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TRANSCRIPT
A Quarterly Publica�on of Street Level Ministries, UW-
Word on the Street 16 ISSUE
2
What is
WOTS? WOTS is our fond acronym for Word on the
Street. We’re a UW-Superior affiliated
publica�on released twice per semester. WOTS
is wri(en, laid out and printed by members of
Street Level Ministries on UW-Superior and UW-
Stout campuses. We’re Chris�ans who love Jesus
and want to write about life, God and college.
Want to meet the crew of WOTS? No problem.
We can be found on campus each Thursday
while school is in session with the crew of Street
Level Ministries, a Chris�an student organiza�on.
See the ad on page 9 for details about Street
Level. We hope the magazine is funny,
challenging and maybe even controversial.
We’d like your feedback!
MEET THE STAFF OF WORD ON THE STREET
SU
SIE
NIC
K C
LAIR
E
LAU
RA
LAU
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N
AN
NIE
BE
N
KA
YLE
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KR
IST
INA
AV
EG
AIL
JAS
ON D
AN
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MENOMONIE WRITERS
PHILIPPINES WRITER
DULUTH WRITERS
KE
LSE
Y
3
ORPHAN RESOLVE
this month’s tear-jerking
fic�on feature
TRUE WORSHIP
what does it mean to truly
worship the living God?
LESOTHO
learn about a small country
facing large problems
INDIE FOLK BAND GUIDE
all you need to dis�nguish
current folk favorites
WHERE IS GOD IN THE
VIOLENCE?
he’s not absent; he threw
himself into the fray
NEVER TOO LATE
You’re never too broken for
God to fix
4 6 7
8
10 13
14 16 18
4
18
14
PURSUIT AND RESPONSE
recent college grads share
their rela�onships with God
in college
FROM PRISON TO
PURPOSE
true story of transforma�on
A PASTOR’S
PERSPECTIVE
Jesus prays for your joy
4
I watch them get ready. They have chosen their best clothes and shiniest shoes. Suits and
�es, dresses and bows. The girls brush each other’s hair; pigtails, ribbons, braids and
ponytails. An arrangement of whatever looks the cutest, most charming and cap�va�ng. The
boys yank a comb through their snarled greasy mops of hair. Over to the side, maybe to the
le? this �me. The faces are important, and the most influen�al. They must be clean with no
bruises. If your teeth are straight that is a definite advantage. But the smile, the smile is what
wins many of them.
The staff rushes to get us from our bedroom quarters to the main hall. Palms press against
our backs urging us forward. “Hurry,” the voices firmly whisper, “They will be here any
minute.” They start lining us up, but not from oldest to youngest. The age gap here is small,
and this orphanage only takes on a par�cular group of children. This line is ranked from dying
to dead. The small handful of staff members stands before us. They step back to approve of
their work. An awkward pause before someone straightens a boy’s �e. Ul�mately they
appear, for the most part, sa�sfied with what stands before them: an assembly of parent-less
children dying from cancer preFed up with ribbons and bows. Astrocytoma: brain tumors.
Most of us are recently diagnosed, and few orphans have funding for treatment. Hope’s
Orphanage has volunteered to take us on and give us the opportunity for a family we never
had, even if only for a short period of �me.
They start lining us up, but not from oldest to youngest. The age gap here is small, and this orphanage only takes on a particular group of children. This line is ranked from dying to dead.
Orphan Resolve
Fiction
5
We are a rare bunch. Most of us were
diagnosed around the age of four. We are
considered fortunate to be alive even five
years later. The paperwork to adopt a child is
extensive and o?en takes more �me than
the child has. The staff would rather not
bother with the extra paperwork for a child
so close to the end, so they line us up. Those
at the end of the line are truly at the end of
the line. They will die soon. The adop�ve
parents tend to forget the kids at the end;
they are not informed of why we line up the
way we do.
They s�ll dress up, those children at the end.
They s�ll hope for a family, but I do not. I
have just passed my five-year mark, and I
stand at the end of the line. My hair is
snarled and ragged. The comb is not a
familiar friend of mine. I scratch my head
and complain of lice. I dig out my worst
ouGits, the large ones with countless stains
and jagged holes. The staff tries to throw
these away, but I dig them out of the
garbage cans when they are not looking.
They add a par�cular scent that tends to
keep the poten�al families in my range for
mere moments. My face is smeared with
whatever I find, and I never smile. A scowling
sulk is all they will see.
I don’t want them to pick me. I am not a doll,
and I will not be bought off a shelf like a toy,
to be stolen away into some short dream.
This good deed won’t save you. You can’t
add a gold star to your chart for adop�ng
me. This false posi�ve won’t outweigh the
nega�ve. This moral act will never �p the
scale in your favor. I tell them I don’t want a
family; I don’t want them to be my family
because I already have one. That family is
wai�ng for me, and I did not have to do
anything to be adopted by that family. I did
not have to dress up, put a smile on, and
impress them with my shiny shoes or my
best clothes. I had no best - I am dying!
Nothing can dress up death.
The staff thinks I’m crazy, or they think I am
referring to my old family: the family that
died in a car accident that made me an
orphan. But it is my old family that
introduced me to my new one. And I know
that my new father will come, that he is
wai�ng for me. I refuse to be picked out of a
line-up by someone who claims to have my
best interests at heart when it is their
interests they are honestly engrossed in. My
father is true and will come. His promises are
trustworthy.
