Community and Relationships

I’ve begun to see how fundamental hospitality is within God’s DNA. And since we’re God’s kids, called to follow his example (Eph 5:1), I see how hospitality needs to be a high priority—whether that’s how we approach freshmen on campus, the new person at work, or visitors to our congregations or small groups, just like Scripture says in Hebrews 13:2

These are tiny little beauties that, when added up, create the culture of campus that I missed so much. Campus life is back, and with that, so is in-person ministry.

Saying goodbye to summer can be difficult. Here's how we can do it and have hope for the fall. 

The Class of 2021 is longing for summer after a long, lonely winter. We yearn to unify ourselves around a common goal. We pant for revival, to patch the lonely holes in our own hearts with real connection.

I am keenly aware that our bodies have absorbed a gauntlet of grief throughout this traumatic year. And some of us, for the first time since March 2020, are stepping onto campuses that have been closed for over a year. How then, when we are committed to seeing God’s kingdom come on campus, do we enter NSO well?

As much as I cherished the moment, I wish I had known that it would be the last football game I’d ever attend as a student. Actually, there were a lot of “lasts” that came sooner than I expected.

As we prepare for a new school year, I believe Jesus’ invitation for us is to see and care for these first-gen students’ unique experiences while also recognizing the agency and gifts they bring—to the campus, our ministries, the world, and the kingdom of God.

The point is that you’ll inevitably hit some speed bumps in your first year of college, and I want to offer you these lessons to help get you through.

As the youngest generation, we may believe the lie that we are useless in times of crisis. But as we mature and understand ourselves more, we should be encouraged and empowered to use our voices.

Having a certain level of social anxiety after a year-plus of isolation is to be expected. Some of you are about to go back to campus or start working in-person for the first time in a long while. That’s a really big change!