A book review: Find Your Strongest Life, Marcus Buckingham.

I just finished reading _Find Your Strongest Life_ by Marcus Buckingham. He is such a fascinating author. I am always intrigued by his content. Although this is a variation on a theme of his other books - 'Build on Strengths, not Weaknesses' - it is unique in that it focuses on women, in many different stages of life. He offers helpful ideas on how to advance in light of a culture that has many expectations placed on the role of women. The book is divided into 3 parts that breakdown to an analysis of the current cultural situation: how to develop 'Your Strongest Life'; & practical ideas on how to develop considering a number of life circumstances.

Buckingham's newest book provides some insight to the complexity of today's culture. I felt that his ideas were not totally gender exclusive.The Test included with the text is helpful for men & women. It gave me good ideas on how to develop personally and some ideas on how to encourage women that I meet with and work with. I think every woman should read and know this content and take the Strong Life test.

Oh John the Baptist, What a guy?

I just started reading Mark. "Jesus in Fast Forward" What if you knew a guy like John the Baptist? (J the B) He must have created quite a wake!

Before Jesus is even 'around' (born but not in ministry yet) John is going at it. He brings a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John is aware of man's brokenness; his need to confess and his need to repent! And rather than just give folk a "duty to do" he calls them to CHANGE! Radical Change!

Sure he starts with a religious act - the actual process of getting wet (like a washing, I think) but his real call to change is by stopping your evil, broken & sinful ways and becoming a new person. Becoming a new person - not just based on your own work, but by reliance on God, the one true God who J the B was calling us to follow.

J the B knows his role - to bring the message that prepares the world for The Lord (the Christ). He will do whatever is necessary to accomplish his task. Think about the ridicule he sustained. He hung out in the desert region. He wore clothes made of Camel's hair (I don't think it looked like a nice blazer), he feasted on Locusts, dipped in honey (Anthony Bourdain, step aside). He was a character.

I believe, at least partly, that is what attracted people from all over to come see him (and hear his message). He was authentic until the end. He served his Master.

So what can we learn from J the B?

1) Know your Master.
2) Be authentic.
3) Be prepared to give a reason for the hope that you have.
4) Be provocative, after all the Gospel certainly is.

"A Tribute to My Best Friend" by Pat Morley

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A Tribute to My Best Friend
Volume 337
August 31, 2009
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My best friend, Ken Moar, died August 19, 2009, according to his obituary, "from complications of a long and happy life" -- his own words. His body was 90 years old, but his mind was as lithe as any man half his age.

Ken was a World War II hero, piloting Lancaster Bomber missions for the Royal Canadian Air Force. Of 17 pilots who went to England in 1943, he was the sole survivor.

I first met Ken when I was a freshman Christian and he was a sophomore. Our church was starting a new program of evangelism and discipleship. They asked Ken and his wife, Lee, to head up the evangelism program. They asked my wife, Patsy, and me to head up the basics class for new Christians. And, wisely, they stuck all of us together in a leadership Bible study together.

I soon found myself at a men's retreat at Windy Gap, North Carolina. Tom Skinner was the main speaker. He said if you want to change your community, become to someone else what you want your community to become, and that will create a model that is so powerful that others will be attracted to it.

The next Sunday, I saw Ken standing in the hall at church. His usual sanguine self, he cut a striking, masculine silhouette against the ordinary men who listened in rapt attention to one of his tall tales -- he loved to laugh and make others laugh. When he had a moment alone, I told Ken what Tom had said and asked if he would like to meet once a week for lunch.

"Sure!" he said, and we did that for the next 32 years.

Someone once asked, "What do you talk about?" We talked about our spiritual journeys, our families, our hopes and dreams, our troubles, and an occasional gripe about the direction the world is headed. But most of all we talked about Jesus, and we prayed for all who needed help or salvation. I don't know how much we changed our community, but I know we changed each other.

So long, Ken. You were a great, irreplaceable friend, and I will always love you.
Yours for changed lives,



Patrick Morley, PhD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Vision for 2009-2010

This was sent to all IVCF@W&M leaders in July:

....As you know, the fall is a busy time for our Intervarsity chapter, and Exec spent a week during Rockbridge trying to figure out the best way to carry out God’s plans for the fall on campus.

