NIGHT OF NETS...Celebrating 2013 and Looking Ahead to 2014

This week is a really quiet one on the CU campus.  I'm getting a chance to do some long range planning and vision casting, finishing up grading, and spend time with some of the folks I work with in my office talking about how to make better our student programs and initiatives in 2014...

I also dropped a few checks in the mail over the last few weeks as we closed up Night of Nets for 2013...the funds raised this fall at CU and several other campuses will provide about 5000 bed nets for families in sub-Saharan Africa...it is a sort of sacred moment for me sealing an envelope with a piece of paper that will ultimately save, change, and better the lives of some remarkable folks threatened by the bite of an insect as the rainy season approaches...

And this morning over coffee and cocoa at our favorite local place a few of us dreamed about how to grow Night of Nets in the year to come...we've seen it move from 500 nets the first year to 5000 in its fourth year while providing about 10,000 bed nets for families in Africa...

And now we dream and are beginning to try and take next steps that might move its impact to 10,000 families involving 20 different campuses in 2014...it's a big step to dream of doing in year 5 what we've done in the first 4 years combined, but I am quite certain that God can do more than I can imagine and it is clearly time to capitalize on our chance to make a massive dent in the impact of this deadly killer...here's some encouraging and compelling info via my friends at World Vision in their Beyond 5 Blog:

Malaria falls under preventable diseases and children under 5 years old is the group most affected.  The world’s deadliest creature, the mosquito, kills nearly 655,000 people every year. The World Health Organization estimates that an African child younger than 5 dies every 45 to 60 seconds from the disease.

Last week, the World Health Organization reported positive news in the fight against malaria.

Global efforts to control and eliminate malaria have saved an estimated 3.3 million lives since 2000, reducing malaria mortality rates by 45% globally and by 49% in Africa.

An expansion of prevention and control measures has been mirrored by a consistent decline in malaria deaths and illness, despite an increase in the global population at risk of malaria between 2000 and 2012. Increased political commitment and expanded funding have helped to reduce incidence of malaria by 29% globally, and by 31% in Africa.

The large majority of the 3.3 million lives saved between 2000 and 2012 were in the 10 countries with the highest malaria burden, and among children aged less than 5 years – the group most affected by the disease. Over the same period, malaria mortality rates in children in Africa were reduced by an estimated 54%.

http://beyond5.org/2013/12/17/more-than-an-itch-for-kids-under-5/?fb_action_ids=10202454496297770&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B569403739808130%5D&action_type_map=%5B%22og.likes%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D 

There's no chance to turn back at this point...and it's my prayer as I wrap up my last week on campus for 2013 that 2014 will see NIGHT OF NETS continue to transform lives in Africa and in west MI as we seek to end malaria in the name of the ONE who entered into the mess of disease and sickness to redeem all things at Christmas...

10 reasons I’m hopeful and excited about the next wave of leaders...BRAD LOMENICK, Catalyst

I recently read this list and resonated with it...and continue to love working with the young leaders in my student engagement team and student leadership teams at CU...it's one of the best parts of my job!  Can't wait to watch their impact in the decades to come...

1. Passion for God. Everyone seems to think we’ve lost a generation of Christ followers in our country, but after seeing the 60,000 college students gathered at Passion Conference earlier this year, and the 20,000 + who gather at Urbana every other year, and the 20,000 who were just in Kansas City for the IHOP One Thing gathering earlier this year, and the thousands who gather at Catalyst, and Hillsong, Jesus Culture, Worship Central, and many other venues- this instills confidence that the next generation of leaders love Jesus and are passionate about serving Him and making Him known for their generation. 

2. Willing to work together. 20 and 30 somethings are more willing to collaborate than any other generation before. They trust each other. Really. And see collaboration as the starting point, not some grandiose vision of teamwork that is far off in the distance. Collaboration is now the norm.