Nevertheless the others wait in line and
con�nue to smile. They are excited to be
picked off of the shelf, to be purchased as a
checkmark on someone’s list of good deeds.
To be used as a subs�tute sleeping pill, so
the buyers can ease their conscience. The
pre(y moms and dads pick up their pre(y,
new, a(en�on-grabbing, fragile, sick children
and whisk them off to their dream: a dream
they assume the children need. We are
offered a big house with a yard to play in, a
dog, or maybe even a brother or sister. They
present a chance to live out our short
remaining days in luxury and comfort.
Nonetheless it is a lie, it is merely a farce.
I tell them that these families won’t last.
That they could have a family like me, and
that we could be family. There is no need for
a house or a dog. They laugh and giggle, or
get angry and yell. I am called foolish and
unrealis�c. I yearn for them to see how brief
their wish is, but they refuse to see and o?en
plug their ears when I speak. I know it is
temp�ng, for all short dreams are, and I feel
the pull during every lineup. I, too, could be
happy, comfortable, and full. The pain is
paramount and we want relief, but I want
peace that lasts. I would be content with
nothing else, and I would want nothing else
for those I love.
So they take away my friends. My soul
screams, and I watch them slip away. The
“charitableness” kills them. They give them
presents, food, par�es, and comfort. The
presents are false and an imita�on. The food
is hollow and leaves the stomach the same.
But I wait because my family is be(er. My
stomach is empty, but I am filled. I have no
need for presents, because the gi? of being
in this family is beyond enough. I have never
known comfort, but am at rest. I have only
known pain, but am at peace. I will die
young, but I will be home.
“Father to the fatherless…this is God, whose
dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in
families…I will not leave you as orphans; I
will come to you.”
(Psalms 68:5-6; John 14:18)
I don’t want them to pick me. I am not a doll, and I will not be bought off a shelf like a toy, to be stolen away into some short dream.
6
When you hear the word “worship,” what comes to mind? Do you
picture a Sunday morning church service filled with people singing
and li?ing their hands? Do you see the band and hear the beat of
the drums? Or does worship look more like bowing down in a
temple or ligh�ng a candle?
In the Hebrew language of the Old Testament, the main word for
"worship"—shachah—means “to bow down.” Similarly, in the
Greek of the New Testament, the word proskuneo is used. It is the
act of geFng down on one’s knees in adora�on. Therefore it is
giving oneself completely to the worth of someone or something.
Knowing who you are worshiping is key. God is not just a topic in
your philosophy class or the “G” in “OMG.” One of the reasons
why we don’t always put God at the center of our lives and come
before Him humbly is because we have li(le knowledge of Him.
We beli(le His worthiness, and we want to be in control of our
lives so we can do whatever we want. We become ungrateful and
arrogant. In those heart condi�ons, worship cannot be born. The
Psalmist, David, wrote in Psalm 8:3-4, “When I look at the heavens,
the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have
set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son
of man that You care for him?” David placed God on center stage
and saw the greatness of the God who loved him. He looked at
God, then looked at himself and was puzzled by why he was
geFng so much affec�on when he was no one compared to God. It
is when we bring ourselves to that place of humility,
acknowledging that we are nothing without Him that we truly see
the greatness of God.
Worship is not a genre of music. It is not the three to four songs
that are sung in church before the sermon. Worship is a posi�on
of the heart. It is when Jesus is the object of your affec�on. It is
recognizing His authority in your life. Some people will express this
through gestures like kneeling down, singing, clapping their hands,
and many more, but your ac�ons do not guarantee that you are
worshiping God. In Ma(hew, 15:8-9 God says, “They worship me in
vain” and “they honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from
me.” Therefore some of us can look like we are in love with Jesus
but are actually faking it. What other people think about you from
what they see does not count. It does not ma(er how loud we sing,
how new the song is, or how long we stay kneeled down or
facedown; if our heart is far from God, the things we do are empty
and meaningless.
Worship is a lifestyle of sweet surrender. It originates from the
heart of a person who truly understands and experiences the love of
God. It is true that God loves us, and it is through that love that we
are able to love Him; then our worship is manifested. Romans 12:1
says, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your
bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a
living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is
truly the way to worship him.” Our en�re life can be con�nuous
worship. A life of worship is a life of obedience to God. It involves
seeking God every day, responding to Him even when we don’t feel
like it and laying down our en�re life in complete surrender to Him.
We can submit our daily decisions, ac�ons, rela�onships, thoughts
and speech to Him. Are you a true worshiper of God?
It’s not what you do, but why you do it. WORSHIP TRUE
“Strong affections for God rooted in and shaped by the truth of Scripture – this is the bone and marrow of biblical worship.” - John Piper
7
Lesotho enter the lives of those living in this
small country facing big challenges
2 million (popula1on)
320,000 people living with AIDS
life expectancy at birth
YEARS
half of pregnant
women ages 25 - 29 have
HIV
children lost a parent to AIDS
50% of
Lesothians
live below the
poverty line.
HIV AIDS’ Toll on Lesotho
H ave you ever felt like you live in an isolated bubble, unaware of
what’s going on in the rest of the world? One of the least fortunate
countries in the world is Lesotho. Lesotho is not a well known country,
and is rarely men�oned on the news. It is approximately the size of
Maryland. If you look at a map of Africa, Lesotho is hard to spot as it is
landlocked by the Republic of South Africa. Surprisingly, it is the only
country in the world where the en�re area is one thousand meters
above sea level. Lesotho was controlled by Britain un�l its independence
in 1966. It has a cons�tu�onal monarchy with a mostly ceremonial king,
Letsie III.
