{"id":305769,"date":"2020-02-20T06:00:04","date_gmt":"2020-02-20T11:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/living-out-the-gospel-on-campus\/"},"modified":"2020-02-20T06:00:04","modified_gmt":"2020-02-20T11:00:04","slug":"living-out-the-gospel-on-campus","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/living-out-the-gospel-on-campus\/","title":{"rendered":"Living Out the Gospel on Campus"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your teens are college ready, but are they spiritually ready? Brian Mills and Ben Trueblood talk about the difference between parents who live out their faith and those who are Christian in name only.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2020-02-20.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:28:55","filesize":"26.48M","filesize_raw":"27763893","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2850,2814,2855],"tags":[4705],"podcast_series":[8340],"cwp_profile":[9595,9596],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-305769","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-character-development","category-releasing-your-child","category-teens","tag-college","podcast_series-a-different-college-experience","cwp_profile-ben-trueblood","cwp_profile-brian-mills","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/305769\/living-out-the-gospel-on-campus","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/305769\/living-out-the-gospel-on-campus","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"ZJWbMHMR6O\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/living-out-the-gospel-on-campus\/\">Living Out the Gospel on Campus<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/living-out-the-gospel-on-campus\/embed\/#?secret=ZJWbMHMR6O\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Living Out the Gospel on Campus&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"ZJWbMHMR6O\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Your teens are college ready, but are they spiritually ready? Brian Mills and Ben Trueblood talk about the difference between parents who live out their faith and those who are Christian in name only.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2020-02-20.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>How often are you having spiritual conversations with your children in your home? Ben Trueblood says, if you\u2019re getting ready to send off kids to college, those conversations are <em>vital<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ben:<\/strong> For teenagers who are active in the church during their high school years, only \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t27 percent of those said that they had conversations in the home of a spiritual nature. Parents\u2014they may care about their relationship with the Lord; they\u2019re just not talking about it. It\u2019s not even like parents are living a completely different lifestyle\u2014some might be\u2014but they're just not taking their own faith and saying, \u201cLet\u2019s talk about it.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Thursday, February 20<sup>th<\/sup>. Our hosts are Dave and Ann Wilson; I'm Bob Lepine. You\u2019ll find us online at FamilyLifeToday.com. If you care about your college-age kids hanging on to their faith, you need to make sure they know <em>you<\/em> care about <em>your<\/em> faith while they\u2019re still at home\/that you\u2019re having conversations about it together. We\u2019re going to talk more about that today with Ben Trueblood and Brian Mills. Stay with us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. You were a believer when you went to college; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Nope.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You came to faith in college.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Come on Bob, you don\u2019t know my story do you? [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I thought I knew your story.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I came to faith\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> He\u2019s partially right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes, I came to faith in college\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Okay.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> \u2014going into my junior year.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You [Ann] had come to faith in high school?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Yes, sixteen years old. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Same month, same year, different place\u2014she was just a young girl; I was the much older mature man. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Your college experience BC\u2014before Christ?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> You don\u2019t want to talk about that Bob.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Is that right? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> It was\u2014it was not good. I mean, it was\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> He was the college quarterback. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Got it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> He was at all the parties.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes, I was\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> And I did not like him. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> She did not like me; she\u2014she didn\u2019t. She really thought I was arrogant.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> He thought he was all that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Her dad was my high school coach, so she knew me in high school; and then I went off to college. I just\u2014I went 100 percent into the college life.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So when you came to faith, did you go 100 percent into the Jesus life or did you go 60 percent into the Jesus life?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I went 100 percent. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Did you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> \u2014after he met me. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes; did Jesus save me or Ann?\u2014that\u2019s the big question. [Laughter] No; when I came to Christ, I got involved in the ministry on campus, Athletes In Action, and started a Bible study on the football team. The football team thought I was nuts. You know, I\u2019m their quarterback\/their captain; and I\u2019ve just flipped a switch. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019ll tell you a quick story. When I came in, as a freshman on a scholarship, the starting quarterback was a senior. I remember sitting in the quarterback room first day. Art walked over to me; he was sort of a legend. He was a three-year starter, and I was hoping to take his position someday.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> He walks over to me and he says: \u201cHey you\u2019re the next guy when I\u2019m done. I want to give you a word of advice.\u201d I go, \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d He goes, \u201cYou lead on the field and you lead in the bar.\u201d I go, \u201cWhat\u2019s that mean?\u201d He goes, \u201cYou lead on the field in the huddle; you\u2019re the man; but you\u2019re the man of the bar too. You\u2019ve got to drink everyone under the table.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Really?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I followed that. I just thought, \u201cOkay, that\u2019s what you do.\u201d So I was that guy. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI look back now; I wasn\u2019t a Christian yet. I didn\u2019t know the Bible said\u2014I had <em>no<\/em> idea the Bible said this: \u201cThe sins of your father will visit down.\u201d I copied my dad, who was an alcoholic. I had no idea I was on that trajectory. Christ saved me.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> We have got a couple of guys joining us today to talk about college. Honestly, any parent, who\u2019s got a junior or senior in high school, and is thinking about sending sons or daughters off to college, is thinking about it with some fear and trepidation; because they\u2019re thinking: \u201cWhat choices are they going to make? What environment are they going to be in?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThey're hearing the stories of how many kids grow up in the church\u2014going to youth group; everything looks good\u2014and then they go to college, and it all washes out. So we\u2019re going to talk about: \u201cHow true is that?\u201d and \u201cIs there anything parents can do\/anything students can do so that that doesn\u2019t happen?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019ve got Ben Trueblood and Brian Mills joining us today. Guys, welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ben:<\/strong> Thank you; good to be here.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brian:<\/strong> Great to be here. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Brian is a pastor outside of Oklahoma City at Trinity Baptist Church in Yukon, Oklahoma. He spent four years as the chaplain for the Arkansas Razorbacks. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBen heads up the student ministries division of Lifeway, which is the headquarters for the Southern Baptist Convention. You're working with student ministries\u2014camping, kind of everything that\u2019s going on for students\u2014that Lifeway\u2019s involved with.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ben:<\/strong> Yes, that\u2019s right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> These guys have combined to write a book called <em>A Different College Experience<\/em>\u2014different than the one that Dave Wilson had his freshman year. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Well, I\u2019ll add this\u2014this is exciting to talk about because I did have a different college experience\u2014Jesus Christ changed the <em>whole<\/em> thing, and it was different\/much different, much better.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> And you\u2019ve [Brian] been through college; but you\u2019ve also been on campus, doing ministry, and watching young people come on the college campus. Are parents\u2019 fears legitimate fears as they watch their sons and daughters come to college? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brian: <\/strong>Yes, I would say 100 percent legitimate fears and what we just heard from the story of what took place from the different college experience. When you walk on campus, there\u2019s freedom; but not just freedom, there\u2019s expectation.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ben:<\/strong> I think, too, I think there's rightful fear for parents in that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut I think there's a point where the student, themselves, encounters that fear because, for the first time in their life\u2014for many of them\u2014it\u2019s the first time they have to take responsibility. They\u2019ve got to wash their own clothes; they\u2019ve got to find their own meal; they got to get around campus; they got to choose what they\u2019re going to study. It\u2019s a responsibility moment for the first time. It may not happen <em>previous<\/em> to starting college, like a parent would experience, but there\u2019s a fear moment that really rests on the student [himself\/herself] too.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I remember being at a student ministry\u2014my senior year in high school\u2014and our\u2014this was Young Life<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>\u2014our Young Life leader got up. He looked at all of us and he said, \u201cYou guys, most of you, by the end of next year, are going to be drinking and partying.\u201d I remember looking around at my fellow classmates and going: \u201cNo, we\u2019re not. We\u2019re not going to be doing that,\u201d because, in high school, that\u2019s not who we were; right? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen we went away to college. I remember thinking to myself: \u201cI\u2019m not going to be that person. I\u2019ll <em>prove<\/em> you.