Dear Friends,

He is Risen indeed! We’re so excited to celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection, the foundation of our faith and the source of our hope. The rescue of humanity reached its apex, both in the suffering and death of God’s Son and in His eternally victorious resurrection. The world was not to be the same; nor was mankind’s position before God. He made a way for us, the true author and perfecter of our faith, who endured the cross and despised the shame it brought. With everlasting joy in His eyes he took on our sin and the full weight of its penalty, and now sits triumphantly at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). Hallelujah!
It’s been a busy month, and God has been providing as we seek new financial ministry partners. Hope you enjoy the updates and pics!

From The Finishers

Jason’s book, The Finishers, has been received very well as it finds an audience at conferences and online. We thought we’d take the opportunity to share a brief excerpt. If you’re interested in ordering, please email Jason – copies can be purchased for 8 dollars. You can also check it out at www.thefinishers.org.

‘The money is there. The manpower is there. The momentum exists. The world is as connected as it’s ever been. The technological possibilities are at hand. These elements, coupled with the remarkable potency of people your age and the atmospheric potential of what can happen in your lifetime, are like highly reactive elements being mixed together in a chemistry lab. Only the simple introduction of a catalyst will cause it all to combust. That catalyst is the Holy Spirit, and we’re praying that He sparks a powerful movement out of your generation, an awakening that finishes the Great Commission.
    God has already been raising up this movement around the globe, as churches in lesser developed nations are unleashing thousands of missionaries across their borders. As we saw in the graphs earlier in this chapter, the wave of the Great Commission has been cresting and is about to break onshore. As it does, will you be with it?
    From here on out, we’ll be calling those who are willing to stand up and be counted in God’s work to finish His Great Commission “The Finishers.” Being a Finisher may mean going to the front lines, where the Gospel has yet to go. It might mean staying at home and entering a church or parachurch ministry, seeking to reach people for Christ and raise them up as laborers to go to the world. Or it might mean going into the marketplace, reaching people there and committing to pray, give, and mobilize others to do the same. All are needed; it’s far too great a task for just a few. Finishing the Great Commission requires strategy, funding, people, and much prayer. It also requires some significant perspective and conviction changes in your heart.’

Update on the Kids

Hannah and Evie are doing great! Hannah is enjoying preschool and gymnastics, and last week at church did a great job singing renditions of Hosanna and Amazing Grace with the other kids. She loves her little sis too. Evie is growing and healthy, and we couldn’t be more thankful for them both.

Prayer Requests

For our team as we enter into Fall Planning – for wisdom, obedience, and faith!
For Hannah and Evie to continue growing and bonding, and for them to grow to know and love Jesus!
For God to continue allowing us to connect with new partners and build good relationships!
For connection for Maria and I – two kids stretch your time and the support raising schedule is erratic.

For the Glory of God,

Jason and Maria

Dear Friends,

Please join us in celebration – Evangeline Grace Weimer is here! After days of false labor, and an intense night in which Maria labored without any medication (I’m so proud of her!), our little Evie was born at 3:30am on February 12. Mom and baby are both  healthy and happy, and we are blessed to have a content little sleeper. Hannah is loving being a big sister and it’s been a fun 2 weeks for our family. We praise God for this little one, who is “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) in His image. Understandably, we want to show her off – so here are some photos from her first 2 weeks!

2012 is here!! It’s unbelievable to think that this time last year we were in Melbourne and now we’re home in Pittsburgh and getting ready to have our baby girl! We spent Christmas with our families and had our annual conference, Radiate, between Christmas and New Years. At Radiate we also had our last time with our STINT team (the team of Americans we spent the year with in Australia) and talked about things we celebrate and what has been hard in the transition back to the US. We had a great chance to catch up with staff friends we haven’t seen since last year and have some great conversations with our supervisors. We also celebrated opening our first box of Jason’s published book, The Finishers!  It was an exciting moment for all of us who shared it, and he was even asked to sign a few copies.  It was on sale for students to purchase and we were excited that 4 boxes were sold while we were there!  It’s being unveiled at Christmas Conferences around the country this week and is available online at www.thefinishers.org.

We will be going into a time of raising support full-time before we transition back into leadership in Pittsburgh. We have about $1800/month to raise so we’d love your prayers for our time doing that. Support raising time is also great for personal development, so we’ll be reading books and doing some intentional things to help us develop as individuals and leaders.