Lesotho is a small country, but has very big problems. Unfortunately the
threat of HIV and AIDS could cause the country’s downfall. In 2001, over
31% of the popula�on were infected with HIV, making it the fourth
highest rate of infec�on in the world.2 Besides this, their economy is very
poor. Considering that more than half of Lesotho lives in poverty, it is
hard for them to get the medicine they need. One in five adults in
Lesotho has or will have AIDS or HIV. They have a limited amount of
water, poor soil, and many droughts. Knowing what is going on in other
parts of the world helps to burst the bubble we have formed around us
as Americans. Want to know more so you can pray for Lesotho? Visit the
Opera�on World website at www.opera�onworld.org/leso
1 h(p://helplesotho.org/index.php/who-we-are/
2 h(p://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/ar�cle/PIIS0140-6736(07)60172-X/fulltext
Infographic sources from UNAIDS and the CIA World Factbook
1 out of 5 adults in Lesotho has HIV
Lesotho
South Africa
World Feature:
8
Move over, Beiber! There are new tunes on the
block. It’s no doubt that the Indie Folk
music genre is on the rise, complete
with numerous stringed instruments
and capturing vocals. Because so many
of these emerging bands have similar
sounds, how do we tell them apart?
Thankfully, this guide will help you
dis�nguish between the Brothers,
Sons, and Men, and between the
Monsters, Dragons, and Whales.
—THE AVETT BROTHERS—These guys
look like they’ve stepped out of the Wild
West, complete with mustaches and three
piece suits. Their lyrics are both heavy and
light, and their music both slow and
upbeat. Songs like “I and Love and You”
and “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of
Promise” will seduce you with rich,
southern, soulful epiphanies about life and
death. You won’t find any other band with
a more authen�c sound; the Ave(
Brothers are truly one of the best.
—THE LUMINEERS—You’ll recognize this
band because of two words: “Ho hey.”
This catchy tune has made its way from
radio to TV to movies, ac�ng as
background music for Bing TV
commercials, shows like “Bones,” and
movies like Silver Linings Playbook. Stay
tuned for their upcoming second single,
“Um Hi.”
—OF MONSTERS AND MEN—If you want
to add a bit of Icelandic whimsy into your
9
life, Of Monsters and Men will fulfill that childlike desire with
songs like “Dirty Paws,” “King and Lionheart,” and “My Head is
an Animal.” As you listen to their combina�on of upbeat tunes
and heavy lyrics, it’s hard to know if you’re meant to be happy or
sad, but the ambiguity is surprisingly enchan�ng.
—THE HEAD AND THE HEART—This is music to sooth the
introspec�ve soul. With evoca�ve, heart-wrenching lyrics, The
Head and the Heart bring unmatched honesty to their songs.
You can remember these guys by their hometown: Sea(le. The
Northwest is coincidentally where Starbucks originates as well.
There’s nothing be(er than pairing a listening session of The
Head and the Heart while sipping a double dirty chai.
—IMAGINE DRAGONS—Above all others, Imagine Dragons
completely excels at heart-pumping, foot-stomping anthems like
“It’s Time” and “Radioac�ve.” More importantly, this is the only
band that has a male lead vocalist who knits—hats specifically.
—NOAH AND THE WHALE—Bri�sh accents. What more could
you ask for? Don’t let their biblically inaccurate name deter you;
they have some pre(y great tunes.
—THE CIVIL WARS—This is the smallest group on the list,
consis�ng of John Paul White, who looks incredibly like Johnny
Depp, and Joy Williams. The sound of The Civil Wars will
transport you back to a 1920s radio broadcast when music was
simple. All they need is two voices and one guitar to make the
hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
—MUMFORD AND SONS—Mumford and Sons is a Pandora
Radio staple, perfect for working out, cleaning, or pondering.
Because they’ve reached worldwide success and entered
mainstream music, they are no longer considered “hipster.”
—IVAN & ALYOSHA—A band for those who like meaning behind
their music. Ivan & Alyosha’s lyrics are extremely deep,
contempla�ng the rela�onship between God and man in the
most un-churchy way possible. A taste of their song “Running
for Cover” reads, “If I could see the garden place/Before the fall,
would things have changed?/I wasn't there, and neither were
you/But I take the blame, as you should too.”
Equipped with clear dis1nc1ons such as these, you’ll be
able to discuss the latest Indie-Folk tunes with your hipster
friends and know exactly what they are talking about.
They will no longer look ashamedly at you overtop their
black glasses with missing lenses.
10
have a close friend who works at a shelter
for women who are vic�ms of abuse. Day
in and day out, she talks with, comforts,
advocates for and cries with women who have
been beaten, in�midated, and controlled for
years by a man who was supposed to be their
protector. She loves her work, but is drained by
the steady flow of nonstop violence. In all truth,
many of us have also felt the drain of daily
violence in this world and have posed the
following ques�on: “Where is God in all the
violence?” We ask it as we stare dumbfounded
at the news as the scenes from the latest school
shoo�ng shock our senses, we ask it as we hear
of women raped while others looked on
without ac�on, and we ask it as we hear of
teenage murderers who cockily flip off their
vic�m’s family in the courtroom with no
remorse.
