Postcards from THE EDGE

Hi friends!

I just moved into my room for the Briefing... it's a little dorm room in a building called THE EDGE.

This is my third year in the EDGE, and rooms have varied. This year's seems to be clean and it smells just fine. The elevator on the way up smelled like a party after it's over, but my room is great. Of course, it looks like someone tried to bust into my door at some point. But on the bright side, it looks as if they failed miserably, sobbing in the hallway.

Someone started a rumor recently that not all the rooms had bathrooms. I'm not sure where this rumor came from, but it's not true. Here's a picture of my bathroom. There you go. Rumor debunked.

Also, my room has some cool decorations.

Tips For High Altitude Living

Sometimes it can be difficult to figure out things in a new culture... like when you are so high in the mountains that you can't get a good enough grip on the over-inflated chip bag to open it. Here's a brief tutorial to help you out:

At the Denver Airport!

I saw this little fella today at the Denver airport. It's a gargoyle coming out of a suitcase. The write up on it said that it is designed to be above a person's head to "watch your baggage" and make sure it arrives safely.

I am sure this teaches us something about the culture and religion of the people of Denver. That and the enormous blue horse bucking out in a field with glowing eyes. Didn't get a picture of that one, though.

These are the sort of observations that can help us as we "Learn a New World" in the culture we're headed to. Okay, so maybe it would be false to assume that the people of Denver are supersitious and really think that gargoyles will watch over their luggage. In fact, it probably shows the opposite... that they feel comfortable making jokes about belief in the supernatural in some way. Of course, the colored murals near the baggage claim tell us other things about the people of Denver as well... everything from a desire for peace, a distaste for war, environmentalism and more is revealed in that art. And of course the fact that there is a rotating baggage claim for skis tells us a little something about the culture as well.

When we see these strange little oddities that make us say, "This is not like my airport back home" we can take an opportunity to learn more about the culture that has created the airport we're in!

Copper Mtn here we come

I leave tomorrow morning at 5 a.m. for Copper. A lot of team leaders, new stinters and coaches are on their way, too! Without my wife here at the house to help me, I had to look up the weather all by myself. And then I thought... I bet a lot of the fine people coming to the Global Briefing don't have wives to help them, either.

So here's your five day forecast:


65° F 41° F

61° F 38° F

56° F 38° F

56° F 38° F

61° F 43° F

Or you could learn a new world and look at these:

18° C 5° C

16° C 3° C

13° C 3° C

13° C 3° C

16° C 6° C

I would put in little pictures of sunshine or clouds for the various days but-- let's be honest here -- this is not really in my skill set.

See you guys sometime in the next 24-48 hours!

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.

People, Get Ready

There's nothing like getting ready for a trip, especially when you know you're going to be gone for a long time. Nine months. A year. Two years.


There's the little details like packing your bags... (Which clothes should I take? How many cans of hair spray can I legally take on board a plane? Is my luggage tough enough to withstand a severe beating at the hands of an imprisoned ape?)





Then there's the aspect of saying good-bye to loved ones, which can be extremely difficult. We've all learned some lessons about this from the movies we've watched as children, and now, somehow, it just seems wrong unless we part with loved ones on a train station's platform.

Still, in the midst of packing toothpaste, peanut butter and socks and saying goodbye to loved ones it can be easy to forget the spiritual aspect of what we're in the middle of. This isn't the same as loading up your car for college, it's not the same as leaving home for a week for summer camp. The fact is, that God has called you to serve him for a year overseas, and this stepping out in faith is a spiritual action, and it's important for us to be prepared spiritually for what he is asking us to do.

When Joshua was about to take the Israelites across the Jordan River, it was an important moment in their history as a people. God had promised them the land across the river, and forty years earlier they had said, "This is too hard. We can't follow God into this place." So He sent them out into the wilderness for forty years. He took care of them there (fed them, gave them water, made sure their sandals didn't wear out), but He told them that only the children (plus Joshua and Caleb) would be allowed to enter the promised land.

Now they stood poised to enter... a place not unlike where you are today. God has called you to someplace you never expected. You've stepped up and said you will follow Him and already He has been stretching your faith as you've raised support, said good-bye, explained to your parents why you have to go, and now you're packing up for the plane ride.

At this turning point in Israel's history of following God, Joshua said to the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." (Joshua 3:5, NIV)

I think this is wise advice for us as we prepare for our time together in Colorado, as well as our time on stint. The Lord consistently shows up on stint and does amazing things. The number of people who have heard the gospel in the last several years through the faithfulness of people like yourselves is truly astonishing. He is going to bring new brothers and sisters into the kingdom this year. He is going to show you dark places in your own heart you didn't know existed, and shine his bright light into them so that you can embrace his healing and transformation. He -- the God who made the entire universe, the ocean, the land, the stars and all of humanity -- is going to meet with you as an individual and show you His love.

It would be wise then, for us, as people who will be standing in the presence of the Most Holy One, to make sure that we are sanctified, set apart and pure for our Master.

Take some time before you get on that plane to make sure you are holy, useful and ready to do whatever good thing the Master may ask of you. Spend some time in prayer and reflection and commit your self and your year to Him.  Let's not make the mistake of preparing all our physical goods for the journey without preparing our hearts.

Global Briefing Conference Director: Andy McCullough

Here's a quick introduction to Andy McCullough, who is running the Global Briefing this year. Andy has the answers to all your questions, in addition to being a wonderful person. If you see Andy wandering around the camp with a dazed, exhausted look on his face be sure to pull him aside and say, "Blessing upon you, good sir. Blessings upon you." Here's your intro:

"My name, as you know, is Andy McCullough. I have worked for Campus Crusade for 22 years now, the last 9 with the Worldwide Student Network where I help mobilize students to help change the world.

I like to read especially history. I like to travel and learning about other cultures. I am passionate about getting others involved in His Kingdom work. I enjoy hiking though I don't get to do it as much with small little boys who want to be carried once they get on a trail. I am married to a wonderful wife named Robin who when I left last year to work with orphans in Africa she said, "you are getting to live my dream". We have three little boys who I enjoy wrestling with: Luke, who turned 6 just a few weeks ago, and twins Jack & Drew who just turned three.

Twenty years ago last month, I was in Kenya on my first international missions trip and fell in love with Africa and Africans. I was so humbled by the hearts of the people I met. I am excited about going back and serving with all of you."