UTPA BSM

It rained yesterday at UTPA. However, it did not keep us from having a great time during campus infusion. We met a great group of students that are open to learning more from God. Here are a few comments we heard:

” cool, I have been looking for a place to study the Bible..”

” No, I am not religious, but I would be interested in learning more.”

” I have heard about the BSM a lot, it is nice to finally connect the dots, I’ll see you guys at lunch next week..”

” Why are you guys giving stuff free?”

” Oh yeah, my friend has told me about the BSM..”

We heard much more, overall, our impression was that students at UTPA are very open to learning about God. I am glad the BSM is at UTPA, after all, learning about God and knowing him is the reason for our existence.

Here are pictures of the event:

We have had a great time during the last two days.  On Monday night we went to the UTPA campus and prayer walked.  We pray for all students to have a good year and for God to give us a spiritual awakening so that we may open our eyes to the world around us.  The after party happened at the BSM as we ate paletas.

Yesterday we had a get together at the BSM. A good group showed up as we shared a meal and exchanged summer stories.  To all those of you great new people that came, welcome, it was great meeting you.

Here are some pictures:

[Show as slideshow]

Meet new people, catch up, get college life going. Come to the BSM for thin crust pizza, salad, and raspberry tea. (vegetarian option available)

A BSM preview will be shared. All students will get the specially designed BSM 09 T-shirt. Start right and get with cool BSM students who will be a good bunch of friends to you. Come and go..starting at noon.

Locate us

Want to begin with prayer? Today, Monday night meet other like minded students at 8 PM at the BSM as we prayer walk the UTPA campus.

In just a few days a new school year will begin at UTPA.  For some it will be their first year, others will be starting their second, third, etc. Not for the BSM.  The BSM building opened its doors in the early 60s.  The student ministry has been going on since the early 50s.  Since then, thousands of students have been part of this refreshing ministry that inspires and equips students to be followers of Christ.

I have met many BSM UTPA alumni that have shared with me how much the BSM meant to them during their college years. Many found a dependable and encouraging group of friends, others were deeply touched by God’s grace to decide to live a life of service to him, and others found all this and even the love of their lives.

If you ask me, my favorite part of the BSM is seeing God transform lives for his glory. I have seen students do things for God that they would have never dared to do.  From the halls of the UTPA campus to continents like Africa, South America, Asia, and Europe. They have been following Jesus’ commandment of being his witnesses to the ends of the earth. This is what I love about our BSM, seeing how every moment we live at the BSM can be transformed into someone making a life altering decision that literary changes lives.

As we begin the school year, my prayer is that your life, as well as mine, is mobilized to know more who God is and to make him known in our campus and all over the world. I can assure you one thing, being part of the BSM will open your eyes to who God is and how he is working in this world.

Good times ahead…..

A reminder to us that the things we have seen in our travels on mission trips in various parts of the world should forever change us and move us forward to live a life of service and dedication to God. This will result in serving others in God’s name.
May God continue to inspire and challenge students all over the world to be the presence of Christ to people in this world.

BSM is a campus ministry that encompasses the entire UTPA community. From international students,athletes, English majors, communications majors, pre med, dorm students, commuters, engineering students, etc, etc, etc. You get it. We are a campus ministry for students and by students. We actually have a student center for you! There are many meaningful areas for you to be a part of. Click here to see pictures of BSM events. Ready to experience real college life? Yeah, we are too. Join the fun.

We met with some of the BSM leaders last Friday. I cannot tell you how excited we are for what God is going to do through the lives of these wonderful students. There was one question that we asked ourselves, “do you believe it?” Everyone would answer, yes I do. Th question had to do with the power of God and if we believe that he can use our BSM for his glory. We all agreed that God can and wants to do amazing things that we have not seen before.

We can’t wait to step out in faith and see how God will provide divine appointments in which we will be able to share with other students about the life changing love of God.

I want to share with you a hand out from our retreat so that you get a sense of what we talked about in our meeting and so that you can pray for us and join us as we seek to be the presence of Christ on campus.

Click below to ope the hand out…

BSM Life

This Friday, the leadership team will meet to pray and get ready for the fall semester.  This is going to be an exciting school year at the BSM.  We don’t know much about the specifics of what God is going do to through this great team, but we know that God is going to use all students for his glory.

This next year we have great leaders that we know personally.  We know their hearts and have seen their commitment to serve God. Each one of them have inspired us to be bold in reaching our campus.  We are confident in God’s power to work through the team.

I read once that we must expect great things from a great God. That is precisely what we are doing for this up coming year, we are expecting God to bring about new followers of Jesus and to mobilize the entire UTPA campus to do something to serve others.

I will post pictures and reflections on the retreat as soon as I can. In the mean time, pray for us so that we have a productive meeting.

We believe and live missions at the BSM. Many of you have witnessed the great ways that God has mobilized students at out BSM. Many of you have participated on missions and have experienced first hand to serve God in the global context. To be quite honest, missions is one of the hardest things I have ever done. It is also one of the most rewarding things.

Our BSM students in the last three years have served first and foremost as missionaries right here in our campus. They have also served in countries in Central and South Asia, Europe, and in countries in North and South America. It is very humbling to see the map we have at our BSM and realize that the promises of God to bless the nations are being fulfilled in part by sending college students as missionaries.

Today I want to share with you an interview we recorded a year ago with Brenda Sanders, Director of Go Now Missions. During this interview you will hear how you can be part of the wild journey of faith that it is to step out in faith and serve God on the mission field here at UTPA and beyond. Enjoy…

Click here to open the interview posting

Many of us get immersed in the details of daily life. We go on from day to day, navigating this and that, reaching the end of the day to simply fall asleep. But, today, it could be today, that the promise of the Day of the Lord might be fulfilled. Surely as we live so are the promises of Jesus a reality. It could be today that finally all injustice, pain, and suffering are set straight.

Today we live moving forward as we should, living for Jesus, sharing his love with our neighbors, and caring for those in need. We should also live filled with excitement and anticipation, for today could be the day that the greatness of our Lord is decisively established for eternity.

“for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.

But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

1 Thess. 5:2-10