A less formal (and more pictorial) end of the semester update…

So, I like words, but I also like pictures! People seem to respond better to a picture, than a thousand words, so I’ll post some pictures!

End of the Semester Update

Dear Family and Friends,

You’ll be pleased to hear that I have survived my first semester at the University of Connecticut. It’s beginning to get cold, but the students assure me it will get much, MUCH colder. I’m starting to see snow every once in a while, which is exciting, but I must reiterate the, obvious, cold. As the semester winds down, we don’t have much on the horizon. Aside from the students’ various exams, papers, and projects, we do have our Christmas party! There will be dancing, decorating ginger bread houses, and if all goes according to plan, an acapella rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. This will be the guys’ gift to the girls of RUF, let’s just hope we can keep a straight face.

Since my last update, we had our big Fall Retreat in New Hampshire! It was a great retreat, and New Hampshire in autumn is beautiful! The students responded well to the guest speaker’s message. Jason Harris, the RUF Campus Minister at Northwestern in Chicago, spoke on the topic of Scripture. I can attest that many students were challenged and encouraged by Jason’s presentation of the Gospel. I look forward to seeing those students grow in their faith and understanding of the Scriptures.

Part of our retreat was climbing Mount Cardigan. By some miscalculation, we ended up taking the “hard trail” straight up the mountain. This involved a lot of actual rock climbing, as well as “bouldering,” or sort of crab walking up and down the rock face. By the time we could see the top, we got news that the rock was iced over, and too slick to continue climbing. Sadly, we had to turn around and get back before it got too dark. But the view from where we stopped was breathtaking (granted, I was already out of breath). Needless to say, we were all a little excited to be back at the retreat center on “flatter” land.

Slowly, but surely, my relationships with the students are growing, and I’m finally able to have deeper conversations with some of the guys here at UConn. We don’t have many freshmen, but of the ones we have, they cover a broad territory. I can’t wait to return in January to continue my ministry to them, as well as the older guys in RUF. If you would please pray for these guys, that they may find TRUTH in a culture that preaches truth as fallacy, and opinion as truth.

One freshman, Dave, has recently had a faith crisis. He simply doesn’t believe the way he used to. But, he continues to come to RUF, and he continues to read his Bible and pray that he may find his faith again. He has faith in his faith, but please pray that the Lord gives him faith in Jesus.

Another, Mouseboy (his real name is Dave, as well; but I swear, he told me to call him Mouseboy), is learning for the first time, how his faith translates in the secular culture. Most of his friends are non-believers, and he doesn’t know how to live his faith in front of them, without pushing them away. Please, pray that Lord can give him wisdom and understanding, that he can live his faith in every facet of his life, that he can be a beacon of hope to his “hope”-less friends.

I thank you all for your prayers and your financial support. You will be pleased to hear that I am doing quite well with my support, as long as the monthly pledges continue to be consistent. If, you do feel so inclined, this giving season, to give additional gifts, they will be greatly appreciated, and come in handy as this school year draws to an end (and my balance grows smaller). I wanted to remind you that in order for gifts to be considered tax-deductible for the 2008 calendar year they must be postmarked by December 31, 2008; or given online (ruf.org) by then.

And remember, prayer is free, and very helpful. This is not just MY ministry at UConn, this is all of y’alls, too. I hope the holidays are pleasant for you and your families.

And finally, keep in touch!

Sincerely,

Paul Major

Does Anyone Actually Read My Wellcrafted Titles?

