Why Reach College Students?

I was reading the news online last month and I saw a story from spring break listed. Always curious to explore how the mainstream media describes events related to students, I checked it out. (This was clearly going to be a bit different than the episode that I emailed about years ago that was so disappointing!)

The title was "Confessions from Spring Break." http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4603021 4/7/08 I was reminded that choices matter--every choice. Students will live with the consequences of their decisions for the rest of their lives. This is not some lewd video but a reminder of the reality of the environment that college students are living in. This is why proclaiming the gospel is so important.

While I was at that link, there was a related link from an abc news report from Michigan State, "College Party Gets Gassed." http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4603239 4/7/08 Again, students, in many cases, are experiencing "freedom" for the first time in their lives and are littering their lives with poor choices that will result in destructive consequences.

Then, the next day, I read at espn.com that a guy that I led in a Bible study during my days down at Mizzou is going to take the job coaching the Oklahoma State basketball team. Travis Ford only spent his freshman year at Mizzou during my senior year as a student. One of my steps of faith that year was to try to engage the basketball players in spiritual conversations. This led to a Bible study that I led where Travis was one of the regular attenders. We haven’t stayed in touch, but it is fun to see him progressing.

I was reminded that every student matters...whether she is the one on the spring break video or the fraternity guy at the party or the freshman guy on the basketball team. College students are and will become leaders in their families, in our culture and in our communities. College students have the capacity to serve as laborers in the kingdom of God everywhere that God calls them. College students (as our first two stories so clearly point out) are lost and in desperate need of a Savior.

Thanks for praying with us for every student to know someone who truly follows Jesus!