fought me on the little level 10 southern little Easter outfit complete with leather booties & high socks. :) Eeek!
It was such a treat to celebrate the Risen Lord as a family this year!

Stay tuned for more random ramblings...I have quite a few blog posts rolling around in my noggin at the moment. :)

Been a little tied up lately...

2011-03-21T21:30:00.004-04:00

...but I can't really blame myself. I've been oh-so-busy kissing these sweet little toes & cheeks.

THANK YOU to ALL of you for your sweet prayers, encouragement, meals, phone calls, visits, etc. over the past few weeks! Labor was AMAZING and I seriously having nothing but raving reviews about my entire experience. GOD IS GOOOOD! :)

I'm sure I'll have tons of cuteness to share over the next few weeks/months/years/decades. Stay tuned! xoxo!

Spring Break looks a little different this year.

2011-03-05T11:29:00.002-05:00

About this time every year, Paul & I are normally packing up our sunscreen and headed somewhere beachy with our students on a Spring Break mission trip. But...not this year.

I'm a little sad to be honest. Even as I type this, 50 of our students & 2 of our staff are in their cars headed south to Panama City Beach, FL for a conference called Big Break.

So - with that in mind, would you join me in praying for them?! :)

1) For safety & fun as they travel.

2) For the freshmen going to get connected and feel 'at home' with our older students.

3) For our students to take major steps of faith as they venture out and focus on evangelism on one of the craziest beaches in America for college students on Spring Break. Many of them may very well run into their friends & classmates on the beach! Pray for them to be bold, wise & for God to divinely direct their steps.

4) Pray for staff Christi & Drew who are fearlessly leading the trip on their own this year. They are rooming with our students in condos this week, so pray for them to get some sleep! :)

5) Pray also for two of our other staff girls who are meanwhile loading up on a plane to head to our overseas partnership Beirut, Lebanon! They will spend the week getting to know the area, encouraging the students spending a year in ministry there, and collecting tid-bits to bring home to cast vision for this partnership to our students.

6) Pray for us! :) Little Thatcher is due to arrive Monday!!! So, although we're sad to be missing out on all the fun...we're having a little fun here of our own! Pray for a safe, smooth induction Monday (since Thatcher will be a week post-date then) and for good health for everyone. Pray I cling to the truths I've stored up in my heart when labor gets hard! :)

Thanks for praying! We'll share updates as they come along!

Quick Preggo Update

2011-02-23T21:50:00.003-05:00

*Warning: Mucho preggo details follow below. If you think you'd rather wash your hair or do your taxes than read them, feel free. :) I'm not sure how much our guy readers really wanna know, although I think we all know I don't care to share. Just lookin' out for YOU, Kevin Davis! :)

Paul & I had another doctor's appointment this morning. We had originally been given two due dates - one was this coming Monday, Feb. 28th (based on my cycle; also of note - it's Paul's 30th Birthday) and the other was yesterday, Feb. 22nd (based on how Thatcher was measuring)....so we knew we were nearing the end of the preggo journey as we went into today.

The short version:

I was feeling rough & my blood pressure had spiked fairly high for me, and there was a bit of protein in my urine (although - not a huge change for me. It's been there intermittently) so the doctor thought I might be headed toward Pre-eclampsia.

They took my blood pressure 5 more times trying to keep an eye on whether or not it would come down with rest, and eventually it did. However, it was still borderline. So, we return tomorrow to recheck at 8:30 am and if it's still high then, I will be sent straight to the hospital to be induced. If not, regardless, we'll induce on Friday around 6am.

Things I would love your prayers for (all within God's will, of course):

-For me to go into natural labor and not HAVE to be induced. That's still my first preference.

-For me to continue to dilate on my own BEFORE being induced. I'm still only dilated 1 cm and that could potentially cause some complications if it doesn't progress well with induction.

-Pray I don't have to have a C-section. If I don't progressively dilate with induction, I could end up laboring for several hours and THEN having a C-section. And as much as I like variety, I'd like to pass on that route!

-If I do have to have a C-section, pray God will calm my heart. There's a lot that could happen as a result of our first child having a C-section that I just wasn't prepared for. But, we do trust that God knows what He's doing. Just pray for reverent, calm hearts!

-Pray for good health for all three of us. Thatcher is still doing super well at this point, but Paul's allergies are bothering him and I just feel rough & tired. :)

-Praise the Lord with us because we were super concerned Thatcher would have Paul's birthday since we were due to be induced on the 28th, but now he will not!! That IS one little silver lining! On a superficial level we just wanted to protect Thatcher from ever feeling under the shadow of his parents. He's a first born and we want him to have his own little day. Praise!

-Praise also because the Lord really has changed my heart and I am eager to get on with the journey He has for us in labor. Don't get me wrong- needles and blood and pain and craziness still make me a little unsettled...but I really feel like God has done a HUGE work in my heart! :) Thanks for all of your prayers!

Okay - I think that's it! We'll keep you all updated! Love you all & so thankful for you!!

A Confessional

2011-02-20T14:00:00.008-05:00

Okay, Thatcher is due any day now. Really, any minute now. And, it's time I publicly confess.

I. am. paranoid. of. labor.

I know, I know. It's dumb. I know it's dumb. It's super dumb because I'm praying to avoid the very thing that I know millions of women around the world are praying to get the chance to enjoy...some which are VERY close dear friends of mine. It's so ridiculously self-absorbed of me.

It took me a while to actually get to the point where I would deal in reality. Of course, it was my sweet husband who finally tipped me over the edge and made me have a full-out-avoid-no-feelings-or-details conversation that uprooted the whole basis for my fear.

Comfort.

Oh how I worship comfort. Oh how I hate a trial or anything that challenges me to live by faith. I'm so much for comfortable living out of my own strength. Or so my ridiculous brain seems to think. BIG. FAT. LIE!!!

Praise God for sweet friends who have pledged to dig at this little fear with me. And praise God for my precious hubs who will not allow me to live a life of avoidance. And praise God even more for His sweet Spirit & the refreshing Word of God that speaks to EVERY SINGLE AREA OF OUR LIVES!

So...a little over a week ago I finally disciplined myself to sit down and pour my heart over the Word and seek out scripture that would soothe my fraidy-cat little soul - aka - confront my heart of self-worship.

God poured scripture after scripture over me and I flipped from one reference to another, looking up fear, pain, comfort, labor, etc. I was reminded of so much. I was reminded of Eve and her disobedience to God. I was reminded of the passage where Christ uses labor as a parable for His resurrection and return. I was reminded of how God is more concerned about my character than my comfort. I was reminded of eternal perspective & where my true comfort comes from.....God alone. Not avoidance of pain. And certainly not avoidance of labor.

God then prompted me to turn this precious little time into a craft time. (I mean, our Creator knows me so well. He is the craftiest of all crafties, ya know!?!) So, here's what was produced...

A little scripture memory ring of 19 passages that I'm taking with me to the hospital for labor and delivery. And I mean, it's cute because...well, duh...cute fonts & ribbon make everything better. :)

So, here's a quick rundown of all that God led me to:
(Note: They are all in the NAS, except for one in the NIV and I honestly cant remember which one that was. I just loved the specific wording in that translation better. Also, they may not 'translate' to you, but I pray they do. Some just mean more due to studying them before or a specific message God has spoken to me through the passage. Also, can't figure out why on earth some are wacky sizes here. I wish all the fun fonts could carry over.) :)

Psalm 55:1-7 My heart is in anguish within me, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, And horror has overwhelmed me. I said, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest." Behold, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah. (*This is personally my fav, b/c I literally said to Paul "I wish you could just knock me out, take out Thatcher, then wake me up." Total avoidance. God was like, "Oh no, girlfriend. Let me just address that directly with scripture. If you avoid My will for your life...you will just end up in the wilderness." Eeeew. Smack. in. the. face.)

Psalm 95:6-8 Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you would hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness (*Meribah & Massah = "temptation" & "strife")...
Jeremiah 17:7-8 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. "For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes ; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought, Nor cease to yield fruit.

Psalm 46:1-7 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

Psalm 57:1-2 Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, For my soul takes refuge in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge Until destruction passes by. I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me.

Philippians 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Deuteronomy 31:7-8 Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. "The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."

John 16:16, 20-22 "A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me"..."Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy. Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.”

Psalm 94:19 When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.

Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Pslam 119:49-50 Remember the word to Your servant, In which You have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, That Your word has revived me.

Psalm 69:1,16-17 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck….Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. 17 Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.

James 1:2-4 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Psalm 27:1, 13-14 The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear ? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?...I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.

Psalm 91:1-6 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust !" For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper And from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge ; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day; Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.

(And some prayers for Thatcher, too...)

Ephesians 1:18-19 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe...

Colossians 1:9-12 ...We have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 ...We pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, there ya go. I'm praying this little collection will encourage someone else out there, too. I can honestly say that pouring these over my heart has given me a fresh vision for what God has called me to. I am waaaay less fearful and waaaay more expectant about all that God will teach me through this process.

I'd love your sweet prayers! I'm sure I'll have lots of thoughts afterward! :) Love y'all!!

I'm Just A Happy Little Resourcer

2011-02-13T13:32:00.003-05:00

Okay, so my time with college ministry started waaaay back in 1998. When I was a freshman. You do the math. :)

Ever since then I have clung to bits & pieces of tangible wisdom I've picked up along the way. You know, little resources and talk notes and handouts and lions and tigers and bears, OH MY! Oh wait, wrong list. Some of you may feel super overwhelmed by resources. Let's be honest. Not everyone enjoys hoarding these little piles of paperwork. But for me...a happy little resourcer....I am in LOVE with my daunting pile of useful ministry handouts. :)

A couple years back I finally organized and compiled them all in a 6 inch binder (yes, I DID say a 6 inch binder) and it is GLORIOUS!!! Now I can just whip that sucker off my desk & pull from the binder-of-usefulness whenever I, a fellow staff member, or a sweet little student needs a resource!

But, lucky little you. You now don't have to have a 6 inch binder. Crusade has pulled allllll those resources into one big online location for all of you to utilize. Run, don't walk, on over to www.CruPressGreen.com and check out all the little resource goodies waiting on you. True, they are geared toward campus ministry, but I'm sure you'll still find things useful for you no matter where God has you!
A little sampling:

-Resources for living in light of the gospel as men & women
-Know a graduating senior that needs little encouragement?
-Thoughts & suggestions on starting a bible study
-Evangelism & Apologetics resources

Enjoy. And feel free to come pull from my 6 inch binder whenever you can't find that 1970's-typewriter-font-printout-on-starting-a-freshman-bible-study that you're looking for. I'm sure I still have it. :)

One for the locals...

2011-02-12T00:15:00.002-05:00

Need a cheap date idea?

Did you know that the Riverbanks Zoo & Garden has "Free Fridays" every Friday during the month of February for residents of Richland & Lexington counties?

The details on their website says:

Combat those winter blues with Free Fridays! Residents of Richland and Lexington counties receive free admission to Riverbanks Zoo and Garden on Fridays during January and February. Bring a valid driver's license for proof of residency.

Paul & I are going to try to go this next Friday if we're not in the hospital in LABOR!! ;) Oh geez. I can't even begin to imagine that we're really really really actually about to birth a child. Maybe I'll go & walk this little guy right out!

See ya there!

Multiplying multipliers

2011-01-28T12:05:00.003-05:00

By now, I think you all know that one of the biggest ministry motivators for Paul and I is the reality that Christ really CAN use one person to make an effective, substantial difference in eternity. It's not a new idea. It's not an old idea. It's a biblical idea. It's what we like to refer to as "Spiritual Multiplication," and it can be found right there in our blog header. 2 Timothy 2:2.

Pop quiz question: How many 'generations' do we see in that passage?

.....

.....

.....

Go on, go do your homework...

Ready? Answer: 4
1) Paul = "me"
2) Timothy = "you"
3) Those Timothy pours into = "Faithful men"
4) Those the "Faithful men" pour into = "others"

And the trail continues. At least, that is Paul's intention. And it was Christ's intention. And it is His intention for all of us. Real transformational life change happens in the context of life-on-life. That's what we pray for, and what we desire to see most in our ministry.

So, I consider it a good day when the last phone call of the day goes something like this..

Merideth: Hey girlie. (On the other end of the phone is aUSC junior who became a believer her freshman year & now leads a bible study for freshman girls on campus, in the dorm she came from.)
Student: (talking 90 miles an hour) Hey Mer! Ohmygosh...guess what!? I have GOT to tell you about my bible study tonight. (excitedly talks and talks and talks. So precious. Eventually she begins to wind down after sharing about her night.)......Sooo, all this to say, I had a GREAT night! I mean, I know you know I used to do drugs and all, but now, I HAVE to say, leading college girls is ABSOLUTELY the BEST high ever!!! I love this! Sooooo....I'm calling to ask, how do I come on staff?

Oh man. Would it mean the same if she was calling to tell me she chose to become a teacher/doctor/stay-at-home-mom and use her influence in for Christ? Absolutely! The part that makes me well up with tears is that Christ is spiritually multiplying himself through her. What a joy! What an answer to prayer!

