Monthly Archive for October, 2009

Friday is usually one of my days on campus that I set aside for whatever. It’s like my agenda is liquid and I’m pouring it into the ever-evolving shape of Friday.

The weather is extremely fabulous today as well. That brings me to the front steps of the Edge House where I like to sit and watch the traffic and pedestrians.

The view is nothing that you would find on a postcard at the University bookstore, but it’s OUR view…from the steps…of our little place…on the Edge of campus.

From left to right it looks like this…

Especially at this time of day, (between 3-6pm) there’s a constant flow of traffic…and people walking up and down Clifton Avenue. Ocassionally I convince a random unsuspecting student to stop for a latte or shot of espresso. I think I’m getting a reputation for dealing Java here at three-double-0-seven Clifton Ave.

Some of our usuals are here…Kelli is on the porch with me sipping a iced white mocha. Paul and Andy just walked up with their laundry baskets (which probably saves them $5 or $7 compared to the dorm option).  The open grassy spot across the way beckons my inner frisbee self. It’s simply a beautiful day…in the Fall…it’s warm…and we’re all feeling a bit fuzzy about it.

That’s what I call it… “Blog Splatter.”  It’s the mental shrapnel and overspray which seems to happen as I read over too many blogs in one day. I have recently switched over from bloglines to google reader to manage my RSS feeds and blogs of choice. Every other day or so I try to read through a sampling of blogs which range mostly from friends to political/current events to vocation & ministry specific blogs regarding campus ministry and ministry in general.

One of the blogs I have begun to enjoy and follow is by Skye Jethani.

His most recent post has to do with fundamentalist Atheist. This is interesting to me because at the Edge House, our campus ministry gathering place at the University of Cincinnati, we are beginning to reach a crowd of students who would claim to be atheists, deists, or agnostics. These students, however, would probably agree with this quote:

The problem isn’t religion, but the broken human beings who practice it–including Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins.

I think this statement applies not only to these two militant atheists but to anyone who emphasizes religion over relationships.

The campus ministry post which caught my attention this time was a guest post over at Benson Hines’ blog.

This post refers to a point which was made by Shane Hipps at the Catalyst conference recently.

The method IS the message.

At first, I don’t want to believe that this statement is true. Seriously, can I even count the number of times I’ve heard someone emphasize that “the message never changes…but our method does!?”

But there is such a subtle way in which this is true. And actually, it reinforces what I feel that our ministry is all about at the Edge House: hospitality and grace. I don’t want to compromise the gospel. I have no intention of watering down the truth about Christ and the Kingdom of God. But I’m not going to say it’s all about grace…and it’s all about loving God and loving others…and then create a ministry that isn’t hospitable or grace-filled in its approach to students.  I am going to position myself in such a way as to be transformed daily by God and His Word…and I’m going to be gracefully present in the lives of students, walking alongside as one who is also reconciling and being reconciled.