December, 2014

Merry Christmas everyone!

Wishing you the holly-est and jolly-est of Christmases!

Does God really care about me?

Does God really care as much as we do?
Is God actually better than us?
These have been some of the essential primal questions that several souls here have basically been
asking this past semester when I hear - I dont like that you say Jesus is the only way (*what does that
mean for our hearts? - check out the side note, last page)

I think our hearts mission and desire this past fall semester has been to invite and go out and intersect
the precious and loved-lives we are already around and inand to pray for and hope for and do our best
to engage others in these conversations to help bring as many as we can as far as we can in HIM. To
help American students and international students all of them, to have conversations that make sense
and help us all see you, Father God, for who you are and help them have some clarity about what is
important and what is true.
Thank you God for you, for your Son, Jesus and for the Holy Spirit. Thank you Father God for just loving
us and coming for all of us!!! you gave you very best when we were at our very worst
you are the only King foreveralmighty God we lift you higherforever more you are victorious!
Thank you everyone...HE is using all of you to help students and others here at Truman State University
to hear that God DOES really care about them and loves them, and to help everyone come farther along
in HIM, wherever the process of their faith is.

When people ask Hey, how is the BSU doing? I like to respond with stories of actual lives here being
influenced and impacted by HIIM and for HIM and of how we are working intentionally formally and
informally to just help people experience God and meet Jesus wherever they are in life. So it is for us
programmatic and also missional, both. So, since it was good enough for Paul to list out people by
namelets do it.
(Check out how the last chapter of Romans reads, Chapter 16 so crazy, just a list of names right?
Not hardly thanks to Steve Easterwood loving retired pastor, who shared in the house with us
and helped us to see just how much God is so about wanting a relationship with all of us
individually, dynamically, daily, and passionately and to share that love and be a spiritual
father/mother/brother/sister to anotherto make disciples of all Mathew 28:18-20).

so lets start with the missional and just the lives we are hoping we are bringing deeper into a love
relationship with Jesus in every way.

Greet Mandy, Kendra, Hannah, Shelby, Gabe, Jody, and Megan, such dear students to us, who
have been the leadership formally and informally to so many here. Hearing how their best
friends have become the ones on leadership, of how they are just trying to run the race and
leave the things that hinder and the sin that so easily entangles (Hebrews 12), how they are just
trying to love people really, and love them with the hope of helping them know HIS love and
inviting them into their apartments to bake cookies or to hang outour to huge thanksgiving
feast that college students pull off beautifully on their own with their own resources (and a BSU
building to eat in), having conversations of just what HIS plan is and to wade into some not so
easy conversations of desiring to help others embrace the plan and not try to erase it, of
doing crazy things like hanging out in dorm lounges (which is a huge leap of trust and
conquering fear for some) - to just hope to meet and know others more to build relationships
and really love them and intentionally hoping they can know God soon if they are interested, to
letting students crash in their room because they are having a huge need to be loved (arent we
all?!) and they do it...they actually let them stay awhile and love themto all of these who are
doing so much not in the building or in a meeting or an event only but so much not on the
stage, but in their lives, to help others have a date (I love how one guy said it in a conference
We cant make anyone fall in love with Godcant make them do that at allbut we can set up
dates) (1 Thessalonians 2:8)
Greet wee Shannon, who is on our leadership team and has been studying abroad in Italy this
fall semester but will be back with us in January yeah!!!! And who has been able to connect
with some local believers and just be able to share together and walk with Jesus together. And
she has had some super sweet skyping missionaries here in the students here who keep her
connected and encouraged, and vice-versa. (this life with HIM was never meant to be a Jesus
and me faith, but a Jesus and us faith; check out Pauls writings and also even Ecclesiastes 4:
10)
Greet Jacob, Fisher, Jack and Gabe who has been the worship leader with these guys who all
who work very hard to bring us to His throne in worship, and who help us to see that our life is
now and our faith is not about what you cant do its about the one phenomenal thing we can
do and that is that we can approach Godand speak freely with Godconfident that HE is going
to love us and respond to us. Thank you boy band for helping us have a confidence in our
hearts that God will respond to us. (Ephesians 3:10-12; Hebrews 4:15-16; James 4:8)
Greet Celia, who has labored with us to help others know HIS love in so many ways including
driving lessons that became a part of a story of one little girl from China hearing HIS love thru so
many, including Celia, that God used to pursue this girl who is now alive in HIM with joy and
with a heart that has been ignited by Grace with a desire to live for the One who sets us all free.
And who know leaves Truman to go into a new mission field in Asia thru the International
Mission Board (IMB) in January...we are so excited for her!!!
Greet Katie, our little missionary girl who took off a semester and left a full ride scholarship that
was all hers to possibly not get back, to go and live in Venezuela as a missionary. And who is
back and continues to be a missionary here. Oh yes, that is so our heart Katie and you are
living it, that we all can see the lives around us and not be about just addition to our crazy,
over scheduled lives, but about intersection of the lives HE is putting in and around us. Pray

