[I just posted this over at the media blog, but wanted to put it here too to see who all remembers this.]

So I just had a birthday, which never affects me emotionally one way or the other. What makes me feel old is something like referencing Picture Pages in front of all my students and they have no idea what I'm talking about.

So, for your educational benefit, BEHOLD: Bill Cosby and Mortimer Ichabod Marker, in all their glory. This was a staple of my childhood.

I've been one of the biggest proponents of the positive aspects of digital social networking. But I'm starting to wonder if we are bordering on an era where people are actually losing some of the drive to connect face to face, particularly college students. I don't think face-to-face interaction is in any danger of going away, but I'm wondering if making the effort of physically going to social hubs is becoming less appealing because of the new social opportunities of constant digital connection.

I'm particularly wondering about campus ministry student centers and their value as "always open" social worlds.

But I may be attributing the wrong causes to the symptoms. Don't know.

If you've read this blog for any length of time you know I had a love/hate relationship with my experience in grad school at Abilene Christian University.

But there is one part of my experience I treasure and will never forget: helping lead the Southern Hills Campus Ministry at Southern Hills Church. It was very much a learning experience for me because it was entirely different than state school campus ministry, so I had to learn a whole new dynamic and how to serve within a different ministry culture. But in the end, it was beneficial to me in many important ways, and there are people God put in my life through it who I will treasure forever.

The story of the Southern Hills Campus Ministry is one of incredible success, having risen from the ashes only a few years ago to being one of the premier ministries anywhere, as far as I'm concerned. It's also one of the few of its tremendous size that works to integrate everyone into real community, not just put on massive events that draw hundreds of people.

Many many props to Jordan Bunch, who was a young, idealistic ACU freshman when we hired him on as Campus Ministry Associate but who has grown into one of the best spiritual leaders I have ever known and will enter the world here soon as one of the greatest up and coming campus ministers of our generation. (Jordan I am still assuming you will pursue campus ministry long term.)

Here is the latest video from the SHCM Fall Retreat, which had about 150 attendees, 140 of whom integrated into the SHCM LIFE Group system. Awesome.



(Facebook users click here to watch the video).

This is why we do what we do.

I was perusing Facebook stati just now and saw what one of the freshmen girls in our ministry who lives in the dorms posted last night at about 1:30am:

[Jamie] just dragged a wasted girl to the bathroom on a (not hers) puke filled blanket.

(I changed the name.)

This is why we do what we do. Not because it is easy, not because it is pretty, not because it is even encouraging. We could easily surround ourselves with all the nice people doing all the nice things and everything would be peaches and roses. This is exactly what Jesus could have done as well. He could have enjoyed a long, happy life, surrounded by people who adored him and having anything he wanted. But for some reason he was compelled to participate in the real world - a world that was ugly and messed up. A world where people abuse themselves and others. A world where people do really dark and detestable things. A world where sometimes you are very alone. He chose to live a life right in the middle of that kind of world - and he did it without being afraid of it or threatened by it. He did it, and the world was changed forever. But it didn't stop there - he promised us the ability to change the world as well by doing the very same thing.

So, you have GOT to know, that by allowing yourself to drag a drunken girl down the hall on her own puke filled blanket, that Jesus is right there next to you, pulling on that thing as well, and glancing over to you and whispering "you're changing the world."

This is why we do what we do.