A Social Community

Playing Mafia in the freshmen lounge

Last Wednesday, at Kean, we had an Ice Cream Social. It's so fun meeting new freshmen who want to get involved in a Christian group on campus. We played MAFIA, a card game where you guess each persons character, and the students really enjoyed themselves. They were laughing so hard, the Kean police stopped by to see what all the noise was about! Haha!

The week before that, we played ManHunt and the week before that, we had a game night! Freshmen have had multiple chances to see and hear us. Especially those who live on campus! :) This week was our first Kean Cru Bible Study and I had the privilege of speaking on who we are and why we exist as a caring community passionate about connecting people to Jesus Christ. Check out my presentation on prezi.com (on the right).

Game night

Thanks to those who just prayed for this event and for those who gave $ to purchase the ice cream! :)

It is day. But it won't be forever...

Urgency—There might not be tomorrow

Campus Crusade’s role is to help build movements everywhere so that everybody knows somebody who truly follows Jesus Christ. Part of my role in that ministry is to be trained in how to win, build and send people by the power of the Holy Spirit and so, help the body of Christ to fulfill the great commission. In this training, post summer Bible classes, I read an article by our current president, Steve Douglass. “Future Direction” describes how and why Steve felt led to more clearly define our ministry’s role in the Church universal, and he does. At the end of this article, Steve emphasizes John 9:4 in  regards to the very ripe harvest all around the world in saying: “It is ‘day.’ But it won’t be forever. So let’s work… together!”
When I met Dina, a new Latina staff joining Destino (Cru’s effort to reach Latin Americans & Hispanics), in Orlando this summer, I didn’t recognize the seed God was planting in our relationship to create a thicker unity within the body of Christ. In connecting us through my former discipler and good friend, Jen Hu, God began to align us to the same vision Steve Douglass mentions in this article, “movements everywhere...so everybody knows somebody who knows Jesus Christ.” Dina and I both recognize the quickly growing Latino community and plan to: help bridge their knowledge of Christ so that they may know Him, bridge to the majority staff (not Destino) with them on the mission field level, and bridge the generational gap within their culture and churches. With this community quickly growing, we recognize the urgency in our mission to see every Latino & even every minority have an opportunity to know somebody who truly follows Jesus Christ.

Discomfort vs Disunity

Minorities in ministry often feel uncomfortable as they are surrounded by people of a different class, culture, etc.
One of the things God taught me when I first became a part of Campus Crusade for Christ was that comfort is NOT something He has given us a right to. Christ’s divinity in flesh, Paul’s radical life change, the disciples living off of whatever they were given, Abraham leaving the only place familiar to himself, Moses speaking & leading a nation, Esther confronting a King on behalf of her people are just a few examples of people who were obediently uncomfortable for Christ. Even Peter, who didn’t want to take the Gospel to the Gentiles was challenged to do so in a vision from the Lord recorded in Acts 10. Like Peter, in Acts 11 was in an uncomfortable position to bridge the gap between the Jewish believers and the newly converted Gentiles, I think God has called me to be a bridge builder within Cru. Please pray for me and Dina as we seek the Lord to know how exactly He wants us to do this.

My Mission:

“Through the leading & power of the Holy Spirit, may Christ be fully known to all peoples, by our love for one another, as we raise the standard of this Christian nation and ultimately be a light of unity to the world.”

For more information on what I mean by this, feel free to email, call, or look to my Facebook or Blog. :)

Keep reading and praying! Thanks for helping me work full-time to be part of fulfilling the great commission.

In Christ,
E. Tabitha Morales

Education and IBS

These letters may be confusing to you if you're not up on the Campus Crusade for Christ lingo. :) Starting this past Monday, I am taking 4 weeks of seminary courses with the Institute of Biblical Studies (IBS) by Cru.

Eliza graduating Monroe College

Last month, my sister graduated from Monroe College with her Culinary Certification as a pastry chef one week after my father graduated from New York School of the Bible with his advanced education certificate in Biblical Studies! :) Even Gia, my 5 year old niece, is ready to read and will start in an advanced Kindergarten class this Fall! So proud of my family seeking to be good stewards of the time, money and skills God has given them.