3. Don’t care who gets the credit.. For the next generation- it’s way less about who, and way more about what and why. The next wave doesn’t care who gets the credit. It’s way more about “what’s right” instead of focusing on “who’s right.”

4. Generosity and sharing are the new currencies of our culture. In business, relationships, networks, platforms, technology, distribution, content delivery, etc- Open source is the new standard. This new wave of leaders has tools/resources such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram, and tons more social media tools that make influencing much more readily available.

5. Understand the holistic responsibility of influence- They are wiilling to connect all of life together- faith, compassion, charity, work, career, church, family, friends. It’s all connected. There is way less compartmentalizing of life among the next generation of leaders. .

6. Authenticity wins. Trust is incredibly important. Leaders won’t have followers going forward unless they trust them and see that they are authentic and real. Authenticity is not only important to the next generation, it’s a requirement.

7. Not willing to wait. Young leaders are ambitious and passionate about making a difference now. They are not necessarily willing to wait their turn. They want to influence now. Evidence of this is the explosion of church planters in the last 4-5 years, along with social innovation and social entrepreneurs.

8. See social justice as the norm. Leaders who care about the poor and lean into causes and see the social gospel as a key ingredient to following Christ are no longer seen as the exception. Young Leaders see taking care of the poor and sharing the Gospel as BOTH crucial to the advancement of the Church and of God’s Kingdom. 20 somethings I believe are and will continue to become more balanced in their pursuit of both. They don’t have to be one or the other.

9. Seeking wisdom and mentors. Overall, I sense that 20 and 30 somethings are highly willing to be mentored, and are hungry for wisdom from older leaders around them. Those of us Gen X’ers tend to think we have it all figured out. Millenials and Gen Y are assumed to have it all figured out because they have so many tools and technology at their fingertips. But from what I’ve experienced, they still are seeking wisdom, just as much as any other generation before them.

10. Change the world mentality. The next wave of leaders have global visions way beyond generations who have existed before. They truly believe they can make a difference, have an impact, and build significance, regardless of resources, organizational help, team, and overall scale. This kind of vision inspires, and also forces leaders to work together, hence #2.

http://www.bradlomenick.com/2013/11/22/10-reasons-im-hopeful-and-excited-about-the-next-wave-of-leaders/

DO THE RIGHT THINGS VS. THE NICE THINGS

I read this today and thought it was a fantastic way to look at things, as I often  find myself trading the right thing for the nice thing...check out these example questions from Mark Miller at his blog entitled "Great Leaders Serve":

Nice Thing or Right Thing?

Set a new strategic direction or stay the course to avoid challenging anyone?

Attend a portion of an all-day meeting or stay all day so as not to offend the host of the meeting?

Challenge a team member who fails to prepare for a meeting or avoid the issue?

Decline a speaking engagement or accept every request regardless of the audience?

Dismiss an employee who can’t grow with the business or keep the person on the payroll indefinitely?

Eliminate a program to reallocate needed resources or sacrifice new ideas so outdated ones can be funded?

Have a difficult performance conversation or continue to give inflated performance ratings?

Say “no” to non-strategic work or say “yes” to non-strategic work?

Confront problems and issues or avoid discussing problems at all costs?

Give stretch assignments to people and expect them to struggle or avoid giving stretch assignments because they may create some discomfort?

Cut your losses when a product or program has failed or continue to let a project flounder to avoid confronting the project leader?

Pursue truth through conflict or avoid conflict because it makes some people uncomfortable?

http://greatleadersserve.org/right-things-vs-nice-things/?utm_content=buffer65e24&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer

Why You Should Have a Compelling Cause in Your Life…

Here's an article I recently wrote for our school paper here at CU...

Let me make a confession as I start this article. I am a cause guy. I am easily drawn into trying to meet the needs of others, into trying to make the world better, into helping to bring God’s Kingdom in all its fullness to His creation. The first real cause I jumped on board with was the global HIV/AIDS pandemic over a decade ago and that led me on a journey engaging several others like education, microfinance, poverty, food security, clean water, and the current cause I’ve been chasing for the last few years is the reduction of cases of malaria through the distribution of bed nets. To be honest, I never dreamed I’d care so deeply about so many injustices in our world.