Thank you for praying that these students will catch the vision for being lifetime multiplying laborers for Christ.

Notable Quotables

2011-01-28T11:04:00.003-05:00

For some time now I've been meaning to sit down & compile our favorite list of hilarious things Paul & I have heard over the past few years in this wacky world of college ministry. Oh dear heavens, how we do love our job! Below is just a few of the oh-so-hilarious things said in our presence.....brace yourselves people....

1. Paul's bible study was studying Philippians several years ago. On a night Paul was speaking at our Cru weekly meeting, the following conversation occurred:
Student: Hey Pauuuul. (THICK country accent. For some reason, I legitimately think it adds to the story.) Man, you're all spiffed up, lookin' gooood. Are you speakin' at Cru tonight?
Paul: Hey man, yep. I sure am.
Student: Well, whatcha speakin' on? You speakin' on them....them....Filipinos?
Paul: Well. Um, no. I think you're talking about the Philippians. But no, I'm speaking on a passage in James.

2. Merideth's bible study was in the midst of a study on the attributes of God, one key attribute being that God is good. As an intro question to the study, Merideth asked "How to do we go about defining good?" and "Where do we get our definition of good from?" Here's one response that eventually surfaced:
Student: Well, um....I kinda think good and God are kinda the same thing.
Merideth: (thinking to myself, "Good...this girl is on to something here...") Okay, so let's go with that. Expound on that a little more.
Student: Okay. Well. See, goooood and God are kinda the saaaame thing. The only difference is just another letter "o"!
Merideth: (Blank stare on face. The other 15 girls erupt in laughter.)

3. Paul's bible study is finishing up a few weeks at the end of a semester by studying Song of Solomon & learning how to be godly men who pursue women in a biblical way.
Paul: Okay y'all, so this part is a discussion between the guy, the girl & the "friends". Let's read first, then we'll discuss. Who wants to read the girl part?
The group: "K" you should read it!! (Note: "K" is a big, burly, manly black guy that has the most gentle, precious spirit ever. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, loves K.)
K: (after some mild peer pressure) Alright, alright. I'll do it.
Another student: (jokingly) K, make sure you read it with some deep emotion, aaaight?!
K: Sure. You got it.
Paul: Okay...let's go.
The group & Paul: (looks back to the scripture, no one really realizing what text was coming next. K begins to read...)
K: Okay, Chapter 1, verse 5. (with emotion, as promised) ......I am dark, and lovely......
The group & Paul: (long pause. Then everyone, including K, absolutely lost it.)

4. Merideth's group is kicking off a study on Galatians. When discussing the tone of Paul's letter, the girls agree that Paul's tone is angry & frustrated. They share thoughts on what words give clues to his tone. At the end of the discussion, the following comment is made:

Student: You know. This letter is kinda like a "Howler".
Merideth: Well....um...I never thought we'd use Harry Potter to explain the bible, but yes, you are correct.

5. Merideth is discussing the role of the Holy Spirit in a believers life within a small group of girls. Before the conversation gets very far at all, a student pipes up with questions.
Student: See, I have never understood the Holy Spirit. It's soooo confusing. I mean, isn't the Holy Spirit just the 'suped-up' version of your conscience?
Merideth: Well. Hmmm. See, I don't even know how to respond to that. But...no.

Stay tuned for more. Trust me....there's sooo many more. :) Thanks for laughing & loving this life with us!

We're regular comedians around here...

2011-01-11T23:41:00.002-05:00

Well, this makes the 2nd "Just for laughs" post in a week. I wonder what that says about us?! ;) Here's a little incident that happened at our house tonight...

Scene: Paul was slaving away at the dishes, with ear phones in, giggling at a free download of an RTS class. (How blessed am I!?! What a hunk of a servant hubby!) I am nearby at the kitchen table sewing Thatcher's blackout curtains for the nursery.

Me: "Hey babe, would you mind to bring me a glass of ice water?"

Paul: "Sure, just a sec."

Long pause. Paul finishes in the kitchen, bypasses me & heads in to the laundry room. Paul comes out of the laundry room with....

......a FLY SWATTER.

He was dead serious.

I think we may have a communication problem. :)

What did the Lord do through Encounter?

2011-01-07T17:15:00.003-05:00

I wanted to share a few quick statistics that we now know from the Encounter Winter Conference. Although I'm not a numbers girl strictly for the sake of numbers, I do get some serious encouragement from seeing God's work in a way that's measurable! So here ya go....

From the roughly 1000 students from NC, SC, KY, TN & WV that were in attendance:

9 indicated that they had placed their trust in Christ at the conference

492 pledged to "Follow Jesus wherever He leads me the rest of my life"

68 pledged to spend 1 year of their lives serving in a full-time ministry
capacity

150 pledged to go on a US Summer Project

92 pledged to go on an International Summer Project

196 pledged some "other" commitment that they felt the Lord had laced on their hearts

THANK YOU for praying with us for these students! God is mightily raising up laborers for the harvest through your prayers!

Just for laughs...

2011-01-04T13:07:00.003-05:00

You may notice that one of the prayer requests to the right is that Paul & I would continue to pursue each other & make our marriage a priority in the midst of crazy ministry schedules. (Go ahead....take a moment...pray through the rest of those while you're at it.) :)

So, in an effort to be intentional, I got Paul this fun little calendar for Christmas that has one date idea a day. I mean, we don't go on a date a day...but I figured one of out 7 in a week will surely be helpful, right!?

Then we flipped to today's idea:

Um, riiiiight. Cause it's near 60 degrees here in Columbia today! Haa!

At least we got a good laugh together. :)

And in case you're interested: You can get one for you & your cutie (or for a gift) for less than $3, too. Check it out here.

Home Sweet Home

2011-01-02T17:46:00.003-05:00

Well, we made it. We're home after being gone for over two weeks on the Davis Tour-de-America also known as Christmas in Ohio & Encounter Conference. We've slept very little, driven a lot, worked a ton, and had an absolute blast with our students. But, we're glad to be home again. :)

The Encounter Conference was a whoooole different experience for me all together this year. Ya know, I'm not sure why I thought I'd have the same energy capacity as years past. What on earth was I thinking?! I can definitely tell I'm nearing the end of this kid-in-a-kangaroo-pouch thing. I'm exhausted and level 10 puffy. (I should seriously take a picture of my ankles. It's hilarious. I have none.) So, of course, in grand recovery fashion...I've spent the entire day today in my pajamas. And I didn't get up to 12:30pm. And I haven't cooked one meal. And guess what...Paul's still breathing! :) I'm learning. Slowly. This unborn little guy is going to teach me a thing or two (or 5 bazillion) before the age of 5. Repeat after me everyone: Rest. is. good. Rest. is. good.

But enough about me & my kankles. I'm exhausted for a super fun reason....ENCOUNTER!!! Our students heard from great speakers, worshiped with an amazing band (from my Alma Mater!), were equipped for a lifetime of ministry, spent a day in Greensboro/Winston-Salem communities doing outreach with local churches, and prayed while the New Year kicked over! I'm super pumped to share that a lot of the main meeting and seminar content will be available online soon, so I'll be sharing that as it appears. But meanwhile, here's a little glimpse of how the week ended up:

Encounter 2010 Recap

Thanks for praying for us, our staff & our students! The total headcount was over 200 staff and 1000 students! We're so thankful for the mighty prayers that went out over all of us!

Love you guys!

Encounter: Your Life Changed Changes the World

2010-12-29T12:55:00.003-05:00

As I type, there are hundreds & hundreds of staff and students from KY, TN, NC, SC & WV gathered together for our winter conference called Encounter!!!

Please pray with me for all these precious faces...

Even just last night (the opening night) as Paul & I stood together during praise & worship, I teared up at the sound of nearly 1000 students singing "...and if our God is for us, then who could stand against us...and if our God is with us, then what could stand against"!!! Oh, man. Typed words DO NOT convey what it feels like to hear students sing those words with their arms raised high! I get choked up every year at the sight of these precious lives being changed before our very eyes, claiming the truth of scripture!!! I turned to Paul last night & said "Oh babe, our job NEVER GETS OLD!!!"

Thanks for praying with us & for us this week. We have 34 students & a total of 8 staff from USC & Columbia College with us. Pray that each of us will truly encounter Christ in a fresh way this week! Pray that student will truly grasp the theme of this year's conference: Your Life Changed Changes the World!

Love you all & wish you were ALL here with us! Join us if you're near by!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T12:36:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas! Paul & I (and a very quickly growing and very active little Thatcher) hope you're snuggling up with friends & family and celebrating the REAL reason for Christmas!

Here's our family's favorite Christmas song at the moment to help you celebrate:

Brandon Heath - "The Night Before Christmas"

We're baaaaack. :)

2010-09-10T11:30:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe my last post was literally *2 months* ago!! Aaagh! So much can happen in two months! Sheesh! So, what have you missed out on, you ask? Here ya go:

-85 student ministry leaders from USC & CC returned to school early & spent time training & planning for this semester. Thank you to our precious church for hosting our wild & crazy crowd!

-School started back on both campuses.

-Our weekly "Cru" meeting was held in a ballroom of a freshmen dorm...which produced an amazing turnout of freshmen guys & girls!

-We made what we thought were "great" ministry plans. They all fell through. Unfrozen popsicles. No where to meet on campus. Struggles with general 'red tape' type stuff....and yet now, we can see God's hand it ALL. He is so good to be so sovereign. He always has better ideas than us. :)

-3 new interns finished raising support & have reported to campus!

-2 new part-time staff finished raising support & are preparing to join our team!

-Ministries with Greeks, Internationals, ROTC students...and so many more are ALL off the ground and in full gear!

-At least one girl at Columbia College has already accepted Christ with our sweet new intern Lindsay. What a treat for BOTH of them within the first month of school!! Please join us in prayer for new believer "J"! :)

-Students are taking ownership EVERYWHERE. Every time we turn around these students have a new idea & are running with it. What a huge answer to prayer!

....and really I could go on & on forever.....

But, one more thing has happened, too.....

Paul & I got the news that we have a BUN IN THE OVEN!!! :) So, now you know the REAL reason why I was MIA for a whole two months! So, here's all the ooooey goooey details on that newly developing area:

-Baby Davis due Feb. 28th - which is Paul's birthday too!

-I'm currently at the end of 15 weeks & headed into 16 (out of 40 for those of you that need that extra clarification.)

-We just found out that we find out the sex in week 24, which is a whole MONTH later than I thought. Boo. I think God is intent on breaking down the 'planner' in me this year. :)

-This crazy 'Bun in the Oven' thing is how we've told EVERYONE. We bought this little kiddie oven at Big Lots, stuck a hamburger bun in it, & put it in a gift bag. We gave it over & over again to Parents, Grandparents, friends, staff buddies, everyone. I think we ended up going through 3 different 'buns' before we were finished. Let's hope that's not any sort of foreshadowing on God's part. I don't know if I can handle multiples! ;) But, man-oh-man do we have some ridiculous stories of how different people responded/reacted/failed-to-react/stared-blankly. I might blog about some of those sometime soon, just to chronicle them.

-I never really did get very sick. Just mega nauseous & tired. But prayerfully, I'm back at pretty much full capacity now....and just in the nick of time! I'm absolutely LOVING the looks I get as I walk across campus at CC with the beginnings of a pooch. It's like "Is she...no....well....maybe." I love my job. :)

Sooo...that's the update. Long & excessively wordy. Welcome back. Can't wait to update you on so much more!

I'mmmm Shaaamelesss....

2010-07-10T21:53:00.003-04:00

No, this is not a post about Garth Brooks. But just out of curiosity, did any of y'all start singing that, too? C'mon. Anyone?....anyone?....Good, I'm glad some of y'all were with me.

Anyway...back to the point of the post....

This post is actually about The Davis Household's recent shameless Chick-fil-a fiasco. See, this past Friday was "Cow Appreciation Day" at Chick-fil-a. On said day, if you {shamelessly} dress like a cow, you get an entire combo meal free. And you all know how frugal I am, so here's how the story ends...

I made Paul & I each our own cow costumes, mine complete with a girly bow. Of course.

I promise we really did eat at Chick-fil-a. Not McDonalds. They are just next to each other here. But I do think it adds a little humor. :)

The Hurdle's even joined in on our shenanigans. As well as the Chick-fil-a cow!!

So, there you have it. Get your cow-stumes ready and meet us there next year! :)

Another Frugal Post: Free Date Nights

2010-06-11T14:40:00.004-04:00

Attention Columbia readers....

Need a super cheap date-night or family fun spot? How about free? Gotcha.

Our church, Columbia Crossroads Downtown, kicks off it's annual Movies in the Park schedule tonight with Evan Almighty. Grab a blanket & meet the crowd at Finlay Park around sundown. Free movie, free popcorn, free drinks...who could ask for more!? :)

For more information or to see the whole movie line-up for the summer, check out the program website here: www.columbiamovies.org

See ya there!

Headed to Haiti?

