There is something special about the vulnerability of the fall season. Trees turn beautiful shades of red, yellow and orange as the leaves die and fall to the ground. This death is actually part of the cycle of life. The tree will survive the winter as the leaves succumb to death in the fall. Then, in spring, new leaves will bud and grow.

It still amazes me how I sometimes fight this process of death and rebirth in my walk with God. Time and time again, I am reminded that I must die to self--to be raised with Christ. I can testify to the times of healing, the times of acceptance, the times of peace that God has provided following times of personal vulnerability with others and with Him.

His love is beyond anything I can ask or imagine. Thank you, Lord.

This fall has provided another opportunity to reflect how God has been at work. In July, we had the opportunity to celebrate 20 years of being a faithful presence of God on the OU campus through the presence of the 2:8 House and the OU Nazarene Student Center. My family has had the privilege of serving as the directors of the ministry for 14 of those years.

Also, I have been reminded of a personal milestone. It was 30 years ago, during my senior year at the University of Kansas, that I began to trust God to work through me as I sought to join other young men on their personal journey of faith in discipleship. For 30 years, I have seen God at work in and through so many young men. In the process, He continues to mold and shape me as well.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that God has challenged me through a book called Disciples are Made--Not Born, by Walt Henrichsen. I read the book for the first time as a college student. (As you can see the cover even looks like a book published in the 1980s.)

One of those challenging quotes challenged me to make a life-long commitment to discipleship.

"Whatever your vocation is, it must never be your life objective; for your vocation, no matter how noble it may be, is, in the final analysis, temporal. The Scriptures teach us that we are to give our lives to the eternal and not the temporal. A faithful man is a man who has chosen eternal objectives for his life" (pg 11).

He goes on to describe the two things that are eternal: God's Word and people. He also challenges his readers to commit to invest in both God's Word and people. For 30 years I have had the opportunity to do just that. Even though my vocation has changed from being a reporter, a teacher, a university administrator and a non-profit director, the commitment to making Christ-like disciples has continued.

For the past several months, the staff and board of directors have been working through the mission and vision of the 2:8 House. We will be sharing more of this discussion through the 2:8 Update and other channels as we seek to following His leadership. Rest assured, God's word and people will continue to be at the core of all we do.

Thank you for praying for my family, the Shepperd family and everyone involved in the ministry of the 2:8 House.