ECSU: A Diamond in the Ruff

ECSU is a diamond in the ruff. Cliche, I know, but it is very true. Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) is in the heart of Willimantic, one of, if not the most economically poorest towns in Connecticut. It is also a smaller school, where last year's fall semester enrollment was 5,606 students. The average person in the United States has not really heard much about that school. When I talk to people outside of Connecticut, I can't just tell them, "I do ministry at Eastern," because they usually think of Eastern University, a Christian college in Pennsylvania. I usually tell them, "It is about a 10 minute drive from UConn." And they say, "Oh, okay," because mostly everyone knows about UConn.

ECSU is a public liberal arts school, the only one in Connecticut, that I know of. A liberal arts education basically requires you to not just take courses applicable to your major, but courses under a variety of other subjects including, but not limited to Mathematics, Science, Art, Music, Sociology, History, Business, and much more. It is designed to broaden people's horizons and perspectives of the world, which makes the overall environment at ECSU very exciting to work at.

ECSU is an environment of curiosity. When I led Bible Studies with students in the Student Center last year, students constantly came up to us asking, "Hey what are you guys doing?" Some would even sit in for a few minutes!

ECSU students crave relationships. Freshmen in particular are coming into this school and are looking to get connected in some way. Their high school status and clique are gone and it is a fresh, clean slate. For some it is exciting, for others it is a little terrifying. They desire to meet new friends. They desire to be accepted and to meet new people.

ECSU has exciting spiritual history. Many alumni of ECSU were part of a movement in Eastern CT called "The Burning Bush." Christian students there used to take busloads of other students to a farm the next town over to hear sermons and have Bible Studies. It was a very exciting time and many ECSU alumni from that time period remember The Burning Bush with fondness.

Many Christian alumni in my circles of friends also fondly remember their time at ECSU. They look back at those years where they too also found identity and purpose in Jesus Christ. It was a time when they too went through growth and have a myriad of great memories and close friendships.

ECSU has been a spiritual blessing for me. I became much more solid as a Christian because of my time at ECSU. I got plugged into the Christian club there and for the first time in my life found like-minded Christians my own age. Through it my faith in Jesus took off! It was at ECSU that I have memories such as having early morning Bible Studies at Hurley Hall (the dining hall), late night prayer walks around campus, witnessing opportunities with students and local Willimantic teens, and much more.

If it wasn't for ECSU, I would not be where I am today. It was there where I found the true meaning of accountability, fellowship, and even spiritual leadership. It is a true honor and blessing to now be able to bless other curious students for this coming year!

I can't wait!

"The Catalyst" by Linkin Park (Part 2)

The following is the conclusion of a post I wrote a few weeks ago. You can read the first part by clicking here. You can also check out another LP post I wrote a few months ago by clicking here. Enjoy and thanks for reading!

God save us everyone, will we burn inside the fires of a thousand suns?
For the sins of our hands, for the sins of our tongue,

for the sins of our fathers, for the sins of our young?
NO!

Musically at this point the music portrays a stirring and rising effect. As it should, for this verse describes a desire for change. Suddenly this speaker is in fact crying out to God. In the "burning" part, he even understands what the wage of his sin will bring. All people deep down inside know that society itself is crumbling and that something is wrong. We can sense it. This person seems to understand why and even sees the end result. He even knows why! The word "for" is another word for "because". So burning "inside the fires of a thousand suns" is because of the sins we committed, both past, present and future. We do sin with both our hands and our tongue. Words can cut deep into people, and all of us have said the wrong things.

In using "fathers" and "young", it shows that sin is generational. It is a hereditary trait. It doesn't even just have to do with the past, but how we live in the future. It impacts our children in such a negative way. A lot of the bad habits we have, our children tend to have as well.

However, like what was said, this speaker is crying out to God for salvation. He wants an end to this! He wonders if we will burn or if God will send help to grant us a way out to freedom. He doesn't know what else to do except cry out for mercy. He doesn't present any special offerings, because he understands that they will never amount to anything. He sees that nothing will save him from "burning in the fires of a thousand suns", but that "chant" ends with one word: "NO!" No, I WILL not burn, I will not bear this wrath. Some would say, "He's making his own truth and being his own God," but may I suggest that this speaker is repenting. He is making an active choice of walking away from this sin, darkness and death and into life.

