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The Kingdom has Grown by 1!

Hi everyone! I hope you've been able to enjoy the warmer weather recently. Thank you for taking the time to read about what God has been doing on SMU's campus this month!

Toby

Speaking of warmer weather, ministry has also been heating up this month! I want to introduce you to my friend, Toby! He has a great story!

He and I have been studying the Bible since the fall. Last year, a FOCUS student invited him to check out an event, but since Toby had grown up around Christians and never had much interest in God or faith, he turned the student down.

After the summer, he decided to reach back out and ask about checking out a FOCUS event just to see what it's all about. He checked out my small group, and has since become a consistent part of the community! His interest in Jesus has absolutely blossomed and he has become the most enthusiastic member of the group!

(Ironically, I think he had just left for soccer practice right before we took this picture)

He's started hanging out with different FOCUS students outside of small group and has had meaningful conversations with most of them about God and what they believe about him.

(He's gonna kill me when he sees I used this picture)

This last week we met up to read scripture, and he said he's ready to consider himself a Christian after having become completely captivated by Jesus and the God's word. He said he's even starting to have a hunch that seminary and/or full-time ministry may be in his future.

I've loved coming home after my meetings with Toby to share stories of things he's said with Erin, and I'm excited and honored to share some of those stories with you. He recently told me, "I think I finally understand why so many of my family members choose to follow Jesus."

Praise God for his patience and desire to bring Toby into a relationship with him! He's answered my prayers and, I would bet, countless prayers from Toby's family members over the years.

Pizza Theology

Pizza Theology is an event the broader FOCUS community hosts where we invite students from every campus in DFW to come together for a deep dive into a particular theological topic. This spring, we talked about the Bible. Specifically, how it came to exist, who wrote it, how books were placed into the Biblical canon, translations, how to interpret passages faithfully, and more.

We mad more SMU students come to Pizza Theology this semester than ever before! You can barely see Toby's arm behind Jacob and David on the right lol
(He took over 5 pages of notes)

Here are some more pictures from the event!






KCC Small Group

I mentioned in some previous ministry updates that we're heating up ministry in the dorms, themselves. Later today (in 2.5 hours to be exact), we're going to start a Kathy Crow Commons small group! The husband of the dorm's director is a devoted follower of Jesus and is excited to partner with us so that we can work together to reach students. I'll let you know how it goes next month! We should have met 3 times by then.


George, the true star of the show

God is moving in a lot of ways on campus! You're reading one ministry update from one minister (of 4) in one ministry (of 10+) at SMU! I'm so grateful to have you as my partner in God's work here. Please continue praying for these students! Specifically, keep Toby, Jaden, and Andrew in your prayers. The latter 2 are right on the edge of deciding to follow Jesus as well. I'll probably share about them in future updates! May God bless you as we all work together to usher in the Kingdom of God into our lost world.

Your brother,
Taylor

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