This is the scene for a humorous TV commercial advertising “Power Bar”.

Approaching the finish line, he is obviously very weak. He staggers toward the tape, stretches out his arms, but instead of breaking through the tape, he is bounced backwards off the tape and onto the pavement.

While he lies there on his back wondering what happened, other runners run by to claim the victory. The slogan appears on the screen: “Don’t Bonk”!

This is exactly what Paul is trying to communicate in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. He says, “Do you not know that those who rin in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win...Therefore I run in such a way as not without aim...I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.”

In other words, “Don’t Bonk!”

Paul likens the Christian life to a race. After running strong, he feared that he might “bonk” at the end and lose the prize.

Likewise, Dave and I feel like we have gotten off to a strong start this year. But we are hoping that we will finish strong and not “bonk.”

We started the year with only a vision-a vision to raise up a movement on campus that would reach every student on campus and send laborers to the world.

Though it will take time to build that kind of movement, God has blessed us beyond our wildest expectations.

As we’re ending the year, we have well over 20 students involved in our minstry and most of them are freshmen.

What has been even more exciting is the fact that we had so many students asking us back in January about summer mission projects.

We really didn’t think that we would have any students going on summer projects this year because the type of student who goes on a project is a leader who is ready to share his faith with others and lead the charge back on campus in the fall.

Students who go on summer projects live in a spiritual greenhouse for 10-12 weeks. Dave and I both went on summer projects as students. They contributed tremendously to our spiritual growth and our desire to invest our lives in what is eternal.

To our amazement, we have SIX students going on summer projects! Our prayer is that they will come back with a vision to reach UC Davis for Christ, and that their vision will be contagious with the other students who are involved.

Please pray for them specifically this summer. They are wonderful students with a passion to get to know God better.

As a group we want to finish this school year strong so we can impart a vision to our students and show them what God can accomplish through us as a group next year. Pray for us as we continue to lead these students.

One of the most rewarding things that I have seen this year is the huge growth in the lives of the students with whom we have been working.

I have been doing a one-on-one Bible study with a girl named Jenny. She is a new Christian, and she has been learning a lot about her new relationship with God. She told me that she has been able to answer some questions about spiritual things for her boyfriend, and she is very excited about learning more.

She said, “Jen, I feel like I am learning so much great stuff that my head is going to explode! I just want to learn more and more!”

It’s people like Jenny who motivate and inspire us to not only finish the race, but finish strong.

It is exciting to envision a time in our movement at UC Davis when we are big enough to share with each and every student on campus how they can have a relationship with God.

Thanks for your partnership with us. We can’t wait to see what God does next year here at UC Davis.