My 5 yr old niece, Gia, READS!

One way I'm trying to do the same thing this summer is through IBS. Experienced full-time staff and professors from other seminaries around the United States put together various courses that Christians going into full-time ministry typically study and create them as a two week summer class for the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ around the world! - IBS. Next week I will be finishing my first two courses in Biblical Interpretation and Old Testament Survey.

Dad graduating from NYSB with Liberty U.

So far I've really enjoyed them both. Biblical interpretation is something I've learned growing up in a Reformed Baptist Church and with a father who loves "choppin' up" the scriptures. Although it's something I have a heavy background in, it's great to receive organized instruction and learn specific methods of how to best dissect the Word of God. It's also really encouraging to learn the terms to describe the scripture within it's historical, narrative and redemptive context.

Growing up in a Reformed Baptist Church, I knew the importance of properly dividing the Word and so I was slightly intimidated when I found out my professor for "Old Testament Survey" would be Dr. Futato from Reformed Theological Seminary. His lectures are wonderfully detailed and designed for hearers of all backgrounds but I KNOW his exam will NOT be easy. He is a God-fearing man, excited about the knowledge of the scriptures as it pertains to our living to glorify God; he reminds me a lot of my father. I just hope and pray to be able to retain the massive text we have to read and his daily 3 hour lectures! : /

Please continue to pray for me as I study to discern God's Word properly and return with greater ammunition for the spiritual battles on campus in NJ. Please also pray for me to finish raising the support I need to pay for these courses, dorm-life and meal plans.

Anxious much?

In Matthew 6:26-34, Jesus is nearing the end of His sermon on the mount, His first sermon recorded in the book of Matthew, and He talks about anxiety.

This summer I will be attending the Institute of Biblical Studies, taking four classes in 4 weeks. I don't typically struggle with anxiety, but everything about this summer assignment seems to encourage anxiety. Financially speaking, I need to raise $3000 more than usual to pay for this summer. Regarding time, I need to spend it very wisely since I will be in class Monday-Friday 8-4 daily for four weeks. Socially, I will have the opportunity to meet and form relationships with the new staff class of 2012 and the older staff taking classes like me.   As a matter of emotion, I will be away from most of my friends, family, students & church.

Seems like a lot to be concerned over to me. In fact, I'm really scared to do it. However, last night I was listening to a lecture by Tim Keller where He quotes an author who says "If your actions don't match your spoken beliefs, then they are not your beliefs". Convicted, I immediately began to apologize to God for once again not trusting Him, despite His perfect record of faithfulness.

He will come through...even if I have no idea how.

God's MOVING!

God is moving today in so many places and ways. 

Here are a few examples from Campus Crusade for Christ president, Steve Douglass.

1. In Awassa, Ethiopia last August our ministry sponsored a conference for 7,300 students. (Incidentally, people from the local churches there had the students stay in their homes.) The students were challenged to go, at least short-term, to help reach other African countries.Approximately 5,000 said “yes” to the challenge.
• Since last summer those students have launched new movements on 127 high school and college campuses. They have also gone in missions teams to 79 towns which were considered “closed” or difficult.
2. As another example, the Magdalena: Released from Shame version of the JESUS film is remarkably effective. In one Central Asian country, 60 percent of the inmates in a women’s prison indicated receiving Christ after watching Magdalena.
3. And our Internet ministries are growing in size and effectiveness. Global Media Outreach is seeing three times as many indicated decisions per month as they were one year ago. Their on-line missionaries receive over 6,000 e-mails per day. Through EveryStudent.com, of the college students indicating decisions and signing up for follow-up, 48 percent have connected with a Christian group on campus and/or a nearby church.

There is no doubt that God is moving today in many places and in extraordinary ways. The Bible is clear that our responsibility regarding His opportunities is to redeem them (“making the most of every opportunity” Ephesians 5:16).

Giving Generously

I've never considered studying "giving" according to the Bible so much as I have now. Obviously this is due to my raising support. So often I am discouraged by the responses I get from Christians when I ask them for financial support.


Then I stumbled upon this website: Generous Giving


Made me feel a bit better. I wonder how many people study giving when they are not depending upon other people's obedience to do so?