Out of Berkeley

"Blue Like Jazz, Brown Like Turd, ...or Gold Like Oscar?" | News Release by a Berkeley School of Journalism grad student

 

by Samantha Bryson | Graduate Student | UC Berkeley School of Journalism | Class of 2012

 

Official Website with all Movie Locations

News Release: Blue Like Jazz the movie is finally here.. and we're going!

Hello Friends!

For anyone who has been following the movie production process on Donald Miller's blog, you already know what a historic moment this is... for those of you who don't, click here! It'll give you a quick visual timeline explaining how Blue Like Jazz the movie almost didn't happen, how it was saved at the last second by two die-hard BLJ fans in Tennessee who had never even met Miller and finally, how it became the first feature length film in history to be financed by crowd sourcing.  That's right.  In order to save Blue Like Jazz the movie, thousands upon thousands of people donated anything they could spare to make sure this day would come.  

 

BLJ Director Steve Taylor recently wrote that both his secular colleagues and those within the "Christian Movie Establishment" believe BLJ is likely to fail —  whether it's because, with the former, they believe an audience of engaged, intelligent young Christians doesn't exist or, with the latter, because they seem to hope it doesn't.  And I think he's also right when he says that the success of BLJ the movie could determine whether projects like this ever get funded again.

 

I want the world to know about our young generation of nuanced thinkers, brave questioners, and talented artists who don't necessarily live and work within the safety of the Christian establishment.   As a result, they end up taking heat from both sides (Derek Webb comes to mind)... but sometimes it seems even more fiercely from the Christian establishment, where it so often seems the only projects considered worthwhile are the ones that suggest the lives we lead and the world in which we lead them are infinitely simpler than they really are.  I am praying that there will be an army of people across the country who turn up for the film this weekend, so the world can't help but take notice.  And what's more, I hope it succeeds so that those of us who unabashedly favor honest things over exclusively pious things — in art, in life, in people — will know we aren't alone. 

 

I'd like to invite you to join me and Berkeley's GradCru Networks this Friday night when Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz the movie finally hits theaters across the country!  If you haven't seen it yet, here's the trailer + the 3 new edgy trailers  Above I explain what a historic event this is (no, seriously).  Now, here are the details:

Who: Anyone and everyone, the more the merrier!  This is an event hosted by CCC's graduate ministry, GradCru Networks but feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested and bring 'em along!

What: Blue Like Jazz the movie!

Where: AMC Theaters in San Francisco (sorry, it's a limited release so it's not playing in the east bay).  The address is: 1000 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA 94109.

When:  Meet in front of the theater at 6:45pm sharp.  I'll be there plenty early, so don't be shy about getting there on time.  The show starts at 7:25 and while that may sound like a lot of lead time, trust me it'll go by fast!  We have no way of knowing whether this is going to be a sold out show or if we'll be the only ones there, and I'd hate for anyone to come all that way to be disappointed.

Why: See passionate rants below... or don't.  All the necessary info is up here, but read on if you'd like!

Miscellaneous:

--Please RSVP if you're coming so we know who to wait for, how many seats to save, etc.

 

--Rides: I wish I had the organizational skills to pull this off, I really do.  But alas, I leave it up to you fine folks to figure out amongst yourself how you're getting there.  If anyone really wants to come but doesn't have a ride, please let me know and I am happy to help out any way I can!

 

--Tickets: I suggest buying your tickets ahead of time because, like I said, we have no idea how crowded it's going to be.  You can buy them at Fandago by clicking here.  Make sure you've got the right date/time (April 13, 7:25pm) and the right theater, though.

 

--Call or text me if you're running late and need us to save you a seat!

 That's all for the nuts and bolts, folks!  Hope to see you there!  

 

Samantha Bryson

http://www.bluelikejazzthemovie.com

Graduate School of Journalism

University of California, Berkeley

 

"Samantha is one of my favorite UC Berkeley graduate students.  I respect how she thinks, writes, and approaches her WonderFull life" -daniel curran, leadcatalyst, gradcru networks at UC Berkeley

End-of-October is a Good Time Evaluate Ones Campus Mission

Fall retreats are over and it's Halloween folks.  It's that time of the year, ...the end of fall startup; the beginning of the holiday season.  Mid-terms have come and gone.  You are in the eye of a storm that's called the "fall season" of campus work.  It feels counter-intuitive to evaluate right now but it's a great time to evaluate, ...to make adjustments, and to keep moving on the direction the Spirit is promting you in your campus ministry.  This year I get to (gulp) evaluate myself by "my" own standards that I whipped up this summer (see: "Are We Really Dong Great Co-Missional Campus Ministry?" -a Blogference Article by Daniel Curran )  ...always learning, always growing, always onward and upward.

