June 2020

Greetings from Palo Alto!

My wife, Kate, and I have a habit of listening through books of the Bible, one chapter per night, as part of our evening routine. A few nights ago we came across one of the most astonishing parts in Joshua:

When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” And the commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

I love this reminder that humans don’t set the agenda, and then ask God to get on board with us; rather, God is carrying out his own wonderful plans and purposes in the world, and amazingly he invites us to join him.

And as he is our pattern in everything, Jesus is our pattern in this respect as well: “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing” (John 5:19–20). In these trying times, may our God show us what he is doing, and may he give us the strength and courage to follow him!

This June we were privileged to celebrate God’s work in the lives of the twelve young men who joined the work God was doing through Christian Union, as they began their freshman year at Stanford in the fall of 2016. Those twelve men, who in many ways formed the foundation that we have built on these four years, transition now to jobs, fellowships, and master’s degrees. Please join us in praying that these men will see “what the Father is doing” in the new contexts they will soon encounter, and that they will join him with all their heart, soul, and strength.

Please also pray for the rising senior, junior, and sophomore men and women who make up our women’s and men’s Bible courses. May they “be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:9–10).

And lastly, please pray for the incoming freshmen, whom we have yet to meet. May the Father work mightily among this class to draw many to himself!

We are so grateful for your partnership in prayer for the students of Stanford University.

Warmly,