Wild Goose Chase part 1- Otro dia, Otra Aventura

Ever come cross a book that you KNOW you’ll read multiple times?  Yeah, I hardly ever do.  But my co-workers and I just started reading “Wild Goose Chase” together.  When you flip a book over to read the back, if it’s good, It’ll grab you.  Here’s the back of this book:

Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something…Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure.

It’s my second time…and it WON’T be my last.  Chapter 1′s take-away? “You cannot simultaneously live by faith and be bored.”  So here’s the adventure that chasing the Wild Goose brought me to last week.

Thursday

I was supposed to go to one of my High Schools, but it didn’t work out.  Seeing as how I get to drive all over the East Bay, I figured I might as well drive on up to Cal-Berkeley and hang with the coach I was supposed to meet for afternoon coffee.  I’ve had so many names at Cal dropped on me since I got here, so I said, “Ok God…gonna go try and find these people…order my steps?”  The result?  A head coach who is “in” for helping with an FCA clinic, the opportunity to speak to her team, and a knowledge of how to pray for her.  An asst coach who shared some big decisions with me and walked me all over campus and helped me find the other two people I was looking for.  A office visit with a support staffperson who has several multiple friends as me (what? a girl who only moved to cali 3 months ago??) and is armpit deep in ministering to their athletes (plus he has a wife who played college soccer…I’m a fan!).  Crazy.

Friday

Rigo and I went to Santa Clara University intending to find two coaches.  They weren’t available. (sound familiar?)  Well, since spending time with my new friends at Cal the day before, one had told me to go say hi to one of the AD’s…a friend of his.  So Rigo and I roll up to this guy’s office, unannounced and unknown and get the chance to sit down with him, explain FCA, and hopefully encourage him some.  What?!?  While we were waiting to see him, Rigo’s phone rings and we both start laughing.  It’s an SCU athlete we’ve both been trying to connect with for several weeks.  And we hear back from him while sitting in SCU’s AD office?  The only day we BOTH have been on that campus together?  Totally gotta to connect up with this athlete 10 minutes later and try to hook him up with other FCA college athletes, and maybe even get something started on SCU’s campus before this year is out. 

Otro dia, otra aventura- another day, another adventure…a day in the life of chasing the Wild Goose.

End of the year- a new chapter begins

What an incredible year this has been!!! Clemson is an incredible place with a ridiculous amount of ministry going on! I am floored by getting to be a part of incorporating the campus FCA with true athlete ministry. We have set several things in place that fulfill Clemson FCA’s goal of “Loving God- Loving Campus” within the arena of the athletic department! There is now an athlete ministry leadership team comprised of 20+ athletes from almost every team. They are gonna be used of God to rock their teams, the athletic department, and this campus!

As for me as an FCA staffperson, however, this has been a very abnormal year. All the other FCA staff in our area have moved on from their time with FCA. Between that movement and the economy, funding for staffing has be lacking. As I look at the ministry needs here objectively, I realize that my strengths matched the need when I arrived, I could meet the current need, but it currently would be better suited to someone else’s strengths. All of this comes together to help me in my decision to accept another position within FCA that is exciting, yet sadly would take me away from Clemson. I will be moving to the bay area (San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland) in California to serve several high schools and colleges. As the door has opened to work there, I have wrestled with the decision, realize that my strengths are needed there, and the position pursued me…all things to seriously consider. I feel blessed to get to remain with FCA as it has had such an INCREDIBLE impact on my life and countless others! I just got to attend the 2nd annual college conference as a Huddle Leader and watch 180 college athletes from across the nation get sold out and grasp their influence. Can you imagine the ripple from things like that?!?!

I’ve been asked what the job description would be…so….the area is only 4% Christian. Talk about being a missionary in your own country. Therefore, the mentality is to hit the open doors and use each staffer’s unique strengths. That means I will spend 1-2 days/week with a handful of highschools to relieve the other campus representative. My unique addition to the team is that I am female and my sport is soccer. The rest of the week would be spent with college and professional female athletes. FCA has presence on multiple college campuses in the area. Also, women’s pro soccer has launched in 6 cities, one of which is San Jose. That should tell you a little something about the soccer community there. There is still a need for the position to be fully funded and that will be a part of my job still, but I will have teamwork towards that. (If you would consider getting involved in that part, please let me know.) All this has happened so fast. I hate that I have not been able to call all of you who have been friends to me through this journey. The intention in coming to Clemson was to be there for the long haul. This doesn’t make sense, yet also makes tremendous sense all at the same time. There’s so much more I would love to share with you…please feel free to call me as I am journeying…and new posts will be coming soon!