It’s a valid ques�on. The reasoning behind it
usually sounds something like this: “If I was
God, and could put a halt to all the murder,
rape, and suffering, I would do it!” Sounds
simple enough, un�l you consider that the
problem is not with God or His perceived lack
of ac�on; the problem is within all of us.
Before we can ask, “Where is God in the
violence?” we need to look at the human heart.
11
Most of us don’t think we are
capable of a heinous crime. In
fact, we think we are pre(y
good people. Our thoughts,
reac�ons and words spoken in
anger or frustra�on o?en paint
a darker picture of what’s
actually going on inside our
hearts. Jeremiah 17:9 says,
“The human heart is the most
decei+ul of all things, and
desperately wicked. Who really
knows how bad it is?”1 Every
person alive has acted in anger
– even violence – when the “right”
situa�on presented itself.
We cannot let ourselves off the hook
because of what we “don’t” do. You
may not be out on the streets hun�ng
down women, planning the next school
shoo�ng, or robbing homes, but a
wicked heart is manifested in more
ways than this. Being jealous of a friend,
geFng angry at another person, or
flipping someone off on the freeway
puts us at the same level as a murderer.
Violence stems from our need to get
ahead, our self-seeking, and our
indifference.
Apathy is just as bad as violence. The
Bible says God weeps at our cold ability
to see injus�ce and cruelty and then
walk away and quickly forget about it.2
We shake our heads as we watch footage
of the latest school shoo�ng, but when
we shut it off, our lives go back to normal
and we remain unaffected. While Jesus
was on earth, compassion poured from
His life as he healed the hur�ng and
reached out to those who were vic�ms of
this world’s violent system. So, in effect,
it’s us who are absent from the vic�ms of
violence, while God plunges Himself into
the fray.
Our plans to bring about peace in this
world are a fu�le endeavor because we
refuse to deal with the issue of the
human heart. While we lobby for gun
control and stand in silent protest, our
violent hearts remain unchanged. What it
comes down to is that we don’t want
God’s cure, we want temporary
fixes. It’s the same thing as having
a fever because of a sickness and
taking Tylenol; it may get rid of
the fever, but you are s�ll sick.
Elimina�ng a symptom doesn’t
cure the disease. The spread of
violence is only stopped when a
heart is made new through
repentance and a rela�onship
with Jesus Christ. It’s only then
that we begin to embrace Christ’s
mindset instead of this violent
world’s. It’s only when we truly
come to know God and understand His
character that we can clearly see His
rabid compassion at work in world full of
murder, terror and heartache.
God isn’t siFng on white clouds in a
LazyBoy, cackling at the pain we’ve
inflicted upon ourselves. God chose to be
born into a destruc�ve world and die by
our violent hands. He risked everything
to see to our eternal safety. He chose to
send His Son, Jesus Christ, to save the
souls of the people who killed Him and
hated Him. He has provided the way to
eternity with Him for those who will
abandon their rebellious lives and come
to Jesus. “For God loved the world so
much that He gave His one and only Son,
so that everyone who believes in Him will
not perish but have eternal life.”3
Before we can ask, Before we can ask, Before we can ask, Before we can ask, “Where is God in the “Where is God in the “Where is God in the “Where is God in the violence?” we need to violence?” we need to violence?” we need to violence?” we need to look at what really lies look at what really lies look at what really lies look at what really lies within each of us.within each of us.within each of us.within each of us.
continued on the next page...
12
So where is God in the violence? Here is where the Bible says He is:
• He is with the brokenhearted
• He is near to the oppressed
• He hears the cries of the poor
• He is a father to the orphan
• He knows every tear that is shed
• He brings jus�ce to vic�ms
• He is a refuge for those in trouble
• He was on the cross, taking on
Himself all the sin of the world, and
making a way for violent people to
be made right with God.4
The point is that God is WITH us. He is not absent, He is not
apathe�c, He sees, hears, knows and cares. The world is
broken and we’re all to blame. It’s clear from a brief viewing
of the nightly news that things aren’t geFng be(er. The
human heart apart from God will grow increasingly violent
un�l the day of Christ’s return to earth. However, God
con�nues to open the hearts of people who will come to Him
and receive a new heart. The heart He gives is one like His
own; one that throws itself into the fray on behalf of the
vic�mized, brokenhearted and oppressed. This new heart
longs for others to know las�ng peace instead of temporary
comfort in this world. God’s heart is grounded in the reality
of heaven. In heaven there is not a trace of violence except
for the scars that remain upon the hands of Jesus Christ as a
reminder of the violent death He died on our behalf. God will
fulfill His promise to His followers in Revela�on 21:4, “He will
wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no
more death or sorrow or crying or pain All these things are
gone forever.”
1: All verses cited from the New Living Transla�on Bible
2: Psalm 10:18, Ma(hew 23:37, John 11:35
3: John 3:16
4: Verses in order from top to bo(om: Luke 4:18, Ma(hew 5:3-10, Psalm
98:5, Psalm 56:8, Psalm 146:7, Psalm 9:9, Romans 6:10
13
H ave you ever wondered what it
takes for God to stop loving you? Is
it possible to have sinned so much,
pushed God away so far that it’s
impossible to come back? King
Manasseh of Israel probably pondered
that ques�on once.