Whatever the case, grace, mercy, and peace to us in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

“Are You Walking Dead or Alive?” ...a Journey into Ephesians 2:1-10

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2288/1548719077_cb669f5c79.jpg

Small Group Lesson

“Are You Walking Dead or Alive?”

Ephesians 2:1-10 (click to view passage)

 

LESSON OBJECTIVES

• What’s the big idea? (ABI “author’s big idea”): I want my students to know they used to be dead, and that God made them alive in Christ for good works

• What’s the big problem? (FCF “fallen condition focus”): I want to remind my students they used to walk in the world’s and Satan’s dead ways of thinking

• What’s the big solution? (RS “redemptive solution”): I want to remind my students that God made them alive, raised them, and seated them with Himself; and that God created them as His workmanship in Christ to walk in His good ways

• What’s our big response? (APP “application”): I want my students to live like they are fully-alive with the royal resurrection life of Jesus Christ coursing through their veins; walking in good works as God’s creative living-art

 

LAUNCH

...if time allows, play this 5 minute video as a hook to pull together your group.  Don't say why you are playing the video, just play it to have some fun and watch their reactions.  After musing about it for a few minutes after it's finished, THEN ask the below launch question and make them wrestle with what a Zombie is).  Note: Daniel Curran, while serving with the San Francisco Metro Ministry was actually caught in the middle of a Zombie flash-mob one night in a BART station like the one above and lived to tell about it:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJHhkNdTerA

Describe a scene from your life where you remember feeling and/or acting like a zombie?  

• Zombie is a term used to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli. Of voodoo origin, the word initially referred to a curse cast by sorcerers allowing them to take control of a person's mind, therefore affecting his or her actions. However, due to significant influence ofHaitian Vodou and New Orleans Voodoo on witchcraft mythology, this meaning soon morphed into that of a human corpse mysteriously reanimated to serve the undead. –source/Wikipedia

 

We are going to look at a passage in which the Apostle Paul reminds us that we were once like satanic zombie children; but now in Jesus Christ we are God’s works of living-art --- We're going to ask ourselves the big questions "Who am I?" and "Am I Walking Dead or Alive?"

EXPLORE

Survey the Big Picture:

 

• Survey the Big Picture: Ephesians is Paul’s letter to the Gentile believers in South-West Asia Minor, written in the first century A.D. The Gentile believers in Ephesus had been in a state of spiritual death before God made them alive together with Christ. In Ephesians 2:1-10, Paul contrasts their former position to their position in Christ and stresses that they were saved by grace alone.

 

Explore the Passage:

 

Read Ephesians 2:1-3

• What does this passage say about the nature of deadness? (aka “zombie-likeness”)
• What does Paul mean when he uses the term “dead” in this passage?
• What does Paul NOT mean when he uses the term “dead” in this passage?

 

Read Ephesians 2:4-9

• What is is the significance of the connecting word at the beginning of this passage?
• What specifically does this passage say God did for the Ephesians?
• According to this passage, what does it mean to “have been saved” by God?
• According to this passage, what does it NOT mean to “have been saved”?
• Compare and contrast the differences between being “dead” (aka “zombie-like”) in the former passage, with being “saved” (aka “with” or “in” Christ) in this passage?

 

Read Ephesians 2:10

• According to this verse, what has God made the Ephesians?
• What does Paul mean when he identifies the Ephesians as “[God’s] workmanship”?
• Whose “workmanship” specifically is NOT mentioned in this verse?

 

Discover the Big Idea:

• What did Paul want to make sure the Ephesians knew about how and why they were saved? 

Summary statement (ABI “authors big idea”): Paul wants the Ephesians to see that they were dead in their trespasses and sins but God made them alive in Christ by his grace through their faith so that they may walk in the good works that he prepared for them beforehand.

APPLY

•  Which of the issues raised in Ephesians 2:1-3 do you struggle with?

• Which truths about God’s salvation in Ephesians 2:4-9 do you need to cling to?