I’d love to ask every student on our campus about what particular cause or issue they are passionate about today! Here are a few reasons why I think everyone should have something that draws out our passion and a piece of our heart as we live our lives:

1. We are wired, we are made, and we are called to be engaged in helping bring change to other’s lives and our world. God has given us that remarkable privilege and opportunity as His ambassadors and hands and feet as we encounter the things that break His heart on this planet…

2. You meet some great friends who share the same beliefs and values when you join others in trying to make the world a better place. The first group of students that pulled me into caring about AIDS became a community that is one of my favorite groups of all time…

3. You end up learning a ton when you seriously tackle a major problem in our world. I’ve become so much more aware of things truly happening in our world and in people’s lives because I’ve tried to figure out the best way from really bright people how to help be part of changing people’s situations.

4. You find joy and purpose that we all long for in our lives. You and I were made for so much more than just a “normal” life where our goals include only comfort and security and having everything we want in material possessions. Opening a schoolhouse, drilling for clean water, and handing a family a bed net are memories and moments I know I will never, ever forget.

5. You are part of a team, part of something that leaves a legacy of transformation.  Causes require collaboration, and the pooled resources of a group of people do more together than they ever could just being used by individuals.

6. You don’t fixate on your own issues and needs in an unhealthy way. The battle against narcissism is a challenging one in our culture, and one of the best ways to slay the demon of selfishness is to give deeply of the best of you for something or someone else.

Keep your eyes and your heart open as you read and listen and watch; and when something grabs your interest, please decide to learn all you can. And then actually throw your time, your money, your words, and most of all your gifts and strengths into doing something to literally change lives and our world. 

We’ve raised the resources to provide about 10,000 bed nets so far through our Night of Nets campaign at CU, and frankly, I really hope we double that number just in 2014. It’s something that gets me up in the morning as a follower of Jesus! Be unashamed in your advocacy and your campaign for that thing that causes major holy discontent for you personally. You’ll watch yourself be changed into something far more than you have experienced before…

Chip Huber is the Dean of Student Engagement and Founder of NIGHT of NETS

www.cunightofnets.com 

5 Elements of Kingdom Ministry from Noel Castellanos in Leadership Journal

I love this list...excited to have Noel speak in chapel next semester here at CU...and to seek to live these out with our students, church and my own family & friends...I long to be truly about Kingdom work...

1. Incarnation: We must have not only the same message as Jesus but the same method. You really reach people when you enter into their world, their hurt and pain. If you've incarnated God's love into the community of a homosexual, for instance, he'll realize, Oh, this guy is willing to enter my life. He doesn't just condemn me. Then he's more capable of hearing our message.

2. Proclamation: We're told to proclaim the Good News, so this is clearly an essential. Proclaiming the truth in love, and in the context of incarnation, is not forcing it down people's throats. Proclamation is also about formation, describing the kind of people God shapes us into.

3. Compassion: The Good News is authenticated by our caring (Luke 4). And when we are truly incarnate among the poor, these folks are more than just statistics. They're your neighbors. They're your friends. And if you meet a person with a need, compassion leads you to do what you can to meet that need.

4. Restoration/Development: When you live in a neighborhood where the same needs emerge over and over again, then you have to look at the larger picture and begin to fix what's broken. In Baltimore, a little church took over a struggling public elementary school and revolutionized that neighborhood. They're not just doing compassion, handing out backpacks to kids. Instead, they saw these kids getting a poor education and said, "We've got to be about restoration and development."