Manasseh was born In what we would
consider today a “Chris�an family.” His
father wasn’t just any man; his father
was King Hezekiah. The Bible says that
Hezekiah, “…did what was pleasing in
the Lord’s sight, just as his ancestor
David had done.” His father not only
loved God, but also did many great
things for Him as king of the land of
Israel.
When Manasseh was 12 years old, he
was made king a?er his father’s death.
He began to undo all the noble things
his father had done. The book of II
Chronicles explains that he did more evil
than the na�ons that existed in that
region before them. Manasseh indulged
in sorcery, divina�on, and witchcra?.
He consulted mediums and psychics
instead of God; he used astrology, and
even par�cipated in satanic worship.
Manasseh defied God by seFng up idols
in the temple of God as well as had the
prophet Isaiah sawed in half. If all of
that wasn’t bad enough, he even
sacrificed his own children to false gods
by burning them alive, which was the
custom of pagan na�ons .
God wouldn’t let him get away with
these detestable acts forever. He spoke
to both Manasseh and his people but
they paid no a(en�on. They didn’t care
about God; to them God was as good as
dead.
Finally, God had enough, so He sent the
King of Assyria to conquer Manasseh
and his people. They captured
Manasseh, put a hook in his nose, bound
him in shackles and led him away. There
in a deep, dark, hopeless dungeon, with
moldy bread and stale water, thinking of
all the murder and the terrible things he
had done in his life, Manasseh hit rock
bo(om. However, as bleak as the
situa�on was , it was at this point that
Manasseh turned to God.
As much as Manasseh had rebelled
against God, He was not done with
Manasseh. The Bible says that Manasseh
humbled himself greatly before the Lord,
and God heard his prayer. God allowed
Manasseh to return to Jerusalem.
Manasseh knew that God alone
deserved his worship. He knew it was all
real. This changed his life forever;
Manasseh did a complete 180. A?er
returning to Jerusalem, he began to
reverse the evil he had previously done.
He even encouraged the people of Judah
to worship the Lord. Because of God’s
mercy and grace, Manasseh’s
rela�onship with God was restored.
Though Manasseh lived most of his life
apart from God, doing one horrible thing
a?er another, God was not done with
him. God would not let him do those
things forever. Manasseh deserved to die
for the horrible things he had done;
however, God was gracious towards him,
giving him �me to realize his hopeless
condi�on.
Centuries later, we once again see God’s
grace when He sent his only son Jesus
Christ to die on a cross and take the
penalty for all sin, including Manasseh’s.
Jesus suffered the wrath of God and the
penalty for all of our sins. He traded
places with Manasseh; He took
Manasseh’s sin, in all its terribleness, and
gave Manasseh His righteousness, in all
its goodness.
Nobody is too far gone from God to come
back to Him. Gala�ans 3:13 says, “When
Jesus was hung on the cross, He took
upon himself the curse for our
wrongdoing.” If you feel like your life is
beyond hope, beyond fixing, or you’ve
done too much damage to turn it around,
remember Manasseh and know that it’s
never too late. While you s�ll live, God is
never done with you.
Never Too Late
14
College life is hec�c and confusing.
As a student, my mind is
bombarded with a torrent of
ques�ons before I’ve even had �me
to take my first swig of coffee: How
will I finish everything I need to do?
What will my major be? Where will I
work a/er I graduate? What makes
me stand out as a person?
Somewhere along the line, a more
serious ques�on will most definitely
surface: Where does God fit into all
of this? We all ask it at some point
in our lives, and obtaining an
answer requires nothing less than a
whole-hearted pursuit. This sounds
exhaus�ng, doesn’t it? Is this pursuit
even possible on top of all the other
school-related tasks we have to
accomplish? Is this search
something that college students can
actually embark on? The Word on
the Street crew wanted to know
how this pursuit and applica�on of
the truth prac�cally played out in
the lives of UW-Stout students. We
got our answer as a panel of
graduates recently spoke at a Street
Level Ministries mee�ng. Each of
their stories shared a common
element: God sought them first, and
they responded.
For a lot of people, it takes a
disaster to kick them out of their
daily rou�ne and ques�on who God
is. Susie, a recent graphic design
graduate, grew up in church and
followed her boyfriend at the �me to
Stout. When the rela�onship ended,
she was le? without an iden�ty and
began to seek a?er Christ. Ben, also a
recent graduate, had gone through
the mo�ons of church his whole life.
However, it never had an impact on
him. When his father died, he began
to ques�on where God prac�cally fit
into his life. Another graduate in
computer engineering, Cory, began to
seek God a?er he got into a moped
accident. Jus�n, a recent graduate in
manufacturing engineering, had spent
his life trying to be a “good person.”
Anxiety ate away at him, and he
began to read the Bible for answers.
He realized that he was never going to
be good enough. Christ died because
there is no way man is ever going to
be moral enough to get to God on his
own. Jus�n recognized that he
needed a rela�onship with Jesus in
order to do that.
While each of these stories is
different, they share a similar trend:
Each iden�fied brokenness in their
lives and looked outside of
themselves for a cure. St. Augus�ne
commented that, “[God] made us for
[Himself], and our heart[s] are restless
un�l they rest in [Him].” These
students found their hearts restless
and hungry for something they
couldn’t iden�fy. It wasn’t un�l each
recognized that God was pursuing
them that they realized it was their
responsibility to respond. This
prac�cally played out for these
graduates by seeking a community of
other Chris�ans to be a part of and by
beginning a rela�onship with Christ.
