Yesterday was an almost surreal collision of two very different events.

I spent my morning with an amazing team of students at American University serving their new classmates during freshman move-in.  It was like watching The Gathering come back to life for the year one sweat drenched box at a time.  It was a reminder that the church is here to bless the world; to be an undeniable positive in our culture.  Move-in is a strange mix of fear, anticipation, joy and uncertainty for the members of the class of 2013.  But it carries the feeling of a fresh beginning for all.

I left the high of move-in to go to a small church in Maryland to join with a beautiful community gathered together for the funeral of a dear friend’s mother.  Don’t get me wrong; there was hope in that church as well – the hope that comes from knowing that while gone from this world a loved one dances in the presence of a Christ she loved very much.  That joy was real.  But so were the tears.  Maybe both were heightened by my friend’s age.  She’s only 22 and just graduated from American a year ago.  Maybe you know her and her husband -they were deeply involved in creating The Gathering at AU and still serve Christ with their young lives today.  But even if you don’t know them, you can imagine the pain in one so young saying goodbye to her mother until they are reunited in heaven.

Quite a collision.  But out of it came clarity.

The church was filled with family and friends but also many young 22 year old faces.  Friends who had come to support, to love and to care.  Friends who had met in college for the most part and devoted much of their collegiate experience to serving Christ through The Gathering.  That’s when it hit me – some of the friends you make during move-in will stand with you for the rest of life.  These college years matter.  The Gathering isn’t just an event on your campus.  We’re a community of people striving to love God and each other well.  That’s what we’re here for and what God will do with that if you give yourself fully to His work and His plans is breath taking.  Sometimes it’s the “carry a box for a stranger” kind of breath taking.  And other times it’s a “I’m here for you” kind of breath taking.  But this thing we call the church really is breathtaking.