\u201d It was almost like he threw down the gauntlet; and I said, \u201cI\u2019ll show <em>you<\/em>.\u201d I went to college and wasn\u2019t the partier, but I was stunned at how many of my good Christian friends in high school just got sucked up in it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019ve looked back at that and I thought, \u201cI think there\u2019s a parallel between seventh grade and freshman year in college.\u201d Both of them relate to something you talk about in the book, which is you\u2019re trying to figure out, \u201cWho am I?\u201d In seventh grade, you\u2019re trying to figure out: \u201cHow do I get to be popular?\u201d and \u201cWhat makes people like me?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s almost like you go through that a whole second time when you get to college. When I went from high school to college\u2014in high school, I had been president of our senior class and people knew me. I go to college, and nobody's high-fiving me. I went and, all of a sudden, it\u2019s like: \u201cWait! I\u2019m not known and popular. How do I get to be <em>known<\/em> and popular?\u201d I think that\u2019s one reason some people dive into the things we\u2019re talking about, because that\u2019s how you get known and popular.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>And yet you didn\u2019t. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Bob, I want to know why not? What kept you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Probably the biggest single thing was that I had an alcoholic father, and I did not want to revisit what I\u2019d grown up with.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brian:<\/strong> We\u2019ve watched that common theme through being in college ministry. So many college students began to unpack their past from their parents, and even what both of you have said. We watched that happen over, and over, and over. You sit down and do all these one-on-ones; I mean, we would do probably over a hundred college students\/ my team and I would meet with, one on one, a week. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tEvery one of them\u2014consistently, that were really struggling\u2014it went back to the way they were raised and what they learned, growing up. It really shows a <em>significance<\/em> of developing an effective and healthy parenting lifestyle to <em>equip<\/em> them to go into college instead of just hoping they make it in college.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So what\u2019s the difference between the Christian parents, who get their kids really ready\u2014and those kids go off, solid\u2014and the Christian parents who don\u2019t?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ben:<\/strong> Yes, that\u2019s a great question. I think some are the <em>devotion<\/em> of the Christian parents in the home; they choose the title of being a Christian parent, but they don\u2019t choose the lifestyle of Christianity. Christianity\u2019s become more <em>cultural<\/em> than it has biblical.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So, if a kid\u2019s coming out of a home, where the Christianity has been casual\u2014we go to church; but at home, there are inconsistencies they see with mom and dad. That\u2019s putting them at risk as opposed to those kids, who are coming out, where it\u2019s been the real deal; and mom and dad really love Jesus.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ben:<\/strong> Yes, I think so. We\u2019ve recently done some research through Lifeway Students that showed that, for teenagers who were active in the church during their high school years, only 27 percent of those said that they had conversations in the home of a spiritual nature. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tParents may be having this cultural Christianity; they may <em>care<\/em> about their relationship with the Lord; they\u2019re just not talking about it. It\u2019s not even like parents are living a completely different lifestyle\u2014some might be\u2014but they\u2019re just not taking their own faith and saying, \u201cLet\u2019s talk about it,\u201d\u2014like: \u201cLet me, as a dad, talk with you\u201d\u2014not about what <em>you\u2019re<\/em> doing but\u2014\u201cabout what God is actually teaching me right now,\u201d and \u201cWhat did I glean from church today?\u201d and \u201cWhat was that experience like for me?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> So you guys, we have found the same thing in our church. We\u2019ve watched for \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t30 years\u2014we\u2019re watching these kids come through\u2014and we\u2019re thinking, \u201cWhat makes the difference?\u201d Because you see some in college have this vital growing experience with their relationship with God; others\u2014man, they just go totally by the world\u2019s way. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019ve kind of watched that and thought, \u201cWhat is the difference?\u201d It is exactly what you\u2019re saying. These parents that are living out what they say: they're talking about it, they\u2019re ministering, they\u2019re serving with the community\u2014those are the kids that we see they want to make a difference, because they\u2019ve watched their parents impact people.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> We\u2019ve got to say: \u201cThere\u2019s not a one-to-one correlation here.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>All: <\/strong>No.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u201cIt\u2019s not an absolute; because some parents, who really love Jesus, have a prodigal.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ben:<\/strong> That\u2019s right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> The father in the story of the prodigal son is a picture of God, and His son becomes a prodigal; so you can be doing it right, as a parent, and your kids can still head off in the wrong direction.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brian:<\/strong> That\u2019s right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> For you guys, this is a passion of yours. You\u2019ve been doing this a <em>long<\/em> time. What were you hoping when you wrote the book, and how did you come together to do this?