• What does hearing you are God’s workmanship (not a zombie) in Ephesians 2:10 do for your soul?

• In light of this passage, how can you begin thinking differently about yourself? (ie. When you reflect upon the implications of being one of God’s saved-creations, of being His living-art)

• As God’s workmanship in Christ, what are some of the “good works” that you are currently aware of that God has created you to “walk in”?

• What is presently keeping you from walking in any of them? (see Ephesians 2:1-3)

• How does your being “with Christ” (v.5, v.6) and “in Christ” (v. 6, v.7, 10) resource you to overcome these obstacles and empower you to walk in all “good works” you were created for? 

Directions: Simply read Ephesians 2:1-10 by yourself; maybe print out this Bible Study on hardcopy; honestly walk yourself through all the above questions first, jotting your answers and questions down on the paper; then, invite some friends to meet up with you and simply walk the group through this lesson like you did with yourself (these notes are just for you --- others just look at their Bibles --- you can give them hardcopies if you like afterwards).  Take time to draw everyone out with the first "Launch" question and give everyone a chance to answer most of the the last 5 "APPLY" questions --- it's sufficient if only one or two folks answer each of the middle "EXPLORE" questions, not enough time for everyone to answer all those.  Take time at the end to of your meetup to pray for one another in light of what everyone shares.  Don't take for granted what the Holy Spirit can do in your group in just one meeting.  Figure out ways to encourage one another to "Walking Alive!" during the week, and don't stop meeting together to spur one another on towards love and good deeds. -dc

 

Praise and Laurels to the Messiah!

  Palm Sunday shall take on a whole new meaning for me this year.  I am awestruck by what Jesus said AND did to display His messianic authority on Palm Sunday and in the following days...

Matthew's Gospel (chapter 21) highlights seven things that speak to what a magnificent Savior the Lord Jesus Christ truly is:

1. Jesus entered the temple area upon his arrival [He goes right to His Father's House]
2. Jesus upsets all the tables of the merchants who were clogging the courts [where the women and the Gentiles were supposed to worship]
3. Jesus proclaimed the entire area to be a house of prayer [for all nations, all peoples -Isaiah 56]
4. Jesus heals the lame and blind people who found Him in the temple area [they had previously been banned from entering]
5. Jesus receives praise from children who followed him into the temple area [they were crying out,  “Hosanna to the Son of David!"]
6. Jesus defends them against the indignation of the Chief Priests [by quoting Psalm 8:2]
7. Jesus leaves Jerusalem daily and goes to Bethany to spend the nights [He doesn't seize political power]

"Praise and Laurels [to the] Messiah" this P.A.L.M. Sunday

• Praise = Hosanna
• Laurels = Palm Branches

 

Hosanna in the highest!  Yours Truly, Daniel

 

Three Student Leadership Paradigms that Really Work!

"Student Leader + Leadership Team Paradigm"

 ...see Psalm 78:72

• Description: One student leads Leadership Team
• Strengths: works great if you have a strong/confident/competent student leader paired with a philosophically aligned campus ministry advisor; freedom to be creative & make quick decisions
• Weaknesses: team is subject to the weakness and bias of the Team Leader (especially their gender biases); Team Leader is vulnerable to personal attack & impulsivity with decisions

***Campus Ministry Advisor provides ongoing direction to Team Leader outside of Leadership Team meetings; easy to advise one student; but, transitions are hard when student leader changes

 

“Co-Leaders + Leadership Team Paradigm"

 ...see Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

• Description: One male & female student co-lead Leadership Team
• Strengths: works great if you have strong/confident/competent male-female combo paired with a philosophically aligned campus ministry advisor; mitigates impulsivity; models and facilitates male & female leadership working together
• Weaknesses: Takes more time and energy to co-lead; usually requires additional weekly co-leader meetings, decision making takes longer/requires compromise

***Campus Ministry Advisor provides ongoing direction to Team Co-Leaders outside of Leadership Team meetings; harder to advise 2 students; but, transitions less difficult when one student leaders changes

 

"Exec Team + Leadership Team Paradigm"