2010-05-25T15:11:00.002-04:00

If you, or your church is heading to Haiti for a mission trip soon...you may be interested to know that Campus Crusade for Christ and the American Bible Society recently collaborated to publish a New Testament & Psalms in Creole.

Whether you are going to Haiti or want to share the Word with a Haitian here at home, this brand new Creole Bible is available at the Campus Crusade for Christ online store here.

And...if you are on our current mailing list, Paul & I would be more than happy to help you order these at our discounted staff rate! Just send us an email!

Praying for each of you as you spread out all over the globe this summer to help fulfill the Great Commission!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2010-05-25T14:34:00.004-04:00

Many of you may know by now that some crazy changes have been brewing within our cozy staff family of 9 here in Columbia. Good changes, that is.

Just about the time Paul & I settled down and got 'comfortable' with the normal pace of ministry & staff life {...if we're honest. And we will be. Cause God called us on it. Don't you just love when He does that!? I do. Seriously.}...God decided to shake it up a bit. And, as always....we were, and are, so thankful. God is always so good to consistently remind us to take steps of faith!

So what happened, you ask?

Our director & his wife have chosen to take on a new role, which left the director position (Or Missional Team Leader, as Crusade calls it) open. Then, the person who would more than likely take that role decided to take a leadership position with the Vanderbilt Team in Nashville. (Soo fun!!!) So...after much praying and God-sized details that I will spare you...our regional leadership team felt God calling them to challenge Paul & I, and fellow staff Joel & Kitty, to step up and lead as a 'peer leadership team' this year. We are deeply, deeply, deeply humbled by this opportunity and super excited to see what God will do on the campuses of the South Carolina Midlands this coming year!

Please be in prayer for us, and our dear friends the Hurdles, as we seek what God has in store for each of us in this opportunity. Joel & Kitty will be giving vision & oversight to the Greek Ministry, while Paul & I will be devoting our time to the general campus ministry and all of it's divisions.....both of these ministries are 400+ student ministries, at the least! So, needless to say, we are overwhelmed, excited, hopeful, nervous, eager, and so much more...all at the same time!

Thank you for praying for both couples as we step out in faith & lead with our best friends & partners-in-crime. We love Joel & Kitty...and couldn't ask for better teammates!

So....Meet the SC Midlands 2010-2011 Missional Leadership Team.... :)

If these two fellas can replace our car starter in an afternoon...there's no telling what God can do through them!!!

Girlfriends who shop & play together.....AND pray together!! Love you, Kit! xoxo!

Thank You!!!

2010-05-14T22:50:00.004-04:00

At the end of the school year this year, I asked both of my bible studies to write personal notes of thanks to you guys (our precious supporters!) for all that you do to support the ministry that they are each so thankful for. {Kicking myself now because I didn't think of it in enough time to ask Paul to have his guys join in, too! Boo! But I digress, back to the point of the post....} I promise, promise, promise I did N-O-T tell them what they had to write. Yet each and every one of them had the sweetest things to say to each of you. Here's just a few of the highlights. I'm not going to lie, I was absolutely in tears reading them. Praise be *TO GOD ALONE,* and not Paul & I, for what He is doing in these students' lives. So precious. Grab some kleenex, and read along...

Dear Ministry Partner,
Thank you so much for supporting Paul & Merideth this year! I'm in Merideth's bible study at Columbia College and it's such a blessing to have her leading & mentoring us. This year has been a big year of growth - for me personally and for our ministry here. I've been dramatically changed by God through this ministry; I'm a completely different person and so much more capable of reaching others for Christ. It's really encouraging to see how God has used Cru in my life and the lives of others around me. Thank you so much for being a part of what's going on here by supporting our leaders. You are so appreciated!
-S., a CC student

Dear Friend,
Campus Crusade for Christ means the world to me. It has brought me closer to God that I ever have been before. Without your support for Merideth & Paul, I would be a lost soul. It means so much to me that you enable Cru to reach out to the campus that gives hope, love, and support. My relationship with the Lord has grown so much because of Paul & Merideth and none of this would be possible without you! :)
-K., a USC student

Dear Supporter,
Thank-you for giving. Your gift helped to provide me with a supporting discipler who encouraged me to to grow even closer to God through Jesus on a regular basis. That gift is of a value no man or woman could match! Thank you,
-B., a CC Student

Dear Friend,
I want to thank you for supporting Paul & Merideth. Merideth has been such an influential person in my walk with the Lord the past two years of college. Campus Crusade for Christ is such a great movement on campus and your donation is a big part of that. I'm able to grow in my faith and share it with other students on campus. Thanks again for your support.
-N., a USC Student

There you have it. Out of the ~~mouth~~ pens of college-babes. :) THANK YOU for your ministry to so many! Thank you for enabling Paul & I to work full-time to point students to Christ. We are so thankful for how God continues to use YOU on the campuses of the South Carolina Midlands!

“This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God‘s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, Men will Praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.”

2 Corinthians 9:12,13

Oh, the world of college ministry....

2010-05-12T23:37:00.004-04:00

What happens when you try to help throw a baby shower for conservative, sweet, soft-spoken fellow staff girl, Sarah....inviting all of the Greek Impact girls she ministers to, and the general Cru ministry student girls, and staff girls....and host it in a sorority house? What food will you eat? What games will you play?

Oh dear heavens. I hope y'all are ready for this....

Apparently, according to our oh-so-hilarious staff girl, Christi - you play an entertaining AND educational game of "Pin the Sperm on the Egg." Yep. We did. Not even joking. Here's Kitty being all Vanna White-ish with the female reproductive board. Again, not kidding.

Spin that student round-and-round! Students picked a 'sperm sticker' (Blech! I can't even believe I'm typing that.) and named them. Yes, named them. Then Christi spun them around and they 'pinned'...uh...stuck them where they thought the egg might be. THIS got REALLY hilarious. Meanwhile, Sarah is dying in the corner.

Some of our girls MIGHT need an educational chat. Only "La Fonda" made it to the final destination. I mean, who names thier game piece "La Fonda"!?! But then again...who plays this game!?!

And what shall we eat at this shindig?

Well...of course....a FREE arrangement from Edible Arrangments. Amazing. This would have been atleast $70ish! One of the sweet Greek Impact girls works there, and they can make free arrangements for thier own events. Such a neat blessing.

Here's Sarah (and baby bump Caleb!) with some of her girls! So fun! It was a HILARIOUS mess of a time, and I'm so thankful we were able to love on Sarah this way...goofy game and all!

We're sure going to miss her next year as her & David leave to head up the team at Vandy.

Love you, Sarah!!! xoxo!

I can't believe I'm posting all this on the internet. It's just too ridiculously hilarious not to post. I mean, doesn't everyone's work week consist of stuff like this??? Well, mine does.

No one try and get me fired, mmkay? ;)

Happy Graduation!

2010-05-12T23:04:00.002-04:00

Fhew. Man. That was faaaast. I feel like I blinked and this school year was over. Goodness gracious.

It didn't even really hit me that the end of the school year had come until a few weeks ago at our last Cru Weekly Meeting. See, at the end of every Spring Semester, we have all of the graduating Seniors give the 'talk' portion of our last weekly meeting. They get up on stage together, and then one-by-one share insights they want the younger students to know, and just sweet little tid bits of this-and-that. It's always SOOO amazing to hear what they share. They are so wise beyond their years, and it's awesome to think the majority of them are headed out into the world to influence others for Christ, the majority into the workforce. And then some are going to grad school. Some are headed to seminary. One is headed to Lebanon on STINT. One is headed to our Regional Office to use his video/media/stuff-I-don't-understand skills for the Great Commission. Just amazing. So amazing. I mean, just look at all these awesome students...

Aaaagh! So many!!! So....I sat there that night thinking, "Whoa. It's over. Another year has come and gone. Where did this year go!?!?! Our time with these kids is sooo short!!!!!!!"

So, please join me in praying for these graduates. I know many of them are breathing sighs of relief because their last papers and projects are history now, but still many of them are breathing even heavier prayers to the Lord, seeking His will for their futures. Pray with me that God will use them for His glory!

And....praise God with me that now that Paul & I are officially in our 'summer mode' (more details on that soon!), I'll have more time to blog & update you on what's been going on around here! I think I have about two months worth of posts to update you on!

Maybe I'll crank a few out tonight. :)

Blast from the Past: Summer Project Edition

2010-04-19T11:57:00.004-04:00

When Paul & I were prepping for a Summer Project promo for our ministry's weekly meeting a couple weeks ago, I came across these little gems...

Yep, That's the 2001 edition of Paul & Merideth, riiiight after our time on the Clearwater Beach Summer Project where we met. Love it.

And this one is from the infamous 10 hour car ride home from Clearwater where the whooole thing started. I firmly believe it was the convos that took place in that car that led us to begin dating 3 years later. And well, look where we are now. :)

I just absolutely can not get over what skinny little rats we both were! ;) But back to the point of the post...

We both *LOVE* Summer Projects. Not just Clearwater, but ALL of them!! Maybe you'll remember that we spent last summer staffing the Smoky Mountain Summer Project? This year, we'll be devoting our summer to raising support full time for next year. More details on why coming soon. Although we know the Lord has a different plan for us this summer, we would absolutely love to be on a Summer Project again. It's like boot camp for your faith, and there's nothing like watching the transformation in students lives over each summer. Paul & I both agree, it is simply one of the best things this ministry offers!

So, if you know of a student that is looking for a way to serve Christ with their summer, grow leaps and bounds in their faith, be training in evangelism, and have more fun than they can imagine....bust a move on over to the Summer Project website, at www.GoSummerProject.com. It's not too late for students to apply; there are still spots available on most projects!

I know it was worth it for me! :) hehe.

Spring is HERE!

2010-04-05T11:07:00.003-04:00

Fhew. Where did time go? Seriously....how did an ENTIRE month pass without me blogging even once!? Geez.

Okay, so sorry for the crazy un-explained absence. All I can say is...blame it on Spring! This time of year always gets me. Maybe it's the chaos of a school year coming to a close, maybe it's the out-of-town family that always make their way to hotel de Davis this time of year (which we love!!), maybe it's the insane amount of pollen that absolutely coats everything in Columbia and leaves you glued to a box of kleenex, maybe it's the fun news (this year) that our church finally moved into its very own newly renovated home DOWNTOWN! (whoot whoot!), maybe it's because Paul begins frantically running up and down the hallway screaming about how Baseball's opening day is "so sooooon!", or maybe it's the fact that I live with my camera attached to my face this time of year....who knows....I have TONS of reasons why I've been MIA.

I mean...who wouldn't be missing in action (or should it be busy in action?) when there's flowers like these growing in your yard?!.....

See, I knew you'd see it my way! ;) hehe.

But yes...I do solemnly promise to join back up with all my cyber friends and begin updating you on all the latest. Soon. Promise. :)

Miami - A week in pictures

2010-03-13T19:44:00.002-05:00

Here's just a few little glimpses of our super fun & crazy week:

1) Just call me a Muffin Factory: I had the bright idea to try & use my frugal skills to save the campus some money by baking a lot of our breakfast food ahead of time. So, that meant kicking out 20, yes 20, dozen muffins & driving them all the way to Florida!!! Who else on earth would think that was a good idea?!? But it worked, I was able to cut our food budget for breakfast from $600 down to $280 with baking ahead & shopping smart! It feels like such a blessing when my passions & hobbies mix together with ministry!!!

2) Local Flavor: The first night, we divided everyone up into "Ministry Groups" for the week & sent them out to try out local restaurants & get a feel for the city. Our group ended up at Sazon (again), a local Cuban eatery. This place is my absolute favorite & I was more than happy to go here two years in a row! The fried plantains are out of this world. I think I would eat here every day if I could.

3) Campus Outreach Day: All of the Ministry Teams split up between the two Florida International University campuses & spent several hours doing initiative evangelism one day. Our students loved these campuses & fell in love with the FIU students!

4) One big body of Christ: Later on in this week, our students joined together to partner with Christ Fellowship Church as they seek to reach Miami for Christ. This was really cool for our student to see the need for partnership with local churches. Students sorted clothes in the clothes closet, worked on a renovation project for a future service center for medical care, and handed out informational cards about the mid-week service held on Wednesdays at lunch. Our students were blown away when several of the people they invited on the campus of Miami-Dade Wolfson showed up for the service. Afterward, one girl walked up to two of our girls in tears and said, "Thank you for inviting me today. I really enjoyed this & really need it in my life." Wow. How cool is God!?!

5) AIA Beach Front Avenue: Okay, okay...enough about Vanilla Ice. But we DID make a splash on the infamous South beach for dinner one night! {I promise, we did more than eat on this trip!} This is a wild & crazy atmosphere, one where you don't want to be much later than 10pm that's for sure. But it was a neat place for our students to experience the Miami culture for dinner. Below is a picture of Paul with a couple of his Bates "Zone" guys. It was so amazing to see these fellas step up & lead on this trip...and they are only freshmen!

More pictures to come!!! :)

Home Sweet Home

2010-03-13T18:20:00.002-05:00

Well. We made it. We're home. We got home late Thursday night after a full 12 hours of traveling, and have been resting ever since.

