superNaturally

After the fall getaway we have continued to connect individually with students. Developing a community of students is important. On Sunday afternoon we invited all the men involved in Vida Estudiantil to come to the apartment. This space, which we will have about once a month, is just one more example of how things are slowly but steadily moving forward.
These guys lives will be transformed as they pursue truth together. One thing that is true of university students today is that if they do not feel like something is relevant and comfortable they are probably not going to come back. Commitment is not evaluated based on some objective truth, but rather on how they feel about the people and the experiences they have. This is just fine because Jesus is real, personal and is inviting us to live an abundant life. Commitment will come naturally as they have an authentic experience with their Maker. But it is a battle to help them move towards God in the midst of a society that invites them to be their own gods in so many ways.
On Sunday we invited them to get together once a month to build authentic friendships, consider what the Christian life is all about and pray for each other. We started by sharing with them how to experience the abundant life Jesus promised, the Spirit-filled life. Next month we will consider the signularity of Jesus Christ among so many other religous leaders or gods.

Leadership that Changes Lives

Isla Negra is a small city on the coast about an hour and a half from Santiago. It is best known for one of the homes of the Nobel prize winning Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda. Besides being a great poet Neruda was also involved in politics. He was a socialist who owned three luxurious homes. True servant leadership is really hard to find. And Latin America has had some (and currently has some) very poor leadership.

Mario Bloise, the Continental director, came from Argentina to serve our staff and students for the weekend. The content of the weekend was centered on being leaders that serve, bringing positive change for others. We had a great couple of days with the students. A high percentage of those who came were new students and non-Christians. Most of us were just acquaintances when we arrived, but we left having started new friendships. During the past couple weeks those relationships have continued to grow and we have had gospel centered conversations.

The students were challenged to develop their character and other leadership skills. Mario challenged them to establish clear convictions, to figure out what they are living for. He shared how following Jesus has transformed his life. I had the privilege of speaking to the new students at the close of the conference. By addressing several of the common presumptions that guide how we figure out our purpose in life I hoped to help us consider how we could live extraordinary lives of integrity... living to glorify God by enjoying Him as our greatest treasure, and helping others live this extraordinary life by faith.