How important is it to dream?

What does it take to move from the way things are today to an entirely new place – to a desired future? Cindy and I are dreaming. We dream of changing the university environment in a way that encourages students and professors to look more closely at the Savior.

What if every freshman had just 1 professor this fall that identified himself as a Christ follower that first week of classes? What if he invited students to bring their questions to him, or to have lunch together to talk about those questions? We know a couple of professors who do that, but far too few.

Back during the Civil War, the army with the higher ground had an advantage. Artillery fired from a hilltop reaches further, and the enemy has to climb to reach you on that hilltop. Professors who make Christ known on campus help give students the high ground in discovering truth, and a personal relationship with the God of all truth. I picture students thinking, “If Dr. _____ takes Christ seriously, maybe there’s something to this that I’ve missed. Maybe I ought to take a closer look…”
There are tough battles ahead for that high ground, but we also have successful skirmishes going on right now.

For years we’ve sent Christian professors to speak to students in other countries. We’ve also sent students from the U.S. to help launch spiritual movements across the world. This summer we’re sending students with professors together to Ghana and to Haiti. In Ghana, American students and professors are on campus right now, sharing God’s love and forgiveness. Professors are opening doors for our students to charge through. I picture tag-team wrestling  - students and professors together having a greater impact than the sum of their individual efforts.

And in Haiti God is doing something very special. A Christian professor from Embry Riddle University in Florida has designed and manufactured a water purification device that can make a huge contribution in providing clean water to people suffering from the devastating earthquake there. He, along with a number of his graduate students and Campus Crusade students from across the U.S. will be in Haiti this summer working together to bring clean water and Living Water to thirsty people.
And I wonder if the greatest impact won’t be on the Ghanaians or Haitians, but on those professors and students who come back changed, believing God to use them back on campus in ways they never before imagined.

Thank you for your prayers and giving to help make it possible for Cindy and me to devote ourselves to reaching students and professors, and mobilizing them to reach a broken world.

Helping Leaders Reach Leaders,
John and Cindy Peterson

(John and Cindy represent Christ and NHC by mentoring leaders on college and university campuses here in the southeast. They'll be stopping in to say "Hi" to us at NHC on August 1.)