This summer when I visited Cote d'Ivoire, I was reminded more clearly than ever how those that invest their finances in the ministry enable ministry to happen. This video shares the impact that your partnership is having through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ around the world. Because of you...
Thank you for your partnership with us.
Barrett and Dayna
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
It takes guts
When I see my kids battle through the fears and challenges they face, it gives me confidence that they can make it in life. Last night Aubrey played in the fall small chamber concert at Rollins College. Aubrey has always struggled with anxiety and fear when trying something new, or performing. She said that last night was the first time she was not nervous beforehand. You can watch her performance here. The musicians all gathered to pray together before they began the program, even pulling in the Muslim student, who felt a bit awkward when the prayers began "Dear Jesus..."
Luke is playing on a high school basketball team that is, frankly, not good. They work hard and try hard, but they have lost their 4 games by an average of about 45 points. They are battling through the obstacles of having only eight players, only one just over six feet tall, and a freshman point guard. To me, it takes guts to go out there and battle when you know the likelihood of success is low.
In fact, they inspire me to keep taking the risks and moving through my fears with faith. Life is kind of like David and Goliath...you gotta step up and take a chance. The only way you know for sure what will happen is by not even taking the risk.
Thanks Luke and Aubrey!
Luke is playing on a high school basketball team that is, frankly, not good. They work hard and try hard, but they have lost their 4 games by an average of about 45 points. They are battling through the obstacles of having only eight players, only one just over six feet tall, and a freshman point guard. To me, it takes guts to go out there and battle when you know the likelihood of success is low.
In fact, they inspire me to keep taking the risks and moving through my fears with faith. Life is kind of like David and Goliath...you gotta step up and take a chance. The only way you know for sure what will happen is by not even taking the risk.
Thanks Luke and Aubrey!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Gratitude
Have you ever eaten at Chick-fil A? You may have noticed that if you say “thank you,” the workers there answer “my pleasure?” It actually makes it fun to say “thank you” because I am always looking for the “my pleasure.”
Expressing thanks, and being thankful, isn’t always that easy! Thankfulness requires recognizing that my life involves other people. When I receive a gift, or am blessed because of the actions of another, it means that someone else has taken action that impacts me. Expressing thanks is acknowledging that person’s actions resulted in a blessing to me.
It is easy to see the blessing when someone holds the door for me, or hand me the salt and pepper. However, there are times when I may not recognize actions taken on my behalf, especially if they take place over time. This can especially happen in our home...where we take for granted the things others do for us.
It can also be easy also to overlook the good actions God has taken for me in my life…the blessings those actions bring to my life.
Gratitude requires that we look outside of ourselves to recognize how God’s (and others’) actions have impacted us.
We want to thank you for your actions that bless us. We are only able to serve in ministry because of your gifts to God. This is not “Barrett and Dayna’s ministry”, but it is owned by you and the others who give and pray to allow us to serve Him with Campus Crusade for Christ.
Thank you for the financial support you provide, along with the prayers, encouragement, and friendship. We are not alone in the ministry, and we are grateful for that fact.
May this Thanksgiving be one where you recognize and express to God and others all they do to bless your life.
With love and thanks,
Update From Home
Expressing thanks, and being thankful, isn’t always that easy! Thankfulness requires recognizing that my life involves other people. When I receive a gift, or am blessed because of the actions of another, it means that someone else has taken action that impacts me. Expressing thanks is acknowledging that person’s actions resulted in a blessing to me.
It is easy to see the blessing when someone holds the door for me, or hand me the salt and pepper. However, there are times when I may not recognize actions taken on my behalf, especially if they take place over time. This can especially happen in our home...where we take for granted the things others do for us.
It can also be easy also to overlook the good actions God has taken for me in my life…the blessings those actions bring to my life.
Gratitude requires that we look outside of ourselves to recognize how God’s (and others’) actions have impacted us.
We want to thank you for your actions that bless us. We are only able to serve in ministry because of your gifts to God. This is not “Barrett and Dayna’s ministry”, but it is owned by you and the others who give and pray to allow us to serve Him with Campus Crusade for Christ.
Thank you for the financial support you provide, along with the prayers, encouragement, and friendship. We are not alone in the ministry, and we are grateful for that fact.
May this Thanksgiving be one where you recognize and express to God and others all they do to bless your life.