To us, a very important first step was to try to define who we would like to be as a chapter. Rest assured, this is not who we are yet, but it is who we feel God is calling us to be on our campus and in our lives. The definition we have come up with is: We are a community following Christ with all we’ve got that strives to love, challenge and encourage each other and our campus to pursue God. This is what we would constantly strive to be more like: working to become more like who Christ is.

The second thing we came up with at Rockbridge is what our focus will be for the upcoming academic year. The focus is something that is more goal-oriented and is to be accomplished within a set time-frame. This year’s focus is: deepening our Christ-centered community by focusing on spiritual disciplines and sharing it with others. The three-fold goals—community, spiritual disciplines, and reaching out to share Jesus with others—will give our chapter some direction and focus in the way that we pursue God as a community. Some of the things that we will look to do under this focus include: partnering with other campus organizations on several events, making socials more widely accessible, encouraging a lifestyle of discipleship within our chapter, and working on our understanding of and focus on spiritual disciplines.

We have chosen a theme verse that we feel resonates with our focus for the year. It is 1 Peter 3:15 and reads, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” We definitely want to acknowledge that we may not be the suffering church for whom this letter was intended (which becomes evident in the verses surrounding this one), but as Christians, we are tested in our faith every day and want to be able to answer the hard questions asked of us.

One thing is certain: these ideas sound great to us, but we will need your support to realize them. It is important to note that because the focus is crafted for a full academic year, it must be something that the whole chapter supports and works toward. In a semester, the current Exec team will shift, and we want to ensure that the passion and pursuit of Jesus that are behind our definition and focus are something you can get behind. Please always feel free to approach us with questions, comments, concerns—we’d love to hear what you think!

We are praying for you and cannot wait to see you back on campus in the fall. We pray that as the summer progresses God will continue to transform your life as you grow closer to Him and reflect more of His character. We are counting on you to encourage and share, God’s love, with people that others of us will never be close to. These goals are not easy, but as we rely on God we will be able to see Him provide for us and see Him transform the lives of those around us. IT IS TIME TO BE EXCITED, THE LORD IS RISEN!

In Christ,
David Adams, Chapter President
Katie Bradshaw, Large Group Coordinator
Marynn Skelton, Outreach Coordinator: Evangelism
Danny Habersetzer, Outreach Coordinator: Service
Ben Boyd: Community Coordinator

I am very proud of my team!!

A letter to Prospective Students from the IVCF@W&M website

Dear Prospective Students:

Welcome to W&M! We know the process of choosing a college has been difficult. You are probably trying to decide what God's will is for you. Your choices have probably been between a Christian school, a private school or a state school like W&M. Two of the questions you may have are: Can my faith in Jesus survive a secular university like W&M? and Will I find a community of friends in college who will encourage me to mature as a person and in my faith and beliefs?

Perhaps we have a bias, but yes your faith in Jesus Christ can not only survive but mature while you are here at W&M. There are many activities that are designed by InterVarsity as well as the other Christian Ministries on campus to do just that. As you look through this website you will see many (not all) of the programs and leadership opportunities that IV does at W&M.

We work hard in the first couple weeks of school to meet you and help you acclimate to the campus. There are cook-outs, fellowship meetings, bible studies in your residence halls designed to help you get to know other freshmen as well as upperclassmen who can help you grow in your faith. Within the first month of classes there will be a New Student Retreat, that will introduce you to other freshmen, some transfers, and a bunch of the leaders in InterVarsity. Each Friday, there will be a worship/fellowship time (Large Group). It is a great way to end the week. It gives you a real chance to focus or re-focus on the Lord and begin the weekend with fellow Christians on campus. We usually have a "social" event after "Large Group". These are open to the whole campus and are designed for fun and to help us build community with each other and others who aren't involved in IV.

