I am now on Facebook. After much thought and prayer, on September 8th I finally succumbed to the allure of this unique network of friends. It has been a lot of fun—and very touching— connecting with many of our alumni whom I have not seen for years. And it has served as a great way for me to connect with some of our current students. The past three weeks have been great, even though I am a little afraid that it might be pretty difficult to keep up with it all. But if you are an alum or current student, I would love to have you as my “friend” on Facebook. Request me as a friend and I WILL confirm you. Also, if you are a CCH alum please be aware that there is a CCH alumni group on Facebook that you can join.

Yesterday was Tuesday, September 22, 2009, but it is also Transformer Tuesday. By that, i mean, a small dedicated group of guys (Nick Dano and I so far...) wear our transformer t-shirts and Nick, being the more dedicated one, wears Transformers pajama pants and a transformers hat.

I just want to encourage all you Transformers fans out there to join nick and i in our transformers appreciation every tuesday. just wear anything that has transformers on it.

And it's very easy to join in on Transformers Tuesday, just go to walmart, and pick up a transformers shirt and wear it on Tuesdays. If you're wondering, why should i join in? Well, i'll give you a couple of reasons why you should.

1. You can be "cool" like Nick and I every Tuesday
2. It is one less day you have to worry about what you will wear that day.
3. Because Optimus Prime says you should support the Autobots
4. I bought the shirt for $7.50 at walmart
5. Do you need more?

Also, sometime next week, i am planning to have a transformers movie night. we will be watching the old 1980's cartoon movie and the new transformers movie. So, if you are interested, let me know and look for the announcements!

I hope that answers questions about why I seem to always be wearing the same shirt on Tuesdays. And don't worry, I DO wash my shirt every week.

I have this little boy who wakes me up every morning. This is the best way to be woken up. We’ll hear him in the monitor chatting away with various syllables and then a resounding, “BAAAAALL.” It’s great. Every night Stanley sleeps with a tiny blanket, a bear, and a ball. The bear is just there, but he cuddles the blanket and grips the ball. I love this little man sooo much. Sometimes the love I feel is overwhelming, like raging waters that cannot be contained. I cannot express it. When I try to explain, it almost comes out more like fury. My love for Stanley doesn’t even begin to compare to God’s love for his children. I wonder if He delights in us the way I delight in holding Stanley before laying him down for bed. Of course He does! God’s love is incomprehensible. He longs for his children. Rich Mullins sings of this love as “the reckless raging fury, we call the love of God.” Now that I have Stanley, I understand what Rich meant.

Lord, help us to grasp your love. You love me more than I love Stanley. That’s crazy.

When you young ones are consumed with the thoughts of a crush or a new love, rather than beat yourself up over not thinking about Jesus as much as you used to prior to the crush… meditate on it. God is the lover of your soul. The great Pursuer who desires your love and attention. He wants you to notice Him. Do you think your love for your potential significant other is stronger than God’s love?? No way! God is even crazier about you! So Lord, you love me like this? Even more!

Lord, help us to grasp your love. You are more consumed with us than we could possibly be consumed with another person. Help us to grasp that.

A lot has been going on with the start of the new semester and Bash Week and preparing for family groups and a few weddings...etc. But I still have a great excitement and energy for the group of guys, and yes this semester we have about 10 girls, that are playing fantasy football, and even for those not playing but joining us on Monday night for Monday Night Football (MNF) in the Lounge on the Big Screen. There is something great about people just hanging out with no real reason except to enjoy some time together.

Yeah the competition of fantasy football is fun, but nothing is better than the conversations that happen as we sit around the lounge together, eating the food that people volunteer to bring in each week, meeting the new people who stop by just because they heard people were getting together.

Some would wonder what football has to do with a Christian organization, but I would say to those people, it's not a "Christian" or "Non-Christian" thing at all. It's about community, it's about sharing life together in it's small times. It's about rooting for a win together, it's about eating chips and dip and Oreo cookies together (don't tell my wife!), and it's about being comfortable enough with a group of people, that when big things happen to us, we have others we know we can talk to.

So if you've never come to MNF, even if you don't really care about the game, come hang out with us. If you're a girl, you are not excluded (ask the 10 girls playing this year, many first time fantasy footballers). If you have some homework to do, and you can handle noise while you do it, come sit at one of the table in the back and take a break once in a while to hang out.

Let's have a great year of community on Monday nights this year. Remember we'll be starting on Monday, Sept. 14 at 7pm. But don't forget, those of you who are in the leagues...I am going to DOMINATE YOU ALL!

How's that for non-competitive :)

Greetings, and welcome to the new school year. I hope you have had the opportunity to meet everyone on staff here at the Campus House. I am thrilled to be able to honestly say that one of the things I love most about my job—my ministry—is the people I work with. Danah and Matthew (our other two “career” campus ministers) are both so gifted by God.

Danah is a gifted administrator, and possesses a genuine love for life that most people just don’t have. She is one of the most optimistic—but “real”—people I know. I hope you have met her husband, Brad, and their little boy (our sixth “unofficial” staff person) Stanley. He really lights up our office during the week.

Matthew possesses oodles and gobs of creative talent. He is a gifted graphic designer, a gifted musician and worship leader, and a gifted teacher. He is the kind of person that other people love to be around—to sit down, relax, sip a cup of coffee, and open their lives up in conversation with him. And you need to get to know his wife, Sarah, too. She is a real joy.

Augie, our full-time intern, is a joy to be around. He is quiet, but deep. And he is such a good sport about the ways he has been used in this ministry—both when he was a student involved in CCH and now as a staff member. Who else could we get to don the uniform of “Danger Man” and dramatically play the role of our official Wednesday Night Bible study “mascot?” (If you missed his debut as “Danger Man” don’t despair—“DM” will be back!)

Most of you probably have not met Cherie DeYoung. She is our hard-working, and good natured secretary/bookkeeper. Cherie always remembers our birthdays with special baked goods. And she loves baby-sitting little Stanley while the staff is busy in meetings. If you haven’t met Cherie, do yourself a favor and drop by our office during the day and introduce yourself.

Oh, and me? I am the “old guy” who loves working with all these quality people.