by Jonathan Barthalow
Some time ago Tom and Heath captured a vision for the college campuses and university students across our state. And now, God is sweeping across eight campus mission fields through the ministry of Chi Alpha, and we know that He has even greater things in store. Because of their leadership and vision Chi Alpha is in place at UNI and seven students were able to encounter God and give their hearts to Him last during the first meeting of the school year!
A crucial aspect of leadership is vision. Without a vision of what could be, we are wandering in the dark only seeing what is, with no direction and little hope for what lies ahead. We need to get a hold of God and ask him for the vision to see things the way He sees them. Perhaps right now, in your home, church or city all you see are things that are not as they should be. Pray for God’s eyes to show you how He sees things. On the college campus, there are many opportunities to look around and be disheartened by all that is broken and distorted, but we choose to celebrate what God is doing in the lives of those who are boldly and confidently at work restoring what has been damaged. We see him at work in the darkest of places, and we’re encouraged by his plans and his work.
The mayor of Newark, New Jersey, Cory Booker, visited the projects and met up with a woman who had lived there all her life. She asked him to look around and tell her what he saw. He said, “I see a drug deal over there, broken down buildings,” and proceeded to tell her everything he could see that was wrong. She turned to him and said, “You can’t help us.” She knew that until he saw the project for what it could be, instead of what it was he would be of no use to them. Let’s be that woman in the lives of the people in our sphere of influence and in our communities.