W&M students tend to associate with their neighbors from their freshmen halls. This is why we have freshmen only Small Groups led by 2 upperclassmen. This gives you a deeper chance to bond with other students from your residence hall as well as hang out with some cool upperclassmen leaders. Many of these groups stay together after Freshmen year. Eventhough you may no longer live together, there will still be a way for you to stay in community for the rest of college. And from our experience, many of these relationships stay together long after graduation. In addition to this opportunity, the family of InterVarsity allows many opportunities to bond on campus and to form deep and significant relationships that will help you honor God in your day-to-day lives as well as to help pick you up when you are struggling.

In your Campus Visits, please feel free to come to Large Group (6:30PM Friday evenings in Millington 150, just to the right of the new SWEM Library). If you would like to be housed for the weekend with an InterVarsity Student please contact Chris Sloan or Lauren Ellis can also arrange for a brief visit with our Campus Minister, if you would like.

A letter to parents from the IVCF@W&M website

Dear parents:

We’re excited that your son or daughter is considering William and Mary as they move into the next phase of their life. If you’re anything like our parents, or our staff worker Marty and his wife Carolyn, you’re probably approaching this transition with a potent mixture of pride, excitement, trepidation, and outright fear. Carolyn likes to tell the story of taking her first son to college, and her unshakeable fear that if she didn’t make his bed for him that first day, it would never get made. From there, he wouldn’t get enough sleep, he wouldn’t eat enough, his grades would suffer, and he wouldn’t make any friends. Needless to say, she made sure that the bed was made.

Unfortunately, we all know that ensuring the spiritual well-being of your soon-to-be college student isn’t nearly that easy. Nobody rousts freshmen out of bed for church on Sunday mornings, or schedules them in for middle of the week fellowship with Christian peers. Late-night WaWa runs and serious mid-afternoon naps don’t seem to be a conducive environment to a disciplined life of spiritual contemplation.

However, here at William and Mary, we believe that InterVarsity Christian Fellowship offers a unique opportunity for students to pursue God, God’s purposes, and fellowship with His people. We believe that this extends not only across the 4 (or more) years of college, but across the following 40 years of vocation, whether that’s in the home, academia, government, the marketplace, or in full-time professional ministry. IVCF has been at W&M since 1964, when a group of students asked a biology and chemistry professor to help them build a chapter that would reach the campus with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Since then, thousands of students have been ministered to through weekly large group meetings, small group Bible studies, prayer meetings, service opportunities, and outreach to the campus.

From the first moment they arrive on campus, IV members will be there to help incoming freshmen move into the dorms and get acclimated to college life. Each dorm has a small group Bible study led by two upperclassmen who have been preparing and praying since their week-long training the previous spring. Cookouts, Frisbee games, beach days, and plain old hanging out characterizes the first few weeks of the school year (you know, when we’re not studying our eyeballs out. Seriously.) Every Friday, the chapter gathers together for worship, prayer, and teaching from God’s Word.

Yet IV isn’t just a community to get "plugged in" with that keeps students from making poor choices. Ultimately, our task is to move students closer to the life of Christ here on earth, one marked by inward devotion to knowing God and the outward practice of being His hands and feet to the campus and to the world. To that end, IV is constantly striving to equip its members to be friends to those who want nothing to do with the church. We’re always seeking to proclaim and demonstrate the Gospel in ways that will cause our friends to stop and consider taking Jesus’ invitation to take a step with Him on life’s journey, whether that’s through serving them pancakes on the last day of classes or inviting them to learn about Christ at the Alpha course (http://www.alphausa.org/).

Furthermore, as a ministry at the best small state institution in the United States, we have a unique opportunity to produce true world-changers, men and women who will impact every aspect of business, government, academics, art, science, and the church for the Gospel. We seek to learn, do, and pursue justice through events like 30 Hour Famine or the Williamsburg homeless reality tour. Every spring break, students have the chance to serve the inner cities of Camden, NJ and Wilmington, DE through our service trips supporting the ministry of Urban Promise (http://www.urbanpromiseusa.org/).