 ...see Ephesians 4: 11-12

• Description: Four students team-lead Leadership Team with strategic cooperative organizational roles: Team Coordinator, Operations Coordinator, Communications Coordinator, Financial Coordinator
• Strengths: works great if you have strong/confident/competent student leaders in each of these roles resourced by a philosophically aligned campus ministry advisor; facilitates long-range planning & ministry stability; frees up Leadership Team meetings for more prayer, discussion, training, and fun times; much easier to involve less-mature and emerging leaders (ideal leadership team size is 12; comprized of 4 exec members + 8 additional LT members)
• Weaknesses: requires an additional monthly or bi-weekly "exec team" meeting; requires long-range planning at the beginning & end of the semester; decision making more complex/requires consensus; team building & conflict resoultion skills needed

***Campus Ministry Advisor hosts a Spring & Fall "Exec Team Retreat" to provide timely direction & training for the next 6 months; and/or gives ongoing as-needed direction during or outside "Exec Team" meetings (requires good communication and long-range planning; transitions less difficult when student leaders change)

"for waging war you need guidance, and for victory many advisers" -Solomon 

Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. -Paul

 

For street-smart wisdom about student leadership teams check out:

How to Delegate Responsibility

How to Start a Leadership Team

Vision for Transformational Community!

 

What other paradigms have you seen work?  What do you call them?  What are their strengths & weaknesses?

 

The Nature of Vocation & Calling

"The Nature of Vocation & Calling,

...Listening & Working with God”

Section II - Vocational Guidance for Collegians: Helping Young Adults Discover Their Missions in the Marketplace  v2.0

By P. Daniel Curran, MCS

Lead Catalyst, GradCru Networks at UC Berkeley

There is much confusion in evangelical Christianity concerning the use of the words vocation and calling.  Some Biblical words used in common everyday conversations related to vocation/calling are: preparation, works, service, purpose, mission, task, ministry, labor, task, labor, call, calling, called, calls, cry, guide, appoint, choose and chosen.  In Greek vocation/calling are usually coming from “kaleo” and “klesis” which commonly mean “calling” or “invited”.  The word calling implies a “caller” and a respondent person who is “called”.  Calling is thus highly relational and personal.

The usage of these terms has been influenced by both Catholic and Protestant distortions of the meaning of calling.  Traditional Catholic theology has traditionally relegated the use of the term calling or vocation to service in the church alone (i.e. as a priest or nun in a convent or monastery setting).  The Protestant tradition emerged through the abolition of a limited priesthood and by discontinuing monastery systems, -so vocation was thus imparted to the common person and focused on the kind work they did and on the office in life they held.

This is unfortunate because while both views are partially true, neither view is adequate without integrating complementary strengths of the other.  Whatever the case, you get a sacred/secular split by embracing either institution their ensuing traditions.  R. Paul Stevens states that, “Calling is to someone, not to something or somewhere” (Banks, 97).  He argues that there actually are things and places that we are called to, …but the supremacy of the primary call to “Someone” overshadows them, and they can’t possibly be understood without the context of a Primary Call.  Lee Hardy states that, “Work and vocation are not the same thing.  Work may be a part of my vocation, but it is not the whole of my vocation; work may be one thing that I am called to do, but it is not the only thing I am called to do. (Hardy, 111,112). 

Os Guinness says that, “we cannot afford fuzzy thinking and half-hearted living.  In today’s world, differences can be seen to make a difference.  Beliefs have consequences.   …calling, as we shall see in a score of ways, is indispensable to the integrity and effectiveness of the church in this momentous hour” (Guinness, 59).  He goes on to weave an effective picture how we only really have one true calling, and that is to the person of Jesus Christ.  Therefore, Jesus (our manager) calls us into our secondary callings and He alone is the author and manager of those calls.  These secondary calls are primarily to roles or offices in life: father, mother, brother, pastor, merchant, artist, poet, ambassador, etc.  One may take up or put down these roles depending on the relational and physical realities that God ordains (i.e. the death of a child will change the role of a mother, the loss of a job will change ones role as an employee, students graduate from their studies, missionaries are called to and from people groups).

Gordon T. Smith takes the primary and secondary calling one step further and argues for a third category of “tertiary callings” which one could also label as tasks: homework assignments, duties of a coach at a game, business deals, preparation of meals, etc..  All which have a sense of call because they flow from the primary and secondary callings. (Smith, 10).  Parker Palmer relates the seriousness of getting calling wrong in saying that, “A vocation that is not mine, no matter how externally valued, does violence to the self –in the precise sense that it violates my identity and integrity on behalf some abstract norm.  When I violate myself, I invariably end up violating the people I work with.” (Palmer, 30).  He cites the tragedy of those involved in the teaching profession who violate their students years after their calling to teach has vanished (see also the book The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life by Parker Palmer).

