with an excerpt from The Secret
          by Mark Miller and Ken Blanchard

The two greatest commandments that Christ instructs his followers to obey are: to love God with one's whole being and to love one's neighbor as one loves oneself. In most cases, you hear these sayings your entire life, even if your upbringing hasn't necessarily been Christian. Many in the church seem to pride themselves on doing a great job following the love of God command, as they attend church regularly, have rigorous quiet time schedules, go to their small groups, and are faithful in tithing. Some of the same also think that they are doing a great job of loving one's neighbor, most likely because all of their neighbors are easy to love - fellow church members, other deacons, people they like to be around, and amicable colleagues. However, I myself have been driven to examine whether these types of love are the types of love that these commandments describe and exhort.

Do these two commands have anything to do with each other? The love of God seems obvious as a great command, but why love of neighbor? The more I study this passage, the more I am convinced that these two commands are intrinsically linked together and related in practice. I believe a proper understanding of these commands will recognize that true and genuine love of God always manifests itself into the love of one's neighbor. If we acknowledge this much, we are then prompted to ask ourselves "Who is my neighbor?"

I spent the entirety of this past year living and working in Orlando. Having just moved out of Orlando when Hurricane Charley devastated the state and surrounding local areas, I was deeply concerned for my friends and for the people in Charley's path. One of the most touching news clips showed the downtown Orlando area as the storm was approaching. In the background, I noticed an elderly lady who was very clearly homeless, pushing her cart around frantically trying to find some sort of shelter before the 80 mile and hour wind gusts picked up any further. There were no people around to help her, except the camera operator, and I'm pretty sure nothing was ever done to assist her.

We may be moved by stories such as this one, but aside from shaking our heads and feeling sorry for those in need, what are we as Christians actually doing about it? Do we take time to love people like her? Or do we most often brush people like that aside, assuming others will attend to their situation? If she is not our neighbor, then who is? Where is the line drawn between those who we choose to love and those who we choose to ignore? Worse yet, if we choose to love her, does it consist of just walking up to her, handing her a twenty dollar bill and a tract, saying "God bless you" and then walking away?

My friends, true love of God that enables us to be genuinely effective as salt and light is a type of love that transforms us from the inside and motivates us to clear action. Don't do nothing when it is your calling and within your ability to do something. If not us as the body of Christ, then who? To quote a popular song by the group Casting Crowns, "if we are the body, why aren't his arms reaching? Why aren't his hands healing? Why aren't his words teaching? If we are the body, why aren't his feet going? Why is His love not showing them there is a way?" Let us be motivated to take effective action as salt and light in showing the genuine love of Christ to all of our neighbors.

I have had the opportunity of being involved with Student Leadership University for the past four summers. I have attended all four years of the program as well as having had the opportunity to work as an intern at 101 and 201 this past summer. Each summer, I experience something new and different, and each time I learn new things, see new places, and meet new people. SLU had helped me mature as a Christian leader and has given me a tremendous head start over my friends and classmates. There are numerous life skills and applications that I have learned over the years but time management and seeing the big picture are the two that really impacted me. 

Time management is an area in which today’s students struggle, but SLU gave me the tools and knowledge necessary to become more organized and efficient. Time management is such an easy concept to grasp but also requires much discipline. I have learned to keep a prioritized task list and one calendar for all my activities. Planning a few minutes everyday has given me more free time and gotten rid of almost all my procrastination. The concepts taught are probably unknown to many business executives today, but SLU has worked in all areas of the program to give me a twenty-year head start. 

Also, SLU taught me how to see the big picture and encouraged me to have personal visions, dreams, goals, and aspirations. Walt Disney said that a dream is “Just imagine if…” After attending SLU 101, I said to myself “Just imagine if I could graduate number one in my class,” “Just imagine if I could attend any college I wanted to,” “Just imagine if I could play basketball in college.”

All these dreams are coming true in my life thanks to specific goals with a set time and direction. I am no longer narrow-sighted, but instead I see the big picture and show initiative in my leadership.

SLU was four dynamic years of leadership training while getting to see the world and experience different cultures and I can attribute any leadership successes to the high-quality training I received there.  God has used this ministry to change my life and has started to show me the plans He has for me. 

As Dr. Jay promised, I honestly believe that I am a better leader today thanks to the “places I’ve been, the people I’ve met, and the books I’ve read.”

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’” Jeremiah 29:11

Justin Miller is an emerging young leader who has been through SLU and has served as an SLU intern for our 101 and 201 programs.

With our largest enrollment ever as well as the great feedback we have received, we are already on our way to planning an even more incredible SLU experience for next summer!

Also, thank you for those who expressed concern and prayed for our well-being as well as that of others in dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Charley. We were incredibly fortunate; however, many others around the city did not fare as well, so we encourage you to continue keeping them in your prayers.

Our SLU 2005 dates have finally been released! Although the exact dates for SLU 201 and SLU 401 are still pending, the dates for our 101, 301, COW, and YPS programs have been established. You can view our 2005 schedule online here.

Do you have a testimony or a story about something you've learned or experienced at Student Leadership this summer? E-mail it to us!

We want to hear from you! Thanks to many of you who have either called in, written, or e-mailed us to let us know how SLU has affected your life. We are truly blessed to be a part of God's work in your lives!

Feel free to give us a call at any time to let us know how you are doing! Our toll-free number is 1-888-260-2900. Continue to stay tuned to our website for the latest news and developments.

We wish you many blessings as you head back to school. Don't forget to let us hear from you! Have an incredible fall!

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To view past editions of The Edge, check out our archive here.
Questions or comments are always welcome. E-mail us at edge@studentleadership.net