GroshLink

After helping Hayley and Ellen pick out some books at the Scholastic Book Fair and then rushing to pick-up Eden from E-town BIC's Kid's Playhouse, I came back to PP&L in the drive-way. We now have lighting to testify to Theresa's great color selection . . . those promised photos will be easier to take and painting will go deeper into the night. HVAC and the excavation team return tomorrow. We'll move some stuff into the house this weekend. We may be occupying sometime late next week (or at least have enough stuff in the house to make it appear that we're living on-site). In Good Christmas Cheer, Tom

and the Protestant Moral Tradition was forward to me by a friend in IVCF's Graduate and Faculty Ministry. Good stuff, written by Stephen J. Grabill, executive editor of Acton Institute's Journal of Markets & Morality. Give this short piece a read.

Just finished N.T. Wright's new InterVarsity Press (IVP) materials on the road trip coming back from Thanksgiving at Bill and Harriet's in Virginia (great to be with all of you). Had to get this done before I picked up the development of material for the Questioning Evangelism Adult elective.

With regard to the material on Evil, best to read Evil and the Justice of God before viewing the Evil on DVD, but if you're short of time . . . The DVD's (Evil and Resurrection) would be helpful for leading a Lenten Adult Eduction or Small Group series. They come divided into 4 sections each, along with a discussion guide. Here's some quotes from Evil and the Justice of God with regard to the Christus Victor theme in his theology:

 (More)

Good thing I was working out of 1834 this morning . . . I saw the PP&L truck pass by and a survey person looking confused, thinking our property was behind the 1844 mailbox instead of the new modular sitting where he parked the truck. We should have power by the end of the week, possibly earlier (much better than the sometime between Dec 5-8 quote we received last week). Yeah! That will make the HVAC roar sooner, the paint go on faster, and boxes find their home with a flurry of activity.

Other news . . . Just heard back from the excavator. He will return to our site on Friday. He's been delayed by a problem w/a disc in his back and rain at another job. When he returns to 1844, he'll finish off his work. But probably not the basement windows as they're still not in stock because of delay in shipping around Thanksgiving and all the hunters which are in the field instead of in the factory.

Also, talked with the Occupancy office today, we can start moving stuff into the house. I'm going to try to clear out the Middletown storage unit by the end of the month. Waiting for the driveway, grading, electricity, HVAC, and back deck. That's all, did I mention, Carl got a dear? :-)

Here's Terry Tiessen's clarifying post 86 on Scot McKnight's blog from conversation regarding accessiblism as described in Who Can Be Saved? (another IVP piece). Something on my mind with Urbana just 29 days away.

You said: "In your idea of accessibilism, though, you are saying that without proclamation, some will find faith that is acceptable to God."

 (More)

ONE of the surest ways to bring a certain type of dinner party to a halt is to speak piously about "God." Earnest reference to sinners, apostates or blasphemers, or to the promise of salvation offered in evangelical churches, is likely to produce the same effect. Among the cosmopolites who live in secular enclaves, religion is automatically associated with darkness, superstition, irrationality and an antique or pre-modern cast of mind. It has long been assumed that religion is opposed to science, reason and human progress; and the death of gods is simply taken for granted as a deeply ingrained Darwinian article of faith . . . A deeper and far more unsettling answer, however, is that the popularity of the current counterattack on religion cloaks a renewed and intense anxiety within secular society that it is not the story of religion but rather the story of the Enlightenment that may be more illusory than real . . . If religion is a delusion, it is a delusion with a future, which it may be hazardous for us to deny. A shared conception of the soul, the sacred and transcendental values may be a prerequisite for any viable society.

-- 11/27/06 N.Y. Times Op-Ed Piece by Richard Shweder, professor of comparative human development at the University of Chicago and a co-editor of Engaging Cultural Differences.

Pray for the continuing work of the people of God at U. of Chicago, John Mulholland, organizer of the annual Redeeming Reason Conference at U. of Chicago wrote in response,

Are we ready to walk into the space that Shweder's remarks provide and converse intelligently and intelligibly in words that outsiders to churches can understand [memories of Chesterton and Lewis surface] about the prerequisites for any viable society."??

May we be so ready.

 (More)

It was all over by 8:00 am. After a two hour drag I thought I was getting old because it was a tough drag even downhill. When I got to the cabin I found that he weighed 170 lbs. field dressed. That's very big for around here. It's seven points because the eighth one is broken off. 18 inch outside spread.

-- Carl Ginder, Theresa's Dad

Bringing home the meat!

Beginning on December 3, I'll be co-facilitating an Adult Elective based on Randy Newman's Questioning Evangelism. Looking forward to working with Jim and starting afresh at a new location. I had the opportunity to hear Randy at our Baltimore/Washington fall conference. Check out the notes below. They're very rough. I'll try to sharpen them up in the future.

 (More)

HVAC will run the basement zone line next week, cut temporary return registers (which will then be fed thru the 8 ft ceiling after its up) and heating registers (which will then be extended once the rooms are framed out). The heat pump will arrive next Thursday. They can install it, but PP&L isn't going to visit us until sometime between Dec 5-8. PP&L received the inspection confirmation, but they were waiting for us to complete the process before sending anyone out by confirming the trench was prepared and that we are the ones assuming responsibility for payment.

