Third Watch Ministries, NFP Bob & Ellen Bollow
P.O. Box 1283 November 29, 2025
Wheaton, IL 60187
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 136:1
Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Well it is officially the Christmas season as I have gotten my star on the chimney atop, before the snow today, on the old cape cod we call home. I can still get up there, though I’ve begun to use my age in my presentation of the Gospel on campus.
You might wonder how being old helps to talk to the young? I think God makes students talk to me in truth, and I’m not sure what their specific thoughts are in being willing. There’s plenty of Professors in their classrooms who appear older than me (ha, at least to me). But I will throw my age in at the end if they have prayed to receive Jesus. I’ll say, in revisiting the question of my student questionnaire, What’s the likelihood you will go to Heaven when you die? “The likelihood you will now go to Heaven is 100%, trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus. ‘Cause how righteous is Jesus? 100% righteousness. And what’s His righteousness worth? It’s worth an infinite amount! And His blood is worth an infinite amount, so there’s enough for you and me both. When you think about it, I’ve sinned way more than you, because I’m old. You know you sin every year. So if we both died right now, I’d have a big pile of sin though God forgave it each year, and you’d have a little pile. So if God looked at our piles, you’d have a little pile because you are young and He might say to me ‘We need to talk.’ But He’s not going to look at our piles. He’s going to look at the good He made out of them. So it seems like cheating, but if we both died right now I would get in too.” Sometimes I will add, if the student is not already packing to run to a class, “The Bible says, He will remove our sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12) and remember them no more (Hebrews 8:12). That’s how God forgets our sin yet remembers us. He remembers us as those who partnered with Him to do the good.
Once, long ago in seminary, I said this in a presentation against Atheism: In an evil world like ours, you have to be all-powerful and all-knowing to know and do the Good. You have to be all-knowing (Omniscient) to know what the good thing is to do. And then you have to be all-powerful (Omnipotent) so that the action you do can remain good in its effects in an evil world, in perpetuity. So only God can know and do the Good. So Jesus said, in Mark 10:18 ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.’
My neighbors next-door are gone today. But the kind man to the east, Dan, just shoveled their driveway as I wrote this. I’m a little back of the storm since it is still falling and all I did was the first pass of blowing off the cars and the deck with my leaf blower (a trick I learned a couple decades ago from my friend across the street who parks on his driveway). So you might say to me, ‘Your neighbor Dan just did a good thing.” But for Christians we know that the good things done are only kept good in their final outcome by God. If we partner with Him by His indwelling Holy Spirit we can then do the Good. Calvin once called this “Common Grace,” where God’s benevolence is ensuring the world holds together in some measure.
It matters who does the work. When God does the work, it’s worth an infinite amount. And that is frankly what I am trusting in on campus as I walk around and tell the Gospel to students. That God will be doing the work to bring them to Himself. And then I pray for them each day until Spring and then one year after, that they might grow in the hope that as Christ says, “No one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28&29)
We are so grateful for your help in doing college ministry. It keeps me on campus and provides the evangelism materials I use & give to students. This year so far, with a few weeks left, 79 students have prayed to receive Christ with me or told me they would pray later and I found out they did. Also, Maryellen committed to Christ at the resale shop when I was Christmas shopping. She worked at the counter. So I’m praying for her too.
Please mention these students in your prayers.
RJ, Wendy, Jimmy, Jesse (Jesús), Jocelyn, Andrea, Kaleb, Gio, Lexi, JP, Michelle, Abby, Kylie, Tali, Brady, Matthew, Joey, Laly, Manuel, Johan, Lu, Alexa, Vell, Cooper, Leah, John, Tae, Ben, Marquese, Shawn, Emily, Jaylin, Tate, Teinua, Kaden, Jahmi, Luke, Prodigy, Antonio, Victoria, Daisha, Hubert, Lynette, Thalia [ta lee a], Damian, Jacki, Dayra, Q, Cynthia, Judith, Daniel, Chris, Dylan, Emmanuel, Zeke, Jamesha, Alex, Vincent, Jessica, Danny, Mimi, Naomi, Zianna, Khalel, Vinny, Eldon, Josh, Tyler, Chris, Tessa, Bobbi, Maryellen*, Londyn, Ethan, Justina [Hustina], John, London, Jack, Griffin, Kris
May the Lord bless & keep you as we begin this Christmas season, celebrating the Gospel message.
In Him,
Bob & Ellen