it HAS been a while!

It's been an interesting summer so far... a great student leadership conference featuring quality teaching from Andy in 1Peter, scripture in song and some brilliant new TSCF t-shirts; sadness in celebration in my Aunt Mary finishing the race; bidding farewell to my good friend Waitangi (my wee car); being blessed with a new wee yellow car thanks to very generous friends; welcoming my bro back to NZ and traveling to, what felt like, every corner of the country while celebrating Christmas and NY; becoming acquainted with trailers. and second gear on the desert road; time with all the TSCF staff and their families down in Nelson; hot, hot sun and wet, wet rain at Parachute - and an amazing 19-strong team doing their bit for TSCF; a new Marsden in the form of an inspirational Mackay from Palmy; and finally, after over a year's waiting - permanent residency!

It can be difficult to keep perspective on purpose when things are tough. How much I am learning about God working out His purposes in and through me. It hasn't been an easy year, or past few months, but I can see how God is at work in it.


At the beginning of the summer I read a book called 'Finding God Beyond Harvard' by Kelly Monroe Kullberg and it has influenced much of my thinking over these past months. It is a response to the earlier 'Finding God At Harvard', which profiles the development of the Veritas Forums on campuses around the States. The book I read this summer is Kelly's story. It is written in a helpfully honest, biographical style and deals with many of the issues of being in ministry on campus.

What the book got me thinking about was the foundations of the institutions around us. Veritas Forums were established to help students think well and reconcile reason with faith. 'Veritas' means truth and is the motto upon which the university of Harvard was first established, coupled with a verse from John 8:32, "And Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching...then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.'"

Amazing! A university like Harvard was founded upon the truth found in Jesus and seeking for students to discover that for themselves through what they studied. When one looks at it it is amazing to see the original purpose and vision for so many of the establishments around us.

Looking at my school, my university - those who had the vision way back to establish these institutions to the glory of God and to serve His purposes, it really is an amazing encouragement to those of us seeking to glorify Him in the way we live, study, speak and lead now.

I was mentioning this encouragement to a bunch of students from Auckland Uni recently. One of the guys went away and did some research on the roots of AU and it was so exciting to hear of some of his findings. Indeed, the first people to establish an orientation week at Auckland Uni were the Christians on campus. How exciting to discover that those who first saw it as valuable to invest in the welcoming of fellow students were those who wanted to see Jesus glorified on campus!

As we head into the beginning of semester and O-weeks what an amazing testimony to God's grace and faithfulness that it was our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who first established this tradition. How good it would be to see orientation give Him the glory at this point further down the track!