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ben:<\/strong> Yes, well, we\u2019ve known each other a long time and were in student ministry. Both of us were youth pastors in different parts of the country, and were in circles with each other at conferences, and things like that. There\u2019s been friendship there. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen Brian made the transition to leave college ministry, we were at a conference together. We were riding a bus, and sitting next to each other, and just started talking about: \u201cNow, that you\u2019ve been doing college ministry for a little while, after student ministry, what would you go back\u2014what have you seen in college students that you would say, \u2018What would you go back and do differently, now, as a youth pastor?\u2019\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat\u2019s kind of the genesis of the book. That\u2019s where that conversation turned into: \u201cMan, that\u2019s something we need to address.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So what would you go back and do differently, Brian? [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brian:<\/strong> Well, I believe most of it\u2019s here in the book. [Laughter] You know, one thing how we started this book\u2014and not just to promote the book\u2014but we started the book with the idea of the gospel. What we found in college ministry was a lot of people are walking into college, and they don\u2019t know Christ and they didn\u2019t know Jesus. Jesus is life changing. When you come to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, it changes everything. So we started the book with that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat\u2019s probably the number one thing I\u2019ve realized\u2014the significance in college is we need to share the gospel\u2014but we don\u2019t just need to share the gospel, we need to <em>teach<\/em> the gospel. People need to <em>understand<\/em> the gospel, not just hear it and come forward in an invitation, but actually understand it. The first couple chapters in this book is all about the gospel, because we felt like it was the most significant thing for college students to grab ahold of.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Were you finding that kids, that even came from church families, didn\u2019t know the gospel?\u2014or was it just kids that didn\u2019t really have background?\u2014r were you seeing sort of both?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brian:<\/strong> Yes, I think there\u2019s both. We wanted this book to be something that we know there are going to be people, who are across the board on the spiritual maturity spectrum, that pick up this book; because a mom, or a grandmother, or a dad, or somebody puts it in their hands as a graduation present or something. We wanted it to be an evangelistic tool as well as a tool that grounds a person, who already has faith in Jesus, and what it means to understand the gospel and then live it out.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You talk about the gospel on almost two levels when you talk about it in the book. There is an understanding of the gospel that causes people to go, \u201cOh, I want to follow Jesus.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut you talk about believing the gospel on an ongoing basis\u2014living out the gospel\u2014not just a one-time: \u201cI prayed to receive Christ; check that off; I\u2019m done.\u201d Explain to folks what it means to live out the gospel, or to meditate on it, or to think about it\/believe it over and over again.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ben:<\/strong> Yes, I think this is an issue that we see in student ministries that kind of creates this moment of transition that\u2019s difficult into college because, like I said earlier, it\u2019s the first time they take responsibility for a lot of the things in their lives\u2014many of them. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf there\u2019s not a clear understanding of how the gospel impacts their day to day versus the decision moment that they may have had, as a seven-year-old or as a sixteen-year-old, then that\u2019s when things begin to fall apart. I would articulate it this way: \u201cIn \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t2 Corinthians 3:18: \u2018We all with unveiled faces behold, as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, and we are being transformed into that same image,\u2019\u2014paraphrased there; but the point is: \u2018We\u2019re going to be transformed into what we stare at most.\u2019\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn that transition moment, no longer does the Christian teenager have someone in their life\u2014a parent, a youth pastor, a small group leader\u2014to turn their face to Jesus. They have to decide to stare at Jesus themselves. We stare at Jesus through His Word. That moment of transition is a fix-your-eyes moment. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI strongly believe that, if we stare at the gospel\/if we stare at what God has done in reconciling us to Himself through Christ, then we\u2019re going to be transformed into the image that He has set out for us\u2014rather than us staring at popularity, or staring at athletic prowess, or staring at academic achievement, or staring at relationships, or staring at whatever it is\u2014those are the things we\u2019re going to be transformed into.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I heard somebody say once, and I\u2019ve never thought of this; but I think it\u2019s true\u2014they said, \u201cYou become an amalgamation of the five people you spend most of your time with.\u201d Well, if you\u2019re spending your time with Jesus and other people who are following Jesus, you\u2019re going to become like Jesus. If you\u2019re spending your time with Dave Wilson, his freshman year, you\u2019re going to become like Dave Wilson in his freshman year. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Don\u2019t do it. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> That\u2019s right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe issue of\u2014not just spending time with Jesus, which is critical\u2014but also spending time with other people, who love Jesus\u2014the issue of who you\u2019re friends with, when you go off to college, that can be determinative for these kids; can\u2019t it?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brian:<\/strong> Yes; we had a young man in our college ministry\u2014gave his life to Christ the second part of his sophomore year\u2014which always seems to be a transformational time for a college student. They enter their freshman year; they make the freshman mistakes. The sophomore, beginning year, they feel guilty; the latter part, we were seeing them come to know Christ. I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s true data; it was just data in which we watch take place year after year. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tA young man in his second half of his sophomore year\u2014he was a frat boy; he lived out the fraternity world. He <em>was<\/em> the fraternity guy, but he knew\u2014he came to our ministry; gave his life to Christ, was baptized. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe were teaching him this sanctification process to become more like Christ, day after day after day, and: \u201cThings got to change if you\u2019re going to be more like Christ. You\u2019ve got to add to your faith like 2 Peter says or work out your salvation like Philippians says. There\u2019s a <em>process<\/em> to grow in your faith.\u201d He decided to change his friend bank, and decided to step away from the fraternity boys. Outside of that world\u2014he lived around it\u2014to win them to the Lord. He became friends and changed his environment, and it changed who he was. I think it's true for all of us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ben:<\/strong> We truly do become who we hang out with.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Again, going back to a long time ago, to my college experience\u2014I had hair and the whole thing; you know. [Laughter] You don\u2019t believe that, but I did. It used to come out of my helmet; I used to flip my bangs.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You didn\u2019t shave your head? [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I didn\u2019t; there was just a good mullet.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ben: <\/strong>A lot of hair.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> There was a lot of hair.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I didn\u2019t realize I had the comb-over going too. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ben:<\/strong> A lot of <em>great<\/em> hair.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes; what was interesting is\u2014I had to do the separation from some of the guys. I just\/I was too weak to even go in a bar with them; I <em>couldn\u2019t<\/em> handle it. I thought I could; I couldn\u2019t, so there was a sort of a radical separation\u2014which, again, I got ribbed on for a while\u2014but then, as I started a new life and started to grow in that\u2014and again, I had never really even read the Bible before\u2014so I\u2019m really starting to grow. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe man, who was mentoring me\/discipling me, was a senior student, who really felt like God gave him a passion to reach athletes. He was never an athlete; but anyway, Bill pours into me. I\u2019ll never forget\u2014one day he says, \u201cOkay, now it\u2019s time to go <em>reach<\/em> your teammates.\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cWhat\u2019s that mean?!\u201d \u201cLet\u2019s share the gospel with them.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe set up a meeting. Back then, it was a magazine we had that talks about athletes who had faith. Athletes In Action had a magazine; the last page was the gospel. We give\u2014I gave everyone on the team this magazine; they all got the magazine. I said, \u201cI\u2019d like to talk to you about it sometime.\u201d Then we set up a little appointment with them. Then we\u2019d always ask, \u201cHey, by the way, did you see that last article?\u201d None of them had. Then we go, \u201cLet\u2019s walk through this.\u201d I learned, with Bill, how to share the gospel with my teammates.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ben:<\/strong> That\u2019s awesome. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> We shared the gospel with 99 players; 25 gave their life to Christ. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ben:<\/strong> Wow; that\u2019s awesome.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I\u2019m in ministry today because of this year; I <em>watched<\/em> them give their life to Christ. We started a Bible study\u2014and just this <em>move<\/em> started to happen on our campus, which was powerful. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019ll end with this: 25 years later, I\u2019m invited to go back to the campus for the college was going to celebrate our championship team, back in the \u201870s, at half-time. I go down there. They say, \u201cHey, these guys won the thing when they were really young\u2014a long, long, long time ago\u201d; right? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019ll never forget this. I had to then run up out of the stadium, get in my car, and drive back to Detroit; because I had to do chapel that night for the team\/for the Lions; so I couldn\u2019t stay. Just as I get to my car, this guy yells at me, \u201cHey, Dave Wilson!\u201d I turn around, and it\u2019s a college student. I don\u2019t know him, and he\u2019s 20 yards away. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe goes, \u201cYou\u2019re Dave Wilson; right?\u201d I go, \u201cYes.\u201d He goes, \u201cYes, I saw you at half-time. I just need to say something to you.\u201d He goes: \u201cI just gave my life to Christ. I\u2019m a tennis player. I was told that the athletic ministry of Ball State started, back in the \u201870s, when you gave your life to Christ and <em>you<\/em> led this movement. I just want to say, \u201cYou changed my life; thank you.