The iPod, The Xbox and The BWC

This year's Boston Winter Conference (BWC) is going to be Free. That's the theme, anyway. The conference, however, will be $270 if you register by Dec. 14. Last year's Mission U conference was about half that price. BWC will be twice as long, and take place at the Sheraton Hotel in the heart of Boston near the Prudential Center, a sweet plum of fun and fellowship.

Even so, how are students going to afford this conference? Isn't this too much money to expect from college students? These are legitimate questions and I hope to put them in their proper perspective.

Few products have captured the imagination of college students as completely as the iPod digital music player. It's so small it fits in the palm of your hand. And it must have a small price in order for college students buy it, right?

The iPod sells for $299 or $399. Clearly this is not too expensive for college students. If it was, I wouldn’t see those distinctive white iPod headphones in the ears of students on campus, in the gym, jogging or wherever.

Obviously that price tag is viewed as a worthwhile investment by students and therefore many have purchased one. The iPod is not viewed as an extravagant symbol of opulence. It’s a common part of student life. Let’s be honest, it’s a common part of High School student life.

This fall, the Xbox 360 will be hitting stores. The Xbox is, of course, the hit video gaming box from Microsoft that has dominated the waking hours of young male college students since its introduction four years ago.

The Xbox 360 is the next major upgrade to this popular gaming platform.

How much will the Xbox 360 cost? A mere $300. But that's only the bare bones version. The full deluxe edition will be only $400. But that is only the cost of the console. Games will be around $60 each.

Clearly this is so expensive that this fall, not a single Christian college student will be able to afford this astronomical price.

Right.

I'm sure many hundreds of thousands of Christian college students, in the Northeast and elsewhere, will eagerly pony up more than $500 to get their Xbox 360. Why? Because it's a priority. Gaming is a priority for many college students, mostly males, because it is fun. Whether or not it is has lasting value is another question.

So what does $460 of Xbox buy for you? Don't get me wrong, I love video games and play them frequently myself. But let's be honest, after 12 hours of playing Xbox, you've gained almost nothing of any lasting value. And you're 12 hours older.

Where in the world will students get all this money to buy their Xbox? Really, it doesn't matter. They will get it because it's a priority.

In practical terms the money will come from many sources: savings, extra work, asking for it as a Christmas gift, and many other simple and logical sources of income. It's not a question of money really; it's a question of priorities.

So what does $270 of Boston Winter Conference get you?

Well I can only tell you what happened in 1988 when I traveled from Los Angeles to attend my first Winter Conference in Dallas, while a student at Arizona State.

It cost about $180 (which shows that $270 is pretty cheap 18 years later). At the time, $180 seemed like a $100,000. Add another $200 of travel expenses and initially, I was convinced that it probably wasn't worth the money to go and there's no way I could afford it anyway.

But I was told that God would use the conference to change my life. So, I made it a priority to go.

At that first conference I shared my faith for the very first time. I solidified five deep friendships that I keep to this day, 18 years later. I grew more during that week in my understanding of the Kingdom of God than any previous similar length of time.

I'd say it was worth the $180.

Also, through family and members of my little church I saw God provide $800 to cover the cost of my conference, airfare, and a spring break ministry trip to Mexico with Campus Crusade. It turns out that money is rarely a barrier to doing what God wants you to do. It’s usually a question of priorities.

I was told the Winter Conference would change my life forever because I would meet with God there in a unique and powerful way. I chose to make that possibility a priority, and indeed it changed my life.

The following year I paid another $180 to attend the Winter Conference. More money! Expensive!

That was the year I met my future wife. This January, 2006, a week after the Boston Winter Conference, my wife and I will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary.

The following year I went to Winter Conference and God took a blade to my heart and exposed and cut out some areas of deep sin and dysfunction. The final year of my college career I returned to Winter Conference and I sensed God calling me into full-time ministry, which I've enjoyed as my career for now over 12 years.

There are a million other significant and enduring things that God has done in my life at Winter Conferences but to be brief, let's sum up: It was worth far more than what I paid.

In 1988 there was no Xbox. There were barely any home video game consoles of any kind. And there was no iPod either. How did I survive?

And yet in the year 2050, if I live to see it, growing in love and service to Jesus Christ will still be worth more than any iPod flea, Xbox, Ybox, Zbox or whatever entertainments have emerged to drain the numberless hours of a college student’s life.

If $270 could buy growing faith in Christ, lifelong significant friendships, a spouse (actual spouse may not attend), and a chance to learn how to share your faith and bless your world; wouldn't you be getting the bargain of a lifetime?

I believe God will show up at BWC and impact lives. In order to attend, many students will have to walk by faith, but money is not the issue. It's an issue of priorities.

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Ryan McReynolds

Regional Director

Northeast Region

Campus Crusade for Christ