NavImpact

This month Christianaudio.com is offering a free audiobook of Desiring God by John Piper.  Since it's already the 28th, you'll need to hurry!  John Piper's thesis is that "The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever."  It's a fantastic book that changed the way I viewed my own pleasure and God's glory.  I highly recommend it!

This Friday we'll head to Spring Hill Camp in Seymour, Indiana with 35 students from the U of I.  Please pray for the conference!  Here's one of the videos we used to encourage students to join us.

Recently my coworker, Katie, and I thought it would be fun to get our freshman/sophomore women's Bible studies together.  Many of them knew the students in their own studies well, but hadn't spent much time with some of the other girls in the ministry.  Our desire is for students to be in community in both small and larger group contexts. . . . so, what better way to develop relationships than an Illini Women's Volleyball game and a night of games and snacks? 
      The Illini beat Purdue in 5 sets. . . and we played several rousing rounds of Hilarium and Imaginiff.  So fun!  I'm still praising God for the wonderful group of women that He's blessed us with this year - ones that love Him, love each other, and love having fun together. 

           As collegiate missionaries, our Septembers are always busy, exciting times.  Times when we never know just what is going to happen, how it’s all going to work out, which students we’ll meet, or what God will do . . .This fall is our third year on staff with The Navigators, working to help students know Christ and make Him known, at the University of Illinois.  Although we’ve been here for two other Septembers, this one is a whole new adventure!
            The 42,000+student body is just finishing up its sixth week of classes.  For the last month, we’ve been making new connections with students from all backgrounds, inviting them to join with us in advancing the Gospel, or, for some, to just check out what Jesus taught.  This year we have more staff (two other couples and an intern staff) and more student leaders than ever before, and God has given us all more than enough to do – between beginning of the year social events, our large group meetings, small group Bible studies, Bible discussion groups, one on one meetings, and simply getting to know a wide variety of students.  Here are a few of our highlights:
1)    Melissa.*  At the beginning of the semester, Jess had a lot of freshmen contacts that were interested in studying the Bible, but nowhere on campus to meet.  Then she met Melissa, a freshman business major, who has enthusiastically connected with The Navs and volunteered to host a Bible study her very first week at the U of I!  We’re excited to see how God uses Melissa in relationship with the girls in her dorm and in her classes.
2)    Brian, Ben, and Peter.  This fall, instead of leading a traditional Bible study, Jeff prayed that God would connect him with unbelieving students, who would be interested in reading the Bible in order to study Jesus’ teachings.  Brian is another freshmen on a mission to share the Gospel.  He invited his two roommates, Ben and Peter, to read the Bible with Jeff, and now Jeff is reading through the Gospel of Mark with them (and 3 other students), exploring what Jesus really taught. 
3)    Sue.  Sue has been in the U.S. for only a month.  As an exchange student from Malaysia and a believer who is eager to learn how to share her faith, Sue is learning how to share Christ with others, particularly her fellow Malaysian exchange students.
4)    Kurt.  A returning Nav student Jeff disciples has taken the lead in organizing an upperclassmen men’s Bible study and is actively connecting with and encouraging younger students. 
Praise God for the work He is doing!  Please join us in prayer for these students, and the University of Illinois campus – that God would use us to reach the lost and equip believing students to know Christ better and intentionally share Him with others.
*names changed.:)

Quad Day is here!  Please pray that God would connect us with students!  We'll try to put pictures up throughout the day to give you a better idea of what Quad Day is like.


Click here to view Quad Day pictures.

Today, the residence halls open for new students!  Would you join us in prayer according to these two passages?  

We want beautiful feet.  

Romans 10:13-17 ESV  For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."  (14)  How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?  (15)  And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"  (16)  But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?"  (17)  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

We need the Lord to open doors for us and to give clarity to our proclamation of the gospel.

Colossians 4:2-4 ESV  Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.  (3)  At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison--  (4)  that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

The Desiring God blog posted a short video of John Piper talking about the necessity of using a good translation that "has all the words."  I couldn't agree more.

Part two of Jeff's sermon series about how to live and minister as an Insider is available here.

In about a week all of our student friends will be back in Champaign!  We're very excited to reconnect with them and hear how their summers went.

As you could probably imagine, the economic downturn has had an impact on some peoples ability to give to our ministry.  Would you join us in thanking God for His continued provision for us?

Our current goal is to raise an additional $500 in monthly donations.  Please join us in praying that God would continue to supply all of our needs.

Luke 5:27-32 ESV  After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, "Follow me."  (28)  And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.  (29)  And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them.  (30)  And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"  (31)  And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  (32)  I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."