Of course, we’re also awaiting Evie’s arrival too! Hannah is still very excited and asks almost every day when Evie will come out. She’s so excited to have a little sister. She started pre-school today and really loved it! She’s going to the school at the bottom of our street and already said how everyone is her friend! Here’s a picture of her and Jason when we got into the school. She’ll go for just a few hours in the morning a few times per week. We’re hoping it’ll be special for her as well as give me some special time with Evie once she arrives.

Campus Crusade for Christ — Christmas Thank You from Masterworks on Vimeo.

We are settling in our house in Pittsburgh and reconnecting with good friends and teammates here.  It’s been a really good transition so far; the rest of the team is still in Australia until December 10th, and then we’ll all be together again at the Radiate conference after Christmas for our debrief.  We are adjusting well – we’re adjusted to the time change and we’re getting our house more and more ready for baby Evie (Evangeline Grace is her name!) to come in February.  We’ll be looking at some preschools for Hannah in the next few weeks to see where she can be enrolled for the New Year.  It’s fun to be back in our own house, with our dog and stuff – Hannah has especially enjoyed finding her toys that we left here – it’s like Christmas every day!  So we are continuing to process how our lives have changed over this year as well as how our culture at home has changed and how we need to adjust.  Hannah turned 4 after Thanksgiving and had a big birthday party which we’ve included some pictures from!  Enjoy!

(Note: this was originally posted to my college football blog – www.thefroshfifteen.blogspot.com)

We are Penn State.

More than a mere rallying cry, this mantra reflects a near universal truth in college athletics: fans and alumni are more intertwined with the team here than in any other sport. This is mostly due to the fact that we have given tens of thousands of dollars to a particular school and rightly can claim at least a slice of ownership. I lived out the four most influential years of my life at Penn State, and I (well, my parents), shelled out more than a few paychecks that helped line lots of Nittany Lion pockets. I’ve earned the right to cry out “We Are Penn State” with full throat.

And yet this level of passion, so often celebrated when people tick off reasons why college football is the best sport in America, has a subtle dark edge. Perhaps uninhibited zeal for a simple game, even when it’s so deeply tied to a place of significant financial and emotional investment, is dangerous. More than that, it’s idolatrous and will only lead to disappointment.

In the three weeks since the Penn State scandal erupted, I have experienced a wide range of emotions: shock, sadness, outrage, confusion, anger. And I’ve contemplated a number of things to write about, though until now I’ve either felt that it wasn’t the right time, or haven’t had enough of my thoughts together to be able to communicate anything intelligible or meaningful. I’ve had to process through the shocking series of events and converse with other Penn Staters about what we’ve seen and what it means.

It has been brutal. Penn State has the reputation of being a squeaky clean place, but my experience there has proven it to be otherwise: it is very much the typical college campus, full of drunken destruction, riotous raging, and every other type of immorality found at any American college campus. Even so, this scandal has been completely unexpected and deflating. Watching the constant news cycle, even from the other side of the world, was surreal. Each day brought devastating new surprises: is a 20 year path of child sex abuse really possible from such a public figure? Did Tim Curly really lie to a grand jury? Did they really just fire Joe Paterno?

In addition to the immediate and infinitely more devastating damage of the victimized children, this affair has brought the collateral damage of dragging the Penn State name through a sizable puddle of grime. That is one of the primary reasons so many of us Penn Staters have reacted so strongly: in some way, our reputations are tied to the university’s. If we are Penn State, we are directly affected by everything we’ve watched unfold in State College.

This is one of the uncomfortable realizations I’ve had during this time: just how much of my identity belongs to Penn State.

It’s understandable, of course. Like many, I came of age in college, and I have hundreds of wonderful memories from that campus. Those days, in many ways, were the best of my life. My deepest friendships were formed there, I met my wife there, I learned what it meant to be a man there, and most importantly, I began to follow Jesus there. This event, and to a lesser degree the others, truly shaped my life. A foundation was poured, cured, and anchored at Penn State, and though the place itself had nothing to do with it, the setting of Penn State became a treasured, almost mystical, place in my life.

Now, none of this has anything to do with football. But at Penn State, everything has to do with football. It’s the face of the university, and has become, apart from my relationships, the strongest remaining connection to that place and that part of my life. Because it’s such a part of life at Penn State, you form a bond with the football program and it becomes more than just a team. It does become the face of the university. This is why passion among college football fans runs so deep – your heart and your life are in some way a part of that campus, and by reciprocation, that team. When you watch them take the field on Saturdays, you vicariously live out a part of your college experience. It’s an emotional connection that’s difficult to describe, yet very tangible and real.

