A New Chapter

 Hey friends and family!  Thanks for taking the time to read my first ever ministry blog post!  This year is going to be WAY different from previous years of ministry, but God is just as faithful today as He was yesterday.  Let's jump in!

    This first week, starting August 1, has been FULL of learning and reading as we began our Old Testament class.  So far, we've read from Genesis to Joshua, in addition to reading a textbook, listening to lectures from Regent College, and attending a class led by our own Brandon Worsham, who directs the ministry as a whole and leads the men's side of the UTD ministry, and Victoria Milian Seiler.  I can't even begin to write here how much I've learned through this study of the Old Testament; we'd truly be here all day.  But, some of the highlights to me have been how important each and every human is to God.  I often glossed over Genesis 1:27 thinking, "Dang, that's pretty cool that we're created in God's image," and would just move on.  However, during my time deeply studying Genesis with my fellow apprentices, this has MASSIVE implications for how we relate to God and how we relate to each other.  I've also been struck reading throughout the entire Pentateuch that God chose Israel to be his chosen people, but they consistently lacked faith in him and his goodness and were so bent on trying to be like God rather than accept their status as creatures and strayed away.  It's been convicting to look back on my own life and realize that we aren't much better than the ancient Israelites.  Overall, I've been having a blast reshaping my understanding of God and his Word and learning how it affects how I'll minister to the students on the UTD campus.

A look into some of our time reading! We were listening to a lecture in this picture; I promise you we're enjoying ourselves :)

    This Thursday, the apprentices were ordained as ministers!  It was a powerful reminder that we're here to serve and love the students on campus and point them to Christ.  It's also just a great opportunity to make our commitments to the student body formally and publicly.  You can read the commitments the staff and apprentices make to the student body here.  

The 2020-2021 apprenticeship class!  I'm so excited to have the chance to minister and learn alongside these fantastic and Christ-loving friends this school year!  From left to right: me, Andrea, Adam, Taylor, Joey, and Bridgett (minus Lindsey, she left before we could all get a picture together)

    Since I'll be doing my apprenticeship with the UTD ministry, I moved from Arlington to Plano.  It's been quite an adjustment getting used to a new town, but I don't think I'll trade it for anything.  I'm living with a great group of guys (Chris, Darreyl, Stephen, and Andrew) involved in FOCUS, and it's been great getting to know them and their stories.  I can't wait to live life with them this school year.  

The roomies!  We're playing Llamas Unleashed here, a strategic card game.  It was a ton of fun to just hang out together and get to know each other over a card game.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that I'm actually pretty decent at at least one strategy game. 

    Finally, I wanted to address what this school year will look like, especially in terms of ministry.  UTD is having some in-person classes, but most will be online.  Even so, we're planning on doing a ton of online events to reach out to incoming and current UTD students.  As welcome week approaches (it starts tomorrow!!), I ask my supporters to please pray for the staff, apprentices, and student leaders to have the boldness to reach out to students in a new environment and for the Lord to give us wisdom to know how to best minister to the students amid this pandemic.

    I want to thank all my supporters for your generosity this year.  I was absolutely blown away by God's provision through y'all, especially during this pandemic.  

In Christ,

Jacob

Before you go, check out this month's student testimony!