Now, each of these former students
con�nues to seek what God has
planned for their lives.
Responding to the call of God didn’t
end here for these students. Being a
How can a college student have a strong relationship with God? Four recent Stout grads shared how God revealed Himself to them, and what their response led to in college and beyond.
PURSUIT & RESPONSE susie
ben
Ben had gone through the motions of church his whole life. However, it never had an impact on him. When his father died, he began to question where God practically fit into his life.
15
Chris�an does not consist of securing
a spot in Heaven and choosing to be
a moral person on the outside.
Mee�ng God causes your heart to
change, transforming you from the
inside out. He created each of us
with a dis�nct purpose, and a?er a
rela�onship with Him has begun, we
get to find out what that purpose is.
Cory has had the opportunity to be a
part of Street Level (a UW-Stout
organiza�on of Chris�ans on
campus) student leadership and now
serves in the Burning Dog Radio
(Stout’s only college radio sta�on
run by Jesus Fellowship of Believers
Church). Susie also was a part of
student leadership in Street Level, is
a writer for Word on the Street
magazine (the magazine you have in
your hands!), and recently came
back from a missions trip to the
Philippines. Jus�n serves in The Blind
Munchies Coffeehouse (a volunteer-
run coffeehouse under Jesus
Fellowship of Believers Church), and
Ben is a writer for Word on the
Street magazine as well. In addi�on
to these outward posi�ons of
service, each con�nues to deepen
their rela�onship with Christ and
discover what purpose they were
created for.
If your palms are geFng all sweaty
at the thought of this daun�ng quest
for God, you can take a breath. The
Bible says in Romans that no one
searches for God (3:11), and Jesus
sheds some light on the topic in John
when He stated that we did not
choose Him, but He chose us (15:16).
This leads to the conclusion that we
seek God because He’s seeking us.
Yeah, you read right. The God of the
universe loves you and wants to
have a rela�onship with you. He is
pursuing you as you pursue Him (see
James 4:8), so you’re not in this
alone. The heart of this quest is not
only believing the fact that Jesus
died, but understanding why. Christ
died in order to make a rela�onship
with God possible. It would be like
someone paying for your �cket into
a movie if you had no money. You
have the op�on to take the �cket
from them, try to pay for it yourself,
or decide you don’t want to see the
movie at all.
Christ’s death on the cross is a gi?, a
free payment for something that you
can never pay. You can believe that
He died, just like you can believe that
someone bought you a movie �cket.
However, in order to get into the
movie, you’ll need to respond and
take the �cket. Susie, Jus�n, Ben,
and Cory all saw that they could
never pay the price of having a
rela�onship with God. They acted on
this truth, and God never le? them
hanging during the process. If you
want to have a rela�onship with
God, you’re not alone. Acknowledge
you can’t pay the price required,
accept Christ’s gi?, and seek Him. He
will respond.
cory
justin
These students found their hearts restless and hungry for something they couldn’t identify. It wasn’t until each
recognized that God was pursuing them that they realized it was their responsibility to respond.
16
student at River Falls just moments before my
arrest, but then some of the fun I was having
with drugs got out of control and resulted in
a tragedy.
This was back in 2002. I was devastated in
jail, I didn't know where to turn or what to do,
and in walked some of the people from your
ministry for a Sunday service. They looked
like me, and were excited about God, and I
looked at them from my orange jumpsuit and
I was amazed. At that �me of my life I
couldn't imagine how people could be having
that much fun without drugs...
But when service ended, I remember looking
at them, and saying, "That's it, Whatever
those people have found that makes them act
that way and brings them that much real
happiness, that's what I want. That's what I'm
going to build my next life around.” And it all
began there with you." When I give my
tes�mony to people today, I s�ll tell them
about that day I met you. Over the years I've
told that story to thousands of people. This
story, which you've never heard about before
In 2003, Issue 15 of Word on the
Street magazine
featured the true story of an inmate’s
encounter with Jesus in jail. Bill had lived an
average life with a loving family and good
morals. When college arriving in a blinding
storm, he was caught up in a �de of
academics, social acceptance, drugs, sex and
rock n’ roll. This eventually landed him in jail,
where he began to read the Bible desperately
desiring to know truth. The last words of his
tes�mony, wri(en while he faced a ten year
prison sentence read as follows:
“I believe in God, Jesus as my Savior,
and faith. Faith that I’m alone for a
reason and faith that though I will fall
during this life, God will accompany
me through each trial.”
God has done just that in Bill’s life.
Jesus Fellowship of Believers church in
Menomonie, who first brought God’s
love to Bill in jail, received an amazing
le(er from him this year, ten years
a?er they had lost contact with him.
Here is what God has done.
Dear Jesus Fellowship of Believers
Church,
This le(er is going to be a Celebra�on
for all of us. We are about to be
reunited a?er a long journey apart. I'm a
tough guy, but I can feel my throat geFng
�ght as I speak. My name is Bill Banholzer and
I haven't been part of your church in many
years, but the love and direc�on you gave me
never le? me and s�ll guides me to this day.
