continued from pt.1

The Bible is an amazing book. It is (I know, and I know that I know, and I know how I know, and I know why I know) God’s communication to us of all that we need to know, and can know in order to live in a “right” relationship with him. But you can ask questions of the Bible that the Bible CANNOT answer. If that sounds sacrilegious to you, chill out and realize that the Bible is not some magical answer book for every question. It is what it is.The Bible is an amazing book. It is (I know, and I know that I know, and I know how I know, and I know why I know) God’s communication to us of all that we need to know, and can know in order to live in a “right” relationship with him. But you can ask questions of the Bible that the Bible CANNOT answer. If that sounds sacrilegious to you, chill out and realize that the Bible is not some magical answer book for every question. It is what it is.

I actually find great comfort that sometimes the answer to (even) big questions posed of the Bible are, “I do not know, because I CANNOT know.” For example, just this week, one of our CCH gals emailed me a question about Jesus’ encounter with a demon possessed man in Mark 5 and Luke 8. The demon(s) (actually plural —demons who referred to themselves as “legion” or “many”) per their own request, were allowed by Jesus to escape from the man they possessed and to flee into a herd of pigs. The pigs, without delay, hurled themselves over a precipice into the lake, and drowned. The question is, “Why did Jesus send the demons into the pigs?” Well, you can brainstorm any number of answers you have time and mental energy to conjure. But, in the end, do you know what the answer is? Yep, you guessed it. I don’t know. Neither do you. We don’t know the answer because we CANNOT know the answer. Why? Because the scripture that tells the facts of the story reveals nothing about Jesus’ motivation. And you know what? I am O.K. with that. Actually I am thrilled by that. There is mystery that remains.

I am happy to know certain things. I am happy to know THAT I know certain things. I am happy to know HOW I know certain things. And yes, I am happy—even thrilled—to be able to say that there are some things I DO NOT know because I CANNOT know them—because not enough information has been given to know them.

Care to join me in my ecstasy of “I don’t know because I CAN’T know?” I know that you want to.

For the past 19 years Christian Campus House has enjoyed a unique symbiotic relationship with Shiloh Christian Children’s Ranch in Clarence, Missouri. Symbiotic, in that… they need firewood to heat their homes… and we need an outlet for Christian servanthood.

Shiloh is a wonderful place. It is a children’s home where kids can live who are troubled, unwanted, or who—just because of some unfortunate life circumstance—find themselves in this world without parents to care for them. It is a place where amazing Christian adults dedicate their lives to the herculean task of loving, disciplining, and rearing children who have been “discarded.” I have immense admiration for these house parents who have sacrificed so much to give so much of themselves to one simple task—giving at-risk kids a chance to grow up in a loving, caring, Christian home.

Fifty CCH’ers just returned from our annual wood cutting trip to Shiloh. We once again cut, split, hauled, and stored away at least one year’s worth of “heat” for the half dozen houses that Shiloh kids call “home.” We were privileged to play with the kids, visit with the house parents, and leave feeling like we really accomplished something worthwhile.

But, I think that most of us who go there to “give” to the Shiloh folks—well, we feel like we probably take away more than we gave away. We witness God’s love in action. We learn from Godly people who live tough lives. And we get to share in the joy the kids there experience—the joy of being loved and cared for.

I thank God for the whole Shiloh experience.

It is an odd question, isn’t it? A campus ministry isn’t a commodity that can be bought or sold. But as odd as the question may be, it is crucial to know the answer. We could take the easy way out, and affirm that it is God who owns CCH. That is certainly true, but for our purposes, it is not particularly helpful to recognize something so self-evident. What we really want to know is… who (humanly) owns this ministry?

Well, organizationally, we do have a board of directors (about a dozen men and women—most of whom are CCH alumni) who oversee the ministry. These dedicated folks make important decisions about the staff, the budget, the building and grounds, and the various legal issues that must be addressed. But they do not own CCH.

From a leadership perspective, we do have four full-time campus ministers. Danah, Matthew, Augie, and I work to provide vision, direction, leadership training, mentoring, and counseling for the many college students who come through our doors. The four of us collectively have committed more than four decades of our lives in service to this organization. We may provide long-term continuity of leadership. But we do not own CCH.

CCH is an RSO—a Recognized Student Organization—accepted by Eastern Illinois University. But EIU certainly does not own CCH.

So, who “owns” Christian Campus House? Maybe you have already guessed the answer. You do. If you are involved in this ministry, you share ownership of CCH with all of your brothers and sisters here. CCH is a “peer ministry.” The best “stuff” that goes on here is always the “peer stuff.” If anyone comes here, it is probably because you invited them—and maybe you even went out of your way to bring them with you. If anyone decides to commit their life to Jesus, it is because you chose to take a risk and engage them in deep conversations about their relationship with Him. If a life is radically changed, it is likely because you took the time and initiative to open up a meaningful and challenging conversation. If anyone comfortably calls CCH “home” it is because you made them feel welcome. And if anyone graduates and fondly reflects on cherished memories of their experiences here… it is because you shared your life with them. Yes, it is you who owns CCH. It is as it should be. It is as it must be for a ministry like this to make a significant impact on this campus. You own it. Go enjoy it.

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.

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.