I reacted with more outrage to Joe Paterno’s firing than to the heinous crimes committed against young boys. It was an uncomfortable thing to recognize, and upon reflection I came face to face with two unsettling things: I was exalting a man beyond what he deserved, thinking that JoePa wasn’t capable of anything more than passing transgressions; and the fact that my strongest emotional response was tied to the demise of the football program rather than the physical and emotional trauma done to innocent minors showed me that I was far too attached to that program. It pointed to a problem of identity – I was finding a significant part of my identity in Penn State, much of it through the football program. Essentially, this is an issue of idolatry.

Your identity is what makes you, you. It is how you define yourself, how you want others to perceive you. You ascribe your worth as a person to the things you base your identity on. You find value in it. The things you identify with become powerful; they dictate your demeanor. When they look good, you hold your head up higher. When they look bad, you share in the shame.

We find our identity in lots of things. We find it in a job (I am an engineer). We find it in a hobby (I am a golf nut). We find it in family (I am a Weimer, or I am a father). We find it in what we like (I am a LOST fan). We find it in personality or temperament (I am friendly and competitive). We find it in where we live (I am a member of this gated community). We find it in where we went to school or what football team we follow (We are Penn State).

The problem with this (or, should I say, one of the many) is that these things will always fail us. Without question. We’ll end up dissatisfied with job or house or possessions, or something will happen to tarnish the worth of what we identify with, like the scandal engulfing Penn State.

This is what has happened to me and many other Penn Staters. Penn State fell from grace, and a part of us did too. You could see it in the reaction to Paterno’s firing as well. So many Penn Staters were instantaneous in our defense of JoePa. We assumed that there was no way he would not go the extra mile, or worse, potentially be involved in some sort of massive cover up. We placed too much stock in a mere man, who is just as flawed, broken, and fallible as any. We placed him on a pedestal he didn’t deserve. We made him, and the university and football team, out to be more than it should be. We became idolatrous. And this scandal exposed us as much as it did the people directly involved. It exposed us as people far too ready to trust in men, far too quick to find part of our worth in a team or a game, and far too eager to let “we are Penn State” mean too much.

Incidentally, this overinflation of program and coach had something to do with what happened over the last 15 years. Whether to a small degree or an uncomfortably large one, the power and prestige of the Penn State football program had a direct affect on Jerry Sandusky being (allegedly) enabled to abuse young boys. Like it or not, it’s true.

As I’m faced with my own misplaced identity (which I also misplace in dozens of different ways), I’m saddened over my foolishness and sin, and motivated to change. As a Christian, I’ve found that life involves a series of intentional choices to place Christ above all else. It doesn’t happen all at once, even if I think it does. When faced with situations like these, I’m faced with the clinging roots of my own idolatry and moved to surrender to Christ and allow him to chop those roots down.

When it comes to identity, if the things we so commonly place our identity in inevitably fail us, where do we turn? This is a significant question, one worth pondering for any college football fan, or any sports fan or human being in general. Who am I? How am I defined? Is a university, a sports team, or a job truly where I want the sum of my worth to be found in?

I’m persuaded to believe that there is only one place my identity, my worth, my personhood is worthy of. It’s in Jesus Christ. He is the only one who will not let me down. As the Creator of the world, He is infinitely supreme and powerful. As the Sustainer of it, He is in full control. As the Savior of humanity, He is worth my full devotion. As the King of Kings, He rightfully deserves my submission. And He is supremely worthy of it. As the Apostle Paul states in book of Colossians:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
If these things are true of Jesus, and I sincerely believe they are, there can be no nobler aim than to follow Him, exalt Him, and live fully for Him and His purposes. I want to find my full identity in Him, saying “I am a follower of Jesus. I belong to Him. He possesses me. His death is full payment for my sin, it no longer has a grip on me. His righteousness and character are given freely to me and they now define my character and righteousness. I am His.”

As I go through life, I want to continue to dive deeper into this. I hope that you do as well. I hope that you can join me on the journey of escaping the empty identities of the world and embracing a rich identity in Christ.

We are Penn State. Yes, but in a much smaller sense. I’m affiliated with the university and always will be – it was a significant part of my life – but it does not define me.

Hi Friends,

I’m sure you are well aware of the events surrounding the Penn State campus this week. As alumni, we are feeling a wide mix of emotions: shock, horror, outrage, confusion, shame, sadness, and even a bit of pride in watching how the football team and fans responded on Saturday.