I wanted to post a quick note to pray for our staff team. While we were in Miami, almost our entire team got some kind of virus, and we're dropping like flies now. Please pray for Joel, he seems to have gotten the worst of it. Also, pray for Paul & I...we've been drugging ourselves non-stop, and we're feeling a smidge better...but still struggling.

Pray that this doesn't reach Anna Claire who's almost full-term. We would all hate to get her sick at this point. And pray for us to all return to full health soon.

Thanks for your prayers! I'm going to try and upload some pictures from our trip maybe later tonight or tomorrow if I feel up to it.

New Believers in Miami!

2010-03-10T11:54:00.001-05:00

Thank you so much for your prayers for our day of outreach at Florida International University! God did so much in the lives of our own students that day in addition to those of FIU! I always wish I could bottle you all up & bring you with me so you can hear the things these students say when they get back from a day of sharing. Its simply amazing!! Its so humbling and amazing. My favorite part is that all these students always so THAT day is their favorite day. Isn't that so awesome?!

I wanted to also ask you to join us in prayer for an FIU student named Bernardo that became a believer yesterday! Our students had several really neat conversations, but this one seems to stand out above the rest. Bernardo had a minimal, yet damaging, experience with the church...but was met yesterday with healing and answers to lots of his long term questions. Praise God for how He brings students all the way from SC to seek out this particular guy in the middle of thousands of FIU students. He orchestrated this whole ordeal to pursue this FIU student. And that's not all...along with him, we have atleast 3 other students that are on this trip that not believers...but have heard the gospel clearly at least 6-10 times by now. And we don't even know what happened in the hearts of all of the other students we spoke w/ at FIU after we left. Isn't it just so amazing when you step back & look at the masterpiece God is painting?!

So, pray for Bernardo. The Crusade staff team in Miami will be following up with all of the convos we've had this week, and will begin new believer follow ups with Bernardo.

Pray also for the hearts of our students as we wrap up our last evening together tonight. There will be a long share time for students to share what they've been learning this week. Pray God will reveal even more of His masterpiece tonight!

Campus Outreach Day!

2010-03-08T10:35:00.000-05:00

As I type this, our group is spreading out across Miami to the two campuses of Florida International University - North & South. Today students will be putting to practice what we trained on last night & this morning - evangelism!

Please pray for our students. Many of them are young in their faith & super nervous about today. Pray that God will lead them & direct them right to those He has in mind for us to share with. The spiritual climate is very different here & FIU students love to talk about "truth" & spirituality...unlike our campuses where it is mostly a hush-hush topic. Pray for our students to be encouraged as they go out & for FIU students to receive them warmly. And...pray for God to remove the veils from many blinded eyes (spiritually speaking) today!

Also, pray for Paul tonight. He'll be speaking at our main meeting.

Thanks for all of your encouragement & prayers! Everyone is having a blast! :)

2 hours out!

2010-03-06T19:33:00.001-05:00

We're about two hours out of Miami now, still trucking down the road (thank you Blackberry w/ internet service!!)...with *A MINIVAN FULL OF GIRLS*!!! Haha! We have had some hilarious times & I think Paul is minute by minute becoming more aware of what it might look like to have a large pack of daughters of his own! ;) (Have I mentioned lately how precious he is with girls!? Seriously. So precious. Some of y'all know.)

We've been having our students text in pictures & quotes from their rides down. Sometimes I forget how hilarious college students are! Hopefully I'll be able to upload some of those goodies later.

Meanwhile, thanks for praying for our day today! Looking forward to all that God has in store this week & can't wait to share more!

Heading to Miami!

2010-03-03T22:58:00.002-05:00

Once again, it is time for Spring Break! Can you believe it!?!? Where has this year gone? Sheesh.

We leave this Saturday, with 61 students in tow, so I wanted to give you a rough play-by-play of how you can be praying:

Saturday:

Travel Day. Pray for safety & that all 61 students & 6 staff arrive safely. And get a little silly bonding time in along the 10 hour drive. This is honestly some of the students favorite memories is what happens on the looooooong car ride! ;)

Sunday:

Orientation, Group bonding & free time, dinner groups, Vision time for Miami ministry.

Pray for students to catch the vision for reaching Miami for Christ, and for them to bond together as a group. We have Greek students, Columbia College students (SIX!! yay!!), and the main USC ministry students...so pray they gel as a group quickly. Pray for Joel & a Miami staff woman as they speak this night.

Monday:

Evangelism Training, Campus outreach day, group dinner, biblical content meeting at night.

Pray for students to be bold in sharing their faith & really fall in love with evangelism. Pray for older students to step up and lead younger students. Pray for Miami students to hear the gospel and respond. Pray for the Lord to lead us & our students directly to those we need to share with. Pray for Paul/Jon as they speak this night.

Tuesday:

Free time, Dinner out at Southbeach, Mens/Women's Time, potential evening social.

Pray for our students to rest in the Lord & enjoy some free time. Pray for them to dive deep into scripture and take advantage of the devotionals we are providing. Pray for safety & fun as we head out to Southbeach. Pray for the Spirit to move the hearts of these men & women during Mens/Womens split session time. Pray for Kitty/Christi/Me as we plan the women's content & Paul/Joel/Jon as they plan the men's content. Pray for staff to have energy...mens/womens nights can sometimes go late into the night with deep rooted issues being revealed by students.

Wednesday:

Service Project Orientation, Service Project Day, Miami Heat Game Social, Take-it-back-to-campus Vision Share Time.

Pray for the details to be finalized on our service project(s). Pray for students to understand the balance of loving well through 'good deeds' and sharing 'good news'. Pray for fun & group bonding at the Heat game. Pray for students to be vulnerable & share what they have learned during the share time. Pray for them to catch the vision to bring what they've learned back to campus.

Thursday:

Travel home. Pray for safety & that students will continue to share their thoughts with each other on the car ride home. Pray that all will return home safely & ready to reach their campuses for Christ. Pray also that this trip will motivate some to go on Summer Project that might not have gone before, especially the fellas.

Thanks for praying for us & our students! Can't wait to share more from the Sunshine State soon! :)

Praying for 2 Cuties

2010-02-21T23:04:00.002-05:00

This semester has been a very full one, but a very heavy one. I can honestly say that I have never cried with girls before as much as I have this semester. In short, so many of them have so much going on. I asked two of them if I could share their situations with you, so you could join us in prayer.

1. Please pray for Shawn.

You may remember her from this blog post just about a year ago. Just about the time we are about to celebrate her 1st birthday in the faith, her dad was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer. This past month & a half has been a tough road for her. Her dad is her best friend and a strong spiritual role model, and at such a young point in her faith...she is really struggling with the idea of losing him. As of this past Friday, Shawn has withdrawn from school and has moved home to be with her dad for the remainder of the semester. Please pray for her young faith as she leaves her bible study family, accountability partners, etc. here at school and heads home to serve her family. Pray for her to find her comfort, stability, and hope in the Lord....and for her to continue to grow in her faith. Pray for wisdom and discernment for her dad's doctors...and ultimately for God's will concerning his health. Also, pray for us to be intentional as we attempt to pursue Shawn from a distance. We are going to try & skype her into bible study every week, but sometimes there can be annoying glitches in the connection. Pray that she will feel connected, loved, & encouraged...even from a distance.

2. Please pray for Jessie.

Jessie is a super precious independent girly-girl who hopped into our study through a connection with Paul's guys last year. Over the past year, she began to develop several odd medical symptoms that led her to be diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Within several months, Jessie went from being perfectly healthy to being plagued with major migraines, dizziness, nausea, & seizures. She has been on & off several medications and is continuing to try anything that will help. I can honestly say this is one of the hardest things I have encountered in all of my years of college ministry. What words of wisdom do you offer & how do you comfort a girl who is losing control of her 20-year-old body? This past week, she was fearlessly trying her best to facilitate a portion of our bible study when all of a sudden a seizure took over the right hand side of her body. This girl is determined & is such an encouragement to me. She refuses to quit driving. She drives with her left foot & left hand. I almost cried when she shared that the reason she's been dressing up lately is because if she's going to start having more frequent seizures in class, at least she can look good doing it. Please pray for Jessie & her family. She is strong most days, but her sweet scared little heart is beginning to wear through. Pray for wisdom for the doctors. Pray that as she begins her daily shots this coming week, they will significantly decrease her symptoms. Pray that they will find a medication that works for her. Pray for her to draw closer and closer to the Lord in the midst of this illness, and that she will lean on him for the hope that only He can give.

Thanks for praying for these two girls. They are only two. There are so many more issues swirling around Paul & I this semester, it's been a very emotional year....but certainly one where we see God moving. Thank you for being willing to 'get in the trenches' with us. It's messy down here...but it sure is worth it.

One woman's trash is another woman's craft project!

2010-02-10T22:23:00.003-05:00

Mmkay. Here's my yard sale trash from this past weekend...turned TREASURE! I have been dying to post these pictures, but I was holding myself off until I actually got the new pretties hung on the wall. I'm really trying to work on my 'follow through'. :)

So...remember, here's what the "trash" looked like before it got a makeover:

-The grandma-ish gold embellished framed art will turn into framed silver spoons
-The looks-like-its-been-buried silver tray will be a chalk board tray

Kitty came over & help sprinkle a little makeover magic/chalkboard paint of her own! {Don't worry...I already informed her she was not allowed to come over for craft nights looking this cute again.} :)

Here's Phase 1:
-removed matting and rubbed it with a stamp pad to turn it from dark blue to black
-glued scrapbook paper behind the matting
-cleaned silver spoons (wish I had left them tarnished for character now though!)
-hot glued spoons to open scrapbook paper
-tied cute ribbons on (because bows make everything amazing. duh.)

Phase 2:
-(Not pictured, but you can see Kitty's) Paint center of silver {ehhem...not silver, but still amazingly old and adorable} tray with chalkboard paint & let dry
-Paint gold & wooden frame black & let dry
-Distress lightly/rub with sandpaper around the gold section to let some gold shine back through
-Make a complete mess all over your dining room table

Phase 3:
-Put the mats & the original art back in the frame without the glass
-Tie ribbon on the tray & decorate with a chalky phrase
-Hang in an arrangement with your other artsy treasures
-Humbly ignore your husband's inability to recognize when you've made what you consider to be a major change to your kitchen wall

This whole adorable new wall in my kitchen cost me a whopping $3.75 + the ridiculously small amount of paint & supplies I have on hand...which you are ALL welcome to come and borrow!!! Amazing! ($1.00 for the frame, .25 for each spoon, $1.00 for the tray, $1.00 for the plate)

God is so good to allow me to enjoy such precious & adorable art with just pennies. And, since He's the Creator of creativity...I know He takes great delight in fun projects like these! :)

The 5th Honeymoon

2010-02-10T16:59:00.005-05:00

Thanks to all of you who prayed that our 5th Anniversary would be a spiritually and romantically refreshing weekend! We had such a relaxing time and really enjoyed some down time together - just the two of us.

We headed north to Kilburnie, the Inn at Craig Farm, which is a Bed & Breakfast in Lancaster, SC...just an hour-ish north of here. We *highly* recommend it....it was wonderful! {Psst...a food hint...if you go, run - don't walk - to Bo Thai, the local Thai restaurant. You'll thank us later. Best Thai food we've ever had!}

Here's some pictures from our fun little getaway...

Doesn't it just look dreamy!?!? Oh, it sooo is everything and more that the pictures show.

And you can check out all the pictures on facebook by clicking here! Thanks for praying for our weekend! We love you all...and love each other! :)

Happy 5 years, Paul! Can't wait for our next Honeymoon!!! xoxo!

Passing the baton...

2010-02-10T11:59:00.005-05:00

Nothing, nothing, nothing is more exciting than watching one of the girls you're pouring into help another girl to begin her relationship Christ. And it gets even more exciting when the chain is three girls deep. That's EXACTLY what's been happening at Columbia College lately!!

Remember earlier this year when Sarah (the first years' bible study leader at Columbia College, who is only a precious little sophomore!!!) and I had the privilege of sharing and clarifying the gospel with Liane?...and she gave her life to Christ? Well, I am happy to report that Liane and Sarah are continuing to love on each other & point each other to Christ. It's been one of the highlights of my year this year to watch the two of them begin this little journey together! I've been meeting with them together once a week and they are BOTH growing like weeds! {good weeds, that is!} :)

Well, the story gets BETTER! This semester, Liane has been bringing her roommate, Kelly {cutie pie in the pink jacket below}, with her to Sarah's bible study and the Cru weekly meeting. Then, this last week, a very nervous Sarah met with me to share that she was getting together with Kelly one-on-one and she needed some pointers on exactly how she could get into a deep spiritual conversation with her. THAT in and of itself is a HUGE answer to prayer! These CC girls are just bubbling over in their desire to share Christ with those around them...its so neat to watch them take steps of faith and reach out to their friends! So, after some encouragement and prayer...Sarah headed off to share with Kelly. Two days later my phone was BLOWING UP with texts and voice mails about what happened. Kelly became a believer!!

