Christ Alone

Our theme at the Global Briefing this year is "Christ Alone". Hopefully its your theme throughout the year too.

Hi I am Andy McCullough. Sunday Matt introduced me. Of course all he did was pull a post off of another blog for this project I led this summer through my church so it made it sound like I only cared for one country. In fact, I passionate about the world and that people who dwell in dark places everywhere will see the light of the glory of Christ. But since I am Matt's nemesis, it makes sense for him to try to paint me in such a way. MIKALATOS! (said through clenched teeth and with a balled up fist.)

So I just got back from South Africa less than a week ago. (Of course I am going start talking about Africa so that might lead you to believe Matt was right.) It was an awesome, awesome time as I got to serve with this diverse group of people from all over the country ranging in age from college students to a grandmother. For 12 days we just served among the poor in a township outside of Pretoria. We did a variety of things like serving meals and playing with 150 or so kids each day, teaching classes to adults on business so they can rise above their poverty, loving on this people in Christ, etc. It was a great two weeks as we just woke up every day with the mindset to serve. We got to share Christ in both word and deed. And we just enjoyed each other as we did it too.

For me it was week of our theme for briefing: Christ Alone. It wasn't about me. It wasn't about anyone else on our team. It about Christ. Living and loving in His name. Taking His message of hope to the hopeless.

STINT can be a temptation. As crazy as it sounds now, it will be easy even in the midst of serving to make this year about you. You will see it creep up as you face unmet expectations, disappointments, conflicts or even successes. The enemy will attack you and make you think its about you. (Well he can't make you but sure will try.) Before you know it, your focus will be off Christ and on yourself.

It's easy to forget that its not about us.... its about Jesus. It's about Him and His glory... not mine, not Campus Crusade's. All this is for Him. "For me to live is Christ and die is gain", the apostle Paul writes in Philippians. From a smelly Roman prison he was saying that "Life is about Christ Alone".

Our prayer is that the week at Copper Mountain will not just be a week of information download that half of which you forget before you get on the plane. (Though we are going download some important info and every speaker will inevitably say "if you only remember one thing..." .) Our prayer foremost though is that you really meet with Jesus. That He shows up and by your experiencing Him, you come back to that place of surrender. And you say "Jesus, this is about you. I die to my desires. I surrender it all to you. I want to live for you and you alone."

May God meet us this all in this special way.