Brian Sanders, 21, Public Relations, Cypress, Tx.

What drew you to Woodway?

All of my life I’ve attended a string of churches as my family moved. I professed a love for Christ and considered myself Christian. I spoke of my faith but my actions or my motives were contrary to the faith I proclaimed. God seemed to be the backup plan whenever things failed in my life. He was someone I would cry out to for help only when it was convenient for me. It wasn’t until I came to college that I was challenged in my faith. It was a slow cycle and it still continues, but the people that I met at FWCM really played an important part in it. Through encouragement and community, I’ve been constantly challenged in the scriptures and by God’s provision, I’ve found a place to call home.

What’s your favorite book? Why?

I really love “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt. I’ve read it twice and I never do that with books. I used to be really into the whole North East prep-school genre (if there is one), so in high school I read pretty much every boarding school book I could get my hands on.

What is something cool that God has done in your life?

Coming to Baylor was a big deal for me. I had a few friends from high school that came to Baylor also, but we all kind of drifted apart as the semester started. I went through some rough months as I missed my family and home more than I thought I would. Luckily, I had some awesome guys living around me at Penland. They invited me to Woodway and really just put up with me throughout the year. I didn’t realize it at the time, but God really did bless me with those relationships and they are still some of my closest friends.

Where do you see God taking you in life?

I always have trouble answering this question. It’s because I honestly don’t know right now. I wish I had it all planned out, and I would used to say that I’d like to write for a large company, something with a steady income and room for advancement. That I’d like to get married and have kids, buy a house in the suburbs with a white picket fence and have a dog. Live the American dream. The problem is that that dream is my own.  All of those things are tangible and none of them involve Christ. They are all of my own planning, and I’ve learned from experience that all of my plans will fail without Him. I don’t know where God is taking me in life or what He will use my talents for. It’s always been a struggle for me to trust in Him instead of doing things on my own, but I’m hopeful for the future and I know that he alone is faithful.

It is no secret that I love community. I love our collaborative nature and the camaraderie that comes from it in any form – from group projects to team sports. When people are united by a task or a common interest, it’s like something in me wants to jump up and down.

Coming to Baylor University my freshman year from out-of-state, I literally did not know one person. I had great friends back home, but needed to seek out that fellowship in Waco.

Before coming to a home group, I did not really grasp the biblical depth you can achieve with other believers. Home group was the first place I really saw people actively striving and struggling to live out their faith. My relationship with Jesus became so much more vibrant as we began to ask tough questions and talk about biblical truths throughout the week – in and out of home group. We challenged each other. We encouraged each other. I had to confess sin that I never thought anyone would ever know.

Accountability, confession, sanctification – home group is great for all of those things. And it is also much more than a place where big church words happen. The people I met there have become some of my best friends. I’ve lived as roommates with them, served overseas with them and been in their weddings. We were united by something so much greater than a liking for Frisbee or an assigned project. We were united by the transformation of grace through Christ.

Being in community helped me figure out how to live for Jesus in the every day things. In terms of living missionally and for the gospel, home group is where the rubber meets the road. And I am glad to be traveling that road with fellow believers.

I’d like to give you my thoughts, ideas and hopes behind our website overhaul (that is nearing completion) and more specifically explain why I think this Community Blog can be an incredible tool for engaging one another as a body.

One of the things that caused me to end up at FWCM when I arrived in Waco as a freshman (or maybe better put: how God revealed to me where I was supposed to be) was the heavy emphasis on the Gospel for sanctification and not just merely salvation. As I’ve been a part of this ministry for the past two years I’ve seen the Gospel continually work it’s way into my daily life and the lives of many other friends in our local body. It has been truly incredible to see how a ministry centered on Christ – that always comes back to the foot of the cross – has multiplied and produced fruit in a variety of ways by the grace of God!

I’ve seen the staff and students minister uniquely – to each other, to others – through joyous times, through painful times – and every time Jesus slows me down and reveals the things He is continually doing through our lives I’m humbled and blown away.

The crazy thing is… Though I’ve seen a lot, our ministry is big enough to where I haven’t been able to see the half of it.

I don’t get to participate in every Home Group, I don’t get to go on every Mission trip, or participate every week at Inner City Ministry (ICM) or Homebound or.. or.. or…

We also don’t have time to share all of what is going on during announcements on Sunday mornings. I mean, if we heard everything going on at First Woodway some of us might not make it to our 8 o’clock classes the next morning!

But! I know that any time I get a glimpse of what’s going on in someone’s life or the life of a specific ministry I’m further encouraged and spurred on in the faith. I want to know more, but I know it’s impractical to uncover it all on Sunday mornings.

Insert this blog.

I’m not saying it’s capable of being exhaustive, or that we’ll even make a real dent in extricating the work of Christ in all of our lives, but it is a great tool and place for us to be able to share more in depth what is going on around the college ministry at First Woodway.

One of the most crucial things that has to happen in order for it to work is for you to take a look. To comment. To ask questions. To tell someone that you read about what’s going on in their life and that you’ve been praying for them (and then actually pray for them).

I don’t mean you have to come look at the blog daily, or that you even should. I just want to encourage you to keep up with what is going on in our ministry and to stay knowledgeable about how Christ proves over and over again that He is the center and mover of what we are doing.

We (Brian Sanders, Stori Long, others and myself) will be keeping this blog up to date – with news from Home Groups, ICM, Homebound, PLC, you all individually and more! So be confident that when you visit there will be fresh content, new faces and community.