Calling is mysterious.  It is relational.  It has to do with inter-personality.  It is quite appropriate, when you think about it, for a triune God to “call”.  To call amongst Himself, …and to call to His creatures.  It is interesting to consider that God called the world into existence. At creation, words were spoken by God and human beings materialized.  We were called “man” and “woman”, and called personal names, “Adam” and “Eve”.

Vocatio in Latin means “work”.  When you think about it, in a very real sense we are God’s vocatio, God’s workmanship, …God’s voicemanship.  And, as God’s workmanship we work by calling.  We use imperatives in our speech to make things happen, “Do this”, “Give me that”, “have this on my desk first thing in the morning!”  The power of the spoken work is striking.  It has the power to generate and create things that did not exist before.  On the dark side, the power of voice or calling in the form of a lie can kill, steal and destroy.  It is sobering to note the language of Satan (lies) has the power to enslave and ruin individuals and entire cultures simply by language and voice, …an evil kind of “calling”  whispered by the Prince Darkness that reaps destruction, fear and death.

Our call to be princes, priests and prophets, to be sons, daughters and new creations in Christ is eternal.  This primary call to Jesus is an eternal calling that we can’t loose.  Our secondary callings may last for years (mother, student, farmer, surfer) –they will come and go in due time.  Our tertiary calls may but last for a moment (to say an arrow prayer, cheer at a game, to give flowers, to teach a Bible Study, to listen to a story).

God calls us into “fellowship with His Son”, God called the boy “Samuel”, Paul was called to be “an apostle”, Jesus called the “little children”, God called Isaiah to Himself (and Isaiah called himself “unclean”), Jesus called “James and John”, and “the twelve”, and “the women”; in Colossians we are called according to “one purpose” and in Ephesians “to live a life worthy of the calling for which we were called”. The book of Romans says “all things work together for good for those who are called according to His purpose”.  We have in our possession the Holy Scriptures, which are the very breath of God, God’s Words, God’s Calling/s to us.  Calling is mystical and mysterious because it involves discourse with the Living God. 

God in His infinite wisdom has not left us as orphans.  God has breathed on us and given us His Holy Spirit and invited us to preach and teach His words (His call) “in season and out”.  Collegians and other young adults may not be able to fully grasp the deep metaphysical meaning of calling, but they can gain a holy sobriety for what it is and humbly consider the grave consequences of getting it wrong.  Calling at its best, flows from a dynamic relationship between the practice of personal spiritual disciplines (i.e. solitude, silence, scripture) and  corporate community life and spiritual friendships amongst the Saints.  The dynamic of vocation, of working with God is available to the little child, the young adult and the senior citizen.  But, because a collegians hunger and aptitude for learning is so high, and because the young adult stage of human development is so formative, college students and other twenty-somethings are able to hear and remember their calls to "good works" from God louder, and embrace their calls more earnestly, than during any other season of their lives.  “He who has ears, let him hear!” –Jesus.

 

Banks, Robert & R. Paul Stevens, ed., The Complete Book of Everyday Christianity.

“Vocational Guidance”, Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1997.

Hardy, Lee, The Fabric of this World. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990.

Guinness, Os, The Call. Nashville: Word, 1998.

Smith, Gordon T., Courage & Calling. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1999.

Palmer, Palmer, The Courage to Teach. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998

Copyright © 2010 | P. Daniel Curran, B.A. Biola University; M.C.S. Regent College, Vancouver, B.C.|  This  sssay comes from a paper written for R. Paul Stevens' Marketplace Ministry Seminar  |  Daniel  has taught UC Berkeley's DeCal course "Finding Your Purpose & Calling", sections for "Bible Study Methods" at The Institute of Biblical Studies , presented his "Purpose & Calling", "Decoding the Campus" & "Praying for Spiritual Revival" seminars at CCC's Dallas & San Diego Winter Conferences, Ivy Jungle College Ministry Conferences, Asbury Seminary, and in a variety of college & university settings  |  http://www.linkedin.com/in/curranevents  | reprint permission granted for entire article to be republished unedited (includes title, sub-title, author, references, copyright, mini-bio, LinkedIn URL,  and reprint permission terms).