Since the initial purpose of this silly little site was so that supporters, friends, stalkers, etc. could see what’s going on in my life here in New England, I’ll go ahead and indulge you.
As an addendum to the previous post (hard-copies have been mailed to all of mailing list), I’m excited to tell you all about other events and happenings. I may even post some pictures, if I can figure that out…
*If you aren’t on my mailing list, or just want to double check, please email me, and I’ll remedy that situation.
This weekend, we are having our Fall Conference with all of the RUFs in New England. So not only do I get to meet and hang out with more Yankees, but I also get to travel to Hebron, New Hampshire! And if I understand correctly, I get to drive through Massachusetts and Vermont, so I’ll get to add two new states to my list (NH and VT). I’ll be leading worship, which is always a blast. Otherwise, I’ll just be trying my hardest to keep warm.
Last Thursday, I went camping with one of the students. Corey, is a modern day lumberjack, literally. He started the timbersports team at UConn, and is always looking for an excuse to be outside. So, I went camping, under the stars! I found out in the morning that it was the coldest night thus far. I woke up covered in frost…dropped to 26 degrees that night. Surprisingly though, it was a good time!
Last night, I had a guys night at my apartment. In hopes of building a more cohesive group of guys, I made a big pot of white beans, and had the guys over for FREE food and fellowship. Nine guys showed up, which is HUGE! We ate and talked and listened to records, and it seemed to be a good time had by all. I was thoroughly encouraged to have such a turnout. It may have been the free food, but I’d like to think they all came because they like me…it was probably the food. It was very reassuring to see the guys talking amongst themselves and laughing and making noise. I’m of the school of thought that louder really is better, and we were loud, my friends.
On Columbus Day weekend, we went apple picking at this big orchard. It was a great experience. I never thought that picking apples could be so rewarding. I had apples thrown at me, I had hornets threaten me, and I also gave a lecture series on how pumpkin pie tastes absolutely nothing like an actual pumpkin (which is a giant squash)…I should clarify, they also had a pumpkin patch at the orchard.
Other than that, I’ve just been hanging out with students and helping RUF run smoothly. Most of the students are open and willing to make fun of me, which I take as a compliment, and further proves that I am fitting in here in Connecticut. I will keep you posted on further fun events and what type of produce we’ll pick next time!

and now I will attempt to insert pictures with witty captions…

This is our A-Team for Apple Picking (also, those subjected to my opinions on pumpkin pie)

This is me explaining to Lucie, my campus minister’s daughter, that as soon as she gets teeth, she can taste the difference between pumpkin pie and an actual pumpkin. She remains uninterested. Notice the apple is almost the size of her head!

This is just a taste of what the fall in New England looks like. So many colors!

Letter from the Field

Dear Family and Friends,
I’m excited to be able to share with you about my ministry with Reformed University Fellowship at the University of Connecticut! First and foremost, let me thank all of you for your prayers, and for your financial support. The LORD was very gracious to me over the summer; I was able to move to campus on schedule, and despite difficulties with the moving process, I made it here and settled in quite nicely. My support raising is going well. I’m thankful for the support that has come in, and the pledges of what is to come.
Since school has started, I’ve been working to get to meet students and be a part of university life. I helped to put on a concert on the campus, which attracted a good number of new students to hear the beauty of the gospel through the beauty of music. Also, I’ve been leading the worship team for our RUF meetings, which has been fun. I’ve been working with two upperclassmen to help organize and lead our guys’ bible study (based on a curriculum written by my co-intern, Jenny Orndorff). Also, I’m sitting in on leadership team meetings, which help me to get involved in the lives of the students who dedicated to RUF and its purpose – it’s refreshing when students actually KNOW why I’m here.
It is at this point in the semester that I’m really starting to get into the groove. Please pray that I’ll stay there! We have a small, but great group of guys who are involved with RUF. I’m pleased to report that I have gotten to know all of these guys fairly well in the short time I’ve been here. I just pray that these core guys will start to share the message with their friends, and even invite them RUF functions. I’d also like to brag about my students a bit. We went from two students one week at our guy’s small group bible study, to eight students the next! The dorm room was packed, people were sitting on the floor, but it was incredible to see that many people crammed in a tiny room diving into the gospel. Thank the Lord for such a blessing!
Also, other prayer requests are for the non-believing students at UConn (especially those in the RUF community). Please join with us at RUF in praying that the Gospel would transform them. It is obvious that they are searching, and that they have ended up at RUF. We hope that our presentation of the truths of the Gospel would answer their questions and dispel their doubts. Please pray with us for the growth of our ministry. Please pray that the wondering, the wandering, the curious, the convinced, and the unconvinced may all find comfort in the community of RUF at UConn, and in our message. And lastly, please pray for me, that even when I get discouraged I remember that I LOVE THIS JOB.
On a final note, check your address books, cell phones, rolodexes, etc.:
I may have some new, different contact information.
cell – (225)772-5882
email – pmajor@ruf.org or p.a.major@gmail.com (both go to the same place)
physical address – 252 Willington Hill Rd., Apt. D, Willington, CT 06279
blog – http://thousandhills.wordpress.com

I LOVE THIS JOB!!! Thanks so much for being a part of it!

