Melting Peoples Hearts

This past week I met with a guy who has cerebral palsy. We meet every other Friday for lunch and to talk about spiritual things. This past Friday we met to talk about what it means to be a Christian and to share with him what salvation is. God has been working on his heart and his is ready. It is so evident that God has turned his heart from stone to flesh and he is just soaking up everything in the Bible. He told me that he wants to believe and accept the salvation as a gift but he is scared of what his parents may think. Please pray for him!

After we have lunch and talk, we head over to play basketball in the main Whitewater gym. Even with being in a powered wheel chair that doesn't keep him down. We were watching some of the guys playing as we got there and they were pretty intense and kind of talking back to each other. Once the game was over, we both got on the court and shot around. It was amazing how it seemed to melt the guys hearts when he came on the court.

I think a lot of times we take for granted our ability to run and stand. It's humbling playing with him on the court because we want him to enjoy playing also and it causes us to put aside our own desires and selfishness. My desire is not that you look at me and how good I am, because really it's because of Christ in me that gives me the heart and compassion to share with him about the gospel and treat him that way. But my hope is that by being obedient to God and setting aside my selfishness to get out on the court, that the others would wonder why I did that and be impacted. The least that we all can do is help those around us that are handicap. This guy was born with cerebral palsy and it wasn't anything that he did that caused him to be that way. I know that God is using this guy in my life to refine me.

-For the sake of the Gospel
Tim and Tara Chamberlain

Investing in things that last

Today I saw online that the government plans to spend another $700 Billion to bail out the mortgage companies and others. I put the number in and calculated how long you could support missionaries. With $700 Billion dollars, you could support 5 Million missionary families for 20 years!

Jesus says "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. - Matthew 6:19

Jesus spoke more about money than anything else. In Matthew 6:24 Jesus also says "You cannot serve both God and money". As followers of Christ, we need to examine our lives and the way we live. This can be hard for me with fundraising and our desire to have a house. I want to be careful in how much I focus on the money aspect of ministry. It is necessary to be up to budget in order to minister fully on campus, but I can't allow the money part to get in the way of my relationship with God and reaching out the students. I need to trust God for the finances. He is faithful!

A big reason why our economy is where it's at is because people bought big houses that they really couldn't afford. There are other contributing factors, but it was mostly due to people stretching themselves beyond their ability. Their identity was placed in the big house. It's sad to see all the houses destroyed by the hurricanes down south not too long ago. The people there hopefully have insurance, but the insurance money comes from somewhere.

I was just thinking about this camera I have and how four years ago it was new. But then a couple months after I bought it, other ones came out that were better and less expensive. Recently that camera just died, it didn't fall on the ground or get wet but it just died. Granted the pictures I took with it are good and I still have them, but the camera doesn't work anymore.
Was that a good investment? It didn't cost much compared to a car, house, college, etc.

I'm reminded that we live in a world where things break down even Jesus knew that moth and rust destroyed things. So, my hope is that we would be good stewards of what God has given us and think about ways to invest in things that last.

Tim and Tara Chamberlain
-For the sake of the Gospel

Living As If Today Is Our Last

This past week a fellow missionary on the campus of UW-Whitewater passed away.
He graduated from UW-Whitewater earlier this spring and was hit by a car while crossing a street near the campus. He was a lively guy, born with muscular dystrophy but that didn't keep him down. He was just coming on staff with Intervarsity and doing what all campus ministers do when school starts, meet and connect with as many students as possible.

Later this summer one of our friends Dad who had been on staff with the Navigators for over 50 years passed away. He was diagnosed about a year ago with brain cancer.
The funeral was a great celebration of the life and legacy that he lived. It was a good reminder to check how I've been living.

Recently our campus director here at UW-Whitewater received news that his mom has brain cancer similar to the case above. It's been a hard time for them this summer. Not including the flooding in their basement and many other changes. His mom is in need of much prayer as well as our campus director and his family.

With all the tragedies and difficulties that we have seen or been a part of, it really reminds me that life on earth is not easy. Questions I ask myself and others are: What are you living for? Is it the big job, the nice boat, the cabin up north, weekends, vacations, etc. What are you holding on to tightly? Is it the job, the car, money, sports, or Christ?

Jesus says "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"-Matthew 16:25-26

My hope and prayer is that students will see that displayed in our lives because of what Christ did in us and that they will follow Him 100%.

Tim and Tara Chamberlain
-For the sake of the Gospel

The First Week of School

It's hard to believe we are already on to the second week of school.
Last week seemed to fly by. We had many outreach events and had some informal Bible study meetings.

Here is a picture from our first Nav Nite! We we're able to reserve the large ball room in the University Center on campus.

On Friday we finished with a Luau Party on campus. We grilled brats and hot dogs and then went over to the football game later that night. The Warhawks won! They haven't lost a home game since 2004!

Please continue to pray for all of us here as we reach out to the freshmen and the older students.
In campus ministry we talk about the three week "window of opportunity". This is usually when students are usually open to checking things out. After this time, students begin settling in to the groups they are going to be involved in and it's harder to connect with them.
Thanks for your prayers and support!

Tim and Tara Chamberlain
-For the sake of the Gospel

Celebrating your Birthday on God's day

Yesterday was my birthday! We started it off by going to church and then went golfing and lastly went out for dinner. As I was driving to church with Tara and a few friends I thought back to when I was younger and how I got to do pretty much whatever I wanted on my birthday. I got to pick where we were going to eat and something fun to do that day. I was probably selfish about it and in the U.S. we feel it's your right to get what you want on your birthday. But what about our creator, God, shouldn't He be the one we first thank as we begin to celebrate our birthday? In Psalm 139 God is praised for how He knew us before we were born and we were fearfully and wonderfully made.

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

As we were singing the songs in church I was thinking about how my parents raised me and loved me and yet God even knew me before I was created! How awesome is that! I think it was God reminding me yesterday that He is the one to be praised and thanked. I hope that with every birthday in the future I will remember to give God the glory!

For the sake of the Gospel,
Tim and Tara Chamberlain

Leadership Retreat

Tara and I are getting ready for our leadership retreat Jump Start that starts today.
We will be joining up with 25 students on the leadership team and four other staff.
Here are some prayer requests that we have:

Prayer Requests:
-For safe travels for everyone as we're all coming from different areas of Wisconsin
-For protection from Satan in causing tension or conflict. That we would be able to build community and have good fellowship
-For God to give us ideas and wisdom in planning outreach events for the first week of school
-For Tara and I as we lead a workshop on Unity as Brothers and Sisters in Christ
-Threats to unity: conflict, gossip, lies, unwholesome talk
-Building unity: peace, valuing people, speaking truth, loving each other
-Discussion time
-There is some of this going on in our group and pray that God would use this in the way He wants and that it would be Him speaking through us
-For safety canoing down the Wisconsin River on Saturday
-For continued financial support: currently we are at 73%

Thank you for being a part of this ministry!
For the sake of the gospel,
-Tim and Tara

S.D. Gordon (19th century Christian leader) said "Prayer is the real work of the ministry; service is just the gathering in the results of prayer."

Funding Update

Our Fundraising Thermometer

We can officially go back to campus since we are at 70%, but we are praying to get 100% by August 15th. We have until Sept 31 to be at 100%, or we'll go back on fundraising.

Thanks again to all who have been praying for us and support us financially. We wouldn't be here without you!

In Christ,
Tim and Tara