With love and thanks,
Update From Home
Aubrey, our 3rd daughter, is a sophomore at Rollins College here in town. She works really hard at school most of the time, but when she and her friends found this blow up obstacle course, they went all in! Paste this link into your browser and check out THIS VIDEO
Dayna's Dad
Last month we shared how Dayna’s father had moved down to live near us. Well, just over a week ago he began not being able to get up on his own. Because we could not be with him 24 hours a day, it was clear he needed more assistance.
So, a few days ago he was able to move into an assisted living apartment where there is always a nurse or aide nearby to help him. He is already improving and enjoying the people. It is nice to see him doing better.
So, a few days ago he was able to move into an assisted living apartment where there is always a nurse or aide nearby to help him. He is already improving and enjoying the people. It is nice to see him doing better.
Thanks again for your prayers, partnership and friendship!!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
New logo for the new name
When Campus Crusade announced the coming name change this summer, we also unveiled a logo to help communicate the centrality of the cross to our mission. Soon after we discovered a church in Texas that one year prior had chosen a very similar logo to the one we designed. It wasn't discovered because the church had not registered it, but we worked with the church to change our logo slightly so they were different enough to help us both. Here is the new logo:
If I can find a detailed explanation for the components of the logo, I'll post them here. But I do know a few things: The word "cru" has no capital letters so that people won't think the letters stand for something (they don't) and so that they won't think it is short for something (it is not)...even though college students have nicknamed CCC cru on their campuses for years.
Here's what our US VP wrote about it this week:
There is a tag line for the logo, and it is with the logo below:
If I can find a detailed explanation for the components of the logo, I'll post them here. But I do know a few things: The word "cru" has no capital letters so that people won't think the letters stand for something (they don't) and so that they won't think it is short for something (it is not)...even though college students have nicknamed CCC cru on their campuses for years.
Here's what our US VP wrote about it this week:
You’ll see it continues to let us tell our story of connection. It communicates how the 4 corners of the world all find new life at the cross. It also communicates our desire to move outward from the cross, to the whole world. The blue palette incorporates our history in world missions while the gold palette states our commitment to diversity and the city as we embrace our future.
There is a tag line for the logo, and it is with the logo below:
So, what do you think?
Monday, October 31, 2011
Changes here and there
This month as brought a big change to our family as Dayna’s father, James Matthews, made a big move to live just four doors down from our house. After falling and breaking his shoulder last winter, he decided he didn’t need any icy winters in Columbus anymore.
We are happy to have him so close! We are a big bunch of people, and we're sure he likes having more action around him!
If you follow the news, you’ve read about significant events around the world this month. There have been elections in Tunisia, flooding in El Salvador, Gaddafi’s death in Libya. What might not cross you mind as you read about them is that these events may have significant impact on our ministries, staff, and the strategies they have for reaching that part of the world.
For example, our national director in El Salvador recently wrote that the intense rains were closing roads, houses, schools, etc. There was a lot of damage to the infrastructure of the country. The impact of this is not only on our staff, who along with many were evacuating from their homes, but the financial partners to the ministry as well. The donors’ inability to work and give will impact the staff’s ability to continue to minister.
When I read the news now, I often find myself asking, “how is this impacting believers in that country? How will that impact our staff and their ability to reach people for Christ?”
When we do our work of anticipating the impact that a crisis can have on us, we usually are better prepared to respond in a timely and effective manner. Today we are working on a training for our leaders in Eastern Europe we’ll conduct in January. They want to effectively assess the crises their staff and countries might encounter, and have plans for a response when it is needed.
We appreciate that together with you, we are able to help our worldwide ministries continue to share the gospel in the midst of a world filled with risk.
With love and thanks,
 |
| Luke and James after their haircuts! |
We are happy to have him so close! We are a big bunch of people, and we're sure he likes having more action around him!
If you follow the news, you’ve read about significant events around the world this month. There have been elections in Tunisia, flooding in El Salvador, Gaddafi’s death in Libya. What might not cross you mind as you read about them is that these events may have significant impact on our ministries, staff, and the strategies they have for reaching that part of the world.
For example, our national director in El Salvador recently wrote that the intense rains were closing roads, houses, schools, etc. There was a lot of damage to the infrastructure of the country. The impact of this is not only on our staff, who along with many were evacuating from their homes, but the financial partners to the ministry as well. The donors’ inability to work and give will impact the staff’s ability to continue to minister.
When I read the news now, I often find myself asking, “how is this impacting believers in that country? How will that impact our staff and their ability to reach people for Christ?”
