(by Paul Belcher)
Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD. Jeremiah 9:23, 24, NAS95.
Jeremiah was a bold and faithful prophet who brought the Word of the Lord against Judah and Jerusalem, calling them to repentance for their many sins. The priests and prophets and all the people wished to kill him because of his prophecies. Nevertheless, Jeremiah faithfully proclaimed that if the people would change their ways and obey the voice of the Lord their God, then He would not bring this misfortune upon them. We need to have this same courage and boldness and faith when we proclaim the glorious truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those around us.
When you boast on the campus of Indiana University, do not be proud of your own abilities. Boast in the Lord, and only then will we see some real evangelism and discipleship on the campus. We want to boast in our G.P.A., in our music ability, in the way we dress, what music we listen to, our intellect, the list goes on. Sorry to break it to you, but all these are doomed to perish with time. If you put your hope and boast in temporal things of this world, you will be sadly disappointed on the day when the great Judge of the world comes to pass judgment for the deeds we have done in our bodies. On the Day of Judgment, will Jesus Christ care about these things that we hold so dear, these obsessions that we so often serve as idols? Jesus Christ convicts the world of sin and righteousness and judgment (John 16:8).
Furthermore, do not be intimidated by intellectuals who have no fear of God. Do not fear them. Ever. Keep in mind that Scripture calls the man who says that there is no God a fool. He may be ‘intelligent’ among peers, but he has no godly wisdom. Students and professors who do not fear God want to boast in a number of things, but all for pride and selfish vainglory. They perform deeds to be seen my men. People who are entertaining flagrant sins often deny God in order to justify their inadmissible desires.
God Almighty has poured out His lovingkindness and compassion on we poor sinners. Indiana University is in desperate need of Jesus Christ and His saving Gospel. Do you love them? Boast in the LORD!
“Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.” Isaiah 30:18, NAS95.
Plan to come for dinner cuz we are gonna grill out! (Insert mouth watering here...) Throw in some drinks and desserts, balloons and streamers, games and laughs and it's pretty much guaranteed to be a blast; maybe we'll even play some pool and Jake can demonstrate his mad skills again. Also, there will be a fun slideshow of photos from throughout this past year that you won't want to miss. Oh, and did we mention the surprises?! Yeah, we've got those too but that's all you'll hear, as it's kind of top secret.
Some of you may remember this time last year and a particularly awesome Friday evening. Think back: exploding coke and mentos, Texas license plates, dumpster items and 9:00 o'clock curfews. That's right- it's scavenger hunt time! 
