If I Were President..

I feel that we, as Epic, do things a little differently when it comes to our leadership and organizational structure. What I mean is that we don't have the traditional positions that you see in most organizations, or even most ministries. We don’t have officers, we don’t have presidents, and we don’t have “inactive” or “inactive” members. We have five committees, led by five people, filled with many student members for the purpose of reaching our campus as thoroughly as we can. Sometimes it can make things unclear not having official “leaders” and “presidents” or “vice presidents”, but more often than not, I am reminded of how great it can be.

The purpose in that is that we’d like to see people in our ministry strive for influential positions of leadership, rather than formal ones. It’s not that we don’t want to see people step up to the plate in a formal sense, but we’d like to see people take initiative in building the community of Christ wherever they are. That is leadership in the truest sense; students showing Christ through their actions and words to the classmates around them...being Christ, rather than just talking about him.

We want to see people in fraternities reaching their brothers, people in VSA, CSA, FSA, and every other “SA” out there striving to advance the kingdom of God in every corner of the earth. We’re not about positions in the ministry, we’re about see people rise to spiritual leadership to influence their community.

That’s not to say that we don’t care about the community within our organization. After all, why would you associate yourself with an organization if the whole point of it were to leave it? Some reasons why I associate myself with Epic is because I believe in the vision of it, and also because I find community that can encourage and build me up as I strive to fulfill the Great Commission.

So here’s why I believe our leadership structure is so great. Everyone has a role; everyone is important, we’re all in this together. Du dud…du dun…and it makes me ask these questions: “If I were the president of this organization, what would I do?” How would you think differently? If you had the whole organization in mind, what would you change? What are you unsatisfied with, and how would you see that changed?

I hope you are able to read that and think about how you can take “ownership.” Gather a couple of your friends together and pray, sing songs, talk about God, share the gospel…don’t just wait for someone else to take initiative, do it yourself.

So GO and make DISCIPLES of ALL nations!!

-s

Facebook Event: Epic Anthology Calling Party.. why?

I’d like to remind you all of the intent behind calling people for this upcoming event.

While it is our hope (epic leadership, epic) that we see as many people as possible come to this annual conference, it is not solely for the purpose of numbers. That’s not what we're about. Instead, we're about seeing people's lives changed and impacted for the purpose of advancing God's great kingdom on this earth. We want to see as many people as possible - friends, acquaintances, strangers, come closer to the renewing of their souls, whether through a message, conversation, or song that is likely to take place at this single event. Sure, it could happen anywhere, but it's just so much better together. We passionately believe that God will use this event to grow our fellowship together and move us toward our mission of seeing every student on campus come to know Christ - one student at a time. It’s not just about personal spiritual growth. In fact, we all, or at least most of us, know what that temporary fleeting growth can look like. We want to see our fellowship bond and unite through this weekend experience, and we believe that it can and will happen.

So with that said, our leadership has come up with a goal of 125 UT students that we want to see come to this conference. Again, not to boast in size, but to see God move in a big way. We trust that God can take us there, but we also trust that God already has a plan. We just want to see God move in and through our campus. It’s a big number, considering we usually have about 60-70 people come to our large group meetings. But just imagine if every one of those people came, and then half of those people brought a friend. Then if those friends brought their friends.

aaaand that's why we want to remind people to register by January 1st (early payment deadline).

Aaron Ivey - a great evangelism tool!

So this is how I imagine it in my head. I’m listening to Aaron Ivey’s music while studying for my accounting final with my non-Christian classmate. I ask him, “Hey, have you ever listened to Christian music? It’s quite magnificent.”

“Sure I want to listen. Wow this music is stunning! Who is this guy?”

“His name is Aaron Ivey. The song is even better when you understand the lyrics, do you understand the lyrics??” (you conveniently have the lyrics sitting on your desktop)

[this is where you share gospel. If necessary, pull out a conveniently placed “Knowing God Personally” booklet. Throw in a couple references to the song, and then BAM! New Christian.]

“He is actually going to be singing at church this Sunday at a church called Austin Stone, it’s awwwwessoomee!! Do you want to come with me? (wink wink)”

[after this is where you talk about Epic Anthology and conveniently pull out a nifty flyer that you happen to have in your also conveniently placed backpack]

Bam, new Christian, new church community, and new Epic member. Couldn’t be any easier.


All joking aside, look for opportunities to be a witness BEYOND just actions to your classmates! You might not be seeing them next semester, and who knows where they are in their spiritual journey!

-sean

Worry Much?

It's that time of the year again. With finals and last tests lingering in the air, the spirit of Christmas becomes confused with the spirit of stress. Just walking past the PCL at 4:30 AM, I could just smell the overwhelming anxiety of studious future world-changing students. Walking by the PCL made me realize how many people are worrying, and how awesome it would be to have an outreach in the PCL at this time of the year. Imagine all the students in there who could use a break some way or another. Maybe a little piece of candy with a Bible verse on it, maybe a free cup of coffee or hot chocolate - I bet it would brighten at least one person’s stressful night. I can also imagine many people who need to be reminded of God’s grace and how the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, is available and waiting for them to reach for it. Hopefully, as you’re reading this, you can brainstorm ways to reach out to your friends around you who are stressing or worrying about tests. Maybe these little worries that you or your friends have about finals are turning into worries about the future. A quick search in Biblegateway.com will give you a bunch of good verses and reminders of God’s constant and never ending provision in our daily lives:

Matthew 6:25
[ Do Not Worry ] "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

Matthew 6:27
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Matthew 6:34
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Luke 12:29
And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.

Psalm 94:19
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.

Ecclesiastes 11:10
So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless.

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Proverbs 12:25
An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.

Ecclesiastes 2:22
What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun?

So with these verses in mind, think of ways to bless those around you. It’s clear that God doesn’t want us to worry; instead God wants us to have peace in him and him alone...not in our grades, affirmation from friends, or even in security of our future. God wants us to see that He will provide for us, and his provision is greater than whatever we could ever experience in this life. So this holiday season, when you find yourself stressing and worrying over finals, remember to pray with PETITION about everything.

-sean

FIRST blog

Hey everyone! stay tuned to updates on this blog about what's going on in Epic! the hope is that we can update yall beyond the events, socials, and gatherings, and communicate the heart behind what we plan and discuss. Deborah Le, Tim Hoang, Kevin Zhao, Jeremiah Medina, and Sean Hsueh (me) will be updating this blog regularly, so subscribe, bookmark, or check this page as often as you can!!

-sean