5. Confrontation: The best way to do justice work is to be incarnate in a community. As you work to meet people's needs through compassion and restoration, you eventually come up against systems and institutions that are keeping people in those conditions, beyond their own irresponsibility or sinfulness. This is when you must identify and confront injustice. We might discover this injustice in our government or schools or police forces or even churches—no institution is immune to injustice.

—Noel Castellanos is CEO of the Christian Community Development Association and lives in Chicago.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2010/summer/jesuswelcomeefforts.html?utm_source=connection-html&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_term=12072488&utm_content=225764747&utm_campaign=2013&start=5

Watching Prayer Work...

Today is October 1...and it's this deal called NIGHT OF NETS...

www.cunightofnets.com

I've spent the last several weeks doing lots of things connected to new student orientation, student leadership, student activities, chapels, student organizations, and a bunch of other things connected to campus life at CU...

But in the midst of a whirlwind of teaching and leading and planning and vision-casting and literally running from place to place and meeting to meeting I often find myself in the fall not pausing to invite God's Spirit and Power and Blessing upon the many things I am pursuing...

I read a book last year called THE CIRCLE MAKER by Mark Batterson that challenged me to consider praying more passionately, more specifically, and more centrally as part of my life and calling...so I chose a couple weeks ago to start a little 40 Day Prayer Adventure with some other students at CU and specifically decided to "circle" Night of Nets in prayer...

I began to pray asking for God's favor and blessing multiple times a day and invited several other folks I know well in my life to circle it with me in the week leading up to the event...and not surprisingly, I've seen God surprise me several times in even the last few days...

We are seeking to provide 5000 bed nets for families in sub-Saharan Africa in Jesus' name...which is about what we have done the last 3 years combined almost!  But I have watched other universities join us, recruits plan their own Night of Nets events, hundreds and hundreds of students but shirts that save a life, and an enthusiasm for this cause grow beyond my expectations on our campus and in our community...

And I am once again as the visionary reminded that God more desperately wants to see us serve and give and share our resources than I do...and His invitation and call to others to join us is so radically compelling and will do more than I could ever dream or imagine...and He is simply waiting for people like me to ask Him to do so, to beg Him to meet the needs of those He created and loves...

I love being able to watch, to see my God answer the humble prayers of His people...I can't wait to see how He surprises me, even tonight at Night of Nets...

ALL IN: My Night of Nets Manifesto. Or why I am slightly obsessed with bed nets…

Tomorrow we kick off my favorite event in the Cornerstone campus calendar. We call it night of nets...and it combines two of my greatest passions in life: the beautiful game called soccer or futbal and the people and communities of a sub-Saharan African nation called Zambia...

This is the 4th year we've done this event at CU and it is now one of our best attended and embraced student activities...the event is designed to use the platform of athletics in our culture to bring awareness and real change to one of the world’s greatest global issues.  We are trying to raise funds to provide insecticide treated bed nets for families that face incredible health dangers caused by the deadly disease malaria.

We've watched this event grow quickly in the amount of money we've raised, the attention given to the issue on our campus, the number of students involved, and now this year has been exported to other university and high school sports and teams to expand the impact of these truly life changing items...

To be honest, this little idea I shared first with a few CU soccer players in an impoverished community in the Dominican Republic has morphed into something I hoped and dreamed it could be...and with that growth has demanded more of my time, my resources, my thinking, and my skills as a leader and educator...

And this thing we dubbed night of nets keeps perhaps most importantly grabbing a deeper and fuller grasp of my heart...I am quite sure that many of my co-workers, friends, students, players, and family members wonder at times why I tweet so often about malaria, create & post a multitude of different visual pieces of promotion about NETS on our campus walls and doors, and cast vision almost hourly in classrooms, leadership trainings, staff meetings, soccer fields, and conversations in my office about the chance we have right now to change lives forever on the other side of the world...

So as we head into our 6 night of nets matches for this year, here's a little list and explanation for why I am all in on this event, why I think it is one of the most important things we will do as a Christian college during the 2013-14 school year, and why it causes my heart to jump and my voice to speak loud as I join so many other people to try and end malaria in our generation...