In Christ,

- Ted

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” Romans 1:16-17

Here are some reflections on this morning from our college pastor Michael Criner (and click here for the full version)

Did you see the art this Sunday??? Awesome.

….You can never be more justified before God than you are RIGHT NOW.

Sin is like a sneeze… I’ll just leave it to that. ;)

We had a HUGE crowd AGAIN this week!! BUT, we still have more room! Bring a friend!

You also can listen to the talk below:

-If you missed the 9AM worship service, it was one of Pastor Toby’s best sermons ever! But that is for another day… On to College Hour.

-There’s just something powerful and excited seeing new students along with old faces – it was like a big reunion – good times.

-Greg’s leadership along with the band was POWERFUL!

-Satan can attack us but he can never ultimately destroy true Christian faith, because we are preserved by God’s grace.

-I quoted John Owen today but didn’t give him credit… so here is me giving him credit: “there is a difference between the knowledge of the truth and the knowledge of the POWER of the truth.”

-Rom. 7:24-25 – “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

I certainly would encourage you to go over to his site and read the entire post. So go do that right now while you’re thinking about it!

- Ted

Or… listen below.

Kaity, Grace and I are glad to be back in Delhi.  We got back Saturday night from Dehradun, a hill station city about 6 hours north of here by train (it was super fun to ride the train and see some Indian countryside).  The place we stayed at was absolutely gorgeous.  We were placed on the side of a mountain, green trees and brightly colored flowers everywhere, and mountains for miles on each side of us.  The campus was well kept and very clean.  There was a large platform at the top and we could look out over the entire city of Dehradun- we were all just in awe of G’s beauty and how blessed we were to be there.

Every summer for the past several years, a couple families who live in India put on a MK camp for the kids of believing families from all over North India.  There were kids from the UK, Australia, Korea, America, Norway, Denmark, Nepal, and India.  It was amazing to see people from all over the world gathered together because of one simple commonality: JC.  We got to hear from a lot of the parents on drop-off and pick-up day about how they ended up being m’s in India and all the different kinds of m’s there are here.  Not only were we wowed by all of the parents’ faith, but the kids as well!  All three of us had a different group of kids to share a cabin with and hold b studies for.   We were all so impressed by the stories some of these kids had to share, ways they have been witnesses to their non-believing friends, and their servant hearts.

To continue reading the rest of this blog, and to keep track of Kaity, Rachel and Grace’s trip to India, please follow them at:

http://compelledbyhislove.wordpress.com/

Greetings from Spring, Texas!
I have spent the last two and a half weeks at Faithbridge United Methodist Church working as an intern for their student ministries.  I am blessed to be serving alongside my 19 year-old brother. God has done some amazing things in healing his and my relationship the past two years, and now we have the opportunity to serve together. God is SO GOOD!

I would like to ask for prayer in two areas:
1) My relationship with my brother.  As you can imagine, all is not perfect between siblings (especially in a work environment). Please pray that Satan would not come between my brother and me. Pray that we would watch our tongues and love on each other unconditionally as we both get stretched and pushed in our faith this summer.
2) Next week (June 14th thru the 18th) is our huge Cinco Seis week. Every day, 60 fifth graders will come to the church and spend three hours with us.  It is to help them make the transition into the junior high here. Please pray for safety, energy and faith for all of the student and adult leaders involved.  This will be the first big event for my brother and I.

Thank you and God Bless!

Abby Garnett

After reading Chapters 1 and 2 of Forgotten God during the week, we discussed a few particular issues brought up by Francis Chan in Chapter 1, then shared some of the fears we have about God, asking Him to move in our lives, etc. Here are some notable things I remember:

*One of the primary things we need to hold to is that Jesus himself, in John 16, indicates that it is better for us that the Holy Spirit be with us, rather than the physical presence of Jesus! We discussed the implications of Jesus’ statement, as well as how awesome it is that God can be with us at all places.

*Given God’s presence in our lives, however, causes us to sometimes wonder, “Shouldn’t there be a huge difference between those who have the Spirit of God in them and those who don’t?” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) If there isn’t a huge difference in the way we live, can we blame people for questioning the validity of our lives and claims about God? After all, we are Christ’s ambassadors, “as though God were making an appeal through us.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)

*Sometimes we find ourselves producing cheap substitutes to satisfy us in our lives, rather than the Holy Spirit. Some mentioned were music, friends, comfort, other people’s words and expectations, etc. Basically we settle for things we can control, or second-hand information about God, rather than seeking the Lord with all our hearts ourselves then discussing our experiences with others. This does not follow the praiseworthy Scriptural example of the Bereans (Acts 17:11), who were eager for God but examined His words daily to see the truth for themselves.

*Some of our fears of following the Holy Spirit included being afraid that God would not respond in the way we desire, we would become known as holy-rollers, we would have to give up things we don’t want to, He would change the plans that we made for ourselves, or He simply wouldn’t come through for us.

I know one word that was good for me to hear was simply that God is all-powerful and all-loving; there will always be more of God to know and more places to which the Holy Spirit will lead us. This could be an overwhelming thought if you let it, but it can also be an awesome promise of God’s continued presence and work in our lives. As we continue to meet together this summer, I am hoping that everyone will see that we are simply on a journey of learning to walk with the Lord in a more honest and sacrificial manner. As we learn to listen more and give more of ourselves to God, I trust He will be there as always to lead us where He wants and to comfort us along the way.

Peace.

tim