But I wanted to share a few stories from Crossroads so y'all could celebrate with me! I'll probably have a few more details at the end of the week.
We had 120-130 students, from A&M, HCC, Rice, SFA, TSU and UH. 11 ministry partners volunteered to lead Small Group Bible studies. Another friend of IV led the worship team with a few SFA students (1 is a freshman!), getting to practice together on Friday only a couple hours before we began. They helped us praise God, and not just in English - we sang in Spanish and Chinese too.
Our Small Groups were a big hit. I led a few SFA and Aggie students. They quickly pointed out possible applications. One student saw that Jesus used what the disciples brought him to feed 5000; she wondered how God could use what she brought. Another realized when we assume things about people in church from their clothing, we're doing what the Pharisees did. Modesty is a good value - but we can use it to feel righteous when we're the ones who have the "defiled" hearts and are turning others away from God. And that was just the start. It was good to dig in deep and hear what God had to say with a community intent on doing it.
Almost 20 students, staff, and volunteers got stuck in an elevator for nearly half an hour. They actually tried to get the Bible study going while they waited! But of course, they struggled to concentrate with the heat and the lack of personal space.
Josh Howell challenged and encouraged us with Matthew 14:22-33. He shared that Jesus invites us to "come," to do what he's doing. The next day, he led us through Matthew 16:13-20, where Peter declares Jesus is the Christ, the Savior. He invited us to the big-ness that comes after making that same declaration, getting to have eternal impact. Lots of students made significant decisions, recommitted to following Jesus, or wanted to know more about opportunities for ministry with IV.
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