Out of the shallow

Dear Friends & Family of Wesley,

I learned to swim around age 6 at the YMCA pool in El Dorado, AR. Unlike my wonderful wife, who might be part mermaid, I was not a natural. Sticking my head underwater and blowing bubbles wasn’t fun, floating was not relaxing, and coordinating leg kicks and arm strokes still requires full concentration. What I remember most though about swimming lessons was jumping into the deep end on the last day. By Thursday of swimming lesson week I was very comfortable in the shallow end, but the diving board end of the pool may as well have been an ocean filled with giant sea monsters. The shallow was familiar & comfortable; the deep was unknown & scary.

In the 2018 remake of A Star is Born, Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper sing about being far from the Shallow as they dive into a relationship. Way, way back in 2013 the worship group Hillsong United released a song called Oceans, which speaks to the idea of Jesus leading us out upon the waters. Both of these songs are awesome and both remind me of what God is calling us to on our campus. 

This fall semester a group of students started a Greek Life worship service. It has met only three times, but there is a plan to make it a weekly event in the spring. On the night before the third service, I got a text from a student named Jack. He told me that if we didn’t have a “main event” already planned, he would like to share his testimony. I’ve known Jack since he moved into his dorm as a freshman, so I was excited to hear this news. Jack shared that he came to college for two reasons:  to get a degree and to party. His journey through his first three years of college reflected how serious he was about both of those reasons. He joined a fraternity, became familiar with the bar scene, and eventually made good money tending the bar. But this past summer, one of his reasons changed. He talked about being broken, surrendering his life, and letting go of things that were keeping him from Christ…including quitting his job as a bartender. Jack let Jesus lead him out from the shallow into the unknown of deep waters of faith.

Jack’s story has already created a ripple effect among his peers. Guys in his fraternity have taken notice of the growth in his life. Because he followed Jesus further and deeper, others are joining him out on the waves. I believe we are on the edge of something great at ULM.

Our plan is to keep our eyes on Jesus and take all the steps he calls us to take, wherever they may lead. Even though there is much uncertainty swirling around the denomination with whom we are connected, in oceans deep our faith will stand. We will continue to go out upon the deep because that’s where we found Jack, and that’s where Jack found Jesus.

Sixteen years ago we began this journey of ministry in Monroe. Some of you have been with us the whole time, while many more have joined us along the way. It’s always been a little uncomfortable, but like the fourth man in the fire from Daniel chapter 3, Jesus has never left our side. And He continually calls & leads us into deeper waters.

We are far out from the shallow now. Swim out here with us.

Christ Reigns!

Rev. Alan Johnson