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August 14, 2019

Rebellion and Revival

Wednesday, August 14, 2019 Restore us again, O God of our salvation,    and put away your indignation toward us! Will you be angry with us forever?    Will you prolong your anger to all generations? Will you not revive us again,    that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,    and grant us your salvation.— Psalm 85:4-7  The text of Psalm 85 is introduced by a particular historical designation: “Of the Sons of Korah.” When we know Korah’s story, we gain unique insight on this prayer of restoration and revival. In Numbers 16 we learn of Korah, a tabernacle servant during the time of Israel’s wilderness wandering. Along with 250 fellow dissidents, Korah rose up and challenged Moses and Aaron for priestly authority.  That didn’t go too well for him…

August 13, 2019

How God Relates to Nations

Tuesday, August 13, 2019   If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. —Jeremiah 18:7-10 (ESV)

August 12, 2019

Mendonsa ’19 Inspires Stanford Students to Serve

Emily Mendonsa is a servant leader who is both “tenacious” and “tender,” according to Susan Brown, a Bible course leader with Caritas, Christian Union’s ministry to Stanford students.
  Emily Mendonsa is a servant leader who is both “tenacious” and “tender,” according to Susan Brown, a Bible course leader with Caritas, Christian Union’s ministry to Stanford students. Ever since she was a teenager, Mendonsa has had a passion for ministering to vulnerable and impoverished children through Naomi’s Village in Kenya, a ministry founded by her family. At Stanford, Mendonsa, who graduated in June, was active in Bible courses and responsible for recruiting fellow students to serve at Naomi’s Village on summer trips. She credits her relationship with Susan Brown and the ministry’s rigorous Bible courses with providing structure as she pursued God during college. She and Brown met every week for two years and talked about everything from Bible course content to theological issues she faced in classes.

August 12, 2019

Healing the Land

Monday, August 12, 2019 Welcome to the beginning of a 21 day fast!  A few thousand from across the country are seeking God for revival during this fast. If you’re new to fasting, please see these fasting resources so that you can participate safely and effectively.  When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. — 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (ESV)

August 11, 2019
We live in a world where many view suffering as the primary indicator you are doing something wrong.  “You made a bad decision.” “You should have tried harder or prepared more."  Even when we view suffering through the lens of Christian faith, we hear similar reverberations.  “You don’t have enough faith.” “God must be judging you.”  While those are at times absolutely true, they can discredit the oft-neglected reason we suffer—for the good purposes of God.  Are we not called to persevere?  Are we not called to fight against the affliction of this present life?

August 5, 2019

Ministry Director at HLS Has High Expectations 

Christian Union’s ministry director at Harvard Law School anticipates a season of fruitful expansion. “I’m looking towards the 2019-2020 academic year with hopes for growth, both in numbers and impact,” said Justin Yim.

July 31, 2019
Special Preview: The Christian Union Cities Podcast; Join Believers Across America for an August Fast; Two Thought-Provoking Articles on Careers — and Career Decline; Now Faith; Revival in Fiji; Cheerful Confidence after Christendom and more, in this issue of Christian Union's bi-monthly email brief.  Say not, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For it is not wisdom that you ask this.— Ecclesiastes 7:10

July 29, 2019
The Word of God is full of paradoxical statements, such as: “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35); “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me and the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:35); “….whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be a slave to all. For even the Son of Man did come to be served, but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43-45). Many of the aforementioned teachings of Jesus are commonly referred to as paradoxical teachings. According to the Merriam Webster’s dictionary, a paradox is “something that is made up of two opposite things that seem impossible but is actually possible.” In other words, a paradox is a seemingly self-contradictory statement containing truth that joins two opposites.