A little bit more at peace about your son or daughter’s future at William and Mary? We sure hope so. We just celebrated our 45th anniversary as a chapter here, and we’re looking forward to 45 more years of seeing God impact lives and bring glory to His own name. Of course, if you have any more comments, questions, or concerns (and as a parent, you probably do) then you can shoot a quick e-mail over to our staff worker Marty Purks (mepurk@wm.edu), or the new student coordinators that are listed here. They’d love to talk to you more about IV, William and Mary, and probably just about anything else you wanna know about. Thank you, and God bless.

Woodstock '69 - "Fail" as the Providence of God

Yea I was one of those guys! In the early 70's there were many of us who said - "Yea I almost went to Woodstock,

No, but really I almost went!

I was 1 hour away from departing with my friend Wayne O'Brien. Here is how it went for us. It was really Wayne's idea. He knew about the concert and all of the hoopla surrounding it. It was a summer afternoon. We were hanging out on our little suburban street corner, just talking trash as usual. I was getting ready to start Football Practice on Monday.

Wayne said: "Do you wanna go to this concert this weekend?"
Me: "Who's playing?"
Wayne: "Lots of guys: Johnny Winter, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and others I don't really know!"
Well I thought Johnny Winter & Jimi Hendrix were the coolest, They were hip & really groovy! So I said: Where is it?" Without batting an eye he said: "New York."
With all of the courage that I could muster I said "How would we get there?"
Wayne said, "Hitch." (which of course meant get out on the road with our thumbs in the air & wait until someone picked us up). He continued: "It'll be a cinch, everybody's doing it."
Me: "Are your folks cool with it?"
Wayne: "Oh yea as long as I show up for school in September, they don't care what I do. How about yours."
Me: "Oh yea, they won't even be home until later tonight. As long as I'm back for practice, they'll be fine! I'll leave them a note."

So he went home to pack, I did the same. We agreed to meet in about an hour. Now I have to say: I HAD NO IDEA WHAT I HAD JUST COMMITTED TO DO! I had been to a couple band concerts in downtown Richmond. Woodstock was something else all together! It was not even in NYC. It was way up in upstate New York! My parents would have gone berserk!

About a half hour past when we were supposed to meet. I saw Wayne's mom's car coming towards me - I really thought: "Cool, Wayne got us a ride." She stuck her head out of the window and said: "Wayne, won't be joining you on your trip." It seemed to me (as an astute 15 year old) - "Hmm, Wayne made her think it was my idea." Then she turned around and went back down the street.

Well, I had no idea how to get to Woodstock. I probably would have ended up in Woodstock, VA. So I just went back in my house unpacked my stuff, tore up the note and went on with my day-to-day. Until Saturday morning when I saw the Headlines of the Richmond Times Dispatch: "Concert Shuts Down Upper New York State" - with a picture of THOUSANDS of rockers listening to Country Joe & the Fish (one of the Woodstock acts).

Now how does this 'epic-fail' relate to the providence of God?

In 1969, my main concerns were Football, Girls, Music, Food & Friends. God was nowhere in my mind. Not even a blip on the screen, as far as I knew! It was that Fall that Coach Bill Bosher came to a few of us and said he wanted to start an FCA chapter at Tucker High School. I became "Chaplain" of that 'Huddle'. Two years later I met Doug Holladay who introduced me to the Gospel. Which has led to this 38 year journey of walking with Jesus Christ.

But I was thinking recently: What if Wayne & I had gotten away from parents, Virginia and gone to Woodstock? I am not sure my path would have led so directly to Jesus.

Oh yeah I understand providence and the fact that God had already chosen me (YEAH God!). But what a different 'Long Strange Trip It would have been' (thank you Jerry Garcia).

God had other plans for me! I am convinced that by staying in Richmond that August day I missed a great concert, but God in his infinite wisdom allowed me to walk into his presence a couple years later. If I had gone to Woodstock - it would have been a different route.

God's sovereignity is sure, but circumstances are interpretive.

Franciscan Benediction

Franciscan benediction.

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen.

Pancake House!! from the Flat Hat!

