Recent Blog Posts from Pursuit NYC
Mar 21, 2014
My favorite annual sporting event has to be March Madness. Although it pales in comparison to the World Cup and the Olympics, it is by far my favorite out of all the annual championships. It’s full of upsets, inspiration, and excitement (especially this year since you can win $1 billion!). Through the years nothing has pumped me up more for March Madness than “One Shining Moment” sung by the one and only, Luther Vandross. Just watch the video above. How can you not be motivated? I think it’s natural for every single one of us to want to have a shining moment of our own – to have a moment where everything just comes together. We might be the underdog, yet we’re able to come through in the clutch and overcome our challenges. However, what I’ve experienced in life is that the moments where we shine on the big stage are rare. Yet each day we are faced with small decisions to be faithful, to do what’s right, and just be the person God has intended us to be. I’d like to think while shining moments are few and far in between, defining moments are there every single day. Defining moments are those times that truly shape who we are and define who we will become. It’s usually those moments when we are alone and are away from the limelight. It has been said that character is who you are when no one is looking. Every day, there are plenty of opportunities for us to be discouraged, disheartened, and even distressed. We can be brought low by our circumstances, or... read more
Mar 14, 2014
Hello all! This is Josh and I’m here to update you on the PursuitNB (New Brunswick) spring break missions trip happening in 3 days. I will be leading 15 other Rutgers University students who have decided to sacrifice and commit their week of spring break (March 16th to March 21st) to serve the city of New Brunswick, NJ. For the past 2 years, I’ve been doing homeless outreach called “Sandwich Runs” in New Brunswick where Rutgers University is situated in. I would grab sandwiches from Rutgers dining halls, go out to into the city, and build relationships with people on the streets by offering sandwiches, praying for them, and getting to know them. Through these Sandwich Runs I’ve been able build unexpected, but awesome relationships with people on the streets, and also witness God healing people. Last year, I led the first spring break missions trip for NB and it was an awesome time as we saw God do some amazing things and some of the college students gain a heart for the city. It has been crazy but good experiences for the past 2 years. This year, the PursuitNB missions team will be primarily serving through homeless and inner-city kids outreach with local ministries. We have partnered up with Elijah’s Promise, a soup kitchen that has been serving the homeless in New Brunswick for the past 25 years. We will be volunteering there every day to prep, cook, serve, and share a meal with the homeless. We hope to be a blessing and an encouragement to the staff at Elijah’s Promise as we serve with them and also build... read more
Mar 5, 2014
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you…” – James 4:8 There are many great promises in the Bible, and this is definitely one of them. When we draw near to God, He promises to draw near to us. Can you imagine that? The Great Pursuer Himself desires to be pursued; so He invites us to come as close as we want. As we enter into the season of Lent, we want to be a people who desires to seek God and draw near to Him above all else. Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. What is Lent you ask? Lent is part of the liturgical calendar that marks the beginning of 40 days (46 if you include Sundays) until Good Friday and Easter Sunday While Lent doesn’t appear in Scripture, it has been a practice of believers for centuries. Forty days is a significant number because that’s how many days Jesus spent in the desert in preparation before His ministry began. Traditionally people have taken this time to prepare themselves through prayer, fasting, self-denial, and repentance Often times Lent is all about what we give up and our efforts to keep our promises. Yet Lent is more than having self-control and giving something up for the sake of giving something up, nor is it to try and appease God. Religion is man’s attempt to try to control God; to make an unpredictable God predictable based on our behaviors. People do this out of fear… fear of punishment or circumstances or of “missing out”, but we celebrate Lent out of love and devotion. Devotion... read more
