CruLeave a comment

Flight to Egypt Christmas Stamp

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I love this new Christmas stamp! According to Seasons of Grace,  the Post Office has issued both a secular and a religious stamp for fifty years.The stamps were typically taken from a medieval artist’s depiction of the madonna and child . Seasons of Grace quotes Louis Guiliano, representing the postal service’s Board of Governors, as he explained the departure from their usual stamp style:

“[The flight into Egypt is] another part of the Christmas story.  Forty-eight out of 50 years were the same type of image, we wanted to express a different part of the Christmas story.” Continue reading “Flight to Egypt Christmas Stamp”

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Mattie: A Student’s Changed Life

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 Mattie’s Story

In high school Mattie was involved with drinking and drugs. Raised in an agnostic Muslim home, she hated herself for her rebellious lifestyle, especially when her mother died of cancer in Mattie’s senior year.

Mattie started attending church with some friends and gave her life to Christ that same year, but she still struggled. Mattie explains:

“My relationship with my boyfriend eventually ended…. My entire sense of worth came from him… so at that point my only option was to turn back to God.  I had to figure out God’s love for me as well as how to love him back.  But I didn’t know where to start.”

Mattie joined a Bible study with Cru at Boston University in her freshman year.  This past spring break she attended our Big Break Conference in Panama City, Florida. While there Mattie heard a speaker describe God’s love: “He spoke of Jesus [washing] his followers’ feet. That picture made so much sense to me…They didn’t deserve this or earn it.  Rather, this was how much he loved them.”

“We woke up the next morning, and went to talk with people on the beach. … I saw a girl [who] was hopelessly drunk and … had cuts on her hands, sand all over her face, and vomit streaked throughout her hair. Her name was Sydney. Continue reading “Mattie: A Student’s Changed Life”

Our FamilyLeave a comment

Thanksgiving 2012

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We enjoyed having the entire family together for Thanksgiving week. Ben, Bonnie, and Patrick drove down from DC while Josh and Jenn had several days off from studies.

Bonnie had never been to Kennedy Space Center, so we spent one day 0n the Space Coast.” Unfortunately, it was a damp, drizzly day, not the warm and sunny day we enjoyed on our visit in June. Continue reading “Thanksgiving 2012”

The Sower: Helping You Share Your FaithLeave a comment

Taking New Steps at the Fitness Center

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I forgot that it was Wednesday.

Point A: schools let out an hour earlier on Wednesdays. Point B: my fitness center is next door to a Middle School.

Normally, I try to go workout when I don’t have to deal with school bus convoys and packs of teenagers hanging around the fitness center parking lot. I missed the buses and most of the huddles of  teens, except for when I was ready to go home.  One group of six boys talked animatedly about twenty feet from my parked van

I stood with the car door open, debating with myself.  I had evangelistic “business cards” in my purse on purpose… because of all the kids at the fitness center. I didn’t hear their conversation, but a few colorful words got my attention. I glanced over at them, feeling a bit intimidated. Continue reading “Taking New Steps at the Fitness Center”

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Social Media and Cru

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“We don’t have a choice on whether we DO social media, the question is how well we DO it.”

~ Erik Qualman

Social Media for Non Profits Conference

Sus was excited to attend her first (non-Crusade) conference in Austin this past month, the Social Media for NonProfits conference. She gained a lot of ideas that she can share with our staff.

Two others from Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) attended: Paul from Bridges International, which reaches international students on campuses, and Donna from Here’s Life Inner City in Los Angeles. We all agreed that the conference gave us a lot of ideas and tools to help connect with the people we minister to. Continue reading “Social Media and Cru”

Our FamilyLeave a comment

Josh Is Working on a Master’s Degree

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If you’ve been following our family news, you know that Josh was let go by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions in early 2011. Josh had just completed all his nuclear materials on-the-job training, but (for economic reasons) the company let go of 25% of their employees.

After more than a year job-hunting, Josh’s friends recommended he switch gears and apply to get his Master’s in mechanical engineering. This past August he started taking classes at the University of Central Florida here in Orlando. Josh is also a research assistant, working in a laboratory with a group of graduate students who are investigating turbine and energy generation, including biofuels. Continue reading “Josh Is Working on a Master’s Degree”