Ready or Not, Here It Comes!

Believe it or not, the Fall Semester is less than a month away. For some that might be cause for mourning, for others rejoicing. Maybe you've had a horrible summer and can't wait to get back to Pittsburgh. Maybe you've had the best summer of your life and your connection with God has never been stronger, and you don't want it to end.

Whatever this summer has held for you, let me encourage you to begin to turn your focus to the Fall. In just a few short weeks the highways of Pittsburgh will be flooded with minivans full of freshmen, parents, and unnecessary dorm room supplies, all converging on a new semester and a new stage of life. At Cru, we look at this as THE most important time of the year. The decisions a freshman makes within the first 2 weeks of school - friends he'll hang with, clubs he'll join, coffee shop he'll frequent (Caribou or Dunkin', what'll it be?!) - will likely shape the rest of his college career. It's imperative that we do all we can to introduce these thousands of freshmen to Christ, and to help believers get plugged into a place where they can grow, thrive, and have an eternal impact. Everything we do over the first few weeks of school will be geared toward those things.

We have a lot of exciting things coming up, and as you prepare to come back to school let me encourage you to do some spiritual preparation as well. The first few weeks will be busy, crazy, and full of initiative taking. It can be draining as well.

No matter what type of summer you've had spiritually - crappy or fantastic - decide to let the past be the past and let this day be the start of something new. Take some time to pray - for yourself and your walk with God, for the throngs of students converging on Pittsburgh, for God to show up and really MOVE in our midst. Take some time to rest in Him - spend time reading and meditating on the Word, take a half day spiritual retreat, ask Him to fill you to overflowing. Take some time to daydream and envision what He might do this year. Take some time to connect with your friends now, over facebook, email, skype, phone, whatever, so you won't get so distracted by re-connecting that you'll forget to make vital new connections.

The Bible teaches the concept of Sabbath and of resting in the Lord. Often these times of rest become a sort of spiritual fuel that can power you through a season of busyness and chaos. Let the next few weeks be full of this Sabbath-rest, and ask God to use it to empower you for the important, chaotic, and exhausting service of the start of the year. Come back well rested and ready to go!

Praying for you,

Jason