The song lastly transitions into a finale, with the words said repeatedly, "Lift me up, let me go." The tone of them is of increasing desperation and fervency. They see that the only way out is not done by the work of their hands. They are trapped in the "sins of their hands, tongue, fathers and young." This ordeal "cannot be outfought, cannot be outdone, cannot be outmatched, cannot be outrun." The speaker sees that the only way out is through reaching out to someone or something outside of himself. He sees himself having bad karma, and cannot work to be saved from the mess he found himself in. The debt he has is too high for him to pay. He needs to be freed from the society around him and even more importantly, HIMSELF!

According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, a catalyst is "an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action." Pretty much every testimony by a Christian that I know of has to do with reaching a point of hitting "rock bottom", like described in this song. The person realizes that they have been consumed by the evil of the world around them, and at the same time have contributed to that evil. This person sees their filth and realizes that they need to make a change not in just some parts of their life, but their entire life.

Oftentimes when we humans have reached our most bitter and broken circumstances, an automatic reflex is to lift our hands up to the heavens, crying for help, mercy and deliverance! At one point in the music video for this song, we see the lead singer Chester Bennington doing just that. I sincerely hope and pray that one day all the members of this band do this, if they haven't already. Maybe this song is a bit of prophecy?

Jesus Christ answers the cry of the broken, oppressed and sinful. He did this by dying a brutal death on a cross, facing not only physical, but spiritual anguish. Three days later, He did the impossible: rising from the dead, which was the exclamation point on the victory He offers to all of humanity openly and freely. Upon trusting in Him, the only "fire" we will experience is not the "burning fire of a thousand suns" composed of judgement and eternal condemnation, but the all consuming "fire" of cleansing, restoration, life and power.

"The Catalyst" is written by Linkin Park, copyright 2010 Universal Music.

It's NOT Just About The Money! (Part 2)

It's not just about the money, it's not just about the money, LET ME SAY IT AGAIN!

IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE MONEY!

Gotta once more note the "just" because part of it is about the money. This brotha's gotta pay the billz! I can't just run into ministry and go in debt for Jesus. What kind of a witness would that be? Raising financial support helps me be more financially stable so I can adequately minister to students. It also provides for supplies like Bibles and other literature to hand out to students, precious petroleum for travel, delicious coffee as we have spiritual discussions, mouth-watering pizza to get college students in the door for investigative Bible Studies, and much more! The financial gifts that partners with me give go toward these very things!

What ELSE is it about then?

• It's about beholding God's power. It's about SEEING the true meaning of the words Jehovah Jireh. God never forsakes those He loves. He NEVER leaves His kids high and dry. In raising financial support I SEE that with my own eyes. When it feels like the sky is falling down all around me, I wake up the next day and see the Son rise (pun intended!). God is absolutely sovereign AND absolutely loving. Because of this, He will never leave or forsake those He calls and loves. I have seen things come in the mail that have literally made my jaw drop and have caused me to even more literally sink to my knees.

• It's about the realization that EVERYTHING I own is not mine. I didn't earn it through my own blood, sweat and tears, but it is all God's and He freely gives it to me. I feel just like the Levites, who God ordained to live FULLY on the supporting tithes of the other Israelites. It was to show them that their inheritance is not in Israel, but in God. The same goes for me and for everyone else. The account that your paycheck is drawn from may say your company's name on it, but it really comes from God. Every paycheck is a gift!

• It's about building new relationships with others! I don't just want to see the inside of people's wallets, I want to see inside their hearts. I want to get to know people, develop relationships, pray, fellowship, drink coffee, have inside jokes, watch movies, etc. Through appointments with some people, I have opened up doors with them that I never even knew existed!

• It's about co-laboring for Jesus! I have seen people give in powerful ways that go way beyond monthly pledges. People have opened up their homes, offered study resources, free groceries, discounted rent for housing, sent gift cards, encouraging text messages, made phone calls, intercessions on prayer chains, gave free books, free personal retreat venues, free meals, free Joint Juice (look it up!), offered counsel, a shoulder to cry on, AND SO MUCH MORE! Being involved in ministry goes so much deeper than just having phone-a-thons asking people for money. Raising support is all about raising up an army of mighty men and women to co-labor with me in whatever way they feel led. It is SO EXCITING to see others in action beside me for the sake of the Gospel!

Wow, that made me feel a lot better. Raising financial support can be discouraging, it can be hard, it can make me want to cry, but MY OH MY is it exciting. PRAISE GOD for fundraising!