A New Creation

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17

I met him our first year hear at Cornell in 2008. Jason (not his real name) was an average guy coming from a Christian home. He grew up going to church with his family, and hearing all the classic Bible stories.

We first interacted when he started coming to our freshmen guys Bible study. Most weeks I would see him as we got together and discussed different stories of Jesus' interaction with people in the Gospel of John. He had thoughtful and accurate comments in our discussions.

One point at the end of Jason's freshmen year, Doug (my campus trainer) got some time with Jason to see where he was at with Christ (we would do this with all the guys in our study). Jason shared with Doug frankly about his struggles with doubt and questions about whether God really existed and if he (Jason) cared or not. This was a interesting and helpful conversation.

After our his freshmen year, when we arrived for our second year here at Cornell in the fall, Jason was hard to get a hold of. He wouldn't show up to Bible study or Nav-Night. And when I did see him, he would say that it wasn't a priority to him, he had other things he wanted to do. I could tell he felt a bit bad telling me so.

Eventually in early December of last year I asked Jason to grab lunch to see where he was at in life and with Christ. We had a great frank conversation about his doubts, fears, and questions. During our conversation I felt a prompting to offer a challenge to him. I asked him if he would consider getting together with me in the Spring of 2010 on a weekly basis and take a fresh look of Jesus in the Gospels. I asked him to lay aside his assumptions with me and investigate who Christ is. Jason said, "Yea, okay."

So this Spring semester, we have been getting together weekly and discussing all sorts of different truths from the Scriptures. We looked at everything from the idolatry and dissatisfaction of sin to what our identity is as a believer in Jesus Christ. We have had a wonderful time together digging into the Bible.

In the last few weeks of our time together this semester, Jason has been asking different questions than before. Usually his questions centered around who is God, how He is the authority, and what He requires of us. But in recent weeks be began asking questions like, "If I became a Christian, what could I expect life to be like? What would it be about?" or "If I became a Christian, how can I glorify God with my major and my career? Don't I have to become a full-time Christian minister?"

Eventually, as we discussed these various questions, Jason began to say things like, "I feel like it is inevitable that I will become a Christian." and "I know I have to and that I want to give my life to Christ, but I'm hesitating. I'm nervous. I know that if I commit to this, then there is no turning back, my life will change forever."

These statements about blew me away! The way Jason was counting the cost made sense, but it sill just rocked me. I was amazed to see the grip that God had on his life. Beautiful.

So I shared verses about making a decision to follow Christ with him a few weeks ago. We looked at John 1:12. "For to all who received him, to those who believed in his name he gave the right to become children of God." and Revelation 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock, whoever hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me."

When I shared those verses with him, Jason said, "Yea, that's it. That's how I feel. It's like I'm standing at the door, I just need to walk through it."

Needless to say we have been earnestly petitioning the Father to bring Jason into the Kingdom as a child of God for the last several weeks in a new way! On Tuesday, April 27th, we got together for our weekly meeting as usual. We talked about life and caught up, then I asked him how things are going with his questions, doubts, and struggles with believing in Jesus as his Lord and savior. Jason sort of hesitated and then said, "Well, last week I did it. I went to the chapel on campus and told God that I wanted to follow Him."

I almost thought I didn't hear him right ...

After blinking away the initial tidal wave of shock and joy, I asked him, "So what was the tipping point for you? What helped you make that decision?"

"Well", He said, "I just felt like, 'Okay God, you win.'"

A few days later he mentioned, "I just thought, 'I have no reason not to.'" and "I thought of how sinful I was, but how God still reaches out to me." and "I just said, 'I'll follow you. Show me what to do.'"

I hardly had anything to say; but I was rejoicing in spirit!

Jason went on to say a myriad of other amazing statements when describing his present state like:

"But now, I don't know how to act! I don't know how to love others. I don't know how to love Christ." and "How does God become my fulfillment? My satisfaction? My joy?" and "The only reason I wanted to become a Christian was to be loved."

