MediocreMan

From the Ashes · 1 November 2025

Our group of Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS) has been through a lot since it first started as a chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes. It has had a name change and a target audience change. But not a focus change. We still want to be faithful to Jesus and the mission He gave to us.

Our group has always been student-led. But the organization has not yet been set up to be sustainable. It has risen and fallen as leaders have come and gone. Which is okay, but it is not the way it should be. Like I said, it is not sustainable that way. For good leaders might be all around us, but they cannot thrive unless they are led and fed.

I did not see that the fall would happen. I was happy that the students were leading a worship and devotion time. I knew that it could be more, but I was not sure how to do it. So I was not developing other leaders. I just assumed that they would pop up as they had at the beginning. But that is not the way things work. Leaders must be developed and nurtured.

And so, as our last strong leader graduated, we dwindled from the twenty or so who had been coming to less than ten to three. Those three were young freshmen who wanted to do great things. They saw the same vision that I saw. Bible studies, apologetics, worship, devotionals. All of those things and more. But none of us were ready. None of us knew much about organizations at the time. And so even though we all wanted the group to grow, the Fellowship of Christian Students effectively died. And it was buried in the ground for two full years.

When I asked two students in my class whether they were interested in starting the group up again, they gave me a resounding “YES!” I was excited that they were so excited. But I did not know what to expect. I figured that it would be like before. A couple enthusiastic students would lead a small group of students for the year and since they were seniors, the group would dwindle to nothing again. Or they would get off to a slow start and lose energy and not even get off the ground. I had thought of revival a few years ago and was disappointed when death of the group showed up instead. Little did I know that something was on the rise.

My couple students who were so enthusiastic to restart the group showed up this fall with four or five more who were going to help them. And when the first meeting happened, I was excited to see the twenty-some students there. Ready for Bible study. Ready to dig into apologetics. Ready for something great to happen.

That twenty-something has turned into thirty-something. Steady attenders. Disappointed when I cannot be there. They want to meet as often as they can. They want to dig into God’s word. They want to equip themselves to do God’s work. And I need to help them. I need to help them create a sustainable model for continued growth. (Which is a completely different story.)

The episodes of birth, growth, death, and rebirth of our group have been the way God has shown me what John 12:24 means for us today.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (John 12:24 ESV)

I know that Jesus was actually talking about His own death, but He was also talking about each of us as well. And He was talking about our group of Fellowship of Christian Students. For like Jesus, our group died and was buried. He was buried and then rose on the third day. Our group died, was buried, then rose on the third year. He was alone, his disciples had abandoned Him. My last three stalwarts were alone and I did not know how to help them and so they must have felt abandoned. But praise be to God, Jesus rose from the grave and in doing so, His movement still bears much fruit. I hope the same is true for the group of students at our school. I hope we can make it a movement that will last and bear much fruit for God’s kingdom.

I keep seeing a stalk of grain with a seed falling to the earth. Now, I am beginning to see a wheat field with many stalks of grain and many bushels of harvest. Years ago, I tried to imagine something like what is happening, but it is turning out to be much more. I hope that I can stay out of God’s way and help these students and this organization grow.

It is wonderful when we can see God’s word in real life. And I am glad that I could watch the resurrection story happen for an amazing student organization. I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for us now and in the future.

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Fellowship of Christian Students · 25 October 2025

We have changed our chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes to be Fellowship of Christian Students.

Our school has had a chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) for a while now. A former teacher and coach started it and I asked to inherit it when he left. (Which is an interesting thing since I had told a former student long ago that I did not want to be the advisor for the Bible Club. I do wonder the trajectory of my own life if I had said yes then. But it does not matter now. Still, I do apologize, Michelle.)

At any rate.

We changed the name and our target audience so that we would be more inclusive. We did not just want to invite athletes to be part of our group. We wanted Christian students and those who want to know more about Jesus to be welcome. But I told a group of students several years ago that the name change was not my idea. The idea and name came from a young woman who did it at the high school near where I live. She told me about it during church one day and the students at my high school thought it was a good idea. (Thank you, Samantha.)

Well, our little group has gone through quite a few changes over the years. We have gone from a group of nearly twenty when I took over to a group of nearly forty now. But there was quite a dip from when I took over until now. In fact, we had not had met at all for the two years prior to this one. (Which is a completely different story, which I will tell in a future post.)

Now, I must say that I have been excited for this group of students from the very beginning. I thought that we could go from a group that sang and had students give “sermons” to a group where students could come for Bible study and fellowship. I thought that we could start a revival in our school. Little did I know that God had plans far different from my own. (Which is par for the course. And, of course, a different story.) Little did I know that our group would need to die and be planted before it could rise from the ashes. (Again, a completely different story.)

What I have seen this year is truly amazing. I asked a couple students last spring whether they wanted to head up the group. Their eyes grew wide and they gave me an enthusiastic “YES!” And I let them run with it. Our first meeting had about twenty people. My two leaders and a few of their friends who wanted to help out got students into groups who were doing Bible studies and talking about apologetics. I was amazed. Look at what the Lord has done.

I must say that it is more than I thought it would be. Students show up every week wanting to learn and grow. Some have even shown up who are not sure of the whole faith thing. Others just come because they were invited by somebody and just wanted to see what this whole Jesus thing was about. My room is too small to hold all those kids and their enthusiasm. It is too small to contain what God is doing.

Which is mindboggling. Then again, God always has a plan. I am just glad that I can be a part of it (despite the mistakes I have made). I am glad that I can be a part of the Fellowship of Christian Students at our school.

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Your Face in a Cloud · 18 October 2025

I saw your face in the clouds today
Your beautiful smile was as plain as day.
Then again I see you everywhere
Not just in the clouds hanging in the air.

A face in the crowd walking down the street
A stranger sitting down on a metro seat.
In the sea foam when I’m out on the beach
And in my dreams you’re always just out of reach.

But where I see you oh so clearly
Is in our children that I love so dearly.
I even hear your voice when they all speak
I have to laugh when their voices squeak.

Then they ask me, “Why are you crying Dad?”
“Did Mommy leaving make your heart so sad?”
“Just remember what she said to us,
‘When it is time we’ll all be with Jesus.’”

So I smile when I see their faces each day
Especially when I watch them hard at play.
I watch and know that you’d be proud
And I often cry when I see your face in a cloud.

[Create a poem about a shape you see in the clouds.
DailyPrompt prompt submitted by Hailey]

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