Confusion Corner: Pancake supper: better than blowout


By Kevin Mooney April 28, 2009
I stumble through the doors of the Sadler Center at the usual hour, midnight or close to it. The line is long, but we patiently — though perhaps not quietly — slink our way through the Sadler Center entrance way. The semester’s been a tough one, and by now we’re sick of it all. There’s only one thing that can help. And them’s pancakes.
Pancake House, the night at the end of the semester where pancakes are provided free of cost to all who come to the Sadler Center, is really one of the greater traditions at the College of William and Mary, right behind a combined commitment to academic achievement and Sliders Sundays at the Caf. Students have finished their classes, not yet started to fret over their finals, and have but one goal in mind: We’ve got a fever, and the only prescription is more pancakes.

As is probably obvious, Pancake House and I have a sort of shared understanding, we get each other. If you’ve attended the event in past semesters, chances are I’ve attempted to explain to you — ad nauseum, my ardent love of pancakes — and of any house that would choose to produce them. Perhaps I was a tad incoherent at the time, drunk as I was off the many-splendored syrups of the House, but the point is no less valid. I’ve taken it as my goal to convince as many as possible, not just to attend Pancake House — such a decision is too simple to even be considered — but to understand it, to appreciate it, to love it.

Part of the magic of Pancake House is its timing. It bestows pancakes on a population that is in particularly dire need of them — some who’ve dreamed of them for weeks, some whose physical well-being the next morning is contingent upon it. And sure, one would only have to wait mere hours for the SC to begin serving pancakes the following Saturday morning, but now is not the time to wait. Today: Blowout? Last Day of Classes? The day several high-functioning alcoholics are born? Call it what you may, it is not a time for waiting. It is a time for action, a time for pancakes.

This may seem like a trivial event to some, something to be taken lightly. However, this is far from the case. Something important is happening here. It’s a utopia of sorts — a coming together of minds, a celebration of our combine freedom from academic burden. And we’ve chosen the most noble of foods — egalitarian in its shape, but individual in its choice of toppings — around which to celebrate.

Yet more importantly, it unites two groups of people who would, in all other circumstances, keep entirely separate. Let’s call them the weary and the perky; those in need of pancakes and those providing them. It’s a symbiotic relationship, really (I mean, who else would they make pancakes for?). Each comes together to form a community — a substantial, albeit fleeting one — that exists outside of mere society. We’ve all come to a you-scratch-my-back-I’ll-just-sit-here-while-that-happens sort of agreement. Everybody wins.

What if the world could be one great, big pancake house? What if we could, if only momentarily, put aside all our petty differences and work together towards a common goal, which is getting me some pancakes. What a wonderful place that would be.

Now, I’m not going to pretend I know how Pancake House works. I feel like no one really does. It’s a mystery to mere mortals such as myself — to be marveled at, but never fully understood, like Stonehenge or the Chupacabra. We may never know just how, or why, Pancake House came to be, but still we will rejoice. And there shall be syrups. Syrups of every shade and taste.

So come, eat drink and be merry. For tomorrow, we die of exhaustion.

Kevin Mooney is a Flat Hat Confusion Corner columnist. He rejoices in syrup options.

A Personal Application

This is a recent post from a friend of mine who blogs over at Withoutwax.tv I was challenged to 'take the challenge' perhaps you are too! We are only a day behind. Let me know if you are in!

We have been camped out in Matthew 6:33 where Jesus said “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

When it comes to seeking first the Kingdom of God one area of my life I’ve been failing is simply time with God.

We live in a day of unprecedented opportunities to stimulate our minds. We have blogs, television, and 24-hour news. We have ipods, dvd players, and radios in our cars. Everywhere we go there is some kind of message trying to bombard our minds. And honestly, I’ve allowed all the noise to keep me from seeking God as I should.

Francis Chan said,

We think He’s a great Savior, but not a great role model. The American church has abandoned the most simple and obvious truth of what it means to follow Jesus: You actually follow His pattern of life.

One of the the obvious patterns of Jesus’s life was time with God. Over and over again in the Gospels we see where Jesus would “withdraw” to be alone with his Father. And this pattern while repeated over and over by Jesus has been missing in my life as of late.

