May Newsletter

I hope that this May newsletter finds you well. The PFW ministries ended for the school year on May 1. In this newsletter I would like to highlight all that happened this past month, as well as preview my plans for the upcoming summer. 

We had over 20 students attend the apologetic studies that I led this winter. The Intervarsity study was on Wednesday afternoon(s) and we held the Campus Ministry one on Thursday afternoon(s). 

What a blessing it was to teach these young adults how to define, defend, and declare the gospel of Jesus Christ. The key word that we focused on throughout the winter was truth. Absolute truth is the foundation upon which the Bible was written. Even more it is the key to defending and declaring the gospel to lost souls. 

April marked the start of my ‘one on one’ meetings with board members. We have spent time reviewing our ministry along with discussing where we want to go in the years ahead. I am so very thankful for each board member and their commitment to making a difference in the lives of young adults. 

Looking ahead to the summer months my focus will continue to be on teaching apologetic studies. I will be introducing this study to past tennis players that are home for the summer. They have not had the opportunity to participate in these studies. Beginning in June this same study will be offered to these students. 

Another change coming this summer will be modifying the Friday Update. It will be geared towards helping students grow in their faith over the summer. I will design a special summer update to encourage students to read their Bible daily. We will also focus on regular prayer and Scripture memorization. 

I approached the PFW ministry directors with this idea. They were both fully in support of it. Therefore, at the end of April this plan was presented to both ministries. I was overwhelmed by the response—39 PFW students signed up to receive this weekly update. Praise God!

Heading into this summer I have great hope for what the Lord Jesus Christ will do. It is His Gospel that we preach and His truth that we defend. “But God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” What a glorious gospel we proclaim!   

May the grace and peace of Christ be your abiding portion.

Steve 

PS I have added some new pictures from the past month to the website. There is also a new tab called ‘That’s a good question.’ It is designed to help visitors ask the most important questions in life. I encourage you to visit our website at www.discipleshipinc.org  

I hope that this April newsletter finds you well. This Easter weekend we will be celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For many in the western world, Easter has little significance. Outside of hunting for candy, and hanging a bunny flag on your outside pole, there is little meaning to it.

The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is simply a myth to many. Yet, most of the naysayers do not have any hard evidence that would substantiate their unbelief. They just hold fast to their bias that the resurrection is an antiquated religious belief that 21st Century man cannot believe. 

This key Christian doctrine is central to the apologetic studies that I am leading. The atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ are essential pillars to the Gospel. We must defend them fervently!  

One of my favorite things to do is to start our study with a question. I let the students talk about it amongst themselves first. Once they are done, my job is to teach on the topic. Here are a few sample questions we have talked about.

· Why is it so hard for mankind to keep the Ten Commandments?

· Is Hell a real place? If so, who goes there? How long does Hell last?

· Has God’s morality changed since the Old Testament?

A couple weeks ago I was asked to speak at the large group for InterVarsity. The topic that was given to me was, ‘Why do bad things happen to good people?’ We started by breaking down how the Bible defines ‘good people.’ We then moved on to the phrase ‘bad things’ in the world. Our discussion covered the sovereignty of God and the sinfulness of mankind. What a blessing this night was.

Over the course of the winter I have been developing a mentoring relationship with a student at PFW. He is one of the apologetic students. Recently he began texting me to ask some questions about Christian morality. 

After each of my responses I suggested that we meet on campus and discuss my reply. Recently we committed to meeting a couple times a month for accountability and character building. The Word of God is our Guide through this whole process. The Bible tells us, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” 

Finally I would like to report on the progress of the PFW Campus Ministry apologetics study. We have had 4 meetings so far. One of the joys for me is that most every student that comes participates in our discussions. This makes the study more interactive and productive. 

At the end of a recent study one of the students asked a question. She inquired, ‘Are we going to continue the study this summer—I really do not want to stop.’ 

May the Resurrected Christ bless you and your family this Easter weekend.

Steve