Did I really just have that week?!?!?

Can you handle this? Really can you? I don’t know if I can…good stuff to remember when you get discouraged…God’s kinda faithful. Check out this past week! Here’s a few highlights…

Monday 1/19- Was kinda an off day. I had a friend in town to visit and we got to go to two coffeeshops (one of my favorite things to do)! This was good, because that evening and the next 8 days would rock! That night we started off the semester for the Female Athlete Huddle. Nothing like sitting around with 10 or so athletes talking about freedom in Christ
Tuesday 1/20- Had a phone conversation with a woman God placed in my path when I needed a smack in the face. Haven’t really talk to her since college. God started something in my life through her act of obedience. I don’t think I even understand how far the ripple from that has run. But it was cool to get to share part of it with her.
Wednesday 1/21- It’s so exciting to periodically get a call from one of the girls I invested in at Auburn University last year. That was Wednesday! Got to spend some time on the phone listening, walking through Biblical responses and challenging/encouraging once again…so cool. Also that night, one of our runners got baptized…the even cooler thing was she was more excited about the 2 rows of teammates that came to support her, some of whom don’t go to church. How cool.
Thursday 1/22- I got to meet the cheerleading team for the first time. They listened intently as a shared what FCA is about after they had had a 4 hour practice. And about 8 came up afterward to personally introduce themselves, thank me, and way they want to get involved. Wow.
Friday 1/23- I went to cheer on the women’s tennis team, and unknowingly sat down amongst the men’s team. Poor guy I say next to I think felt uncomfortable as soon as his teammate said, “Hey, she’s the female FCA chaplain!” Come to find out, that guy has promised the teammate I sat next to a filet mignon if he would come to church with him. What?!?! I said, “Dude, take your steak and GO!” We’ll see…all I know is the steak cooking, church inviting tennis player is my hero.
Saturday 1/24- Working with the Student Body FCA on ways to love the athletic department to show them Jesus. How bout 100+ fans showing up to the swim meet and packing out the facility like I’ve never seen it before?!?
Sunday 1/25- I got to take 2 athletes with me to speak for a women’s Sunday school class at a local church. I got to share some about FCA and what we do. They shared their testimonies. Nothing like watching to young women grow as they step out to share their story with women 50-60 years their senior and everyone being encouraged. That afternoon, I went to the church I’ve been attending and watched 40+ people get baptized…in just that service. There were 3 others that day. What?!?
Monday 1/26- Just was amazed at how He ordered my steps all day to orchestrate 5 one-on-one conversations and an amazing female athlete huddle again
Tuesday 1/27- We had an FCA state-wide staff meeting all day, which was cool. But the best part may have been talking to a friend who is moving away…but hearing how God is orchestrating details. I went to an event hosted by church expecting to not know a soul and run into a girl I worked FCA camp with 5 years ago, and two others with many mutual friends. Topped off the day talking with FCA staff from San Francisco where my buddy is moving to play soccer. It is awesome to watch the family of God at work…taking care of each other and connecting His people.

I needed that reminder…that He’s got the details. I forget sometimes. Hope you see Him as huge too.

Christmas 2008

The end of the semester has come and most students are gone. Finals were a whirlwind of a time for our students…no surprise. A couple highlights over the past couple months are:

• I had an opportunity to speak at another school and took Julie, one of our soccer players. She did an amazing job!
• During finals, Evan Bryant (area FCA staff guy) and made around 500 cookies and took them to athletes and students involved in FCA to provide mini-study-breaks for them…some good conversations arose out of that.

Some Track girls we picked up along the way helped us deliver cookies and carol as we went.

• FCA partered with Men’s Basketball to bring in Bruce Crevier. He did a halftime show in the middle of one of our games, and we followed the game with a Rally. Over 25 people responded to the Gospel, 6 of them being adults. Some of our Women’s players helped.

The audience responding to Bruce’s presentation of the Gospel

Todd Steelman, one of our women’s basketball coaches sharing his testimony at the rally

One of our Women’s players helping Bruce at halftime

• There has been more conversation between the Student Body FCA and myself. I’m really excited about opportunities to partner with them this Spring!

