A Psalm of David - Focus Ministry Updates

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Isaiah 58:6-7 Hello, friends!      It's time for my recap blog for May! It's summertime, which means ministry shifts gears a little. Thank you so much for partnering with the ministry of college students, in season and out of season.  Family of churches: My small group has an end-of-year potluck picnic at the park after church.     I've talked a bit about the Wylie Northeast Church in my blogs. I'd like to talk a bit more about them now that it's summer! FOCUS could not exist without the support of this congregation and the others related to it. Wylie Northeast exists in a "family" of churches: Garland N...

Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it! -Psalm 22: 30-31 Hello, friends!      It's May, which means many things. One, my allergies are in peak attack mode. Two, students are taking finals and are therefore extra likely to be flaky. Three, I write a monthly ministry update that covers April. Hey, that last one is right now! Thanks for all your support and prayer this month. Pizza Theology:     Once per semester, FOCUS gets together to listen to 4 hours of lecture for a topic that can't be well-covered in just a 30 minute sermon. This semester, the topic for Pizza Theo was wisdom. Collin students prepared by reading through Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Job. At the event, they were met with wisdom such as "Proverbs says if you study for your test, you will make a better grade. Ecclesiastes says if you study for your test, you are going t...

Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many. -Mark 10:43-45 Hello, friends!      It's April, which means I get to look back and reflect on all that God's done in March. As I do, I cannot help but become so thankful for God's faithfulness and for the faithfulness of my ministry partners (you!). Sometimes the word faithful means full of faith, and other times it means dependable. I'm very blessed with to have a team that is full of people that are faithful in both senses of the word . Please continue to pray for my ministry often! D-Class:     I can't believe I don't have a picture for this one! Every Friday since the beginning of the semester, about 15-20 students have met together in a classroom on campus to experience, learn about, discuss, and live out the Gospel according to Mark. I have the p...

"...your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray..." -Matthew 6:8b-9a Hello, friends! My update from February is coming a little (ok, big) late, but it's here now. Thanks again for all your support and especially for your prayer. Without further ado, here's what God's been doing in my corner of the kingdom: Cedric: Top: Cedric at an outreach table on the Wylie campus. Bottom: At his birthday party, Cedric is about to almost catch a ball of whipped cream in his mouth. Almost.      Small groups (called core) in FOCUS are led in teams of two. This year, I've had the blessing of being paired with Cedric. I've talked about him a little in my blogs before, but this month I wanted to highlight him. He's incredibly faithful and hardworking, taking on a full load of classes, working in a key position at a pharmacy, and discipling multiple guys in 1on1 settings and in our core group. One of Cedric's gifts is humble b...

"If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you" And the LORD said to Moses, " I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." -Exodus 33:13,17 Hello, friends! The first part of 2023 went by like a speeding car. Well, a speed-limit-observing speeding car. Ok, maybe it went by like a regularly paced car. That's it. Thank you so much for being a part of it. God is always working in people's hearts, and this semester he is doing it again. It's important that we tune in to what he's doing, and like Moses, ask him to teach us his ways so that we can continue to please him. God, please instruct me and the readers of this update, and please be close to us. You hear us, and we listen to you.  Winter Retreat: Top: Kenneth and I wear our matching Wario and Waluigi hats in the worship center. Middle: The Wylie guys' core on the last day of Retreat. Bottom:...

He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" -Revelation 21:5 "Go, stand in the temple courts and tell the people all about this new life" -Acts 5:20 Hello, friends!     What a beautiful day, don't you think? A wise friend of mine says that she makes every day good. And every day is indeed a gift from God.     Thank you so much for loving and supporting both me and the ministry at Collin College. I hope this blog/email is an encouragement for you, because if you're reading this, you have a hand it making it possible! New Matthew:     If you've been a close reader of my blogs, you may recognize my good friend Matthew. I've asked you to pray for him at least once, and he's shown up in countless core pictures. Well, those prayers must've worked, because in April Matthew decided to give his life to Jesus, and in late October I had the great joy of baptizing him! I am so excited to have my friend become my brother . Praise t...

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;      where morning dawns, where evening fades,      you call forth songs of joy. You crown the year with your bounty,      and your carts overflow with abundance. 12  The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;      the hills are clothed with gladness. 13  The meadows are covered with flocks      and the valleys are mantled with grain;      they shout for joy and sing. -Verses from Psalm 65 Hello, friends!     A lot has happened and I've been terrible at keeping up with my blogs. Thank you so much for all your love and support throughout it all! Here's a rundown of early school-year happenings. First Week:          Welcome week is the first week of school where we make a big push to meet students and invite them to friendships with us and with Jesus. This year had a few extra unexpected challenges a...