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brian:<\/strong> Wow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I get in my car; I\u2019m crying. I think I\u2019m going back to my college for a celebration thing\u2014and that\u2019s the only thing that really matters\u2014who cares about this championship ring?\u2014I\u2019m wearing it right now. Who cares?\u2014really. It was like, \u201cOh my goodness, there\u2019s a <em>legacy<\/em>\u2014that God had this plan before we ever knew it.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019m thinking of a parent out there, thinking, \u201cWhat\u2019s going to happen to my child in college?\u201d This could happen\u2014literally changed my life and my legacy.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I know a lot of moms and dads this time of year\u2014especially if you\u2019ve got a senior\u2014you\u2019re all caught up in letters, and papers, and applications, and essays that have got to be written; and \u201cWhere are they going to go?\u201d; and \u201cWhat about scholarships?\u201d and filling out the FAFSA form. All of that\u2019s important, but you\u2019ve got a window of time left to impress on your son and daughter the things we\u2019ve been talking about here today.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I would add to that Bob; I know, as a parent, I did feel that sense of fear as my kids are coming into college. I wasn\u2019t sure where they all were, as they were coming to that point; but man, I started praying like crazy\u2014praying that God would bring them to people like you guys\u2014people that are doing ministry, that will pour into them\/that they'll connect to. Don\u2019t think that your prayers don\u2019t matter; God hears those.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brian:<\/strong> Amen.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Maybe what you do is you get a copy of the book <em>these<\/em> guys have written. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ben:<\/strong> Yes, we would love that! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Brian:<\/strong> Wonderful.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Go through it together with your son or daughter. Read a chapter together with them and talk about it. We\u2019ve got copies of Ben and Brian\u2019s book, <em>A Different College Experience<\/em>, in our <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> Resource Center. You can order the book from us, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com; or you can call 1-800-FL-TODAY to get a copy. Again, the title of the book is <em>A Different College Experience: Following Christ in College<\/em>. Order online at FamilyLifeToday.com, or call 1-800-358-6329\u2014that\u2019s 1-800-\u201dF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY,\u201d to get a copy of their book.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe want to take a minute here and quickly say, \u201cThank you,\u201d to those of you who have made today\u2019s program possible\u2014those of you who support the ministry of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Your financial support is what enables us to make this program possible on this local radio station, through our website, through the FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> mobile app, on devices like your Alexa devices. More people, more often, are listening to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> through the variety of different channels through which the program\u2019s available now. You make that possible when you support this ongoing work. We\u2019re grateful for that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn fact, this week, we are making available a copy of the new book from Ron Deal and Dr. Gary Chapman called <em>Building Love Together in Blended Families<\/em> as a thank-you gift for those of you who support this ministry with a donation of any amount. We think this is an important book, not just for people who are <em>in<\/em> blended families, this is a great gift for you to give to someone you know in a blended family and maybe open the door to have a spiritual conversation with that friend. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGo online at FamilyLifeToday.com to make a donation, or call 1-800-FL-TODAY; request your copy of the new book, <em>Building Love Together in Blended Families<\/em>. Again, our website is FamilyLifeToday.com; or you can call to donate at 1-800-358-6329\u2014that\u2019s 1-800-\u201dF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d Thanks, again, for your support of this ministry. We <em>really<\/em> appreciate your partnership with us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe hope you\u2019ll join us tomorrow when we\u2019re going to talk about why it\u2019s, not only important for us to be shaping our children's behavior, but also to be helping them think biblically about the issues they\u2019re facing. Our guests, Ben Trueblood and Brian Mills, will be back with us tomorrow. I hope you can be here as well.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our hosts, Dave and Ann Wilson, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We\u2019ll see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas; a Cru<sup>\u00ae <\/sup>Ministry. Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\"><u>donating today<\/u><\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2020 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\"><u>www.FamilyLife.com<\/u><\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/305769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=305769"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=305769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=305769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=305769"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=305769"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=305769"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=305769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}