My Life Next Semster... a Plan

PRAYER
spend significant time in prayer every day. at least an hour, in the morning or at night

pray for:
the ministry and the leaders, our organization and team
groups on campus and individual nonbelievers
all events, conflicts, issues, and planning going on
men i am building into spiritually
other relationships i am in
God's mercy and power
supernatural glory shown
the gospel's spread on campus, opportunities to share

LOVE OTHERS
get to know everyone on my floor, spend time with and love them, say hi to every person on my floor every day
build into everyone on servant team, initiate serious conversations, encourage, listen, and give advice
go the extra mile any time given the opportunity
live outwardly, my own habits and wants faded away, focused only on others' needs
disciple ben, evan, and kory, love all three of them, reach out to them regularly
live with Jesus 24/7, share him even in "marginal" opportunities
socially, act outwardly, not inwardly. do not go to those that make me feel comfortable. instead, forget my social needs and go to those who have the greatest need.

ORGANIZE THE TROOPS
things we need to for sure to achieve early this semester:
we must be mobilized the moment we arrive on campus. pray together and get ready to follow-up, meet every single freshman, start our life groups the FIRST week of school, take every opportunity to bring someone to LG, and invite everyone to Primetime.
Primetime must be accessible to non-believers but also very spiritually challenging to them
Life Groups must hit the ground running in week one. Leaders cannot be given the chance to slack off. Even if it is a two person meeting, Life Groups must begin immediately.
EVERYONE on servant team (plus more) must be discipled, within the first month of school.
ALL OF US must devise a personal battle plan of WHAT PEOPLE GROUPS we are trying to reach and HOW WE WILL GO ABOUT DOING THIS

HOW TO PREPARE THIS SUMMER:
spend more time with God, in prayer this summer, than EVER BEFORE, pray that God will move this semester and pray that he will transform and prepare us for it in his grace and power.
begin to love people RIGHT NOW. instead of watching tv, playing video games, browsing Facebook, pleasure reading, etc, go do some chores for the family or some other thing in order to put someone else's needs before your own
keep in strong contact with many, many people who are a part of our ministry. Write letters and e-mails. Encourage and inspire. Pass on the fuel for the flame that will be this fall semester.

Chicago address...

Hey, if you got the Skangum Summer Directory and were going to send me something over the summer, please take note of this UPDATED mailing address:

Joe Ellis
Illinois Institute of Technology
Campus Crusade for Christ
3201 S State Street
Chicago, IL 60616

Fresh Resolve

resolve (n) - firm determination to do something.

Yesterday I experienced the joy of spending time with three friends in Tuscarawas county. My hour-long drive home by myself was amazing. I listened to an inspiring, energetic, God-centered cd and when it was over, I turned off the stereo, closed my eyes and, filled with the Spirit, prayed to God, thanking Him for everything and handing my life over to Him once again.

Okay, I was just kidding about the eyes closed part. But the rest is true.

Whenever I am alone and I really feel the Spirit of God, my brain seems to run through a string of mindsets. The first is, of course, awe and humbleness at the feet of the Creator, Savior, and Lord. I can't find the words to express how great God is, or how indebted I am to Him.

The state of mind that follows that humble praise, though, is straight-up hardcore RESOLVE. It is the resolve to be the person God is transforming me into. It is the resolve for my own desires, personality, and habits to disintigrate because of the blinding light that is transmitted through me as Jesus shines through 100%. It is the resolve to turn completely inside out, having no selfish, insecure, worrysome thoughts whatsover, but instead to focus outwardly on others' needs, dealing out uninhibited love. It is to be a man full of the strength of the Spirit, without fear, fully dependent on Jesus Christ.

This summer in Chicago, I pray to God that this resolve becomes reality. Last summer, I came to project afraid and inward-looking. No more. I am determined to forget self and see only God, and, in turn, help all those around me meet God face to face, to participate in the fellowship of the Spirit, to breathe life anew.

Whatever it takes. No matter what the cost. Praise Jesus Christ, king over creation.

Comic....

Zits Comic

Easier Than Love

The band Switchfoot made a brave and responsible statement with their newly-found mainstream voice with some songs on their most recent album, Nothing is Sound. This is opposed to some bands **cough** Reliant K **cough** who seemed to lose their sense of purpose the more popular they got. Anyway, here's some lyrics from the song "Easier Than Love":

Sex is currency, she sells cars, she sells magazines.
Addictive bittersweet, clap your hands with the hopeless nicotines.
Everyone's a lost romantic since our love became a kissing show.
Everyone's a Casanova, come and pass me the mistletoe.

Everyone's been scared to death of dying here alone

She is easier than love,
Is easier than life,
It's easier to fake and smile and bribe.

So this song is very counter-culture in that it is a song that defaces VH1's sex and cheap intimacy and accuses it of being a distorted and counterfeit alternative to REAL love and intimacy. And I guess the most powerful line of the song is that middle one: "Everyone's been scared to death of dying here alone."

It's certainly true, and I think it's a fear that drives us, maybe all of us. It drives us to forego the real love, the real intimacy, which is hard, and to become addicted to the cheap, easy instant stuff: porn, MTV music videos, dirty jokes, pick-up lines, flirting, winking, sarcasm, making out, sex, and the like. Now, some of those things are very bad things. Others of them are really good things, but only in the right situation. In the wrong situation, they're a farce and a rip-off replacement of true, deep closeness that binds and protects.

A friend and I were talking last night and we realized that we're both addicted to cheap intimacy. We also came to the conclusion that neither of us know absolutely anything about real intimacy. Hmm. Something to pray about.

Spending a few weeks in Martins Ferry

I guess I should have updated this blog a long time ago. Here's some updates on what's going on.

First of all, since this is a blog largely for Chicago Summer Project purposes, I should say that raising support has been a real blessing so far. I have receieved over $1400 in support, so I am halfway there. I am always inspired by people's willingness to give to causes like this. I mean, it is certainly worthwhile, it furthers the kingdom of God, it is an experience that glorifies Jesus, equips students like me, and meets a serious need that exists for laborers on campuses in Chicago. On the other hand, most of the people sending me money will never see the fruits of their investment firsthand. I guess they just love and trust Jesus. :)

So I got home over a week ago, so I don't know why I have slacked off, not updating recently. A bunch of my friends and I went camping last weekend after graduation, and then a few of us saw each other again this weekend at my friend Beth's graduation party. Some of us are growing to be very, very close and miss each other already. This is such a cool experience for me, because I am usually not someone who "misses" others, especially when I know I'm going to see them again. But I do. I love these people. It's a good thing, too, because next semester we will all be spread out all over campus, and our strong bonds will keep ourselves and the ministry strong, wherever we are.

One thing that I am called to explore this summer on project is intamacy with the other six or so men on summer project with me. We often talk about wife-husband relationships as needing to "glorify God" and that marraige relationships should "glorify God more than the two people separately could." I agree with this, but why limit it to a marraige? Why not look at all relationships this way? Why shouldn't my guy friends be able to push me towards God in at least some ways that I imagine my future wife helping me press on towards the Creator? I can think of nothing more awesome than seeing someone come to Christ because of the way they saw me interact with my brothers in Christ. This what I think it means to witness with your life: really showing other people the love of Jesus.