Later, as I was debriefing with Sarah about what had happened in the conversation, Sarah said "You know, it was kind of like she had just been waiting for someone to share with her." The later on when I asked Liane what she was thinking about the whole thing she said, "This is amazing. Our whole dorm room seems like it's totally filled up with God all the time."

So precious.

I immediately thought of 2 Timothy 2:2 - "And the things which you have heard from me, in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to reliable men, who will be able to teach others also." How precious to see both these girls - Sarah AND Liane - being so reliable to share the love of Christ with others.

Please join me in praying that this chain will continue, and that these girls will leave a lasting legacy generations long! Also, pray for Sarah as she begins to meet with Kelly one-on-one for new believer follow-ups. Sarah is doing such a great job & I am so encouraged by her willingness to learn as she goes!

Thanks for ALL of your prayers! Isn't it so neat to watch God move!?! :)

Koala Kickoff

2010-02-06T17:54:00.003-05:00

The Columbia College Koalas alwaaaaays start back later than USC, but it has already proven to be THE Spring semester of all Spring Semesters!

We kicked it off at the Student Activities Fair and made contact with *ALL* of the target groups we wanted to reach! That is H-U-G-E!!! These girls WORKED IT! We had at least 5-10 of our girls hovering around making small chat with visitors at any given time! It was amazing!

Unashamedly, I take every opportunity to be as girly as I can with promo materials at CC. I mean...this would NEVER work at the USC organizational fair. But it's like gold at CC. :)

Did I mention that these girls worked it!?! They were on FIRE! One of them even took our fliers out into the cafeteria and started handing them out while sharing about our ministry! She funneled several new faces our way!

And...we've had RECORD BREAKING numbers at our USC/CC Cru weekly meeting consistently! These are *all* {crazy goofball} CC girls! These girls are being so intentional this semester! They are inviting their friends to go with them to EVERYTHING! It is amazing to watch!

After Cru a couple weeks ago, all the CC girls & my USC girls bible study went to Sonic together for some ice cream. {The picture is of all the crazies like myself that sat and talked with each other for over an hour in the COLD eating ice cream! Amazing!} It was so precious to see them bond with each other. This is a major need...to connect both schools relationally. In an answer to prayer - my CC girls had a brilliant idea to start having USC/CC social nights at our house! I'm so excited to see them connect & spur one another on in their faith!

Thank you for praying for Columbia College! I am simply in awe of what God is doing there this semester! Please pray for us as we follow up contacts from the Activities Fair, and plow ahead with all the new pockets of people we're trying to reach!

The spoils

2010-02-06T17:03:00.003-05:00

Well, we made it. No one froze to death. And everyone left with ~~arms full~~ cars full of goodies!!!

Here's our blurry group picture...Starbucks, scarves & all!

And here's my finds from the day! Total: $35 smackaroonies and some change. I think I did pretty good for all my loot!

And a friendly new ficus for the dining room. I'm still not totally set on him yet. Obviously, as you can see...I need to do some redecorating to actually put him in the corner. But he also needs some other greenery woven in so it doesn't look so 'fake'. Ugh. I detest fake plants. But this little guy might just do the trick for this barren corner, so I'll keep him! :)

A few new craft projects to take on - organizational stuff for my scrapbook room, a chalkboard silver tray {click here for inspiration}, and framed spoons {click here for inspiration} for the dining room or kitchen...haven't decided yet.

Just look at these little cuties! I wish I knew the stories of their lives! I'm looking forward to giving them another life or two! And all for $1.75 total for the project!

Thanks for tagging along today with us on our scavenger hunt! Make plans & join me in person next year! But in the meantime, I'll update you as the craft projects come along! :)

Calling all yard sale junkies!

2010-02-05T17:33:00.007-05:00

Okay, Okay...I know. I have T-O-N-S to update you all on. Life has been moving at a bazillion-miles-an-hour pace, and God has been doing amazing things! So, all that to say...stay connected this weekend because I have several posts coming your way!

But - I had to throw this up here for all of you Columbia peeps:
If you are a fellow yard sale junkie, you absolutely *have* to make the Jr. League Clean Sweep sale part of your weekend! Kitty & I will be heading over (for the 2nd year in a row!) with some of our friends from church, and if it's anything like last year, we will have many hilarious stories to share! Some moments from last year's sale still have us laughing! It's intense & not exactly for the faint of heart!!! :)

Need more info? Check out the website here! (link fixed now!)

See you there!

To have & to hold....

2010-01-20T23:34:00.006-05:00

"There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage."
-Martin Luther-

Happy 5th Anniversary, Paul! These five years are filled with some of the best memories of my life. I can't even begin to imagine what God has in store for the coming years. You are my best friend....and the treasure of my heart.

I am so thankful that God in His graciousness entrusted you to me, and likewise me to you. We serve a really great God.

Love,

Your Wifey

Friends, would you join Paul & I in praying that we will have a fun, spiritually & romantically refreshing weekend together - a 2nd honeymoon, if you will - as we run away this weekend to a Bed & Breakfast near by? We are really excited about some time alone together & are super excited about the Southern Living recommended B&B!! Yay! Thanks for praying! You know I'll be taking TONS of pictures, so I'll try and share some afterward!

Have I mentioned lately....

2010-01-20T09:04:00.003-05:00

.....how much I love college students? Why, you ask?

Because they never cease to amaze me.

For instance, when you invite all of your sophomore college girls over for a pj party as a back-to-school get together, you imagine lots of cutie pie polka-dot pajama pants & tank tops. Right? Maybe some funky house shoes. But you never expect this....

Why, yes. It *IS* an adult-sized pair of footy pajamas on my sweet precious, Shawn.

Full length zipper? Check.

Bunny feet? Check.

Fuzzy bunny embroidered on the chest? Check.

All in pink? Check.

Pigtails & fluffy white robe on owner? Check.

Having to walk across campus in this get-up to get your car so you can drive to Merideth's house? Double Check!!

Hilarious. I love my life.

Curious as to where you can hunt down one of these puppies? Apparently, Target around Christmas time. I just had to ask.

Praying for Haiti

2010-01-16T21:37:00.003-05:00

Paul & I are taking a moment away from our Summer Project reunion weekend {Yes, for those of you that have asked...we ARE having a blast!!} to pass on an email we received about Campus Crusade for Christ's effort to serve Haiti in this great time of need. If you're considering about how you & your family can pray/give/go, I hope this email will be a resource to you:

I’m sure you’re following the sad news regarding the earthquake that hit Haiti Tuesday evening. Many of you are asking what can be done to demonstrate the love of Christ in response to this terrible tragedy. Obviously praying is crucial as they deal with great loss and devastation around them.

But another way you can tangibly be involved would be to give financially. GAiN (Global Aid Network, part of the family of CCC) already has containers with 1 million meals in it in Haiti and eight more containers of food and critically needed supplies ready to ship to Haiti. GAiN’s primary need at the moment is financial resources to distribute the goods they have to the people of Haiti. If you’d like to give, simply go to GAiNUSA.org, click on “Major Earthquake Hits Haiti,” then follow the directions for giving that accompany the story.

You can also be praying for a group we are pulling together to look at how we as a Campus Ministry can best respond to this crisis. As you can tell from the images you are seeing on tv, there is a lot of chaos. The need right now is for trained professionals. But in the weeks and months ahead, our hope is to find ways that that we can demonstrate the love of God to the Haitians. So, pray that God will make it clear how He wants us to respond to this need. Thank you so much for your on-going impact on this generation of university students and faculty of the world.

Mark Gauthier

US National Campus Director

Campus Crusade for Christ

Mark.Gauthier@uscm.org

East bound & down, loaded up & truckin....

2010-01-14T22:17:00.003-05:00

Okay. Actually...we're not east bound.

We're west bound.

And really...that's a *horrible* song to use for anything ministry related...for those of you that have seen the movie & know the theme! Ha! Anyone even know the song I'm talking about...The Smokey & the Bandit Theme Song? C'mon people...

So for some reason, I woke up with this song in my head this morning. What exactly does that say about a person?? What in the world. I guess it says you're getting ready to hit the road again....to GATLINBURG!! :)

Paul & I will head west-bound tomorrow to get together with our students & staff from this summer for our Summer Project Reunion! We're super excited about some time away with them! Please pray for safety as there's snow, and ice, and interstate detours...so I'm sure traveling is going to be a smidge crazy to say the least!

Can't wait to share pictures! :)

the new digs...

2010-01-13T23:41:00.004-05:00

So....Paul's new hobby is apparently website developing.

Let's be honest...he knew NOTHING about it several months ago. And when I say nothing, I really really really mean nothing. So it kind of came as a shock to me when he took on the challenge of revamping our campus ministry website. But with a little help from friends, our team, and our previous developer....he has totally kicked some website-developing hiney!!!! :)

It's still in progress...but you can check it out here: www.CarolinaCru.com And if you're a Twitter person {what exactly DO you call a Twitter person? A "tweeter"?} you can sign up for our ministry tweets so you can know how to pray!

I think it is going to be such a great avenue for connecting people to the different facets of our ministry here!

Way to go, babe!

It's baaaaaack!!

2010-01-09T18:53:00.002-05:00

Goodness gracious, it's time for school to start again! :)

That's right....Paul & I kick back into full swing tomorrow afternoon with our first Student Leadership meeting! I can hardly believe it is time again for our lives to turn into a 90-mile-an-hour-whirlwind! I am having a bit of a panic attack if I think about it too much, but it's a whirlwind that I love, so bring it on! ;)

Please be in prayer for our students as we begin the 2010 ministry year this week. The staff have been together all this past week praying & planning already...but tomorrow is when the students hop back on board. We're so excited for all this semester will bring! Would you join us in praying for God to do God-sized things on ALL the campuses of the South Carolina Midlands....USC-Columbia, Columbia College, Midlands Tech, Benedict College, Allen University & USC-Aiken? Thank you for praying & laboring with us!

...And let's end on a funny note from our Christmas break....

THIS is what happens when you ask Paul to help you with the Christmas baking. Do you see that ridiculous 'I'll-put-you-in-a-sugar-coma' sized peanut butter ball!?!??!?!

It was literally the size of the palm of his hand. I gave him a ball of peanut butter dough to work with & he rolled it ALL into ONE ball. Let's just say I'll never ask him to help with the baking again. ;)

Happy Birthday, Kitty!!!

2010-01-03T19:00:00.004-05:00

We now interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for this important {and oh-so-fun} announcement.... :)

What do you get when you cross-

...a co-worker & fellow servant in the Lord...

...with a fellow craft guru...

...a fellow lover of all things gourmet/tasty/yummy...

...a fellow church friend...

...a fellow sass-o-rama 20-something...

????

= One of the greatest gifts you could ask for......a kindred spirit!

Happy Birthday to one of my most precious friends!

I am praising God for His provision of a friend like you here in Columbia!

So thankful for all God does in & through you! Love you friend!

This just in...

2010-01-02T00:13:00.003-05:00

Encounter Winter Conference is on the news...and in the local paper...and on the news again! :)

Check out what the media has to say about our awesome week in Greensboro this year:

Channel 2 News Story: Click here!

Channel 14 News Story: Click here!

News-Record Newspaper Story: Click here!

And don't forget...you can still watch *ALL* of the week's events on video at the 'Parents Blog', including the New Year's Eve session where we start with worship, pray for several minutes as the New Year is kicking over, have our own countdown, watch the final conference video, and go wild & crazy with some New Year's worship! These college students know how to start the New Year right! Check all the videos out here: Click to head over to the Parent's Blog for Encounter!

Happy New Year to you from the Paul & I

...and all of our students!

Are you connected?

2009-12-29T23:32:00.004-05:00

Wish you were with us @ the Encounter Winter Conference?

Well...good news. You can be!

Hop on over to what we're calling the parents blog {which is actually for ALL of you that are not currently involved in our ministry. It will help you understand what the students are experiencing this week!} & join in on all the fun...

-Live feed from the main meetings, and some seminars when they are in progress

-Videos from recent meetings, worship, etc.

-Updated blog posts & comments from students, staff & other viewers like you!

-Get in on the Twitter madness {if you're cooler than Paul & I and actually "tweet"} ;)

-and so much more!

So...click over to the link above & browse around to get a glimpse of our week! I know a lot of you that read our blog know some of the band from our days at Western Kentucky University {Go Hilltoppers!}...and some more of you attend their home church, Sojourn in Louisville, Ky....so I hope this will be fun for you get to watch them from a distance!

God is already doing so much! Please continue to pray for our 9 staff and 49 students from USC & CC as we open our hearts to all that God wants to teach us this week! Can't wait to share more!

The prayer chart has been updated!

2009-12-25T00:37:00.003-05:00

If you've been praying with us during November & December, you can now click over to here and check out the final updates in red.

Thanks for all of your prayers! It's really neat to see how God answered so many specifically!

Praising God for all of HIS GIFTS!

2009-12-24T11:48:00.002-05:00

Several weeks ago, as our staff team gathered to evaluate the semester, we took some time to list out all of the praises that came to our minds for what God had accomplished this semester. We hope this list will help encourage you, as it did us. What a perfect time of year to praise God for all of His gifts!