Paul Major – RUF Intern – UConn

Patience

Patience is a virtue. The cliché goes as far back as Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales; (“Pacience is an heigh vertu, certeyne;” Patience is a high virtue, and that’s for certain.) The actual concept goes as far back as the story of Jacob; waiting seven years to marry Rachel (actually, seven years and one week). What’s so virtuous about it is that Jacob carried on the lineage, which became the twelve tribes of Israel (who themselves have to wait 40 years before entering the promised land); though Christ himself came from the lineage of Leah (Judah).
The apostle Paul writes to the Galatian church that patience is one of the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22). What’s striking about the language is the idea of fruit, something that grows. Patience doesn’t just appear, ironically you have to wait for it. Just as we hope for that which we don’t yet see, “we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:25). It’s somewhat circular logic, but we have to wait for patience (among other things) with patience.
So what I’m getting at here is that I am not a patient person. It is one of the most striking sins I have had to face in my growth. At some point in my life, I have made an idol for myself; one of comfort and entitlement. My impatience seeds from, and further feeds (again with the circular logic), my self-centeredness, cynicism, and what’s worse, my sour disposition towards those that test what little patience I actually have.
But my impatience doesn’t accomplish anything. In fact, my impatience usually makes the clock tick slower. But sadly, no one else has sympathy for me in these moments.
What sparked this epiphany was a simple, innocent incident. I was at Starbucks (it’s the only coffee-shop by campus, so don’t judge me) and I ordered my usual; black coffee. I’m not a fan of bells and whistles. I’m sure part of the reason I like black coffee is because it’s quick (nothing fancy, so I don’t have to wait). God forbid, I have to wait for anything…
So in the midst of the afternoon rush of mocha latte crappuccinos with a shot of soy-milk, I was going to be simple. Two bucks in hand ($1.96, atleast for now), I order the simplest thing on the menu; black coffee. And then, I wait…
People come and go, fancy drinks are thrown around, people leave satisfied; all is well. And there I stand, uncaffeinated and on the verge of melt down (really I only waited for five minutes, but still it’s the principle of the matter). The sweet lady who took my order is running around like crazy, making drinks, taking orders, etc. It was at this point that I realized that my frustrations were pointless. She wasn’t doing it on purpose. She was doing her job. When I placed my order, she called it out to the other baristas, but it fell on deaf ears (at least I heard it).
In the midst of the chaos, she caught my eyes, and like a deer caught in headlights, she stopped. “Are you still waiting on your order?” She apologetically handed me my coffee, and I genuinely thanked her. And immediately, she was flung back into the chaos. I was not the center of her worries, nor was I the root of some sick joke. She was doing her job as best she could, and she unintentionally forgot about such a simple order.
Patience is a foreign language, and I’m having to learn by immersion.
Just like being in a foreign country, I can insist on being stubborn and only speaking English, but what will I accomplish? I can stand firm and remain impatient and visibly fly off the handle any time I am inconvenienced or my precious time is wasted. But there is no love in that. There is no growth. There is only my self-centeredness abounding all the more.
Temper tantrums weren’t cute when I was three, why would they be when I’m twenty-three?
Sadly, my impatience doesn’t stop there. It definitely spills over into all facets of my life. I can’t even enjoy a book or movie without wondering how much more I have until I’m done. It doesn’t matter how great it is. In the end it’s all a matter of page numbers or minutes until the credits.
In all of this, God is (though not always gently) reminding me that I am not the center of it all. William Henley was wrong, when he wrote Invictus. He famously touted: “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.” And though he may have championed an “unconquerable soul,” I sure haven’t.
All of this to say, I pray for patience. It is indeed admirable, and definitive if I am to lead a life of love. After all, “Love is patient” (1 Corinthians 13:4). And that of course, is Agape, the Greek term for “charity.” This of course applies to the love of a married couple, but it is so much more. “If I speak…, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1). So if love is patient, and patience is to me as a foreign language, pray that I can learn to speak in love. That I can learn patience.