I leave you with a devotional that a friend, Amber Salter, wrote several weeks ago. i hope it encourages you this season as it did me.

Is your life full of drama and complexities? Are you able to rest even in the midst of all the “things” we have to do here? Do you wish your life was simple?
Jesus wants it to be.
Think of how you came to salvation.
It was as easy as coming when He called.
“Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
It was as simple as drinking water.
“If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture said, ‘from his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water…’” (John 7:37-38)
It was as simple as receiving a gift.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
It was as simple as calling for help.
“For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
Do you ever look at young kids, and see the absolute care-free freedom they live in, and wish you could live like that? Not maturity-wise, but to be that trusting and alive. Not to be burdened down with business or confusion or drama.
He wants you to live your life with that kind of freedom and rest. And He tells us how.
“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him…” (Colossians 2:6)
There’s no striving. It’s simply trusting Him, with everything. You trusted Him to save your life, now trust Him with your life, and He will save you from your burden. He’s big enough to carry your sin, He’s big enough to carry you.
It really is as simple as reading and believing. Read what He has to say, what He says about Himself, what He says about you. And when you rest on Him and what rely on what He’s said, life is simplified.
If He made it so simple and easy to accept Him, why would He make it more difficult to live with Him? It takes the same kind of faith.

Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places

That’s the tag line on the SC license plates. I love it!

So it’s been a great month here in Clemson. Things are slowly picking up. We’re working on developping a Female Athlete Huddle within the FCA Chaplain’s Ministry here. But we’re also working with the Student Body FCA to adopt and support our coaches and athletes here. Our Female Athlete Huddle paired up with the small groups from the Student Body FCA to host a tailgate for our Women’s Basketball Orange/White Scrimmage.

Spencer and Rochelle grilling it up!!

Several of our athletes at the Bball game

I got to take a couple of our Women’s Basketball Players to a local FCA HighSchool huddle to share their testimonies! How awesome it was to watch these young women stand up in front of 50 or so high school and middle school students to share what God has done in their lives…and watch Him weave together their stories along with the main speaker’s story to pound home the same point in 3 different ways!

Chelsey speaking

Lindsey speaking

My Parents also came to visit me in Clemson. The only non-music major in the family…I think they occasionally have no idea what to do with me. It was awesome to get to show them around and have them join me for a couple days.

Dad and me at the Swim Meet

Mom and me in front of the football stadium

I’ve also spent quite a bit of time out of town this month too (so happy to be landed for a while!). All new FCA staff has to go to New Staff Training Camp. So off to Kansas City, Mo we flew to spend a week at the FCA Home Office. It was amazing! There were 44 new staff from all over the country there that week. We spent 5 days learning more of the “X’s and O’s” of FCA and getting a glimpse of the big picture of FCA across this country and internationally! They were not only sure to equip us for the ministry, but also pour into us through sessions on Spiritual, relational, physical, and financial health. But like any camp, some of the best time was the “in between” time where there were conversations that encouraged, challenged, and set new vision in all our hearts and minds.

I got to meet Jill Ewert in person…she’s the editor for FCA’s Sharing the Victory Magazine

I also got to be a part of the first ever Female FCA Staffperson Retreat. The Georgia/South Carolina Region has the largest number of female staff in the entire country. We have about 20% of the nation’s female staff here! So we got together to discuss how we can tackle some of the topics specific to female athletes and coaches, share ideas of things we had done in our own areas, and just hang out too! I was asked to lead worship for the retreat too…

The younger female staff at the retreat. I am always real intentional about hanging with the staff older than me as I enjoy them and can learn a TON from them. I also really have been blessed with some solid encouraging friendships out of this group!!!

I hit the road once more this month to go attend some athletic events. Particularly due to the drought around here, going to Chattanooga for the “Head of the Hooch” regatta could possibly be the only time I would get to see our rowing team compete. It was incredible to watch these girls compete in one of the largest races in the southeast. I got to encourage many of our rowers who are involved in FCA, and also meet other members of the team for the first time.

One of our boats before they compete

Chatting with one of our coaches and novice rowers

Lastly, I got to go back to Auburn as a part of the trip to Chattanooga for the Women’s Soccer Senior Night. It was so encouraging to see the FCA staff there that had been formative in my time with the chaplain training program. I also got to see some of the athletes I served in my time there.

Allison Whitworth and me after her Senior Night shut-out!