Brady Cone

Tonight I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about all of the abilities that I wish I had. I wish that I could sing. I wish I was athletic. I wish I could do magic. I wish that I was a good communicator. I kept thinking that if I died today, do I have anything great that would leave a legacy? As I was wallowing in my self-pity, I started praying that the Lord would reveal himself to me, and show me how I can be used for His Kingdom.

As has happened several times, I was led to the story of Jesus feeding 5000 men. Here it is, as told in the book of John, Chapter 6:

⁵When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

⁷Philip answered him, “Eight months’ wages^[a] would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

⁸Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ⁹“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

¹⁰Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. ¹¹Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

¹²When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

When this story is taught, it is usually to show the miraculous power of Jesus. It is also taught to show us to have faith; that God will take care of it, whatever “it” may be. But, whenever I go to this passage, I always think about it in the aspect of a character that most of us don’t think about: the boy. We don’t know his name, or where he came from. All we know is that he was there with his 5 loaves of bread and two fish. Think about what he must have been thinking when the disciples asked him for his lunch. I can imagine, his thought went something like this: “It is only enough food for one person, how is it even going to make a difference when there are this many people to feed?”

He doesn’t have much….but what he has, he gives to Jesus. Think about what impact this must have had on his life. He had very little, but he gave it to Jesus, and Jesus multiplied it in ways that he never could have imagined. Jesus took what he thought was only enough for himself, and used it to feed 5000.

The Bible is full of stories. In these stories God repeatedly takes ordinary people who have very little to offer and uses them in remarkable ways. However, He can’t do that until they are willing to give them what they have.

Our world is full of Christians who think they have nothing to offer. They leave ministry up to the “professionals.” They are all missing out, not only on the fruit that God could use them to produce, but the blessing that God wants to give them by being His servant. God wants us to serve him wholeheartedly, and give back to Him whatever He has given us, so that He can multiply it in ways that we can’t imagine.

I know that this sounds like a very simple lesson that many probably heard in the second grade Sunday School….but it is a concept that most people, as simple as it may be, have never grasped. It is something that I have to remind myself of everyday: to take what little I have, gratefully give it to Jesus, and let Him multiply it.

This last weekend, I was asked by the pastor of the Ainsworth Evangelical Free church to come and give my testimony. I had been a long time since I had done that, but the Holy Spirit definitely calmed me down and spoke through me! It was so great to give my testimony and remember how God has transformed my life. My prayer is that my testimony and message will help this congregation see the glory of Christ in my life, and be in inspiration for them to reach out to their community. The message can be heard by following this link:

http://www.ainsworthfree.org/Ainsworth_Evangelical_Free_Church/Sermons/Sermons.html

There is a lot of talk these days about what it means for a church to be “missional.” I think that this 2 minute video does a good job of explaining the concept of a “missional church.”

There is a great debate about whether a church should be attractional vs. missional. I think that the answer to this complicated question is simple: both. I have a huge heart for missional churches. God used a missional church to send missionaries into my life and show me the love of Jesus. However, I believe that God can and does still use churches and church services to reach his people. Our mission as Christians should be to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those around us. At the same time, we usually need a church body to teach us, train us, and equip us to do that. And, churches can’t train people unless they have a healthy organization that people are committed to being a part of.

Last week, I got together with a good friend, Mick, who is the pastor of a church in Ainsworth, NE. It was so encouraging to hear Mick’s heart for his church reaching out to the spiritually negative, neutral, abandoned, and abused people of their community. We discussed how in many traditional or attractional churches, the congregation goes to church to support the pastor in doing ministry. However, that is backwards to biblical methods of Christianity. Instead, the pastor should go to church to support the congregation in doing ministry. This ministry philosophy is helping his church reach the community and see fruit that is obviously the work of God.

This is happening because Mick recognizes that in the midst of sending people on mission in the community, we also need a church organization that unites our congregation and fosters an environment for them to learn, grow, welcome new people, and be on mission together. The growth of this church and the fruitfulness of the congregants shows that God still uses churches organizations to reach lost people, and those same churches can send people on mission simultaneously.

I have seen too many churches that become “missional” and spend so much time “sending people” that they forget about “growing people,” and in the process lose the great aspects of church because they’ve “thrown the baby out with the bathwater.” Because of their neglect of their church organization, they become so unattractional that they don’t have any more people to “send.”

Most missional churches talk about “being” the church, instead of just “going” to church. However, I think that the sweet spot is when we can do both! Finding the balance between missional and attractional is easier said than done, however, it is a worthy battle because I truly believe that if more churches could find that balance, we would see more communities like Ainsworth, where God is using a church and the individuals in it to move in peoples’ lives in mighty ways!

Every year, Campus Crusade takes students on missions trips, called Summer Projects, all over the US and the world.  We use summer projects to not only do missions, but to disciple our students and train them how to live a missional life! This summer, I will be helping lead the summer project to South Africa. We are calling this project “Good News, Good Deeds,” because we will be sharing the good news of the Gospel, while showing Christ’s love in tangible ways by serving the community. South Africa is a county in need of hope. After decades of civil unrest, political turmoil, and racial tension, South Africans are searching for hope that can only be found in Christ! From June 26^th, to August 6^th, we will be serving orphanages in Pretoria and starting spiritual movements on college campuses in Cape Town. We have built up a team of 30 students to take, and I am excited to see not only the fruit from our ministry, but what God does in the lives of these 30 students.

