It's only May and I've become amazed at what God has already done with this year of Adventurous Bravery. I know that as I write this, God is fighting for me. When you speak out against darkness, the enemy gets upset. I refuse to be afraid of the target on my back because I know my God is higher and stronger than any other.
I'm here to let you in on some of the incredible things God has been doing (and I'll try to keep it brief).
Recently, I have been burdened with the pain of my college campus. When I asked God not too long ago to take me on adventures that I would need to be brave for, I never imagined it would be so close to home. I was expecting to go off to India and do some crazy evangelism; yet, the Lord is preparing me for those adventures with this one. I shared my heart with my brother-in-law and he felt very similar. Quickly, he initiated a meeting with a guy at our church who works with InterVarsity, Beau Crosetto. Out of two meetings with Beau, we left with a game plan to start InterVarsity on campus and with a sense of urgency. My campus needs Jesus... Was I going to be brave enough to bring Him there with me?
We had our first meeting with Beau and a few students I gathered up who bought into the vision. This meeting did not go as I had hoped. I discerned some weird things from people who had come up to us during our meeting who were asking what we were doing. I started feeling uncomfortable and insecure. In fact, right before our meeting a random guy came up to talk with my friend and I. He knew my friend and felt comfortable enough to sit down and invite himself to our meeting. I was slightly alarmed, but I tried not to let it get to me. Eventually, this guy told me that InterVarsity would not work on our campus for many reasons. Of all that he said, I knew God could overcome it; yet, I still felt extremely discouraged.
After our meeting, Beau asked how I felt about our meeting. There was some tension during it, and I brought that up. But I felt like I wasn't really getting to the core of what was wrong. It took me a minute, but I let Beau know about the guy who came up and directly told me that this would not work and that no one would want to be a part of it. Imagine being fired up about starting a new ministry and learning about church planting until some random (intimidating) guy comes up and very aggressively tells you it's a waste of time. I cried a little and, through a debrief with Beau, came to realize that this guy's comment was so hurtful because it was playing into my insecurities. Many times before have I tried to start something for God and seen it crash and burn right before my eyes. I did not want this to be like that.
I left our debriefing still feeling weird about the way everything went down during the meeting, but excited to see what God would do in the midst of my doubt and insecurities.
Our second meeting took place earlier this week and, while I knew it would be better, I felt exhausted walking into it. I had just gotten done participating in a panel discussion on Sexual Assault & Rape, and I was feeling emotionally drained. Our second meeting started, and a new face joined us. To be straightforward, I was hesitant because of our last meeting when a new face joined us... and it didn't go so well. However, this new guy was great. He seemed to be very receptive and enjoyed our meeting. I enjoyed his feedback.
Today, a few days after our second meeting, I'm feeling more excited about what God is going to do. However, I am also feeling nervous about what the enemy may try to do to bring us down. I know God is good and that He will sustain us and will not lead us into battle to die, but I have to be honest about my struggles and feelings. I am nervous.
I want to invite you all that are reading this to journey with me. If you would like to adventure with me into the great unknown of God's plan, would you join with me in prayer and petition against anything that may come against us during this ministry plant? Would you be willing to pray for the well-being and tenacity of our team? I would like to give you the link to our video journey in planting this ministry and Beau's website so that you may be able to track our adventures just as we are experiencing them. I'll be posting on this blog to give you all updates on how things are going. If you would like to get these updates sent to your email, please subscribe in the box on the left-hand side. If you have any encouragement or prayers that you would like me to share with our team, my email is kimy.brennan@gmail.com. Feel free to message me if you would like some encouragement as well. We're all in this together, trying to impact this world for the glory of God and the kingdom purpose. Please let us stand by you in encouragement, and I ask that you would pray for us as well.
