On Campus with Christ

Home - About - Staff - Jeremy's Blog
TueTuesdayAprApril9th2013 Life Giving Words
byJeremy Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

Life giving words. 

All of us are desperate for them.

We long to hear words that lift our spirit in moments of despair; words that bring light into a dark situation; a breath of fresh air in the midst of choking in a stale environment.

Today, my extended family mourns the loss of an eight year old boy, Xander.  He was perfectly healthy. He went to bed on Thursday night carefree; but didn't awake Friday  morning.
His parents tucked him under the covers with a simple kiss on the forehead Thursday night, only to find themselves clutching to his lifeless body on Friday morning. 
Xander's six year-old brother jumped on the bed with him Thursday night, but on Friday morning stood by the same bed with tears running down his cheeks. 
And the four year-old girl, who looked up to her big brother with such admiration, now stands confused by the emptiness that death renders her hero.

Xander leaves three siblings, two loving parents, a host of family behind desperate to know why, as our Heavenly Father scooped him up out of his sleep Thursday night. 

Those in attendance of the funeral of a beautiful little boy who was given only eight years of life on this side of eternity will be desperate for life giving words.

There is a short story (literally five sentences) in the Gospel of Matthew that depicts how life-giving words can impact the hopeless and desperate.  There was a woman who suffered from a disease that impacted her on every level.  Physically, she had suffered for twelve years from bleeding that rendered her body anemic, in constant pain, and doctors unable to help.  She was outcast because of the stories of how this "plagued woman" could infect those around her.  She had be hardened over the years by the constant physical and emotional torment she received from those around her...and by her constant thoughts.

Yet, she had heard of this Healer, who had been healing many people from many types of illnesses.  She wondered if he could heal her.  When the Healer arrived in her town, she quietly walked through the crowd; if anyone would recognize her, she would be rebuked from getting so close, and ridiculed for her ridiculous plan.  Yet she was desperate and willing to risk such rebuke for healing from this Man.  She purposed to quietly touch his robe; for there must be power even in this man's clothes.  As she neared him and touched the hem of his cloak, her anxiety melted into a warmth peace that she had not felt in years.  She knew he was healed.

Then the words came.  Not words of rebuke, but of kindness.  "Daughter, be encouraged." (Matt. 9:22)  Did he just call me his daughter?  Is this love that I am feeling?  Words of affirmation were as foreign to her, as was the tone of love and encouragement.  Faith in Jesus Christ brought her these life-giving words.

Today, my broken heart needs these life-giving words; my family needs these life-giving words.  If you are desperate for life-giving words, there is One Source you can turn to find them: Jesus Christ.  "For in Him we live, and move, and have our being." (Acts 17:28)

May you find solace in His life giving words today.

MonMondaySepSeptember17th2012 Bookends
byJeremy Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
"But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it." - 1 Timothy 6:6-7

The bookends of life can teach us some valuable lessons.  I have seen three of my four children (Jonathan came too quickly!) breathe their first breath of oxygen on this planet - they came with nothing but their fully dependent body and spirit.  Last summer, my father passed away - taking nothing but his clothing with him to the grave.  All the material goods, relationships he had built, and money that was [n't] in his bank account, didn't go with him.

The bookends of life give us perspective.  The verses above, coupled with life experience, helps us understand that there is nothing that you and I can store up and take with us into eternity.  We come with nothing and we leave with nothing.  These verses challenge us to hold onto contentment throughout life.  In fact 1 Timothy 6:8 says that if we have food and clothing, we ought to be content at just that.  The house, the cars, the toys...etc. are not essential for us to attain.  The fact that 85% of the world lives on less than $1 per day gives us perspective that Americans are indeed wealthy.  The sacrifices we make to pursue the non-essentials are embarrassing when you look outside our bubble to see how the rest of  world lives around us.

The bookends of life give us great challenge.  If you are a Christ follower, you are striving to live a life of godliness.  Godliness can be defined as the communicable attributes of God, those moral qualities we ought to strive for (holiness, justice, love, mercy, grace, patience, wisdom, faithfulness...).  What kicks me in the pants is that Paul tells Timothy that not only should you strive for these attributes of God, but you ought to do it with contentment.  This goes beyond the much loved $dollar$ that we pursue, but flows into every area of life.  Content with the 'where' that God has placed you in timeline and environment of this world.  Content with the 'why' of your circumstance.  Content with His perfect plan as you live out your life in a God-honoring way.  Why would we want more, I don't know.  Perhaps its because we've ignored contentment on our way towards the American dream.

The bookends of life give us hope.  In verse 17 of chapter six, Paul is clear that we are not to put our hope in wealth...rather we put our hope in Christ Jesus who is the Savior of all men!  1 Timothy 4:9-10 says "This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men..."  When you live a life of contentment in all areas, you have your hope in the Living God.  This morning, there is no other place that I would rather have my hope!  Proverbs puts it this way: "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God."

This morning, may the bookends of life give you perspective, challenge and hope as you live your 'dash' to honor the Lord Almighty.