Bible studies in *ALL* sororities

Our students involved in leadership positions in Greek life

Favor w/ administration in the Greek Village

Nearly 50 students going to Encounter this year!

*LOTS* of New believers {We couldn't even count!}

2 Valor {ROTC} Bible studies meeting consistently

Cross ‘09 - a week of cross-cultural ministry

Outreach really 'catching on' at Columbia College {women's college} for the first time

2 Bible studies @ Columbia College

Long-term laborers being raised up from within our ministries

Diverse {culturally & socially} Cru weekly meeting each week

Community w/in Cru - our students love each other!

Our Cru weekly meeting series on "Portraits of Redemption" {how Christ fulfills the OT} was great!

International ministry which started this year is becoming a 'movement'.

Girls’ Night Out event sparked faith and gave us contacts to follow-up all semester

Fall Retreat was a multi-functional, multi-ministry-connecting, amazing semester kick-off!

Student-initiated tailgates were successful social & outreach functions.

All staff had adequate funding to remain on campus Fall semester.

Seniors ran our student leadership meetings. It's neat to watch students raise up to train, equip & cast vision!

Student-initiated prayer time before the weekly CRU meeting

Repoire being built with some of the hardest people groups to reach on campus!

The Zone {a new ministry strategy} surfaced tons of girls - one bible study has ~15 girls in it!

Students who went on summer project have continued laboring

Being able to watch God's redemption in student's lives, who in turn - share that redemption to other students in similar situations

Greek Summit {Greek Summer Project} students laboring in Greek Village for Christ

Healthy, thriving relationship between the Impact {primarily African-American} ministry & the general Cru ministry

Cru weekly meeting team and worship team work so well together, worship songs consistently
echo the message of the week for clear gospel presentations!

We have a new awesome emcee for the weekly meeting this year!

Individual students' healing in rough family situations

4 co-ed Greek bible studies-200 freshmen heard the Gospel

280 people at Greek Impact most times, and in general more guys are showing up.

Individual bible studies across campus are beginning to mesh together & choose vulnerability.

Midland’s Tech has a functioning student-initiated, professor-led ministry!

Columbia Crossroads Church {our church!} has an encouraging partnership with our ministry. It has been our desire to connect the Cru ministry to local churches since before we came on staff! This is so close to our hearts!

International student Thanksgiving Dinner attracted & fed over 60 people - TONS of new faces!

Fundraisers for the Impact Ministry turned up over $2500! This money will send 25-50 students to leadership conferences this year...money which they normally don't have since they have no staff, no budget!

"X" - a new international student believer- is going to a Bridges Conference this Christmas break!

His perfect timing and plan for salvation and redemption of our students.

Our students’ being involved in churches—and joining churches in membership.

Student’s leading their friends to Christ!

Freshman Bible study in sororities

Current Stinters {1-2 year-long missionaries} in Lebanon—and Drew serving in the CCC regional office.

Student tech team is consistent & hard working!

Momentum from last year's Spring Break is still spilling over!

Laughter on our team...our staff team truly loves each other! :)

...AND SO MUCH MORE!!!!!

What an amazing list of praises! It's really even so encouraging to read back through these, myself. Thank you for all of your prayers this past semester! God has opened so many doors & hearts! We are even more eager to see what He will do the rest of the year!

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-22T00:17:00.002-05:00

Encounter Winter Conference '09

2009-12-21T23:08:00.003-05:00

We're getting super excited about the upcoming Encounter Conference with our students. From Dec. 28th - Jan. 1st, 1000+ college students will pack into the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, NC for an AMAZING week of teaching, ministry, & fellowship!

Wanna see a smidge of the fun? Check out the video below....

Wanna know more? Check out the conference website @ http://www.midsouthcru.com/!

Want to join us for the week...or even a night? Send us an email! We'd love to have you come to the conference, too! It would be a GREAT way to interact with the students you pray for all the time!

Challenging statistics...

2009-12-13T22:40:00.004-05:00

Our sermon at church this morning was awesome. We've been doing a great series in Hebrews and this morning was a "put you on your face" morning...in a good way! :) Need a good dose of humbling? Keep checking back here and listen to the 12/13 message. Good stuff.

Within the message, Brad shared some alarming statistics that I thought were worth passing along. 100 professing Christians that attend evangelical churches in America were asked questions about Christianity, the gospel, church, etc. at a Billy Graham event recently. Here are the results:
{If anyone has the source for these, please share!}

96% agreed to the statement that God is like a helpful coach who longs to make our lives better, or us happier.

94% agreed with the statement that sermons should be primarily practical, fun and enjoyable.

95% agreed with the statement that churches should be relevant to culture.

83% agreed with the statement that churches should be fun, relevant and trendy.

35% believed that "good people go to heaven and bad people get what they deserve."
Multiple Choice - How would you best summarize the gospel?
12% - God changed me.
14% - Make a decision for God.
39% - Me living for God.
35% - Christ's life, death and resurrection.
{Note: A total of 65% rejected the gospel for options that included the word "me".}

Multiple Choice - Have you heard of the doctrine of
justification?
17% Yes
28% Little
16% Rarely
39% Never

Agree or Disagree: Christianity is primarily about my transformation.
66% Agree
34% Disagree

As I heard these this morning - several questions come to my mind: 1) How would I have answered these? 2) How would those in my sphere of influence answer these? 3) Am I doing everything I can to clarify the true biblical gospel, even within the Body of Christ?

I hope this leaves you with something to chew on. How would you answer these questions?

Only college students would...

2009-12-11T15:58:00.003-05:00

...take the bows off the gifts you made them & turn them into hair bows for their Tacky Christmas Sweater Photo Shoot Extravaganza. :)

Merry Christmas to you from a few of my CC cuties {er...um...gooberheads}! These girls are such a mess! So much a mess that I feel completely fine about stealing their pictures off facebook to post these. heh heh heh.

A reminder for the RSS readers...

2009-12-10T10:14:00.004-05:00

Hey friends...

If you're connected to us through RSS feeds, just wanted to send a quick reminder to click back over to the blog for our last post (or simply scroll down if you're already here!) & check for the updates in RED from on November/December prayer calendar!

Paul walked in the office a couple days ago & said, "I think this is really fun for US to get to document how God is answering!"...and he's right! It is sooo fun! Hope you're enjoying the process too!

Thanks for praying with us!

Praying in November & December!

2009-11-30T13:10:00.005-05:00

Hey there friends! Sorry for the brief absence! Since our last post, we've traveled up & down the eastern side of the US, attended our regional staff conference, and managed to pick up yet ANOTHER upper-respiratory infection. What a crazy beginning to winter this has been! So - would you please pray for me (Merideth) to kick back into full health so I can finish strong, as this is the last week of the semester! Thanks!!

Also - I thought I would attach the prayer calendar from our last newsletter so you can have it readily available online, too. I'll be updating it in red with any updates as they come! Here's to looking forward to all that God will do!

How you can pray during November & December:
Nov 15
Pray for students as they do a Thanksgiving homeless outreach meal tonight in a park downtown.
16
Pray for the “Manday Night” upper class men’s bible study & basketball time that meets on Mondays.
Paul came home this night & said his guys had one of the BEST nights of discussion they had EVER had! Wow! How neat of God!
17
Pray for Merideth’s sophomore girls’ bible study that meets on Tuesday nights.
Just like Paul's group yesterday...my sophomore girls had a GREAT night of discussion. I sometimes joke that it's not a successful day in women's ministry until somebody cries. ;) Well, in bible study tonight we had quite a few tears shed! Praise God that He is continuing to soften these girls hearts & bond them together as they are vulnerable with each other!
18
Pray for Merideth’s dr’s appt today. We’re still trying to figure out some long-term issues w/ her health.
Thanks for praying! We seem to finally have some fairly clear answers to some our questions. Big picture - we now know that it is a 95% probability that Merideth has Endometriosis. We have some pretty weighty decisions to make about what our next action will be. Please pray that God will give us clarity and wisdom on which route to choose.
19
A Columbia College girl will give her testimony tonight @ the Cru weekly mtg. Pray for her!
20
We leave for our Regional Staff Conf. Please pray for traveling safety & fun time with staff friends.
We had such a great time! Everyone arrived safely and we had a great time with our staff friends. It was so refreshing to spend some time with our best friends that are spread out in different states. Time with like-minded friends is so life giving to us!
21
Pray that the talks @ our conference will minister to our hearts & encourage us in ministry.
Thank you for praying for this! The talk series was super encouraging!
22
Pray for all the staff of the MidSouth Region as we all head across the country for our T-giving breaks.
From what I've heard - we all seemed to arrive safely!
23
We will be in Ohio with Paul’s family for Thanksgiving. Pray for good family time!
Paul & I had a GREAT time in Ohio with Paul's family! We had some great spiritual convos while we were there...including one with Paul's "Papaw" who we believe legitimately accepted Christ three weeks ago, and we had no clue! We asked him some detailed questions & had a really neat conversation with him...he is truly a different man now! Such an answer to prayer! We have been praying for him for so long!
24
Pray for our students who are home in troubling family situations this week.
25
Pray for Paul’s family as this will be the first Thanksgiving without two of his grandparents.
Although it was certainly sad at moments, it was really sweet to see all of Paul's family still gather together to celebrate their Thankfulness in spite of their losses.
26 - Thanksgiving
Praise God for the many blessing He has given you today! We are praising God for YOU!
27
Pray for yourself if you try to shop today! :) hehe. Pray for Christ-centered focus in the midst of chaos!
How did it go? Anybody get any good deals? :)
28
Pray for our hearts to desire to ‘finish strong’ as we head back to campus to finish the semester.
The desire is there...but the health is not, sadly! Please pray for Paul & I to be at full health this week. We both have a ton going on & need to be able to wrap up the semester. Pray for Paul to stay healthy & for Merideth's medicine to work quickly.
29
Pray for our church , Columbia Crossroads. They are so passionate about our ministry @ USC/CC!
30
Pray that Christ will be preached at the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony tonight @ Columbia College. Despite rain & nasty weather, the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony went really well. My girls were there...tacky Christmas sweaters and all. ;)
Dec 1
Pray for the students we will meet with on campus today as the semester comes to a close.
2
The last bible studies of the semester will meet tonight. Pray for them to still invite new friends to come!
3
Pray for our last big weekly meeting of the semester tonight. Pray for a clear gospel presentation. At the time I typed this out, I completely forgot that Paul was speaking at our last weekly meeting! So thanks for praying! It was a great talk, one that tied of up all of the gospel-centered packages that we delivered at each Cru this semester...and finished well. Even the songs we sang after the message were so perfect for Paul's talk! It was so neat to see how God worked...outside of/despite us!
4
1st deadline to register for the Encounter Winter Conference. Pray for more students to sign-up! Oh. My. Goodness. I can hardly type this because I'm so excited. As I type this...we now have 42 students registered for Encounter. 42. Did you catch that? 42!!!! We have already *DOUBLED* our attendance from last year! Needless to say, our entire staff team is beyond excited! We are really looking forward to what God is going to do at this conference this year!
5
We have a ministry-wide Christmas party for CC at our house tonight! Pray for new faces to come!
After a week of sickness...I really didn't think I was going to be able to pull this off. But God was really gracious and Paul chipped in a lot to make this happen! It was a great time of fellowship & worship as we looked at Christ's birth! Thanks for continuing to pray for Columbia College! I am really falling in love with these girls over & over again, and even this party was just such a treasure to my heart.
6
Pray for our student leaders’ relationships with the Lord, that they will be healthy & growing.
7
Pray for our staff team as we spend some time evaluating the semester today & tomorrow.
Fhew. 9am - 4:30pm evals almost kill me every time...but this one FLEW BY! A praise goes out for a local couple to allowed us to use their really neat board room/library for our eval time. It was such a warm, inviting space and it made a tasky thing be so much fun! A second praise goes out to our team: we are such passionate people that eval & planning times can be a bit...um..."passionate"...in a good way. :) This year seemed to be so smooth. Still passionate in a good way. But not 'I-wanna-take-a-nap-cause-I'm-so-stressed-out-by-evals' passionate. Love it.
8
Pray for our team as we end our eval time & celebrate Christmas together. Pray for team bonding! :)
It's 11:56pm and I can't sleep because I can't calm down. We had so much fun tonight! Can I just say...I feel MEGA privileged to work with such amazing people. These people are my friends. These people are my family. I. love. them. All 9 of us piled into two cars & headed to Charlotte for the Cheesecake Factory & to see "The Christmas Carol" in 3D at the IMAX. What a fun night. Great conversation. Hilarious moments. Thoughtful gifts. Couldn't ask for a better team. {I LOVE YOU PEOPLE!!!}
9
Pray for our students to spend some extended time in the Word today despite their final exams.
10
Pray for Paul & I to take time to rest over the next two days.
11
Pray for a fun date night as we celebrate a day off & a night out, just the two of us! :)
We did indeed rest, and it was nice! Honestly, we were so ready to just sit still that we didn't even go out for a date night, we rented a movie & made homemade sushi! :) Aren't we weirdos!?
12 - Hanukkah
Pray for our students who come from Jewish backgrounds as they spend time with their families today.
13
Pray for students to attend healthy local churches at home, so as to kick-off the break the right way!
14
Pray for our students first few days at home. Pray that they will honor their parents.
I've had several convos with a few of my girls that are already struggling with the mix of 'I'm-an-adult-now' vs. obeying/honoring their parents. Keep praying for this one!
15
Pray for Paul & I as we attempt to meet with some potential supporters over the break.
We had *FOUR* support appointments this week! That. is. HUGE!!! It's really great to connect with several people that we love from our church & share about our ministry! Thanks to all of you who spent some time with us this week hearing about our ministry! :)
16
Pray that our students will share their faith with unbelieving parents during this break.
17
Pray that students will still have Encounter Winter Conference on their radar, go & bring others! Our total is now just under 50 students, and it seems like the word is still spreading! Continue to pray that new faces will pick up & decide to come...even if it is at the last minute!
18
Pray for students to not fall into temptation while at home, but stand strong & have accountability.
19
Pray for the Encounter Winter Conference in Greensboro, NC from Dec. 27 -Jan. 1st.
We're SUPER excited that this conference is fast approaching! Stay connected for more info...or, check out the website @ www.MidsouthCru.com for day-to-day updates! You can even connect via Twitter!