for a girl who continues to love not just the students, but also the faculty, on a campus that God
has allowed her to experience the pressure of walking a different way with HIM. (Isaiah
30:21)
Greet Calley and Ben and Steve and Jenny and Danielle and LeWain and the Stephanies and
Maddie and Miranda and Lydia and Trung and Maya and Brinesha and Lianh and Lu and Netra
and Anushri and Cuong who continue to just invite people into their lives and to seek to just try
and walk with HIM todayand tomorrowand are such a huge blessing in just helping others
know HIS love and who are our fellow brothers and sisters as we all ride with Jesus as the
captain of our hearts and souls. (Philippians 1:27; Philippians 2:9-11)
Greet Maya and Trung and Phuong and Jingfa and Stephanie who as students are now alive and
in a love affair with Jesus!!! Yeah God!!!!!!! .and who we love and who are already sharing
with others and continuing to grow as followers of the cross. (1 Peter 2:9; Ephesians 3:7-8
Greet John and Margie who fell in love with God 4+ years ago and who have labored with us in
so many ways to love students and help them know that God cares for them and who are so
dear to us!!! Their cooked mega meals, driving lessons, open home to 15+ students on several
and yet several more occasions, fishing pond and snow sledding and trips to Kansas City for
students to know HIM moreall of it has been amazing to the work HE is about here at
Truman.
Greet Matt and Brian and Keevin and Stephanie, and Derrick and Meegan and Chris and Reed
and Wade just amazing people with amazing hearts for HIM who just love so compassionately
students here in every way they can!!!
Greet the loving local churches - Hamilton Street Baptist Church, First Baptist Church, Rehoboth
Baptist Church, Fellowship Baptist Church, and Timberridge Community Church and the
Thousand Hills Association - and all the friends of the BSU - who share so much with us and pray
for us and give of their hearts and time and energy and finances and resources to just allow us
as missionaries this missionary outpost-the BSU, to exist and help this campus know that God
really does care for them and has come for them to give them life (John 10:10; Deuteronomy
30:15-20)
Lastly, greet our alumni who give to the BSU in an incredible myriad of ways and who live and
love formally and informally to the ends of the earth, who keep working to make disciples and
to bring the news that really is good news of great joy. That, well pardon the vernacular, but
Man for you and me all of us we should be happy there is a way at all; that somebody
actually loved us enough to sacrifice on your behalf and mine for our sins; he sent his one and
only son into the world that we might live; this is how god showed his love among us; this is love
Jesus. (Mark 16:15; Luke 2:10; John 3:16; 1 John 4:9-10)
o Just a few of the alumni who are so loving because they are so lovedDr. White, Zach
and Amy, Jason and Twila, Tim and Rachel, Lizzy, Amanda, Nicole, Ryan and Megan,
Heidi, Kenny and Sarah, Chrissy and Phillip, Big Will, and Little Will and Julie, Brent and
Ginger, Steve and Nina, Chad and Tonya, Kevin and Jessica, Amy, Tara, Jen, Darlene,
Judah and Jenny, Phil, Jay and Miki, Dave and Melissa, Dave and Joan, Charles and
Deanna, Dave and Teresa, Bob and Audra, sir Ed, Darrin and little Jane, Rob, Peter,
Dorian, Mike and Pam, David and Nancy, Tom and Heather, John and MechellewowI
even forget just how many there areand countingthanks God for allowing us to

experience you here on this campus over soooo many years thru the faithful giving and
loving of so many before us... and with us now!!!!