Since that meeting, Jason and I have been getting together every day for about an hour to help him get "rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith" (Colossians 2:6). As I expected, Jason was consumed by doubts within those first week of surrendering his life to Christ. He said to me in our meeting on Tuesday, "I thought I had dealt with all my doubts; but now they seem to have come back and stronger than before!" He had doubts like, "How is God the moral standard and judge? Isn't he just a tyrannical God?" I reassured him that I was not surprised by or nervous about this recent wave of doubt, I told him that I expected our Adversary, the Accuser, to attack him in his new faith in Christ. I told Jason that the Accuser's goal is to convince him that what he experienced this semester, and especially recently, isn't real. That it is/was just an emotional rush and purely a sensational feeling. Often the lies sound like this, "Besides, you're too sinful to be a Christian. You're sins aren't really forgiven. You aren't good enough. God can't accept you."

For we know Satan's crafty ways from Scripture, "... for the accuser of our brothers ... who accuses them day and night before our God." But Scripture also tells us as believers in Jesus Christ we can take heart, because Christ has "overcome the world" (John 16:33). And we have the power in Christ to resist, and eventually conquer, Satan "by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their [our] testimony" (Revelation 12:11).

We are never totally free from doubts as believers in Christ, but we do not have to be ruled by them. And thanks to God's grace & the power of the Holy Spirit residing within him, Jason has been walking more and more firmly in the faith every day.

Lately his questions and our conversations have been directed toward discerning what our new life in Christ looks like, in regards to our identity in Christ as well as our daily lived life. It has been an absolute joy to walk with Jason through this season of life! I can echo the Apostle John's feeling he penned in 3 John 4 "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."

It has now been over 2.5 weeks since Jason surrendered to Christ. It has been exciting and encouraging to hear of how the Holy Spirit has been convicting him of sin, prodding and guiding him to make daily decisions to follow Christ, and a growing hunger and thirst to love and obey God. Truly, awesome.

Unfortunately, Lindsay and I will be moving on in life and ministry this summer (as you hopefully read in our April Newsletter). I just wish I could have the privilege of continuing to disciple Jason in this crucial season of life. But, God has a different plan. Though I am comforted knowing that Doug (my trainer) will be continuing to help Jason grow and mature in this new life in Christ!

Please pray Ephesians 1:16-22 with me for Jason: "I do not cease to give thank for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power towards us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead ..."

I take comfort from Paul's words in Philippians 1:6 "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."

Thank you for laboring with us here in the Lord's harvest fields at Cornell University! Truly you have helped change lives for the glory of God. Paul speaks what is on our hearts for you "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." Philippians 1:3-5

M&L

April 2010 Newsletter

In case you didn't get it, here is a snapshot of our April 2010 newsletter. If you would like to receive our newsletters, please email us at mlkinnick [at] gmail.com with your physical mailing address, and we would love to add you to our list! It is a great way to keep informed of what is going on in the ministry we are involved in.

U.S. Supreme Court Case April 19th | Follow Up

"We know many of you prayed for the oral arguments to the US Supreme Court on Monday, April 19th concerning the Christian Legal Society vs. the University of California's Hastings College of Law. Thanks for all the emails of concern and letting us know of your commitment to pray. This is a key time to continue to pray while the Court works toward a decision.

Below is a link to The Chronicle of Higher Education that has a comprehensive summary of the presentation to the Court. Their basic take is that the Court was split along ideological lines. We will keep you posted as we are aware of substantial developments."

http://chronicle.com/article/Supreme-Court-Appears-Split/65169

University Constructs Fences Over Bridges

Because of multiple student suicides this Spring semester here at Cornell, the University and the city of Ithaca came together and decided to erect fences on all the major bridges that span the gorges on Cornell's campus. You can read more about the suicides on my previous post here. (Unfortunately, one of the bodies was not discovered until recently as the rivers were full and fast during the Springs months. It was eventually found in Cayuga Lake by a fishermen. You can read about the details here.)

There has been a multitude of reactions to the fences (and deaths) from both the student community as well as the greater Cornell and Ithaca community. Some are glad something has been done. Others are furious that money was spent on such a pointless band-aid. Still others feel a sense of sadness for their necessity. And others are glad the fences are there because they feel safer as a community.