Thanks for all of your prayers! It is always so fun to go back & see all that God has accomplished for His glory! Thanks for joining us for the journey!

Here piggy piggy piggy....

2009-11-09T10:52:00.002-05:00

Hey friends -

Would you take a quick moment & pray for our staff team? At least half of us seem to be under the weather.

Last week, Kitty was cooped up due to illness. This week, just as David & Sarah return from world travels they are coming down with what might be the swine flu??? The jury's still out. And, I have been down for the count since late Saturday.

Praise the Lord - I don't think what I have is the swine flu. It just feels like some achy-sinusy-ear achy-burning up then freezing-coughing-mess of a funk. That's not the swine flu, right? If it is...don't tell me. Just cure my boredom, please. I'm running out of things to do from the bed. :(

Pray that our staff team of 9 is back to full capacity soon....and even more so that it by passes Anna Claire, who's expecting! We have a LOT going on this week & next, so this is a rough time for everyone to be less-than-themselves.

Thanks for praying for our little staff family!

SHOES!!!

2009-10-30T18:40:00.002-04:00

Confession time: I have one major worldy fascination/addiction/obsession......Shoes.

I know, I know. But trust me. I'm waaaaay better than I used to be. Maybe that's because I {and my feet} am getting older and now way more interested in comfort than style = less pairs, longer wear time.

But hey...let's not get too grandma-ish before we have too, k?

So, girls {and shoe fan fellas}...here's my bloggy gift to you: A Half-off your total Payless purchase coupon!!! Click Here!

Run, don't walk, to your nearest Payless before they close tonight & treat yourself to a cute new pair of Fall boots. I mean, even us more-interested-in-comfort-than-style people need those right??

I'll see you there. :)

A call to prayer...

2009-10-28T21:49:00.002-04:00

**Parental Caution: Mature content.

Please read through first before reading with your children.**

I can not believe what I just read.

I spent some time searching for this article tonight after a conversation I had with a local christian doctor today about the state of USC's sexual promiscuity. He saw it in the paper yesterday & suggested I look it up as a motivation to fervently pray for our students at USC. And I am absolutely burdened to pass it on to you.

Here's a couple short quotes from the article:

"I'm proud of USC for leading the way," said Ryan Wilson, sexual-health program coordinator at USC........College campuses often are thought of as places of extensive sexual activity. But, Beck said, surveys of USC students show that to be more reputation than reality. A spring 2008 survey of USC students showed 73 percent reported one or no sexual encounters during the previous year, Beck said.

Wow. I would like to graciously suggest that this study is a sad representation of what kind of standards we celebrate today. But I'll get to that last, because even *if* we roll with these statistics, it still means:

1) 27% or *MORE than one out of four students* I pass on campus every day were engaged in *at least two* sexual encounters last year. Let that sink in. But I would almost be willing to guarantee those numbers are way off. I would say its probably much higher based on my day-to-day conversations.
2) Some percentage (although unknown) of the remaining 73% have still had one sexual encounter in the last year.
3) Categorically, this study - and the support it's receiving from the university's sexual health program - seem to suggest that having one sexual encounter is somehow equivalent to having no sexual encounters.
4) USC ranks #1 in this survey. Which means all of the other 140 colleges and universities polled have numbers much higher than these.
5) We should be "proud".

To say I'm appalled is quite an understatement. Would you join me in fervently praying for the morality of our nation?

At least once a week I have conversations with sweet girls about their sexual activity and how they have been wounded deeply by their decisions. Trust me, one encounter can be just as destructive as four hundred. I pray that all of these students will at some point come face-to-face with the redemption Christ offers. Not just for their souls, but for their lifestyles.

Need a little chocolate in your life?

2009-10-25T23:45:00.004-04:00

Merideth's deal find of the day:

Right now (at least in the southeast region) Kroger is running another one of their "Mega Savings Events" where if you buy 10 of the participating products, you get $5 off your total. Remember this? Do the quick math...that's a .50 savings per item. So, most times this racks up to be some almost free stuff if you pair the deals with coupons! Need some help? For those of you in the south, http://www.southernsavers.com/ is one of my fav grocery savings blogs.

But...sometimes, it also proves for some great deals *without* coupons.

For instance: Swiss Miss Hot chocolate = .49 a box!!! {When you buy 10}
Flavors included at my store were Milk Chocolate, Milk Chocolate with Marshmallows & Dark Chocolate Sensation. {Mmm!}

So, if you're like Paul & I and go through a T-O-N of hot chocolate this time of year...or if you know of an event coming up that you could stock up for...now is the time!

Happy Shopping! :)

Saving the best for last...

2009-10-20T23:19:00.003-04:00

Well, okay...I know. 3 posts in one night is a little outta control. Right? But, trust me. I saved the best for last. :)

See that little cutie just to the right of me below?

Meet little miss Liane {grey sweatshirt}, one of the first-years at Columbia College. And the newest member of the body of Christ at Columbia College. That's right. Liane just gave her life to Christ this weekend at Fall Getaway!!!

It was such an awesome weekend. So much happened. Goodness, I really don't feel like I even have enough blogging space to catch you all up. Throughout the weekend, there seemed to be a constant message of praise. Kristen shared her testimony about giving her life to Christ at Fall Getaway last year. Tyler, a student from the Smoky Mountain SP shared his story about what God taught him on Summer Project this summer. Another sweet sorority girl shared her story about how her life changed at the Encounter Winter Conference last year. It was such an immense time of celebration. And it all hit a climax with a 3 hour long conversation Saturday afternoon during free time between Sarah (the first year's bible study leader @ CC), Liane, and myself. What a GREAT conversation it was. Liane began with confessing her need for answers to some major questions in her life. We dug deep into scripture, chatted out lots of issues, tackled some pretty major doubts...and it ended with Liane telling Sarah & I that she wanted to take a step of faith & accept Christ as her Savior.

Can I just tell you.....that moment NEVER gets old. Man. It's so amazing. But not even NEAR as amazing as watching the spiritual struggle in this sweet girl's life and seeing CHRIST come out as the victor. God. Is. So. Good.

Please join me in praising God for this sweet new sister-in-Christ! Sarah & I will start new believer follow-up studies with her this Thursday. Pray that God will keep Liane's joy lit aflame. She is a bouncing ball of energy right now! I don't think she's stopped smiling since Saturday afternoon! Sarah just told me last night that Liane's already been trying to share her sweet little baby faith with everyone that breathes around her! :) Ya gotta love it!

Here's some more pictures from the weekend:

All ~150ish of us. I don't think I ever got the final count. Such a fun diverse group: Columbia College, USC, USC Valor {ROTC} & USC Greek students!

Kristen sharing her testimony about giving her life to Christ *last year* at Fall Getaway. Such a sweet vision of all that God can do in a year.

A very wacky testosterone-filled pyramid!

Staff girl Christi working hard at Summer Project recruiting!

Thanks for praying for this weekend! God did SO much. And I'm sure we haven't even begun to hear about all of it!

Drum Roll Please....

2009-10-20T22:48:00.002-04:00

So...what were Paul & I {and my cutie sophomore girls} for the "Disney Dance" for Fall Getaway!?!?

...can I get a drum roll, please??....

The Cast of the movie "Up"!!!

Here's some pictures to help you get your bearings...if you're like Paul & I {ironically} and have never seen the movie:

The more I work with college students, the more I realize they truly are the most ridiculously creative & humorous group of people on the planet! Who knew my girls would come up with such an amazing idea!? So fun. Loved it. Had a blast. Took tons of pictures. Wanna see more? Go here.

And...yes. These crazy girls DID win the costume contest in their category.

Shout out for the Vols!

2009-10-20T22:36:00.002-04:00

Okay, okay...so truth be told....I'm a Vol girl @ heart. And I know some of you are, as well. So I couldn't resist the opportunity to share this video that my oh-so-hilarious staff friend, Lindsey, from UT just passed along to me...

The ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ @ UT is preparing to do a major outreach using the Jesus Film tomorrow night (Wednesday) on campus at 9pm EST. Here's what they did to publicise the event...IN THEIR LIBRARY THIS WEEK!!!....

Would you join me in praising God for their humor & boldness! :) How hilarious...a spontaneous musical!!!! College students never cease to amaze me!

But in all seriousness, please pray for this ministry as they attempt to reach their campus in creative ways. I asked Lindsey if I could pass along her *hilarious* video so all of you could be praying for the UT staff team & their students! Thanks for praying!

Getting away to Fall Getaway!

2009-10-15T23:46:00.003-04:00

Isn't is gorgeous in Lake Lure?

Paul & I will be hitting the road for Lake Lure, NC tomorrow afternoon for the Fall Getaway retreat with our students. We are SUPER excited this year because we have over 120 students already signed up...and who knows how many more will show up tomorrow! College students have a weird way of deciding the day-of that they want to attend a retreat/conference. Can you imagine?!?! I mean, it takes me more than a day just to think about packing! :)

Paul is such a fan of the mountains.

One thing you can be praying for is for Kristen (below, top far left) as she shares her testimony this weekend. You may remember that she is the student in my bible study that accepted Christ at Fall Getaway last year. She is super excited to share her story with students this year. Please pray that God will give her a spirit of peace as she gets up to share. If you've heard me talk much about her at all...you know she's the kind of person that could talk to a wall {in a good way!}, so I'm not worried about her clamming up...but I do know she's nervous. Pray for her to really lean on God for clarity & strength as she shares. I can't wait to tell you how it goes. I'll probably cry. Who am I kidding. I *know* I will cry.

My bible study cuties @ Fall Getaway last year when they were freshmen!

And, I don't think we'll be doing much of this this year....

It's supposed to be 40-60 degrees. Brrrr. I think I might pass lake time up and go for the zip line. Pictures to come. That is...if I actually get up the courage to do it!

But here's what you *really* wanna know....our dance party costumes for this year. Right? Right.

1990's Joel & Kitty vs. 1940's Paul & Merideth at last year's Decade Dance

Last year, the theme was "A Decades Dance". This year, the theme is "Disney". I admit, at first I thought "What on earth!?!" But hey, it's a student-led ministry so we rolled with it. But now, I'm super excited about seeing all of our cutie kiddos adorned with the likes of Belle, Aladdin, the Jonas Brothers, and the cast of the High School Musical. Who knew our students would be so creative? The rumor mill is already buzzing with what everyone is going as.

So...stay tuned to see the Davis Household costumes this year! Husband-of-the-Year award goes to Paul who has willingly accepted my sophomore girls' request to have him dress up as party of our whole gang. What will we be?

You'll have to stay tuned to find out! :)

Reunions of all kinds...

2009-10-12T18:39:00.002-04:00

This past week, Paul & I had one 'reunion' after another. It was such an exciting week!

The first occurred when ELEVEN of the 38 Smoky Mountain Summer Project people gathered together in Columbia. We all got together for a fun dinner after church this past Sunday. It was amazing to hear how they are doing, and what God is teaching them now. Two of them are even considering moving to Columbia now that they have graduated! Yay!

Please continue to pray for Elaine (above) & Meredith H. They are the two that have graduated & are trying to figure out what to do in the 'big world'. They are the two that probably have less of a spiritual greenhouse to naturally fall back into since they've graduated...so pray that they continue to hold firm to all that they have learned now that they are out of college. I took a couple of hours and met with Elaine one-on-one this past week. It was sincerely the highlight of my week! She is such a blessing to meet with. Please pray that my exhortation/encouragment will motivate her sweet, teachable spirit to seek out a healthy growing church community to plug into!

The next reunion came via airplane. :) Paul's Mom & Grandma Hunt flew down from Ohio to visit for our Fall Break. It was so great to have them here for several days! Aren't they precious!?