MonMondaySepSeptember10th2012 Romney or Obama - The choice is clear.
byJeremy Tagged No tags 2 comments Add comment

I thought my first blog back into blogosphere should be a political one...after all, it is the hot topic (that is, after the mourning that is happening in WI because of the Packer's first season game loss!).

I don't know about you, but I am tired of the political back and forth that today's candidates produce.  Very little substance has been included in their harsh words to each other.  For me, the choice is clear.

I've had many friends around me confess they don't know who to vote for.  When you look at a president who has produced devastating results to the American economy, not to mention his hatred towards Christianity has been on display this presidency in his policies, actions and words.  Then we look to 'the other side' of the Romney campaign and we see a multi-millionaire that touts his proposals to cut 1/3 of American's extremities off with less government help. Add to this his Mormon ideology, that does not come close to aligning with a true Biblical worldview...and we get a candidate that falls short in many ways as well.  But for me, the choice is clear.

Both parties had their national conventions in the past couple weeks.  Our country had the opportunity to hear the candidates, among their pomp and circumstance, and discover what their party is supporting, and how a potential four years in the highest public office would produce from either side.  Even after these conventions, the choice for me is clear.

When faced with a hard choice, it's always good to take a look back at the past to discover what it is that brought you to that place of choice, the good and the bad decisions that affected your current circumstance.  America was founded on Biblical principles.  Were all the founding father's Christian?  No.  We even had an atheist in the midst of those early founders.  But each of our founding fathers had a healthy respect for God, and knew that any major decision that did not factor Him into the equation was destined to fail.  Proverbs 3:5-6 says "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."  It was God who gave this country EVERY good thing we have going for us.  Yet in recent years we have wondered farther away for Him, shutting him out of the public eye and turning our back on him.  No wonder we are struggling as a nation in so many areas.  We've turned to our own devices...which do not work.

The choice in the upcoming president election is clear to me.  I choose God.  I trust His plan for not just my life, but for the daily life of our nation.  God knows who He wants in office, and I trust Him for the outcome. 

This morning I was reading in 1 Timothy and came across these verses: "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone, for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."  What's our duty as a Christian believer?  To pray for those in authority.   Have you prayed for Obama today?  Last time I checked, he still is our president.  Regardless of our political stance, we have been given the mandate to pray for our leaders.

Have you ever prayed for someone you didn't like?  Over time your heart starts to soften to them.  It's amazing.

May you find the clear choice this election too.  To any Christ-follower, the choice is clear.

ThuThursdayJunJune21st2012 Daniel - a young man of Resolve
byJeremy Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

I started the book of Daniel this morning...the integrity this man had is beyond admirable!  In the opening paragraph it says: "But Daniel resolved not to defile himself..."  From the outset of his service before the King, he resolved.

Resolve means "to come to a definite or earnest decision about; determine"

The commitment and determination Daniel must have had to give up "choice food and wine" to live on water and veggies made quite the statement.  This seemingly foolish choice proved to make him look healthier and his strength was better for it comparatively. 

But the determination that Daniel made carried more weight than simply choosing a healthier lifestyle; his resolve was to honor the Lord with his body, and choose to be a man of integrity despite the strong adverse influence around him.

To have determination, one must be committed to the cause.  There must be absolute trust and wholehearted devotion to the Lord in order to be committed to His service.  David in the Psalms tells why his absolute determination was inclined toward the Lord:  "O LORD, the king rejoices in your strength. How great is his joy in the victories you give!  You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips." - Psalm 21:1-2 It was His strength and His victories that David rejoiced in and thus determined to follow Him wholeheartedly.

Solomon says this:  "The king s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases."

What determination.

What resolve.

God teach me to have resolve like Daniel.  Let me abandon self, and serve you wholeheartedly all the days of my life.
ThuThursdayAprApril26th2012 Who Is God?
byJeremy Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment



Too often we try to use God to change our circumstances,
while He is using our circumstances to change us.
-David Osborn

Isn’t that the truth?  How many times have we prayed that God would change our circumstances to make us more comfortable, prosperous, successful and less irritated, less distracted…etc.  Yet God is using those moments in life to shape us into who He wants us to be.  When you begin to understand that we serve a God who is infinitely greater than what we can think or imagine, you don’t ask Him for petty favors.

Our Psalm for today (146) spells out for us just WHO God is.  “He is the Maker of Heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them – He remains faithful forever.”  Read Psalm 146:6-10 and come to your own conclusion on WHO God is. 

I am convinced that once we have a correct perspective of WHO God is, then we won’t be asking Him to do us a favor and make us more ___ or to take away ____.  When we fully comprehend that God has a plan and purpose for our life, we can trust Him at His word, and not beg him to change the things around us. 
We can then utter these words to God (as David did in Psalm 31:3-5): “For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge.  Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.”

On Campus with ChristReaching students in Wisconsin for Jesus!by This blog is intended to convey the thoughts and musings of someone who is passionate about seeing university students living in the Freedom that Christ offers! As the Lord speaks to me through scripture, literature, or simply prayer walks on campus, this blog will be an outlet to communicate what Christ is doing on the university campuses across Wisconsin.

Powered by iMinistries, a Church Website Content Management System.