Month: July 2002

This first time I heard Glen speak was in the fall of 2000. Glens message was about attaining a desire for wisdom. His message began with a memorable story about he and a roommate accidentally lit his carpet on fire. This usually happens when flammable liquids and aerosols are sprayed on the carpets. This thought was foreign to Glens roommate before he struck the match.

As Glen told his story, every post-teenage boy in the room, that had ever taken a match to aerosol can, played WWF in the backyard, or licked a pole in winter, sat with and attitude of understanding and agreement. This was really a funny story, but the importance was stressed later. Proverb 1:7, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Glen has understood the value of wisdom and has been encouraged to desire Gods wise instruction. This was evident to me, that Thursday night a year and half ago, when I heard his message.

I spent the next month outlining Solomons teachings and instructions laid out for his sons. I can say, because of my relation to Glen through his message, I was encouraged to learn the Fear of God. Since then I have learned about obedience, a right behavior, patience, humility, diligence, and above all love.

The
summer before I started college, I was really struggling spiritually.
A friend told me that I should check out Chi Alpha, so a little grudgingly
I went to the first meeting. I felt the presence of God in that meeting
like I had never before. I decided to get involved in a small group
Bible study and began to let God change things in me. I was taken through
several different stages of discipleship and learned what it meant to
truly worship. God brought me from a lukewarmness and created a great
passion in me for seeing His message carried across our campus and into
the world. Last year I was able to serve as a small group leader and Paula
was my small group coach. She taught me a lot about leading people–being
real with them, meeting them where they are at, and growing with them.
I am thankful that God put Chi Alpha and all the people that are a part
of our ministry in my life. The lessons I have learned in the past three
years have been invaluable.

Chi Alpha has rocked the very foundation of my life. 35mm lens on canon digital camera
It provided an outlet for God to take a prideful, backsliding kid who enjoyed
playing church and turn him into someone who is constantly seeking and following
after God. I became a believer in high school, but XA is where I learned
to walk the path of the believer. The course of my life was changed because
an intern from XA decided to talk to a young, purple-haired, freshman while
he was taking a nap outside. This is my third year in college, and my third
year in XA. Last spring break I had the privilege to go on a XA mission
trip, led by Glen Davis, to South Beach Miami. A good word to use when describing
Glen is knowledgeable. When mentioning him to others I often say, If its
a book, Glen has read it. But knowing about God only takes you so far;
knowing God is much more important. Both of these kinds of knowledge are
displayed through Glen. I really saw this during the mission trip. We did
some witnessing on the campus of the University of Miami. While we were
there, Glen did some open air preaching. This was not hell-fire and brimstone
stuff, but the respectable, honest addressing of questions people had about
Christianity and Jesus. Not only does an activity like this take gall, but
also it takes authentic wisdom to do it effectively. Needless to say, Glen
knows his stuff. But as I mentioned earlier, knowledge about God can only
take you so far. Glens knowledge of God is displayed just as much. We did
homeless ministry in South Beach. We did more than just tell these people
about Gods love for them; we actually demonstrated it in a practical way
(James 2:15–17) by feeding them and listening to them. Whenever I have a
question about, generally anything, Glen is almost always the first person
I go to. Glen and Paula are both really great, God-following people. And
I would be saying that even if they werent letting me do my laundry at
their home. 🙂

I have been actively involved with Chi Alpha over this
past year. My family background is strongly Christian and I have participated
in the church for as long as I can remember. But when I came to SMS, I
was in need of more than the typical Christian support group. God has
done so much in me personally through the students and the leadership
of Chi Alpha. My small group has connected me closely with girls who
have brought me encouragement, accountability, and support. Relationships
I have built with students and mentors have been a vital part of my spiritual
growth throughout this past year. I most recently had the opportunity
to go to Inverness, Scotland, on one of the Chi Alpha mission teams. What
an experience! I was blown away at the things God was doing while we were
there. The highlight of the trip for me was the honor of leading a student
to Jesusa first for both of us. I have never felt such a freedom to share
Gods love in such a real and practical way as I did then. That moment
was one of the most precious I have ever experienced. My eyes were opened
to how seldom I have taken the time and energy to invest in those around
me here at the university. I now purpose to be intentional about impacting
my circle of influence. Please pray that God would continue to use Chi
Alpha and the students at SMS to make a mark for Christ on the campus.