Some of the formal or programmatic pieces the BSU has been engaged this fall are: our weekly
worship gatherings in the house on Tuesday evenings have been a beautiful mosaic this fall of
students sharing and local pastors and leaders sharing how to just live this life in Jesus now on planet
earth by going thru the book of Romans. Our attendance is around 20-30 on average weekly.
Our girls have been engaged in a small group going thru a Max Lucado book and having some activities
to help provide a space for God to speak into the lives of the girls around them who are not in a love
affair with Jesusnot yet. Ladies tea party, game/movie nights, outings and more have been happening
with the girls. Our guys are few in number and do not have a small group that meets as a small group.
We do seem to have 4-5 who play in the worship band (the girls call them the boy band) and so as I try
to make disciples and meet with some of them individually weekly, my hope is their worship band in
reality is a place of a small group happening where they can open the word and pray together and grow
deeper in HIM together from all the time they work at helping lead us all in worship. We have been
engaged in several events to help create space for people to come and to enjoy life, such as the annual
Hayride with the Perkins family outside of Green City. They are always so super nice to us to come and
prepare everything for us and drive us crazy students around and just love on and listen to students and
this event always produces some wonderful spiritual conversations among those who come later at the
campfire or in the car traveling back. Thank you David and Martha!!!
Some other events have been redeeming Halloween with a fall festival to help others see how life in
HIM can be so good and enjoyed. The freshmen progressive meal that our super sweet local churches
host for the new students is so positive in helping students share some time together and actually have
some conversations longer than the usual where ya from?. Thank you pastors so much for the
welcoming space your church families provide for us Hamilton Street Baptist Church, First Baptist
Church, Rehoboth Baptist Church, Fellowship Baptist Church, and Timberridge Community Church you
guys are all so gracious to us!
There will be new events and activities next semester along with our spring break mission trip. And a
leadership conference we will go to and a winter retreat to help us start the year with HIM and more
ideas I am sure. It really is amazing to be a part of something that is missionary guided by my position
but very student involved and led. I love seeing how students get to have room to grow and lead and
even some space to challenge and try new things and see success and also space to make mistakesand
the opportunities to grow. And I am amazed at how their lives come alive when they are engaging and
doing the work that is sooooo needed. Seeing them WANT His word in their lives. (Luke 10:2)

Thank you thank you thank you to you dearly loved ones who share with our heart of reaching
college students today!!! Thank you you are so appreciated for all you are doing for and with us all!!
I hope you know how incalculable your prayers and just notes of encouragement and visits and gifts
of every kind from food to money to vehicles to borrow and buildings to use and homes to share are
really making a difference in lives here at Truman. Rest assured, He is using you here and much like
college students and this little community of people that seem to never sleep, He is alive and well on
Truman campus! (Psalm 121:4)
And we rejoice with our newest of alumni and are excited for them as they leave - Congratulations
Mandy and Lu and Celia and Loi! - (Psalm 121: 8)
We hope always, they leave with His love in their hearts and mission in their souls for HIMto
make much of HIM on this planet. It is always bittersweet in this deal of collegiate ministry,
sweet they are getting to move onand bitter- sad that we will not see them as often or hear
their crazy laughs or see their smiles as much. Til later when we are all together and all we can
say is Holy Holy Holy is the Lord Almighty, the whole earth is full of His glory. - (Isaiah
6:3)
Does that not floor youthere is no other phrase; there is no other conversation; there is
nothing else to be said. And some might go and say Well thats kind of a boring life.
No that is an amazing life!! To be looking at something so awesome that you cant stop
saying how awesome it is! Theres nothing else to talk about...imagine that. Theres
nothing else to talk about but just how awesome the throne of God and the God of that
throne is. Wow.

