Bible Bootcamp, Bowling, and Baby Name

Above is a picture of one of our Bible Bootcamp sessions. For a whole week students will come to one of two locations to read large chunks of scripture, on this particular evening we were reading the book of Acts. We had 3 students come together in Lewisville and about 6 more come to Richardson and they spent their whole Friday evening reading and discussing scripture. It was so encouraging for me to see these young people want to commit themselves to knowing God's word so much that instead of going to see a movie or do something else with their time they would get together with a college pastor like me to read God's word! From acts this time around I was struck by how the early church, where God's spirit was poured out, then functioned as the temple was supposed to function, with provision for the poor and widows! Several of the students were struck by the boldness of Paul and the other apostles in the face of persecution.

Our church recently had a bowling night and several of our college students were in attendance. I am grateful to be a part of a church that loves college students and wants to provide a place for them to belong and grow in their relationship with God both during and after their college experience!

Say hello to our daughter, Lucy Ann Gage! She's still about 4 months out, but Hayli and I couldn't be more excited to welcome her into our lives! A little about the name. Lucy is a character in the Chronicles of Narnia, out of all her siblings she often has the most faith in Aslan (symbol for Jesus). In the books Lucy's sisters name is Susan (which was my mom's name), we hope that Lucy will at least share a kindred spirit with my mom, who loved games and fun and laughter!

I'm told the name Lucy in greek means light. We pray that she will be the light of the world just like Jesus told us to be (Matthew 5). And lastly the middle name Ann is my older sister's middle name. For those who don't know Caroline Ann Gage, she was pivotal in me coming to know Jesus as my savior when I was 19 years old. I wouldn't be here without her.

And I wouldn't get to be here in Arlington, sharing the good news of Jesus with college students if it weren't for you. Thank you for your investment in our lives and in this ministry. I'm so grateful to God for your partnership! Don't forget to read this month's student testimony below.

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More Winter Retreat and Lucy Update!

The fruit of winter retreat is evident! God really used that time to bond our guys together and point them more collectively towards following Jesus. Since winter retreat we have been able to identify several guys that we are excited to invite to be leaders next year in the ministry from Austen, to Josh, to Manny, to Chris (who's testimony is below) God is raising up young men who are eager to not only know Him but to share him with their peers. I couldn't be more grateful for you who helps to make that kind of heart transformation possible! One of our core groups, led by Ian and Crew has been in a particularly healthy place. These guys look forward to spending time together, reading God's word, praying for one another, and sharing their lives. Here they are hanging out an arcade together recently. But every week they are learning about Jesus together and growing as disciples! Speaking of Growing, Lucy is getting bigger. This photo above was from her first wedding recentl

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Dear Friends, Thank you for taking the time to read this ministry update. This winter season has been particularly encouraging and I am excited to tell you about what is coming up soon! The month of December began with a celebration. The school semester was coming to a close quickly so we threw our annual Focus Christmas party in the first week of the month. Talk about Christmas come early. The event was filled with sweet memories, worship, and funny skits put on by the various weekly core groups. Watching those skits is always a highlight of the year as everyone in the core often participates and everyone gets to see each others silly sides. A couple of guys at the UTA Focus Christmas Party. In the bottom picture, one of the roommates couldn't make the event so the rest of the guys thoughtfully chose to find a way to include him in the picture, no matter what. Once the semester was over and the students went home for the holidays, I had a lot of time to read. Over the

Disciple Means Student

Two of the things that I have been most grateful for in the last month is the fact that God gifts us with so much fun in this life, and secondly, how God blesses us by giving us the ability to learn. At our online TNF's we have been hosting after events for our students where we try to do something that helps everyone feel connected. At one of our most recent after events we decided to host "show and tell" where everyone finds one or two objects that they are most proud of owning or they consider to be the most interesting thing they own. It was such a blast to see what the students loved and wanted to show off. In the bottom right Taylor Bass, one of our student leaders, was showing off the set of armor that he and some friends had crafted from cardboard. And 2 blocks above him Nathan Baugh, another one of our student leaders, shows off his autographed pictures of Ariana Grande that he got when he was in middle school. It was so sweet to laugh with those in attendance

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