And...lastly, my dad - who drives an truck for a living - just so happened to be 'trucking' through Columbia this weekend! What a treat! We *LOVE* when we get to see our families (since both are over 9 hrs away!) and it is even more a blessing when we get to see them unexpectedly! I couldn't resist the opportunity to snap a shot with Dad & his new truck. He just bought this puppy and ventured out with a new company. Please pray for him as he's on the road some times for nearly 2 weeks at a time!

So - there's our fun little week of reunions! What have you been doing lately? We'd love to hear an update on you!

Girls Night Out!!!

2009-10-04T23:28:00.004-04:00

Oh goodness... I have a BAZILLION updates to post. And it's already 11:30pm so we'll see how this goes! ;)

First - I wanted to kick it off with Girls Night Out! THANKS to all of you who prayed for this precious event with Marian Jordan of Redeemed Girl Ministries. We had over 300 girls show up & over 50 of them indicated on their contact card that they would like to speak to someone about starting a relationship with Christ. And...that's not even mentioning all the other little cuties that had lots of various other kinds of responses that night! Please be in prayer for all of the student leaders, staff & other ministries that will be helping to follow up with all of those contacts!

This year's event was an especially touching one for me in my ministry. It was so tender to see several of my girls from both schools with tears streaming down their sweet faces as Marian spoke about being redeemed from a life of sexual sin. Please continue to pray with me that God will show these girls how much He loves them. Pray that they will come to fully understand grace. So many of them are being tempted to live a life of guilt & shame....even after life change has occurred & accountability is in place. Pray that they will come to fully understand that Christ has redeemed all of them...not just part of them....by dying on the cross. Even as I type this, it's hard to not break into tears for them. Such sweet girls.

Okay...changing gears...now on to the pictures:

Seriously. The girls were flying in the door by the masses! So fast I didn't even get a good picture. It was incredible!

Marian's new book: The List: Figuring Out Prince Charming, the Corner Office and Happily Ever After. Click here for more info or to order one for yourself!

Look at this crowd! God is so amazing. We prayed for over 300...fhew was that prayer ever answered!

During Marian's talk. I love this picture. Look at that intensity in the room!

But this picture takes the cake. :) As I'm snapping some shots of Marian during her book signing/personal Q&A...I look down @ my camera and see this. She caught me trying to take a shot & posed! What a diva. Then, we have the cutie pie with the flowers in the back laughing hilariously about who-knows-what. And lastly, Kitty hammin' it up back there with some adorable sorority girls, no doubt. Pretty much sums up the whole night right there. :)

So, there you have it! I hope you enjoyed your 5 minute tour of Girls Night Out! I look forward to updating you as we follow up with these contacts! I'm sure God is going to do AMAZING things! Please pray especially for Kitty & Sarah....they are really carrying the majority of the load from this event's aftermath down in the greek village! Pray that nothing less than a revival will break out in our greek women's community! In fact...it really already has!

"The Zone"

2009-09-25T14:15:00.002-04:00

Well, I haven't quite gotten to the 'upload pictures' point yet today, and yes - I did finally fall asleep last night...but I did want to take some time & update you on another thing to be praying for TONIGHT....

Tonight - Paul, fellow staff girl Christi, and about 15 student leaders will be putting on a cookout & volleyball tournament in a very 'un-reached' part of campus.

After much discouragement and frustration at our effectiveness of reaching Bates, Bates-West, and The Roost dorms with the gospel last year, we are attempting a new ministry strategy to this certain area of campus. We have affectionately named it "The Zone."

This area of campus is *extremely* dislocated from the rest of the USC campus. It is also one of the last dorms students are placed in upon being accepted to USC. The result is an all-together very different environment than the rest of campus. For example - last year, a sweet group of students attempted an outreach in the lobby of one of these dorms. They handed out cookies with a note attached saying something to the effect of "From the Bates Bible Study" and some scripture. The result? The group was laughed at, mocked, and in one instance - had the cookies *THROWN* at them. I get chills just typing that. The opposition to the gospel in this area of campus is just so strong....but...our God is stronger.

So, after much prayer & creativity...Paul & Christi have chosen to step up and try out a 'self-feeding' ministry strategy in this area of campus. The vision is something like this:
-saturate the area with events and opportunities to connect with our leadership students (2 weeks ago, they had a football viewing party & gave away free chicken wings. Tonight, they have a volleyball tournament and free cookout. 2 weeks from now they have a casino night.)
-build authentic relationships with the students through these events & following-up with contact cards from these events. In this area of campus - this is what will take the longest as many of these students are turned off the minute they think Paul & Christi's team are Christians. Healthy day-to-day relationships are going to have to be built first.
-expose these students to an authentic Christian community
-share the gospel
-pray that new laborers will step up from this area of campus & return there to reach their friends over the next few years.
Why?
-The best person to reach this area of campus is definitely going to be someone from this area of campus.

With that said, please pray for Paul & Christi and their ministry team:
Pray that TONS of new faces will come out tonight for free food & volleyball.
Pray that authentic relationships will continue to be developed and lives will be shared.
Pray that our students will be patient enough to build relationships with these individuals before sharing the gospel. Sometimes it can feel counter-productive, so pray for patience.
Pray that everyone involved with be sensitive to God's leading at all times.
Pray that some students from this area of campus would be drawn to join the rest of our ministry for our Fall Getaway retreat. This could be a neat way for them to experience an authentic Christian community...maybe for the first time.

Thanks! We're going to have SOOO much to catch you up on after tonight! :)

How did I even let this happen!?!?!

2009-09-25T00:13:00.003-04:00

This is so dumb.

It's 12:13am and I can *not* calm down enough to go to bed.

Did anyone else see the USC v. Ole Miss game tonight? Goodness! Paul & I headed down to the Cru Tailgate to hang with our students for a while, and then over to fellow staff friends David & Sarah's house to watch the game. I had a firm plan to leave at half-time (or earlier, let the record show)....but ooohhh noooo. Here I am. Still wired.

Yes. I watched the whole thing. I almost hardly *ever* do that anymore. I will be feeling it tomorrow!

So, hopefully....after I wake up at 3pm tomorrow (kidding. only kidding.) I will post some pictures & share some updates from Girls Night Out and the Cru Tailgate. It was amazing. One sneak peak of info - Over 320 girls showed up and we have over 50 girls who have mentioned on their contact card that they would like to hear more about a personal relationship with Christ! God. is. good. :)

Nighty night blog world. I'm off to organize hidden spaces & hopefully wear off some of this adrenaline.

Balloons & Babes....a quick prayer request!

2009-09-23T16:54:00.004-04:00

This morning at 9:30, fellow staff girl Christi and I were making the trek from our parking spot to one of the biggest dorms on campus with 30 pink, black, & white balloons. We looked like a walking bachelorette party. I wonder what students thought as they passed us. Never mind. It was 9:30. What was I thinking?? They weren't really awake yet! It was probably only the pre-coffee zombie versions of students.

So..."What/why on earth," you ask??

GIRLS NIGHT OUT!!!!! Yep, Marian Jordan of Redeemed Girl Ministries is baaack!!!!

Please pray for the ~300ish USC & Columbia College girls that will show up tonight @ 8:15pm for a night of free cupcakes from Cupcake, free coffee, door prizes from amazing shops, & sassy-girly-biblical-truth! :)

It has been a HUGE hit the past few years, so pray that God will continue to use this night to minister to the deep corners of these young girls hearts. Pray that the issues & baggage that this generation faces will be met with biblical truth tonight. Pray for open hearts & open minds. Pray for Marian as she speaks, and for the student leaders as they run the event.

We have over 300 girls confirmed as attendees on a facebook event....but...meanwhile, pray that lots of sweet little random girls will see this....

...and be drawn in by the advertising! Christi & our intern Kaitlyn came up with this idea last year. I'm pretty sure it's the BEST advertising idea for an on-campus event ever! I just talked to Kitty who drove by just to see it on her way home...and just as she was driving by, a sweet girl came out of the dorm, walked by the balloons, stopped, grabbed the info card & read it. YAY! It was TOTALLY worth the Mary Poppins-ish feeling I had this morning carrying them over. :)

Pray pray pray....I can't wait to update you on how it goes!!!

The summer is still spilling over....

2009-09-14T11:16:00.002-04:00

Praise be to God that He is always on the move!! I just received an email from one of the sweet girls in my bible study this summer in Gatlinburg in response to a question I asked all of them when studying the Spirit-filled life.

In an effort to get them to think through the significance of the Holy Spirit, I asked them:
"Which would you prefer - to live during the time when Jesus walked the earth in human flesh, and you could live along side Him & learn from Him...OR...today, when He is gone but has sent us the Holy Spirit?"

I remember VERY well the first time anyone posed this question to me! I thought, "Duh! When Jesus lived 'cause He could tell you what to do & you could just do it! It would be so much easier." Which only served to reveal that I had very little understanding of the Spirit and what God had sent it to do.

I explain it to my girls now like this - it's like a puppet master (although that's not the best explanation, it's the easiest to use & understand)...Is the puppet more driven to action when the hand is OUTSIDE of the puppet or when the hand is INSIDE of the puppet, guiding & giving direction to the actual puppet? Like I said - a smidge shaky of an explanation, but you get the point....just as I did after my bold, but uninformed 'duh' statement so many years ago. Jesus tells his disciples that upon His leaving, He will send His Spirit to be with them ALWAYS as a comforter, encourager & guide....not just like when the disciples physically walked with Jesus & could hear his voice, but ALWAYS. Just think about that. How neat is it that, as believers, the Spirit is always with us!?!?!

So - Praise be to God that He is, indeed, always with us - and that he continues to work in the lives of our students. So - here is the email I got:

Hey! I hope you have been doing well since I have last seen you. From everything I have heard, Campus Crusade at USC is doing amazing things through Christ. I just wanted to send you an email telling you how much one question you asked me this summer has affected me. You asked me if I would rather have lived in the time when Jesus was alive or now. I answered that although it would have been amazing to be able to see Jesus in person, that I would rather live today because we now have so many books and commentaries that make growing spiritually easier. You then said that the Holy Spirit is the reason it is easier to live now. I kind of brushed it off after you said it, but the more I thought about it and the more, I have talked to people about the Holy Spirit, the more I am realizing how much I was really relying on Christian book and not relying on the Spirit to guide me. I was talking the other day to someone about their faith when I realized that they were not following the Holy Spirit’s guide in their life at all. I realized how much different their life looked than the life I want to lead. My discipler and I are now reading Transforming Grace by Jerry Bridges which is forcing me to evaluate my real dependence upon the Holy Spirit. I am also doing Acts with my Bible Study and again, God is teaching me more about and calling me more to completely rely upon his Holy Spirit. I just wanted to thank you for your honesty and for not allowing me to just get by with “Sunday school answers” during our meetings. It really was such a blessing to be able to talk with and to be able to learn from you. I think I am going to visit USC one weekend, so I hope I can see you then. Thanks again for giving your summer to serve all of us.

Isn't God just so good!!?!? :) Keep praying for these students as God continues to draw them closer & closer to Him!

Dinner & A Movie

2009-09-07T11:53:00.003-04:00

Has this been the sight at your house this weekend?? Footballs spinning out of control!?!? At times, Paul has had football on the TV, the Satellite Radio, AND on the radio....and been running up & down the hallway screaming....all AT THE SAME TIME!!! Aaagh! Goodness!

So, if you're like me & need a change of pace....how about FREE dinner & a movie!? Yep. You heard me right. Check out these Labor Day freebies:

Free Chicken Sandwich @ Chick-Fil-A for wearing your sports team logo! I suggest calling your store in advance to make sure they are participating, but most Chick-Fil-A's participate in their national programs, or will even give you a freebie just for asking! I LOVE Chik-Fil-A! :) One sandwich per person, including small children! Yay! Promotion ends @ store closing today.

Free Redbox movie rental code! This one JUST showed up on my cell phone & I thought it was worth sharing! Look on www.redbox.com to find a redbox location near you. Head to the little red box, choose your movie & enter T46T3Q7 as the coupon code. Expires at midnight, central time. You can use this code one time per credit/debit card. While on the site, you can sign up for text alerts for future freebies, if you'd like!

Enjoy a football-free night....if you're lucky enough! :)

The difference in Paul & Merideth?

2009-08-29T18:24:00.008-04:00

This is what Paul considers a challenge & a victory......

Paul on top of a mountain
in the Smoky Mountain National Park this summer.

And this is what Merideth considers a challenge & a victory......

Look at all I got @ Kroger this past week for $39! Plus the 2 packages of cheese & one more Hamburger Helper that I forgot to put out! :) I used paper coupons in conjunction with e-coupons like Shortcuts, Cellfire, and the Proctor&Gamble eSaver that you load to your Kroger card! {See here to load & print your own! You can use one e-coupon with one paper coupon on each item!} Then...I combined all that savings with the 'Buy 10 items get $5 off your total' Mega Savings Event. You should go try it too! It was so awesome!

Hope you got a good laugh AND a good challenge out of this post! Enjoy your Saturday! ;)