So, yeah when I see how much others are doing for HIM and just following HIM and living for HIM and
genuinely letting HIS love motivate themand they are light years ahead of me and I am light years
ahead of them in age so ancient to these 20+ year oldsit is so encouraging and challenging. And
part of me, actually a lot of me fears I am not good enough for this this ministry of amazingly loving
and bright and super smart and humble and mature students that are here at Truman. So I guess let me
end with a verse that I find so much encouragement in, and how it was shared from someone else, to
just propel you thru Christmas and into the fresh start of a new year.and to motivate you out of the
unsurpassing love of HIS heartfor you.
Wishing you all the Merriest of Christmases!!
The BSU tribe and the Xanders

Ephesians 3:8 goes Although I am less than the least of all the Lord's people, this grace was given me:
to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ
I want you to be encouraged todaybecause God is showing us something in this passage. Why would
Paul say less than the least? From his point of view he wasnt saying, Oh of course God is going to pick
me! And we do that, Oh, I have done pretty good I bet God is going to pick me. Paul was thinking
that he totally was not in a good place earlier - he was an enemy and his mission earlier was to snuff out
Christianity and defend true Judaism. But God met him on his way to persecuting more; Jesus
appeared- knocked him on his feet - blinded him, and his world was shaken up by the presence of Christ
in his life. And his sight was restored and God has chosen him. God has intentionally picked the least
likely guy to proclaim that all people are welcome. Why does God do this? Well, is it that God has a
sense of humor or #B - God does the crazy upside down thing so that at the end of the day all we can
say is the only explanation for that is that God must have done that. And that is what God is thinking
about your life today. Cause in your mind youre like I am probably the least and least of all the saints
And Gods thinking, I know you; you are my son or my daughter --#A.and yeah if you want to stack it
up in how you have done and where your path has led Yeah you may not be like the leading
candidate right now to do what I am calling you to do, but that is the beauty of God see; God doesnt
need you to be the leading candidate to do what God is calling you to doHe needs you to be available
to do what He is calling you to do and then the story is going to be How in the world did that person get
chosen to do that?
And thats where God laughs and says, I get to do the choosing and I get to take the weak
things of the world and confound the strong of the world. I take the lesser or not so intellectual
things of the world and confound the wise because I am powerful enough to use anybody,
anytime, anywhere to do anything.
So whats the message here? We have to receive this possibility today that nothing is disqualifying us
from being used powerfully by God to open up the gospel to all people on earth.
There is nothing disqualifying you. And you are like Well, I went thru this And HE is like I know
and that maybe isnt what you wanted to go thru and if we could rewind it all maybe you would not
have gone in that - but nothing is disqualifying you from being used powerfully by God to do
something phenomenal in this world.
And the enemies primary mission is to remind us of our failure and convince us that because of our
shortcomings we will never to do anything great in the kingdom of God. And Jesus, in the power of the
Spirit is saying, Your shortcomings are overwhelmed by Jesus accomplishments and all that Jesus has
done and that Christ in you is greatChrist in you is great. And I really believe that over this Christmas
season God wants to crack something off of someone out there, because you have been convinced that
youre going to have to take a lesser role because of the shortcomings or failures in your life and God is
like, NO, I will actually redeem the shortcomings and the failures of your life and will use you in a more
powerful way to proclaim the gospel.
Listen to Jesus of Nazareth; answer His call.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,

I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

*(side note from page 1: if your reading this and are like, yeah, where did God say that Jesus is the only
way - check out John 14:6 and think of it as Erwin Mcmanus related this in saying just know what
Jesus IS NOT SAYING is Hey, Im trying to establish some kind of arrogant, narccisstic exclusivity but
hes telling you Im the one who loves you - Im the one whose pursuing you Im the one whose
willing to pay the price for your love for your life choose me and live. Its not that God is trying to
stop you from finding other sources of life Gods trying to stop you from choosing death because he
has always wanted you to live. God has always been for you - for all of us.)