July 20, 2019

The Magnetic Pull of God’s Presence

Tuesday, August 20, 2019 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD and to seek the LORD of hosts; I myself am going.’ Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’” — Zechariah 8:20–23 (ESV)

July 17, 2019
Two Interviews with Max McLean; Building His Kingdom; College Cornerstone; Abortion isn't Mercy; Why the Declining Marriage Rate Affects Everyone and more, in this issue of Christian Union's bi-monthly email brief.  Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways ... In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory," says the Lord Almighty.— Haggai 1:5, 2:6-7

July 15, 2019
Have you ever found yourself lost on the internet? After 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or maybe even an hour, you catch yourself and wonder, “How was I able to waste so much time without even thinking about it?” For me, it is on Etsy or Pinterest browsing ideas for decorating my house -- and poof -- 30 minutes are gone. I am not alone in wasting time decorating my house. In a little book called Haggai, at the end of the Old Testament, God raises up a prophet to tell the Israelites that they are wasting their time paneling their houses instead of rebuilding the Temple, and God is not pleased (Haggai 1:2-11).

July 14, 2019
Cornell University '19 Bachelor of Science, Industrial and Labor Relations David Navadeh participated in Christian Union's ministry at Cornell. He was highly active and also served as a student leader in the ministry. The recent grad paused to share his reflections on his involvement with the ministry as an undergraduate:"The ministry of Christian Union at Cornell truly has been a cornerstone of my college experience and a deciding factor in choosing to attend Cornell.

July 3, 2019
David Skeel Interviewed on Religious Freedom; Principles of Christian Leadership; Observe & Engage; The Dictatorship of Woke Capital; Art-Making Is an Act of Hope; The Pursuit of Happiness, Rightly Understood and more, in this issue of Christian Union's bi-monthly email brief.  Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.— 2 Corinthians 3:17

July 1, 2019
  Athens in Paul’s time was no longer a politically important city.  Greece had given way to Rome, and its political influence had declined through the centuries. It was, however, still the intellectual center of the world. This city was heir to the great philosophers who set the standards and patterns of thought: Socrates, Plato, Epicurus, and Pericles.After hearing about Athens all his life Paul, the academic and now the apostle, is finally there—a city intellectually and culturally sophisticated but morally decadent and spiritually dead—in spite of having, according to some accounts, up to 30,000 statues of gods. No wonder they had a statue to “the unknown god!”

June 20, 2019

June 20-21, 2019

New York City, New YorkThe CU Cities Conference 2019 convened graduate students and diverse professionals, from recent graduates to seasoned pros, from across industries, to explore compelling ideas about faith and its relevance to every facet of our lives. You can find video recordings from our plenary speakers here and audio recordings from our breakout speakers here from the CU Cities Conference in 2019. 

June 19, 2019
There's No Way to Deny that 'Pro-Abortion' is the Right Term; On Quitting Netflix; The Age of Pelagius; A Father's Love; Help Reach the Class of 2023 and more, in this issue of Christian Union's bi-monthly email brief.  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.— 1 Peter 3:18

June 17, 2019

Your Gift by June 30 Will Share Gospel and Change Lives

Please consider a special gift to Christian Union by June 30 to support the next Freshman Campaign. The Class of 2023 will be here before we know it!The ministry will connect with freshmen before they even set foot on campus to welcome and warmly invite them into biblical studies, Christian community, and spiritual and leadership growth. Your gift helps set lives on a new course!

June 17, 2019

Greetings from a Christian Union Parent

Aloha from Hawaii!My daughter, Sara Kay, is home for the summer from Dartmouth. I am amazed at her growth and maturity in her walk with Christ.

June 16, 2019
In Genesis 22, we are given a story about a dad and his son. The patriarch Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, is commanded by God to sacrifice his son, Isaac. As a dad myself, it is a hard story to read. “Take your son, your only son, whom you love…” Why would God ask such a thing, particularly of this “Son of the promise” through whom the nation of Israel would come to be? After so many years waiting for him, why would Abraham be put through such a test?

June 6, 2019
True Paradox: How Christianity Makes Sense of Our Complex World; Trivial Pursuit?; Why ‘Follow Your Passions’ Is Bad Advice for Graduates; The Sexual Revolutionaries Got Sexual Satisfaction All Wrong; Revival at an Army Base and more, in this issue of Christian Union's bi-monthly email brief.  I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.— Psalm 32:8