One of the most effective things that we have done in a dnow weekend happened unplanned. Dnow was scheduled for January but because of weather issues we had to postpone. Because of the new date, we had to rework everything from band, and leaders, and in the process our Saturday night speaker became unavailable.

In processing what we needed to do with the Saturday evening service, I thought and prayed about the purpose. The purpose of the service was to show the reality and need for God in our lives. I thought about how we could convey that message in a way that would apply to all of the different students attending. In thinking through this we came up with the idea of a panel discussion. We asked four former students to share their testimony. In different ways they shared how they came to believe in God, and how that changed their lives.

Each former student shared different themes from their life including: struggling with secret issues, struggling with death of loved one, and the power of knowing God's purpose in life. Each one touched students in different ways.

These college students helped me too. At times in life, you wonder if you are where you should be. You wonder if you are effective, and if you are making a difference. I was there again (I have been there before) In hearing these students share, I was encouraged to keep going in my purpose. It was amazing to hear each student talk about major themes that we teach, and how it has been a guide in their lives. These four "alumni' HR, Allison, Jared B, and Emily helped many by sharing their lives through their words, and I was one of them.