For most high school and college students, summer is officially over and the new school year has begun. All around the country, school campuses are full of nervous freshmen trying hard to plug into campus life, make new friends, and get their personal and spiritual lives organized. If you’re an upperclassman, that means there’s plenty of opportunity to reach out to new students who could use a helping hand as they adjust to school life.

Several articles at StudentSoul.org look specifically at the challenges and opportunities of campus ministry during the opening weeks of the school year:

• The Power of a Personal Invitation: if you’re an upperclassman, you might be surprised how much of an encouragement you can be to a new student trying to find their way around campus life!
• Help, I’m a Freshman! remember how overwhelming your freshman year was? Here are a few ideas to help you lend a helping hand to new students on campus.
• New Student Outreach: Get Ready! a list of some fun and unique ways to minister to your fellow students.

If you’re an upperclassman, you’re in a unique opportunity to help struggling freshmen on your campus. Next time you see a freshman wandering lost around campus, don’t point and laugh—think about how you can show Christlike love and encouragement to them. And keep an eye on StudentSoul.org for more ministry ideas like the ones above.

Turning water to wine… walking on water… healing the sick and raising the dead. All are activities attributed to Jesus during his ministry—but did they really happen? Isn’t it more likely that these are myths invented (or at least embellished) by his followers?

A new blog post at Faith Facts presents ten reasons to take those miraculous stories seriously, rather than chalking them up to the imaginations of Jesus’ disciples. Lots of links and Scripture references to explore there—and if you’re interested in reading more about Jesus’ miracles, see their more thorough page about the importance of Jesus’ miracles.

Over the years, Comix35 has run a variety of contests showcasing the best in evangelistic comics. Their newest competition, however, branches into new territory: online video! The 2008 Manga Messiah video competition challenges both amateur and professional video creators to make their own video interpretations of the Manga Messiah graphic novel.

Entering the contest is easy; head over to the competition website to fill out the entry form and read the contest rules. Once you’ve registered, you can download official imagery from the manga to use in your video—and be sure to check out other free resources you can use with your creation, such as these Japanese praise and worship songs.

The contest deadline is December 31, 2008. The grand prize is a limited-edition hardcover version of the manga and an original sketch by the artist. So go find out more, and see what you can come up with!