Groups of Three at UC Berkeley

What's a Group of Three (G3)?  It's a simple way for university students to connect around their faith in Jesus Christ by:

§ Reaching out with the Gospel to their friends

§ Sharing what God is teaching them

§ Being and making disciples

§ Praying for one another

By simply meeting to pray and support each other in small groups a few students can become a contagious group. Students are moving from just trying to survive with their faith to being the salt and light messengers of life that Christ called us to be. Connecting in community for a quick power-up and finding God’s power through prayer is the beginning of taking seriously the call Christ gave to reach those around us with His Good News.  Download the G3 Discussion Card for Groups of Three

Groups of Three are usually just three or four students meeting weekly for about an hour. Just three students are often the first seed of a spiritual network that reaches into every social corner of the campus, planting many new communities. Our hope is to see spiritual movements everywhere, so that everyone knows someone who’s authentically following Christ. As visitors drop in and then start their own groups the spiritual community expands. Intentionally planting groups on a campus or in an unreached corner of a campus is often the best way to give every student a chance to hear the Gospel.  Download "The G3 Handbook: How to Start and Lead Groups of Three" G3 Training Manuel

Real fellowship and community is more than a few students. Occasionally, student leaders pull everyone together for worship, community service, and outreaches. The whole movement from the big gatherings and retreats down to each group's meeting is about GIVING, GROWING, GOING & PRAYING the Gospel, ...and this DNA is passed along from one group to the next. We like to think of it as a kind of holy virus that has the potential to spread and transform a whole campus.   Download the "Go Small To Reach Them All Lifecycle" Campus Strategy Article or just the "Go Small to Reach Them All: Lifecycle Diagram"

Imagine this- what if campuses were full of G3s doing these four simple things? What if every American university student had at least a 'friend of a friend' who was passionately loving people and following Christ daily – so that everyone knew someone who was authentically following Jesus?  Download the "Simple Movements of Faith on Campus" Campus Vision Article

Watch the amazing "G3 Spiritual Movements for Life" video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghy2PhD36zw

It’s not a big commitment, only 60 minutes; but it's a significant commitment, because it influences how you live the other 167 hours of your week. You’ll make great friends, grow deeper in your faith, and rediscover the adventure of being salt and light on your campus. If you’re the first to catch the idea, good news, Groups of Three are easy to lead and you can start one up yourself. Starting one up by praying is a sure bet.   Download "Better Bubbbles or Incarnational Ministry?" Campus Philosophy Article

Note: This article and Group of Three Spiritual Movements resources were created by Keoke King & The SF Metro Team ~2005 as inspired by Neil Cole's Life Transformation Groups ( Philosophy: Download Cultivating-NeilCole-chap8 ; Tool: Download LTG-card Red) plus a host of other missional thinkers --- edited by Daniel Curran with GradCru Networks ~2010 --- G3's originated in the Bay Area and the idea has spread  Download FAQs about G3s --- G3's have been successfully modified and used by campus ministries at San Jose State, Univ of Michigan,  Harvard, San Francisco State, Univ of Oklahoma, at community colleges, and on the isgodcalling.com discipleship website.

Here are various G3 Logos to opensource brand your own G3 system:  

Jesus in Berkeley Wed August 25th

The "Jesus in Berkeley?" 2010 welcome event will be held on August 25th @ Wheeler Auditorium on the UC Berkeley campus.

“Jesus in Berkeley?" is for all students, especially you incoming students who are interested in finding out more about the Christian community at Cal. Most people think of Berkeley as one of the least likely places to find people who believe in Jesus and desire to follow Him, but there are actually many thriving churches and campus ministries full of Cal students who love Jesus and seek to lift His name up here in Berkeley. And we want to make it clear that we love one another and are united in our love for the Lord.

The hope of the “Jesus in Berkeley?" event is to help and encourage you get connected to a church or campus ministry where you can continue to follow Jesus or simply learn more about Him. There will be worship, a short message from God’s Word, hundreds of other incoming students, and returning students, and tables set up by each of the sponsoring groups to check out with info about their activities, meeting times, etc.