Ten years ago I was incarcerated at the Dunn
County Jail and it's where I met your church
body and ministry for the first �me. At that
�me I was 21 years old and I was lost and
scared. I had been a dean's list college
now, has touched thousands of people and it
will touch many more because I'm not done
telling it. I've just started.
I ended up becoming extremely close with
your church during that �me I was in that
jail. I didn't know it when I first got there and
walked on to my first cell block, but I would
be there a whole year before I could move on
with my life. Your church provided me a
mentor at that �me who came to visit me
every week, and who was a role model for me
as I picked myself back up again. His name
was Travis Brodman, and we became really
good friends over that �me.
I also became very involved with many
different outreach programs you had
at the jail, and I was there every
Thursday night for the two hour
"intense" bible study. I remember
a?er my first Thursday session I asked
to quit the study because my brain I
couldn't take two hours of heavy
study. My a(en�on struggles to do
anything a?er an hour, and these
studies just kept going. But the jail
program director at the �me talked me
into trying it again, and I stuck it out.
Looking back on my life, staying in the
class was one of the top ten best
decisions I ever made, because those
are the studies that laid the founda�on
for all of the philosophy and wisdom
that s�ll guide my life. A?er three
months incarcerated, I gave my life 100% to
Jesus at one of your studies and I've never
looked back from that moment.
I actually have the Bible you provided me in
2003 for that moment and it's siFng on my
desk right now. I've carried this with me
everywhere since to remind me where I've
been. There's pen stains on it, and the
binding's cracking, but it's s�ll beau�ful to me
because it was a gi? from you at my weakest
moment which gave me the strength and
I was devastated in jail, I didn't know where to turn or what to do, and in walked some of the people from your ministry for a Sunday
service.
A few months ago, Jesus
Fellowship Church received
From Prison to Purpose
17
hope to believe that one day I'd have a
stronger moment if I just kept following
God. If you open it up it s�ll has the
signatures of the jail ministries guys that were
there that night. On your website I saw a
picture of Rich Sutliff, so I'd like both him and
his brother Tim to know that I've been
carrying around their names for the last ten
years. Whichever one plays guitar, tell him I
s�ll have a song of his wri(en down in the
back of it, "Father God and King" which I s�ll
hum from �me to �me.
From your website, I also see you s�ll have the
Street Level magazine in publica�on. I once
wrote an ar�cle that was published in that
magazine. Since we've lost contact, I've
actually become a writer and I always look
back on that ar�cle and say it was my first
published work. I s�ll have it in my house
now. But back to the story...
A?er a year in jail enjoying my journey
pursuing God with your church family, I finally
got to my sentencing date. Nothing looked
good. It was like the perfect storm of
everything going wrong and I found out the
night before that the district a(orney was
going to ask for twenty years. My parents of
course started freaking out because I come
from a good family and they couldn't
understand how this all happened.
They've told this story many �mes over the
last ten years… "As parents we were just in a
blind panic and we called our pastor and he
just gave us a psalm scripture and hung
up...but then we called (Calvary) and they
talked with us, and even sent people out to
the courtroom to make sure we were
OK." That's when they say, "We learned what
a real church was like that day." Your church
impacted their lives and everyone who has
heard that story since.
I ended up surviving that nightmare court
hearing but I s�ll had to carry the burden of
doing the next ten years in prison before I
could be set free on this earth again. Your
en�re prison ministry team at the �me prayed
for my safety and determina�on to make it
through. I was on the bus going to prison the
next morning and that's the last �me I was
part of your church body or saw any of
you. But obviously as you can tell now, I
didn't forget your love or stop being a
Chris�an, I just became really pa�ent and
made my rela�onship with Christ extremely
strong so that when my second chance did
come - and God promised me it would come
one day - I would be ready.
I could talk about my journey through prison
forever. In my eyes it was an extremely
interes�ng journey to another planet where I
how one can go and reach theirs. It's my love
and passion. Because I'm actually a writer,
I've built my own blog/website which I plan
on growing in the coming years. I have three
writers wri�ng on it now. We're going to start
with quality wri�ng because that's what we
do best. It's been up for a month and we've
already hit 1,000 views so I'm happy my goals
and God's plan are moving in the right
direc�on. I would be honored if
you'd check it out. It's called The Purpose
Pages. Like the Yellow Pages. Except for all
life purpose stuff.
So that's where I'm at now. One of your
brothers is home, doing well, and just wanted
you to see that that li(le mustard seed you
helped plant many years ago is s�ll growing
and blessing others as I live my life. I've never
forgo(en how you helped develop me get to
where I am today.
Bill Banholzer
learned a new way to cope, I laughed at
�mes, and even experienced awe seeing what
God was doing with my life. I became
comfortable just being myself, and in ten
years I never even had a single physical
alterca�on happen to me. My walk with God
through that valley kept me extremely
safe. The only gang I joined was with the
Chris�ans and they all became my
friends. My character became respected, so I
was able to share what I'd found with so
many others who came from places so
different from me. I was even chosen by my
inmate peers and staff to be a featured
speaker in a program where high school
classes would come into the prison and our
group would talk about making good
decisions. And between all of this, I was
always wri�ng. That's where I found my
peace, and it gave me purpose, because I felt
like I was wri�ng my new life story.
