Now that's powerful!

I have a saying that I tell the students all the time - in fact it is part of my signature on all my emails - and it is "Students are the most powerful force on the planet". I don't remember when or where it started. It was a phrase that I think came from Nick my predecessor but I might have come up with it. Or Nick just did such a could job of instilling it in me that I just think it's my own. Anyway for me it is based on the passage from Acts that says you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. It's a link to my charismatic past I suppose.

I like the phrase because I truly believe that when students allow Jesus to be Lord of their lives and follow the Holy Spirit than they are unstoppable. It seems so little is expected of students at least from a positive stand point. I remember back to my "youth group" days and something happened and suddenly out of a small group of students an entire church was changed. This school year it sure seems that the Holy Spirit is at work in so many ways through our little group of students. It is exciting to be apart of and I think I am starting to get through to them that something special is happening. They are embracing that powerful force.

Last week we did a food drive. For all of our student locations we had brainstormed a campus specific service project. I confess I went through several ideas before landing on copying our Naperville location and doing a door to door food drive. I was anxious about how many students would participate and how much food we would get. On a snowy Sunday we went out to hang the door hangers announcing that we would be back the following Wednesday to collect the food. Several students showed up to help so my spirits were on the rise. The night came to collect the food and again my anxiety was escalating. Much to my delight a larger group of students and leaders came to collect our somewhat anticipated bounty. As the night progressed it became obvious that the collections were few and far between. I got a phone call from Naperville that it was bleak there as well. I was disappointed for the families that needed the food, I was disappointed for the food bank we were supporting and disappointed for the students that walked in the cold & dark for so little. I was considering the night a bust until the many of the students embraced their powerful status and went to the grocery store on the way back and with their own money made up the difference. It was completely unsolicited by me. Most had not even seen or heard from me and had no idea that no one was getting a lot. They just did it. I was stunned. I could not have been more proud of a group of students. Of course I did what any proud leader would do - I bragged. I shared my bragimony with the entire church staff and it was cool to hear from several people how inspiring it was to them. Then the icing on my cake was when I sat in the adult service this weekend and heard our lead pastor use those students story as an illustration to the entire church on generosity & right attitude on giving. Honestly I am not sure if the students believe me when I tell them our little corner of the empire - 70 some odd students strong can influence a church of 5000 but this weekend they did. Go God!