I bet I’m not alone. So here comes the 28 day challenge. I noticed there just happens to be 28 days between now and Easter. There also happens to be 28 chapters in the book of Matthew. What if we committed together to just read one chapter a day?

This is our opportunity to “seek first the Kingdom of God” together. I’ve never tried anything like this here on Without Wax, but I thought it would be a great way to hold each other accountable. I’ll try to periodically blog about certain observations from the texts we’re reading through.

Will it make a difference? You’ll never know unless you try.

Chapter one starts today!

What does my soul tell me about myself?

This question was asked on a Staff day of Spiritual Retreat. It was hard to answer. I guess I do not usually talk to my soul. But I thought it was worth a shot.

So Soul... What do you say? How'm I doin?

Well Marty, there is some good news and some bad news.

First the bad news... You have a lot of room for improvement before these earthly days are over. You are making some headway, but you are still trying to direct me (Marty's soul) through your day to day events - especially the difficult ones. For some reason you are convinced that you know better about running your life than the One who saved you does. I'm serious! You are constantly telling Him about how you need this and help with that. And if it wasn't for this circumstance, then life (for you) would be so much better. But He already knows what is best for you. He has already gone over it in His mind (the Mind of God, get it?). So part of your life needs to help you re-establish connection with my (Marty's soul) work with the Holy One to guide & protect you. Be patient dear one, We are at work bringing you into full glory! So that when these earthly days are over, you will be prepared to walk from this Kingdom living into His Kingdom Glory!

Now the good news, You have begun to learn to talk with Him. We have been doing it together. I know it is hard and different. --- do you remember when you were learning to play racquetball, how weird it felt in all ways. You couldn't turn your arm right. You couldn't run right. You had hand-eye coordination problems. But eventually you got it - you even had that wicked Z-serve, one inch off the floor in the left front wall about 90% 0f the time! --- That is what this new prayer time is all about. Keep at it: Pray His words back to Him. Set apart a bit of time just to listen to His Voice (remember you have to 1st empty your mind of that schedule thing and that To Do list thing, that's what the 3X5 card is for). Oh also, don't forget to read the prayers of the 'older men'. Remember I am going to teach you that there is a way to talk to God that is even sweeter than that Z-Serve!

Power & Constraint

I have a friend who designs Wakeboards - innovative ones that are easy to get up on and a slightly different format, (you can face forward, rather than sideways). They are about to go mass market pretty soon.

His innovations continue - he is an 'inventor' to the core! One day as he was testing his board he noticed, on a jetski, the plume of H2O that flies out the back & swings around like some kindof tail. He wants that on his Wakeboard! So he has been in design mode creating systems that will force the river under the board (also giving it more balance) and out the back in a CONSTRAINED force that will plume out behind the riders feet! It is so cool!

So he has been placing all kinds of tubes & funnels under the board (and through the back) and getting a variety of results. If the funnel is too big it pools under the board making it less efficient. If the funnel is too small the plume is a trickle - and not as cool looking.

Well this got me to thinking about Jesus & the love of God. You know that verse "For the Love of God CONSTRAINS us." (2 Corinthians 5:14). So here is the image I get: Just like the Wakeboard has all that power of H2O driving under the board and being constrained into a tight stream out of the back - so is the Love of God in my life!

The Love of God is immeasurable. It is too abundant for any human to understand. Did you know that while you were still a sinner (standing on the opposite side from God) He died for you (Romans 5:8) - so that you might know Him?! As I go through my days skimming the surface of life - He provides an immeasurable force - that keeps me afloat, keeps me moving, keeps me disciplined (think about Peter walking on the water).

And then there is that cool plume - of God's constrained love that forces out of my life into whatever situation I face. So for instance... To love the hard to love person - God's constrained love pouring through my life gives me the ability to love him. To speak the truth of what I know about God to those that don't know it. I might lack courage but God's constrained love gives me the courage to initiate and speak and he even provides the right words.

So what is my response? Really, it is nothing. I don't have to do anything. But it will certainly help if I can make sure I don't "cork" the plume.

Ask Him to allow His love to flow powerfully through our lives! Oh yeah and try not to lose balance.