When we do our work of anticipating the impact that a crisis can have on us, we usually are better prepared to respond in a timely and effective manner. Today we are working on a training for our leaders in Eastern Europe we’ll conduct in January. They want to effectively assess the crises their staff and countries might encounter, and have plans for a response when it is needed.
We appreciate that together with you, we are able to help our worldwide ministries continue to share the gospel in the midst of a world filled with risk.
With love and thanks,
Sunday, October 23, 2011
"Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death."
I read this quote on a friends facebook page today, and it is what I need to hear. Take a minute to read the whole "Lion chaser's manifesto," written by Mark Batterson, inspired by his book In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day .
Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Grab life by the mane. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshipping what’s right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don’t try to be who you’re not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.
We made a decision 26 years ago to take a risk and join the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ to impact lives for Christ. It hasn't been a safe life in many ways, and at times the risk of failure seems too scary for me, I want to play it safe. I know I have shrunk back from pursuing this kind of life at times with my family, my ministry, my relationships. I have wanted the "safer" way.
We are are not living in a dangerous country. There is no gunfire on our street. But these risks are just as real to me. The risks include loving my wife and kids knowing I will mess up again, and will hurt them; challenging the status quo in a 60 year old missionary organization; inviting others to join our financial support team; talking about Christ with the people around me. I want the "safer" way.
In my role in Campus Crusade, the risks can be life threatening to those I serve. My job as crisis manager means approving trips to "risky" countries, responding when crises threaten our staff and ministries. In HR it means is addressing an area of someone's life that brings threatens their ability to continue in ministry...engaging with people in areas of their character. Not easy or comfortable things for me. I want the "safer" way.
But today it makes me remember that I want the richness of the abundant life God promised He has for me. I want to express deeply the love I have for my wife. I want to enjoy the journey with my kids. I want to not let my flaws keep me from engaging with God and others.
Today this manifesto makes me remember that I've had the privilege to work with so many others that are living this out each day. And I'm not just talking about other missionaries, but many on our financial support team, and other believers as well. The way the world is impacted is by people stepping out on a limb and trusting that God will meet them. I know people who live like this, but I also know people who, like me, want the "safer" way..
People need the life that Jesus came to give, they need forgiveness, they need Him to change their hearts, their lives. It is worth investing in, and it is worth calling others to join us in a life like this. I'm willing to keep taking some risks, to keep doing things that make my heart beat faster, that make me nervous, that scare me almost to death...I'm willing to keep trying things that might fail. It is worth being intrusive in the lives of others.
Am I willing to live like this? I want to. I'm gonna give it a shot. I want to quit holding back, to quite running away. God give me strength.
Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Grab life by the mane. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshipping what’s right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don’t try to be who you’re not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.
We made a decision 26 years ago to take a risk and join the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ to impact lives for Christ. It hasn't been a safe life in many ways, and at times the risk of failure seems too scary for me, I want to play it safe. I know I have shrunk back from pursuing this kind of life at times with my family, my ministry, my relationships. I have wanted the "safer" way.
We are are not living in a dangerous country. There is no gunfire on our street. But these risks are just as real to me. The risks include loving my wife and kids knowing I will mess up again, and will hurt them; challenging the status quo in a 60 year old missionary organization; inviting others to join our financial support team; talking about Christ with the people around me. I want the "safer" way.
In my role in Campus Crusade, the risks can be life threatening to those I serve. My job as crisis manager means approving trips to "risky" countries, responding when crises threaten our staff and ministries. In HR it means is addressing an area of someone's life that brings threatens their ability to continue in ministry...engaging with people in areas of their character. Not easy or comfortable things for me. I want the "safer" way.
But today it makes me remember that I want the richness of the abundant life God promised He has for me. I want to express deeply the love I have for my wife. I want to enjoy the journey with my kids. I want to not let my flaws keep me from engaging with God and others.
Today this manifesto makes me remember that I've had the privilege to work with so many others that are living this out each day. And I'm not just talking about other missionaries, but many on our financial support team, and other believers as well. The way the world is impacted is by people stepping out on a limb and trusting that God will meet them. I know people who live like this, but I also know people who, like me, want the "safer" way..
People need the life that Jesus came to give, they need forgiveness, they need Him to change their hearts, their lives. It is worth investing in, and it is worth calling others to join us in a life like this. I'm willing to keep taking some risks, to keep doing things that make my heart beat faster, that make me nervous, that scare me almost to death...I'm willing to keep trying things that might fail. It is worth being intrusive in the lives of others.
Am I willing to live like this? I want to. I'm gonna give it a shot. I want to quit holding back, to quite running away. God give me strength.
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