Three Days With the Eagles
As I walked into the Student Union building for the first time as a full time Impact staff person, I met David and Becky at the table for the Secular Student Alliance. They hoped to start a chapter at Florida Gulf Coast University and wondered if I would sign their petition to help their cause. Jewish parents raised David and Becky grew up going to Sunday school. Both had decided over the years that the things their parents taught them about God did not make sense and through reason had rejected any belief in God. Their aim is to create a positive campus perspective on atheism so that religious people are not the only ones seen to do good for the community. They also want to raise awareness of the damage that religion has caused our society. Toward the end of our conversation, they asked again if I would like to sign their petition. I told them that I am a Christian and did not choose to sign it. Becky smiled and thanked me for my openness to talk.
The next day, I decided to explore the campus and venture to parts I had never seen before. Soon, I found myself in the Engineering building, and I was hungry. I waited for my sandwich to heat up at The Link, grabbed a pocket calendar for FGCU men’s and women’s basketball schedule and wondered how much it cost to go to a game. I noticed a student eating at a nearby table and asked if he knew. He guessed it was probably about five bucks, since I am not a student. We continued the conversation and I asked if I could sit with him. Jim kindly obliged and we sat together at the high top table. In the course of the conversation, Jim shared with me about his Catholic upbringing, his more recent agnosticism, and his current melding of the two, sprinkled with a bit of Buddhism. He also told me that about a month ago, his mom died of ovarian cancer. We talked about tragedy and God’s goodness, grief and the church. I handed him my card as he left to go to class, and I wondered whether I would hear from Jim again.
Several large bulletin boards around campus housed posters advertising the Great Porn Debate between the man with a world record for most appearances in adult films and a pastor for XXXChurch, a ministry dedicated to rescuing men and women out of the destructive addiction to pornography. The debate happened on campus on Tuesday night, and the ballroom was packed. In fact, over 200 people were turned away. The next day, I picked up an issue of Eagle News to read the review. The review praised each side for being fair and sounded favorable toward the pastor’s acceptance of and friendship with the porn star.
Three snippets from only three days on the university campus in my first week at FGCU highlight the need for the light of Jesus Christ to shine in that place. His gospel of grace gives students reasons to believe in a loving, kind, eternal God. His gospel of grace extends hope and understanding to those confused and hurt by tragedy. His gospel of grace rescues us from the loneliness of our addictions. May we speak and show this gospel to every student, faculty, staff, and administrator whom the Lord puts in our path.
I’m so pumped your on our staff Matt. It is so exciting to read about all the doors God is opening for you and Kerry. I’m praying for you guys! See you at all-staff conference.