Regardless of the debate, Jesus Christ and Him crucified is the only solution for death. His death and resurrection is the only solution powerful enough to atone and redeem all creation. As we see in John chapter 11, Jesus didn't just emotionlessly raise His dear friend Lazarus from the dead. Our Lord and Savior wept and bellowed with anger at sin, suffering, and death itself. He entered into our pain, experienced it, and overcame it.

Please pray with us for the Cornell University community, that students would see the full deity and humanity of Christ; and that they would see the true life that He alone can offer. "At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ" Colossians 4:3

We are so grateful and blessed to have your partnership in the Gospel!

M&L

Here are a few more articles about the fences related to the recent deaths on campus:

University Installs Fences on Campus Bridges

Bridge Fences Become a Forum for Student Expression

Students Criticize New Fences on Campus Bridges

Urgent Prayer | U.S. Supreme Court Case April 19th

I just received this email from our chief of staff at The Navigators headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Please pray with us that we would continue to be allowed to hold our student officers and voting members on campus to our core religious commitments.

"On April 19th, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments to decide whether groups like The Navigators, InterVarsity, Campus Crusade and others can be removed from college campuses because they require their officers and voting members to share their core religious commitments. According to some universities these core religious beliefs violate their affirmative action policy.

Seventeen organizations and 13 state attorney generals are working together on this case. Pray for the justices to rule on the side of religious freedom. For more information on how to pray, go to http://www.intervarsity.org/news/campus-faith-freedom-alert. This case has far reaching implications for religious freedom in all areas."

Thank you for fighting the battle with us!

For Christ and His Kingdom,

M&L

Email Update | 03/13/2010

Recently, I (Matt) have been getting together with 3-4 sophomore guys (2-3 of which are not following Christ) over dinner to discuss the often challenging, painful, and confusing topic of "suffering".

Our first discussion was primarily from a philosophic perspective. "Does the existence of suffering disprove God's existence?" "Does the existence of suffering prove God's existence" (As Keller mentions it could) "How do we interpret suffering if God doesn't exist? What is our anchor or hope? Strength?" "If God does exist and what the Bible says about Him is true, how do we then interpret suffering?"

That helped us to transition into our most recent discussion this last Tuesday night over beef stroganoff, orzo, and Dr. Pepper®. We used one of the free online PDF Bible studies that coincide with some of the chapter titles from Dr. Timothy Keller's The Reason for God. We looked at 1 Peter 1:3-12together. This passage gave us a great launch pad for several avenues of discussion.

As we talked, it was great to hear one of the students who doesn't know or follow Christ articulate the good news of Christ. In response to my question, "What is the hope or strength for those who believe in Jesus in the midst of suffering?", he said, "Well, I guess, if you believe in Jesus Christ as it says here, then your sins are forgiven. I mean, that would feel pretty good, I think."

I was greatly encouraged to hear him restate what he was hearing and learning from our discussion. My hope & prayer is that these guys continue to further grasp and understand, by God's Spirit, the hope & life that is God's gift to them by faith in Jesus Christ.

All of this seems to have a weightier significance in light of the recent apparent suicides (read about it on our blog) here on campus, both to the students and to us as campus ministers.

Your partnership in ministry is so vital to Christ's Kingdom advancing here at Cornell and beyond! Thank you for laboring in the harvest fields with us.Philippians 1:3-5

Laboring with you,

Matt & Lindsay Kinnick

Funding Update: 94% Financial Need: $4,500

To partner financially, click here.

Please pray for Cornell students ...

Two days ago on Thursday, March 11th at 1pm, the Ithaca Fire Department pulled a student's body out of the Fall Creek Gorge on campus, you can read the article here.

Yesterday, Friday, at about 3:45pm, again the Ithaca Fire Department found another body in the Fall Creek Gorge under the suspension bridge, you can read the article here.

The investigations are not complete yet by the Cornell University Police, but they suspect that both were suicides. This is always shocking to the whole Cornell community, but especially since another such incident happened barely 3 weeks ago in the same gorge on campus, you can read the article here.

3 deaths in barely 3 weeks.

Many campuses around the US & the word deal with suicide on an annual basis. But, I think it is more pronounced, or at least public, here for a few reasons: 1. Many of the suicides here at Cornell are students jumping off of bridges into the gorges on campus (thus being more public and dramatic). 2. It is an Ivy League campus, and the academic, career, and success pressures are increased.