JiB? Facebook Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=143267439026789

JiB? Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Berkeley-CA/Jesus-in-Berkeley/147353864096

JiB? Website: http://www.jesusinberkeley.com

In my brief keynote address I'll be reassuring you that Jesus is active and on the move in Berkeley and that you can have an extraordinary adventure here with Him and His people.  I'll also challenge you to consider that God has already been at work here before you arrived and is inviting you into the fray --- whatever the case, don't not miss out on Jesus' beautiful vision by doing a "solo survival mode" or hiding in a "Christian bubble" --- These are extraordinary times we live in --- the world needs unselfish followers of Jesus to step up as His servants in every field --- what every every university student is really looking for is actually found in the person of Jesus Christ --- The question is, "Is Jesus in Berkeley?" --- The answer is, "Yes, and He's been waiting for you!" -dc

Daniel Curran
LeadCatalyst
GradCru Networks at UC Berkeley
(CCC's graduate student ministry expression at UC Berkeley)

GradCru's Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=107902555557

Cru at Cal's Undergrad Ministry Blog: http://cruatcal.wordpress.com/

RADICAL WALKING, ...Transferable Concept #4"

RADICAL WALKING is about learning how to practice the beautiful lifestyle of being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit on a moment-by-moment basis.  RADICAL WALKING is the transforming experience of being controlled and empowered by Jesus Christ Himself.  It's about a life full of grace, mercy and peace in the Kingdom of God.

Click here to read: "How You Can Walk in the Spirit" (ccci official web transcript)

Click here to listen: "Radical Walking" original message by Dr Bill Bright (streaming audio via DropBox)

4HowYouCanWalkInTheSpirit (streaming audio message by Dr Bill Bright --- click to listen from this page)

The "Transferable Concepts" by Bill Bright address our radical hunger and thirst to live an abundant and fruitful life.  Join with Daniel Curran and students at the University of California as they seek to practice these concepts in their everyday lives through reflective reading, fervent prayer, mutual encouragement, ...plus daily trial and error.

Here in Berkeley we've seen it all, and what we believe our world needs now more than anything else is a new generation of humble, unselfish, Jesus-like, servant leaders to rise up out of Berkeley.  Pray with us for God to send a mighty spiritual revival and awakening to the UC Berkeley campus this spring.  A revival so pure and profound that it transforms Berkeley, The Bay Area and the world beyond.  -dc

Radical Cleansing: "Transferable Concept #2"

RADICAL CLEANSING is about embracing the depth of your purity and celebrating the full extent of your forgiveness by faith in Jesus Christ.  RADICAL CLEANSING is the practice of continually confessing your sins to God and surrendering your whole life to His Holy Spirit.  It's about the practice of being fully restored to fellowship with your Heavenly Father and learning to walk in the light. 

Sample and see how the "Transferable Concepts" by Bill Bright address the radical hunger and thirst in your own soul to live an abundant and fruitful life.  Join with me and my Cal students this spring as we seek to integrate these concepts into our everyday lives through reflective reading, fervent prayer, and daily practice.  What our world needs now more than anything is a new generation of humble, unselfish, Jesus-like, servant leaders to come out of Berkeley.  Pray with us for God to send a mighty spiritual revival and awakening this spring to The University of California, Berkeley.  Pray for a fresh move of God that beautifully transforms Cal students from every student population, into Holy, radiant, life-giving disciples of Jesus!

 "How You Can Experience God's Love and Forgiveness" (TC #2) by Bill Bright is available below via streaming audio for laptops & smartphones and via web-based transcript for self-study and easy sharing with others.

Yours in equipping God's people in Berkeley, the Bay Area, and beyond. -dc

2HowYouCanExperienceGodsLoveAndForgiveness (click for streaming audio)

"How You Can Experience God's Love and Forgiveness" by Bill Bright

Radical Assurance: "Transferable Concept #1"

RADICAL ASSURANCE is about deeply experiencing how wonderfully saved we are by faith in Jesus Christ.  RADICAL ASSURANCE is about the Holy Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are truly sons and daughters of God.  Dr Bright's gripping messages have fueled burning hearts for over 60 years.  You'll be touched by how powerfully the Transferable Concepts speak to your heart and to the dire needs of our generation.  "How You Can Be Sure You Are A Christian" (TC #1) by Bill Bright is now available below in streaming audio for laptops & smartphones with both web-based and PDF transcripts.  Pray for spiritual revival and awakening on your campus and at the University of California at Berkeley.  Yours in equipping the saints in Berkeley, The Bay Area, and beyond, -dc

1HowYouCanBeSureYouAreAChristian (click for streaming audio)

"How You Can Be Sure You Are A Christian" (web-based transcript)

Download "How You Can Pray With Confidence" (PDF transcript)