At the behest of my sweet mother, I’m updating my blog! I apologize to those who have been waiting with bated breath for the next post. But, alas, the wait is over!
I guess I’ll just briefly run roughshot over my ministry here at UConn (because, I’m about to send out my first letter from the field, and then duplicate here…so no need to actually triplicate it). But, I will say that I love my job! Thanks so much for your prayers and pennies (lots of pennies!) that got me here. I’m helping lead a guy’s bible study, still leading worship, and generally just being a part of the community here at UConn!
As sort of an aside, I want to share a piece of my brain/heart with y’all. Tonight(Tuesday) we will have our large group meeting. Needless to say, I’m very excited. Among other reasons, tonight we are singing the hymn “Come, Ye Sinners,” which is one of my favorites. To those who aren’t familiar with the song, or even those who are, I’m posting the lyrics (If you aren’t interested in sifting through the lyrics, but for whatever reason want to read what I have to say about them, skip ahead, I’m not done yet!(But, really though, read the lyrics, they are great)):
Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus, ready, stands to save you,
Full of pity, joined with power.
He is able, He is able;
He is willing; doubt no more.

Come ye needy, come, and welcome,
God’s free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh.
Without money, without money
Come to Jesus Christ and buy.

Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Bruised and broken by the fall;
If you tarry ’til you’re better,
You will never come at all.
Not the righteous, not the righteous;
Sinners Jesus came to call.

Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requires
Is to feel your need of Him.
This He gives you, this He gives you,
’Tis the Spirit’s rising beam.

Lo! The Incarnate God, ascended;
Pleads the merit of His blood.
Venture on Him; venture wholly,
Let no other trust intrude.
None but Jesus, none but Jesus
Can do helpless sinners good.
A special thanks to the hymnist, Joseph Hart, for writing such powerful words.
Some of you may not know this, but while at LSU, I led a bible study on the theology of hymns. Basically, we read through (or played) some of the songs we do at RUF, and discussed why these songs said what they said, and why we still sing them today. Joseph Hart died in 1768, and to this day, people still sing his words with reverence and joy. This being one of my favorite and theologically rich songs I’ve encountered, I wrote a bible study on this song.
Because we are playing this song tonight, I went and dug that up. To the relief of many, I won’t go into my admiration for this song in front of the students. But here, well that’s a different story…
Actually, the song really speaks for itself, but some of the nuggets of biblical wisdom really stick to my ribs. In the very first verse, we see that we are “poor and wretched, weak and wounded, sick and sore.” On top of being called sinners, we should be offended by the choice of adjectives, but really I think too much of our energy is wasted trying to tell ourselves that we aren’t exactly that; poor, weak, sick sinners. The beauty of the song is that Hart didn’t try to add suspense, the first verse can stand alone as a bit of truth. Sinners need Jesus, and Jesus stands ready to save us, ”filled with pity, joined with power”! He is not only able to save us from the consequences of our sin (power), but also he is willing (pity). In the first verse alone, we see that Christ is our willing and powerful savior; “doubt no more”!
As much as the first verse is a solid introduction, it’s the third verse that I feel carries the song. The original line is “come, ye weary, heavy laden, lost and ruined by the fall.” And though, I feel “bruised and broken” works better as an alliteration (while also remaining theologically accurate), there is something gut-wrenchingly powerful about the idea of being “lost and ruined.” Created in His image, without the stain of sin, then comes the Fall. We weren’t merely shaken up, or dented a bit, we were lost and ruined, in need of someone to find us and fix us.
“If you tarry ’til you’re better, you will never come at all.” What an image! If we wait until he are perfect, or even minutely better, we will never come. What’s worse, is that when we do hesitate before going to God, we are in effect, trying to do it ourselves. By our own merit, we are trying to move away from our sins, by ourselves. It’ll never happen, and we’ll never come. “Not the righteous, sinners Jesus came to call.”