Josh and Keegan

Over the past 2 months, I have been encouraging students to take a step of faith and spend the summer serving the Lord on a Summer Project. It has been amazing to see student leaders that I coach all over the state step up to the challenge!

Two of those students are Keegan and Josh. They are in my movement I lead at Concordia University in Seward. They both took me up on my challenge to go on summer project, and will be spending their summer in Juneau, Alaska! Keegan and Josh have both experienced tremendous growth in their walks with God this past year, and it is incredibly encouraging to see them take this step of faith. I have no doubt that God will use this summer to deepen their walk with Him, teach them how to live in authentic community with others, and equip them to reach others for Christ!

I am blessed with a ministry where I get to see the Gospel at work in the lives of college students everywhere. It is amazing to see how a college student can take a step of faith, and because of it, somebody gets a glimpse of the Gospel, and it becomes contagious. Usually when we take a step of faith to share the Gospel, God uses it in our own lives just as much as he does the person we’re sharing it with. I was thinking about this the other day, when I came across this blog post by John Fischer, which so accurately put into words what was on my heart.

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Last week I had the unexpected privilege of hearing Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking whose story was dramatized in the movie by the same title staring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. She’s a short, spunky woman with a passion for justice and a story of how God dragged her into a life-changing relationship with a prisoner on death row. She tells the story of how one of her colleagues encouraged her to write a letter to a prisoner, which she did, thinking little of it. Then she went on to explain how that letter had altered the course of her life. She put it in the simplest terms: he wrote back, they developed a relationship, and the gospel of Jesus happened.

I was immediately captivated by the simple thought that our relationships are the place where the gospel of Jesus happens. I believe this is true, and I believe it can happen in many different ways and on many different levels.

When does the gospel of Jesus happen? Any time someone is affirmed, any time value is attributed to a human being, any time forgiveness is extended, any time love is spoken, any time you remove a speck from someone else’s eye because you just had a log taken out of your own, any time patience wins out, any time justice is done, any time the hungry are fed, the naked are clothed, and the good news is preached to the poor.

In the case of Sister Prejean, the gospel of Jesus saved a guilty man for eternity, and set her on a course to reach many others is similar circumstances. Be looking for how the gospel of Jesus might happen in your life today and the lives of those you touch.

When I decided to come on staff with Campus Crusade, I started praying for the students at Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff.  It was disheartening that there was no ministry there, and hundreds of college students don’t know Christ. All year, I had been praying about launching a ministry there, and that I would find a student who has a heart to reach that campus for Christ. God answered my prayers when I received and email from a student, Susan, asking what it would take to start a Campus Crusade at WNCC! I recently met with Susan and her friend Stella and shared my vision on how to reach that campus. It was evident that they have a huge heart to see others there come to know Christ, and have already started to put the pieces of our ministry together there! They are both nontraditional students with full-time jobs and Susan has several kids and grandkids. However, they are not letting a busy life get in the way of what God has called them to do: be a missionary on campus at WNCC!

Last night I made my weekly trip to Seward for my Bible study I lead for guys at Concordia University. As we read through the book of James, a certain passage stuck out. James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” It also reminded us of Romans 5:2-4, “And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

As we meditated on this scripture, and processed through how to apply it to our lives, we really gained a new understanding of how God works in our lives. When I was younger, I used to pray that God would just take my struggles away. It didn’t happen. But, when I re-committed my life to Christ almost 4 years ago, God still didn’t take them away….but He gave me freedom within the struggle. He gave me power over sin, even though I still had the struggles and temptations. The difference was that He wanted me to participate in the healing process. Seeking healing is always process. A process in which we have to have perseverance, and that perseverance produces character, and that character produces hope. It is that process that God builds us into the people he meant us to be. It is the journey of healing that God used to give me character and the hope in Him that I never could have imagined.

What if God would have just answered my prayers and taken my struggles away? I would not have the character, hope, and joy that I do today. I would not be blessed with the journey and process of healing that He has given me. It is a process that I have learned to cherish. I have been blessed by seeking healing from suffering in my life. While the journey has not been easy, it has been worthwhile. It has been a blessing that I couldn’t have imagined.

I now know that if we embrace our suffering and participate in our healing, God will give us a journey that will be a blessing. Anything else is less than He has planned for us.

Every year, Jan 2nd-7th, over one thousand college students and Campus Crusade staff gather in Denver, CO for the Denver Christmas Conference. My sophomore year of college, God used this conference to change my life and my walk with Him. Every year since, I have gone back and seen God show up in my life. This year was no exception!

One of the most meaningful moments was when I was listening to the testimony of my coworker, Matt, who told about God turning his life around after being in tragic circumstances that most of us could only imagine. When he was done, he said, “no matter what God has done in my life, I still need a revival in my heart everyday.” It reminded me of Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” What a great reminder that I always need revival and renewal in my heart everyday!