We are all affected by these events, whether we choose to recognize it or not. Many of the students in our Nav ministry have expressed their sadness and confusion over the recent deaths. I think many Cornellians were still reeling from the first two deaths; the death yesterday may begin to panic or numb students.

This has been an on going issue for Cornell with the gorges and the bridges. Over the night hours the Cornell Police have patrol cars driving over each of the bridges once every 30 minutes. But today, there are police patrolling each bridge as I write. The University is trying to take precautions. I think it is scary and troubling for all.

Unfortunately, larger guard rails, and more announcements about the available counseling services will not be our hope, as many have suggested. You can read Cornell President Skorton's email after this most recent death here.

Please continue to pray with us for the students and this campus. ^"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving." Pray that they would see the hope, purpose, and life that Christ offers, and not the meaninglessness of the naturalism that is preached in the class room. Please pray with us that lost students would encounter the power, the love, and the healing of the resurrected Christ.

^{Please continue to pray for us as well ... "}At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak." Colossians 2:4-6

It has always been true, but this world truly & desperately needs the transforming love and power of the resurrected Jesus Christ.

We can't fight this battle without you.

In His Power,

Matt & Lindsay

NEWC: Thank you for praying!

(Sorry for the poor photo)

We had a great time at the Northeast Winter Conference with our Cornell students! Thank you so much for being in prayer with us concerning this conference.

We had a difficult challenge recruiting Cornell students to the conference this year. We're still not exactly sure what the factors were this time, but we were only able to recruit 8 students.

Never the less, we had a fantastic weekend with our students. Many great conversations were had throughout the weekend, whether there were in the car to and from, over meals, or out on the lake playing hockey for 3 hours!

The theme verse was Matthew 13:44 "⁴⁴ The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."

The conference speakers were dynamic, practical, and challenging which lead to some excellent discussion with our students concerning their walk with Christ. We had discussions with several of our students about what it might look like to 'sell all we have and buy the field'. Overall, it has a wonderfully encouraging, challenging, and exciting weekend.

Thank you again so much for investing in this vital ministry of the Gospel!

M&L

Winter Wonderland '10

Lindsay and I love snow, that's no secret. Here are some photos, enjoy.

This is Bebe Lake on Cornell's campus with the beginnings of Fall Creek crashing down below.

Here are some photos on Facebook of Lindsay and I snowshoeing near Ithaca, NY:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2843759&id=13924805&l=64d9f96442

November '09 & January '10 Newsletters

If you are not on our snail-mail newsletter list, here are the latest (plus our prayer card). If you would like to receive our snail-mail newsletters or email updates, please do not hesitate to email us! mlkinnick[at]gmail[dot]com

Thanks for journeying with us!

P.S. I apologize for those strange chunky letter "L" things. That is odd. I'll have to investigate that further.

Also, here is our prayer card. If you received one in the mail with our January newsletter, we would love it if you could stick it on your fridge as a reminder to pray for us (no pressure). Thanks!

2010 Northeast Winter Conference

We have our annual Northeast Winter Conference (NEWC) coming up, just two weeks from yesterday (February 12-14). A regional conference were all the The Navigator ministries of New England + New York get together to sit under the teaching of Scripture, dive into Scripture in workshops, and bond in fellowship and community. We are in the process of recruiting our Cornell students to come.

Every year it is a great conference from 4 main reasons:

1. For students to be challenged by the speakers to walk in greater trust & devotion to Christ

2. For students to interact with Scripture in the different workshops offered

3. For our students to get better connected with The Navigators at Cornell

4. For our students to better connect and grow in friendship & fellowship with one another (It helps to grow sense of unity and community, bonding over a shared experience)

Please pray with us that many of our students will make the time & financial sacrifice to come to this conference. We long to see them grow deeper and put their roots down into Christ The Foundation.

Here is the brochure cover (I designed all the graphics/materials for the conference):

09 Cornell Nav Christmas Party

We had a blast having a dessert contest, a white-elephant gift exchange (AKA yankee-swap), and others games, etc! We have a great group of students and greatly enjoy being with them.

On their behalf, "Thank You!"

And on our behalf, thanks for laboring with us. God is answering our prayers together.