Some of you may not be aware of what has been happening on campus beyond what is shown on TV or seen in headlines. The darkness around Penn State and this awful case is thick, but God’s light is bursting through. We are still very connected with the Cru ministry on campus, and thought we’d post something directly from there as an encouragement and a glimpse of some of the under the radar things God is doing. Last week, after the case broke and the fallout from hit happened, Cru had their weekly meeting. It was on a Thursday, less than 24 hours after rioting broke out following the firing of Joe Paterno. Tim Henderson, Cru’s campus director both now as well as when we were students, gave a heartfelt, stirring, thought-provoking message to the gathered group of students. What is posted below is a shortened version of that talk. This, the full transcript, and the audio version of the talk have circulated around the internet at a rapid pace, even becoming a feature piece on the Gospel Coalition website. It’s entitled ‘Love Notices Wet Hair.’ Please give it a read and a thought!

Ultimate Love

We are about to get going on our 20 hour journey back to Pittsburgh, PA in just a few days.  We’re having a going away party today (Sunday) with our team, friends from church and students.  Monday we’ll close up life here and then we leave Melbourne Tuesday afternoon.  It’s amazing to think how both slowly and quickly these last 11 months have gone and that’s we’ve even been out of the US for that long.  A lot has changed in our lives and the way we live and think about the world and it’ll be interesting to see how it goes adjusting back to life in the US.  We are excited to see our family and friends in Pittsburgh but know that God will continue working in our lives in the areas He brought light to this year, so we’ll let you know how we’re going as we go through it!  It’ll be hard to say in a brief conversation what this year was like for us but as you ask, we’ll do our best!

How do we wrap this up?!

Well, it’s amazing that our year in Melbourne is coming to an end.  We will be heading home to Pittsburgh, PA on November 15, so this will be our last prayer letter for the year (although we probably will update our website a few times, so check out www.theweimers.net for pictures and updates).

How can we wrap this year up?  I don’t think we’ll be able to completely share all that God has done in our lives and through the ministry of Student Life but we hope you’ve been able to track with us this year.  As we look back, we do see some ways God has changed us and opened our eyes to His work around the world and in our own hearts.  Some of the pains of growth we’ve felt this year have come in the form of God unifying us as a family – something we began praying for back in 2010 when we decided to do STINT this year.  God has definitely shown us this year how important our family is and what a priority parenthood needs to be in our lives.  This means being a learner even in this area – and really knowing our children and what they need and what makes them tick.  It also has meant learning more about ourselves and our natural tendencies and when we need to modify them to meet others’ needs.  We’ve also seen how important it is to keep growing and learning about one another in our marriage – and the great value and priority we need to put on that as well.  We’ve learned that Jason is a verbal processor and I’m an internal processor, which has both freed us up to be more of who we really are but also called us to sacrifice for one another – giving each other the space we might need and the time we might need.

We knew that God would continue His work in us (Philippians 1:6) and more while we were here, not just that we were coming to serve Him and do a great work for His glory, and we’re excited to see how He has changed us as we re-enter life in the United States.

Please pray for us, that our hearts would stay open amidst the craziness we are returning to with the holidays coming up just as we get home to Pittsburgh.  It would be easy to just go, go, go, instead of taking time to reflect or allowing ourselves to experience culture shock.  Pray for us to walk by faith through the time at home.

Please pray for safety in traveling too.  Maria will be 27 weeks along in the pregnancy when we take our 20+ hour journey from Melbourne to Pittsburgh.  Pray that the baby would deal well with pressure changes and that Maria wouldn’t develop any blood clots or other potentially harmful effects of flying.

Please pray that we would adjust well to being back in Pittsburgh.  We are really excited for it and are looking forward to being in our own home, beds, around our own stuff, and friends and family!

It’s…another girl!

We couldn’t believe it (again) when we found out that Hannah will be having a little sister!  We are thrilled because we saw her legs, arms, heart, brain, spine, etc. and everything looks great!  Praise God for His glorious blessing!!!  (Now if we could just agree on a name…)

Thank you for continuing to support us as we’ve taken this unique journey to the other side of the world to be able to know Jesus more and His heart for all people.  We hope you’ve been blessed and encouraged to hear what has gone on in Melbourne this year, and we will be sure to continue sharing updates as we hear them as well.  We are excited for what God has for us in this upcoming season in Pittsburgh. Thanks for sending us as your ambassadors to college students for the glory of Jesus and His great gospel!