What did the students have to say about DCC? Ashlee, a freshman from Concordia University in Seward, said:

“DCC was the highlight of my Christmas Break. The students who went last year had told me, “go to Denver, God will meet you right where you’re at,” and He did! When attending the  sessions and seminars, it was as if they were written specifically for me to hear. I experienced God working on my heart and got to see him at work in the hearts of others around me as well! Once again, I was reminded that we are all covered in God’s amazing grace and we can take great joy in that.

Not only has God given us the gift of forgiveness, but he has also given us the gift of fellowship. The Christmas Conference is an amazing opportunity to form bonds, not only with your fellow classmates, but with students from campuses all across the country; some from across the world. You meet people who are here to lift you up in your struggles, to encourage you, and keep you accountable so that we all might come closer to our Awesome God. I am forever grateful for our DCC group this year and the love poured out by my brothers and sisters in Christ!”

What a blessing to see real life change in our students!

Before Christmas, I had the opportunity to spend 10 days in Athens, Greece, ministering to college students and refugees. It was amazing to see God not only use us in the lives of the Greeks, but also how he softened and changed the hearts of the 22 people in our group as well.

Here are a few highlights:

• Five days of our time there was spend on the two main college campuses in Athens. We were able to build relationships and share the real reason for Christmas (the Gospel) with over 30 Greek college students! These students are now plugged into our full time ministry there, in an environment where they can learn God’s truth and grow!
• The Athens metro area has about 10 million residents, and has approximately one million refugees, many of them homeless. Most of them have fled violence from northern Africa, Afghanistan, and the middle East. We were able to feed about one thousand of them, and share the Gospel with them in 4 different languages!
• Our motel was within walking distance of Mars Hill, where the apostle Paul preached his sermon that is found in Acts 17. Reading his sermon while standing on Mars Hill in the very place where Paul preached definitely gave me a whole new perspective on this scripture, and a new appreciation for God’s Word!
• Athens is full of amazing people. They are extremely passionate, relational, and philosophical. And at the same time, they are hopeless. In the three years that Campus Crusade has been there, they have never found a college student who believed in Christ. The people are searching for something, they just don’t know that it’s Jesus that they are searching for. One night, we were standing on the roof of an 8 story building that overlooked the city with the Parthenon lit up in the background and it broke my heart to know that these streets of this city where Paul walked 2000 years ago are so spiritually dark and lost. I knew in that moment that I would be going back.

  

  Slicing bread to feed refugees

  

  Ancient ruins at Corinth

  

  Refugees that we were feeding

  
  

  

  Parthenon

  

  The Temple of Zeus

  

  Bema

  
  

  

  Me observing the view at Corinth

  

  A really old Monastery

  
  

I spent today, and will be spending the next 4 days ministering to students at University of Athens and Politech University. The culture here in Greece is unbelievable to me. Here are a few quick facts and observations:

1) 98% of the population is Greek Orthodox Christian. It is the countries offical religion, and the government tries to keep all others out. Most of them though, are not practicing. In fact, some will say that they are Orthodox Christian, and state in the same sentence that they don’t beleive in God. Most of them are also very angry and bitter towards the church, and want nothing to do with it.

2) People are very friendly and open. We can walk up to about anybody and have a 3 hour conversation about life, politics, and about everything else. I’ve never seen another group of people who were so aproachable and transparent. Paul mentions in scripture that people here sit around and talk about philosophy. In 2000 years, that hasn’t changed!

3) Greeks are very unhappy and have no hope. Every one that I talked to today want to leave Greece, because they are unhappy and have no future here. There are very few jobs available, and most students stay in college for 8 years, because there is nothing to look forward to after they graduate.

4) Greeks value 3 things: Coffee, relationships, and cigarrettes! They are extremely social and do every thing with thier circle of friends. The key to reaching out to a Greek is building a friendship and relationship, by inviting them to be a part of your life. They place such a high value on friendships, once you establish one, you are “in” and they are willing to talk, hangout, listen, and share all parts of thier life with you.

Today I went onto the Athens University Campus and sat down with a guy named Jason. We talked for over an hour about all kinds of stuff: America, politics, family, why he doesn’t like Greece, and his religion. He believes that there is a God, and he believes that we are reincarnated after we die. He says life is like prison, and are only freedom is once we die. He also calls himself a Greek Orthodox Christian.  Jason and I are meeting for coffee on Wednesday. Please pray that I can speak truth into his life as I share the Gospel with him!

Tonight, as I stood on the roof of an 8 story building overlooking Athens, with the Panthenon lit up in the background, it was on of the best and worst moments of my life. It was one of the best, because I was looking over one of the greatest cities in the world. A was looking at the same streets where the Apostle Paul walked and preached. It was also a horrible moment knowing that the Truth of the Gospel that Paul preached is lost. There are 10 million people in this city, and they are a nation of lost, hopeless people. These people despirately need God’s Truth and Transformation. Please pray for me and my team as were are here, that this ministry can be the start of revolution in this city!