This reminds of an encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees (because it’s almost an exact quote):
Matthew 9:10-13
10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.
11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Moving on to the fourth verse, “All the fitness he requires, is to feel your need of Him. This he gives you…” We need not be strong or fit, either physically or spiritually when we first come to Christ. The only fitness he requires is that we feel the truth that we actually need Him. We don’t have to have the bible (or theology) memorized. We don’t have to have all of our sins in order. All we need to have is the desire for Him, and he will give us the strength and love to then grow more fit (this is called sanctification, and I’m a huge fan!).
“This He gives you!” God’s grace is a gift to us, but so is faith! We are not faithful by our own will, it is this gift of “faith alone” that has justified us.
Romans 9:30-32
30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith;
31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law.
32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone

Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

So that no one may boast, “I tarried until I was better! I made myself more appealing to God, he loved me more because of what I did!”

Not the righteous, Sinners Jesus came to call; weak, wounded, sick, and wretched sinners. He is willing and He is able to save those sinners, those who come when He calls.

***I think that made for the wait, I could be wrong though.

Prelude to the Blog: The First Chapter of the Connecticut Adventure

Hey Y’all!

I finally made it to Connecticut; alive no less. It was good to finally get here and start unpacking. Seeing as the school year hasn’t yet started, I haven’t gotten a chance to start working with students. I have, however, been busy. Over the next year, I will be helping with music for the Tuesday night large group meetings for RUF (Reformed University Fellowship). Also, I am in helping to advertise RUF’s back to school concert. This year, we will be hosting My Brightest Diamond; some of you may be familiar with her from working with Sufjan Stevens. Opening for her is Jonny Rodgers, from the local (New Haven, CT) band, Ten Shekel Shirt. We hope that this will attract Believers and Non-Believers, alike. I am very excited about getting the school year started, and I look forward to keeping y’all posted with all the highlights (and even lowlights; i.e. prayer requests) of my ministry to the world of UConn.

Check your address books, cell phones, rolodexes, etc.:
I may have some new, different contact information.
cell – (225)772-5882
email – pmajor@ruf.org or p.a.major@gmail.com (both go to the same place)
physical address – 252 Willington Hill Rd., Apt. D, Willington, CT 06279
***these are not merely for posterity’s sake, please feel free to call and/or write. I not only appreciate it, I encourage it!

Thanks, and remember to send in that support!,

Paul Major – RUF Intern, University of Connecticut

P.S. – At this point, I assume most people have stopped reading, so I’m willing to attempt to explain my title for this blog. As some of you may know, Locomotive Breath is a song by Jethro Tull, and a great one at that. But for the longest time, I had the wrong song under the title for Locomotive Breath. In actuality, I had a song called “Wind Up,” which is an equally powerful song as the actual “Locomotive Breath.” And for whatever reason, the substance and the lyrics of “Wind Up” always seemed to appeal to me in the same manner as the actual title of “Locomotive Breath.” In “Wind Up,” the lyrics of the first chorus:

“So I asked this God a question
and by way of firm reply,
He said — I’m not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays.”

The remaining choruses are similar, repeating the theme of not having to “wind up” God on Sundays. And though no one can be too sure of the true meaning intended by Ian Anderson (mastermind behind Jethro Tull), I feel something in his argument rings true. There are two images that stand out to me. The first one is that someone, somewhere thinks that God needs to be wound up (turned on, activated) in order to BE (as in God IS, as in “I AM”). This seems to be Anderson’s anger at those he feels “acknowledge God with their lips, but deny Him with their hearts.” Thus, I come to my second point. That God is the kind we wind up on Sundays, means we have a tendency to leave God at the church doors as we run out on Sunday, or maybe we leave Him on our bedside table as the Monday morning alarm stirs us from our dream of a weekend.

This is the very thing I want to avoid; both in my personal life, and with my interactions with lost, confused, typical college students. I don’t want God to become something that is itemized on a cell phone calendar, as a two hour block, once a week. God has invested too much into us (ALL of creation) for us to consider him a mere inconvenience we must take care of before we can watch football on Sundays. I don’t know how effective I’ll be. Please pray for me, that I’ll remember that God is not my “wind up toy” for Sunday morning activity, until I get bored with one toy and move on to another.

P.P.S. Let me clarify: I have nothing against Sunday afternoon football. In fact, if anyone in the Connecticut area is reading this, and you need a football watching buddy, I may be your man. Be forewarned, I may over-spiritualize Jethro Tull songs.