This last summer is when my �me finally
came due. On August 21st, I walked out of
that concrete planet, and into a free parking
lot where my family was wai�ng. It was a
perfect morning filled with sunshine - a great
way to start a new adventure. We drove
from Green Bay all the way home to where
I'm originally from in St. Paul, Minnesota. I
registered for college before I got out, so five
days a?er I was free, I started my senior year
to finally finish my bachelors degree. I
got straight A's for fall term. As you can tell,
even though my freedom was taken away, my
mind was never locked up. I was s�ll free
every day to improve my heart, mind, and
spirit anyway I wanted. Even though I was
gone from the world, I was using it to prepare
every day for my second chance God told me
would come. I plan on gradua�ng in business
communica�ons this summer.
For my first couple months I was trying new
churches. But I think I recently found mine at
Substance Church in the northern suburbs. I
felt like when I walked in, I was immediately
amongst my friends even though I didn't
know anyone, and they responded the same
way to me. There were warriors there and
that's what I've been looking for since I've
been home.
While I was gone I actually became a
philosopher on what a life purpose is and
my second chance God told me would come.
I was using it to prepare every Even though I was gone from the world,
Read Bill’s amazing blog: PurposePages.com
18
I t’s hard for people to keep themselves from
praying when they know they’re about to
die. It just comes out. It’s like a reflex. Many
�mes it’s an a(empt to coerce God into revers-
ing their fate, but some�mes it’s not. And un-
less your death is unexpected and instant,
you’ll probably have something to say to God
about your own departure when the �me
comes.
In John 17 we read the prayer of a dying man.
Jesus knew His �me had come. In a few mo-
ments He would be going to court where He’d
be found guilty of a crime He didn’t commit. In
a few hours He would be sentenced to a death
He didn’t deserve. And by this �me tomorrow,
He would be executed. None of this, however,
took Him by surprise, which le? Him �me to
pray. And pray He did. John 17 records that
prayer, and it reveals the things that were at
the forefront of Jesus’ mind. He prays for what
is most important to Him while He was s�ll
around…and the things that He desired most
when He was gone.
In verse 13 Jesus prays for something par�cu-
larly baffling. As He’s praying for His disciples,
He expresses a hope that His joy would be ful-
filled in them. Jesus is praying to God, that God
would allow the disciples to feel the same joy
that Jesus had. Why is this so baffling? Because
how could Jesus, just hours before His own
torture and execu�on, have any joy at all? Was
there really anything par�cularly joyous about
the occasion in which Jesus found Himself? And
furthermore, couldn’t we almost charge Him with
cruelty for praying to God that the same quanda-
ry may be felt by others…par�cularly, those clos-
est to Him?
There are two kinds of joy in this life. There is a
joy that can be felt in the denial of responsibility,
the indulgence of the flesh, and commiFng of
various sins. Even the Bible itself acknowledges
that these things can bring pleasure (albeit tem-
porary). But then there is another kind of joy that
comes in the denial of self, the discipline of the
flesh, and the repentance of sins. In other words,
one guy finds a certain amount of joy by calling in
sick and staying home to play video games and
eat junk food all day, while another man finds a
different kind of joy altogether, because his is
acquired by working hard all day and coming
home exhausted.
Jesus is experiencing an exclusive type of joy that
is reserved only for those who are willing to ven-
ture down the long, hard, self-denying road of
sacrifice. His work is done (vs. 4) and hard work it
was. His was the kind of joy that won’t necessari-
ly be felt to the fullest as you travel that road,
but rather when you successfully arrive at the
very end of it. It’s the joy that’s felt by those who
succeed in laying down their life for their broth-
er. It’s the seldom experienced joy that will only
be felt by the faithfully brave who follow Jesus to
the very end…and that’s precisely why Jesus felt
the need to pray for it on behalf of others. Had
not Jesus prayed for some to experience this joy,
it’s likely that no one would. Unless God were to
intervene on our behalf, none of us would
naturally choose that path for ourselves.
That the average Chris�an would ever follow
Christ to the very end was so improbable, that
Jesus felt the need, in His last hour, to ask
God to intervene in the lives of some, causing
them to go where they would rather not, in
order to experience a joy that they could nev-
er top. Jesus here, on the day of His death, is
interceding on behalf of those who would
otherwise pass on the opportunity to have His
joy. This prayer has been answered through
the succeeding centuries as a few select men
and women have forsaken the en�cements of
the world, denied themselves of worldly
pleasures, and risked their own physical bod-
ies to follow Christ and accomplish God’s
purpose for them. The tragedy is when this
prayer of Jesus goes unanswered because too
many people are content to live vicariously
through those who have actually given their
lives to feel this joy.
Some�mes we make too much of whether or
not Jesus is responding to our prayers, and
too li(le of whether or not we are responding
to His. Jesus prayed for you long ago, and s�ll
does today. Are His prayers being answered?
Are you en route to feeling the same joy that
Jesus did at the end of His road? Will you feel
that joy at the end of yours?
Jesus Prays For Your Joy A Pastor’s Perspective
19
Sources & References
Zach Brown
Band
Street Level Ministries
30 N. 58th Ave. W.
Duluth, MN 55807
Eclipse it.
How does the man on the moon cut his hair?
Gun: thedailyflogblog.com
Girl in Orphan Resolve: julie-rc_deviant art
Blood spla(er in Where is God: officialpsds.com
Never Too Late: kylethompsonphotography.com
Pastor’s Perspec�ve: Alex Stoddard on Flickr
Back cover photo: Copyright Vincent Bourilhon
CHRISTIANBALE?
20