Inspiring

"Inspiring" might seem like an odd title for this month because, admittedly, this is always a challenging time of year on campus. Students are feeling the weight of their classes as the semester ramps up, with many swamped by tests and projects. Around October and November, we often notice students becoming a bit despondent. The semester isn’t over, they know they still have a long way to go before the school year ends, and the excitement of a fresh start has worn off. As a result, many students feel tired and lethargic.

So, it might seem strange for me to want to write about inspiration when that's the opposite of what most of our students—and even many of our pastors—are currently experiencing.

But in November, we hosted our semesterly Pizza Theology event. For those unfamiliar with FOCUS, Pizza Theology is a five-hour event held on a Sunday. It includes two hours of in-depth Bible teaching at a collegiate level, followed by a one-hour pizza break, and then another two hours of teaching. For this event, we invited one of our all-time favorite seminary professors, Dr. Rikk Watts. Rikk is a seasoned Bible scholar who has taught in seminaries for years, and we are humbled that he loves working with us. During his talk, he even made comments about wanting to be invited back, which is such an honor. He flew all the way to Texas to teach our students, and we couldn’t be more grateful!

Before Pizza Theology began, some of our staff and I had the privilege of having lunch with Rikk. One of the team members asked him, as a theologian and scholar, what he would focus on if he were doing campus ministry. I expected him to suggest a particular book of the Bible or a theological topic, but his response surprised me: he said he would focus on inspiring the students. He emphasized that we have such a short time with them and that our priority should be to get these students excited—excited about following Jesus and learning about Him through His Word. It was such a wise and simple answer!

Rikk put his words into action that evening. During Pizza Theology, he took us on a deep dive into the book of Samuel—specifically the first 11 chapters, as four hours wasn’t enough time to go further. While some students were surprised we didn’t cover more of the text, many of us, myself included, were in awe of how much depth can be drawn from just a few chapters of scripture, even those that are mostly historical narrative. Rikk inspired us through his love for scripture and his deep passion for God.

I hope to grow into someone who can teach and inspire others even a fraction as well as he does. In the meantime, I’d ask that you join me in praying for our students who may be feeling despondent right now. Pray that they become inspired by the goodness of God and the riches of knowing Him more deeply. And please pray for us as pastors—that we can follow Rikks advice and inspire these students to pursue Jesus with their whole hearts.

Thank you for partnering with me and for being a part of what God is doing on these campuses!