1. I can't think of anything more ready to be used to invite large numbers of people in my world to do great good than the power of sport...soccer is our world’s global game and there’s something so special to connect as people and friends through a game we love to watch and play…and we have watched athletes, coaches, and fans embrace with gusto their chance to make sports something beautiful and brilliant as a tool to draw many together to both watch and do something extraordinary on and off the field of play…

2. I love the way God has given a ragamuffin group of young men a cause that unites them and allows them to come together to do something that others would never expect them to do...the driving force in night of nets has been a large crew of male college soccer players who have thrown off their selfish and entitled mindsets to be remarkable advocates for a people often forgotten and marginalized in our world…and their involvement badgering and cajoling fellow students to buy a Night of Nets shirt or fund a bed net has caused them to eventually end up in Africa where God changes them into people they could have never imagined they would become…

3. The scope of the issue is so massive that it demands an immediate and real response...malaria is an awful disease that affects hundreds of millions of lives...and as Rick Warren has said the greatest issues in our world do indeed respond the greatest responses...when you end malaria, you impact positively economics, health care, education, families, and the churches of communities in unprecedented ways…

4. Something so cheap and so simple can produce transformational change. A bed net that costs $6 can alter the life, the future, the ambitions of children and families simply because they no longer have to worry about an insect bite ruining their lives...I can’t even begin to describe the opportunity bed nets provide to prevent sickness, death, orphans, and immense heartbreak and grief…a bed net is something almost everyone I know can provide for another whose life hangs in the balance without it…

5. I love the sense of unity and connectivity that this event brings to my life and the college community I love so much...Night of Nets might be one of the very few things that can draw together students from all residence buildings, student interests, and friend groups to be part of something at CU…I love seeing hundreds and hundreds of students walking across campus

6. It's personal for me...I’ve taken hundreds of malaria pills to prevent being infected while I travel to Africa and it’s something I’ve read about in all kinds of books and journals and websites…and I am committed to trying to stop my African friends from getting infected by malaria because I’ve seen friends lose their children because a mosquito bit their son or daughter in the night as they slept…and I refuse to accept the fact that anyone dying from a ridiculously preventable disease is the way God wants our world to be in 2013…

7. I am convinced that it is something that Jesus and the Scriptures call me to do as a follower of Him and a person who is seeking to live by the words of the Bible God has written to call me to live a different life...Jesus brought physical healing, a call for justice, uplifting of the oppressed, and a love for those the world had forgotten…and He invited His disciples then and His followers even now to announce and help bring about the coming of His Kingdom…and I can’t help but want to be like Him…

The Apostle Paul in Romans 12 says it better than I could as I think about God’s call on my life to be a person who tries to have God’s love for me to move me to action…

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

So I am called by God’s voice and moved by His Spirit to be all in…to be OK with being thought of as a little overzealous, a little crazy, and a little too focused on one thing…

And being all in means I can’t wait to invite people to share God’s blessings in their live with others in great need through the gift of a bed net at Holland Christian, at Calvin College, and at Cornerstone University in the next few weeks…

And being all in means I can’t help but dream…dream of providing 5000 bed nets via Night of Nets for families that are praying God will provide one for them tonight on the other side of the world…dream that many more college and high school soccer and volleyball teams will join us to bring Night of Nets to their campuses in the near future…and dream that one day malaria will no longer be on the minds of people in Zambia just like it is never thought about by people living in my city, my state, and my country…

I can’t wait to see friends in Zambia sometime soon again…and tell them a little story about how students in Grand Rapids, MI responded to Jesus’ call in an event called Night of Nets, and then watch them sing and dance and whoop with joy as they receive a net that ends malaria in their house…

That’s why I am all in, why I love being part of Night of Nets, and why I invite you to be part of a campaign to held end malaria…

You can check out more at: www.cunightofnets.com