Pray for us as we're both experiencing frustration in different ways as our move-in date is creeping back toward Christmas (w/gifts buried in storage somewhere), Urbana (would be great to have the house set-up before we live our kids w/family for a week while serving delegates in Urbana's Open for Business Track, and preparations for a new year of family/ministry life.

So the water pump, the remaining door, the sink, and the dryer pick-up occurred. In addition Theresa has been rolling up mother earth and wine grape . . . or something like that.

The HVAC began before 7:30am on Monday. But no backfill or driveway as of yet. Just talked w/the occupancy inspector this morning and the front door is fine for egress on the first floor. We might wait on the deck out of the first floor back until the spring or until after we've begun the occupancy permit process. Waiting on PP&L & Comcast (basic with internet, providing the connection to the outside world for our Vonage phone which seems to be working out well enough from our current location). A few more housing pics here, I'll try to get better lighting on the shots showing the paint, had to do with an early morning picture as the electric line being run to the house was being used in the basement.

PS. Hayley & Ellen will have to wait until they're 9 for 4-H training with Alpacas at a local farm :-(

Just a quick update, pics coming but I have to get some rest . . .

The pumping of the concrete into the basement went fine on Thursday. Good thing that we had already covered the windows as 'the rains came down and the floods came up.' We also had to eventually cover the entrances. The electric inspection occurred today, ready for PP&L :-) The steps, the doors, and the double basin utility sink were delivered and mostly installed today. Tomorrow Carl and I will work on the water pump, finish the one door, finish the sink, pick-up the dryer, etc.

HVAC and backfill will begin on Monday. After backfill, the excavator will work on the driveway, necessary for occupancy, and the deck out of the first floor back, if necessary for occupancy (we've received conflicting stories). Hopefully the windows will arrive by early December, should have ordered them on our own. The cable will arrive sometime in the next 2 weeks. Vonage is up and running.

Conservative Christians (like me) were promised that having an evangelical like Mr. Bush in office was a dream come true. Well, it wasn't. Not by a long shot. The administration accomplished little that evangelicals really cared about. -- David Kuo, the deputy director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives from 2001 to 2003 and author of "Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction." Take a moment to read his NY Times piece.

There is no doubt that evangelical politics have affected our ability to have conversations regarding the Gospel in the campus environment. Some of the blame falls on the political activism, some falls upon the despisers of the faith (see quote from Christian Smith's insightful Social Science, Ideology, and American Evangelicals: Who's really "anti-science"? below), and some falls on the offensive and absurd (from a human perspective) nature of the Gospel.

Yesterday, in another context, I was having the conversation regarding how followers of Christ engage in transforming our culture without being transformed by it. How do we guard against fighting evil with evil? How do we communicate the love of Christ in our word, lives, and political activism? It's messy because we live in a messy and fallen world and we ourselves are messy/fallen/broken (even me). I have more to say, but its been a full day with the basement floor being poured and cared for in the pouring rain . . . a story to be shared with grandkids again and again :-)

 (More)

Thank-you to Derek for bringing this prophetic piece by Gordon MacDonald to the attention of a youth ministry prayer group of which I am a part. Please join us in reading this piece, lifting up this concern, and praying for ministry leaders to receive the grace/accountability to walk faithfully in Christ.

Note: These words probably strike a little deeper for me as a member of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, the organization in which MacDonald fell a number of years ago,

I've spent more than a little time trying to understand how and why some men/women in all kinds of leadership get themselves into trouble whether the issues be moral, financial, or the abuse of power and ego. I am no stranger to failure and public humiliation. From those terrible moments of twenty years ago in my own life I have come to believe that there is a deeper person in many of us who is not unlike an assassin.

On Monday, 11/13/06, Eden had a follow-up MRI at Hershey Med. The procedure went very well (much faster than at Children's in Pgh), and the results were consistent with what we had seen last time. There is some sort of vascular malformation in her brainstem, but the exact determination of what kind of malformation is still not evident. In a sense, that doesn't really matter, however, because her neurological deficits continue to improve. Our course of action at this point is to do nothing. In fact, our doctor believes that we don't even need to continue to monitor Eden with MRIs. The reality is that we will know if the area bleeds again b/c her symptoms will suddenly worsen. Our doctor will consult with other vascular specialists to get their opinions. And we'll visit the doctor in another 6 months.

Eden tolerated the sedation very well--just the expected grogginess for the next few hours and a low fever in the evening. This morning she is back to her active, chipper self.

Continue to intercede for the upcoming Urbana Student Mission Convention. In particular, lift up the Open for Business Track, a specialized track for those who have a passion or growing interest in business and global missions. It will build, mobilize, and equip a multi-generational network of business practitioners who seek to harness the potential of business to contribute to the global advance of God's kingdom around the world.

Theresa and I will serve in this track. Currently, we're praying for track preparations and participants, including Hyunjin (a PhD student involved with our work at Pitt).

Also lift up the conference speakers as they prepare. Take a moment to browse over and be challenged and encouraged by the speaker interviews:

Ray Baake as he discusses how to think about Urban ministry across space and time: around the world and beyond our own lives.

Rick Warren as he discusses sacrifice, opportunity, and more.

Heading out the door to spend a day at Hershey Medical Center. Eden's MRI will be in the morning, later in the day we'll met Dr. Mark Dias, the neurosurgeon who is overseeing her care, to receive his reading of the results. Intercede for the results to testify to Father's continued healing of Eden and clarity for our role in caring for her, note: see http://groshlink.net/archives/2006/05/26/edens_mri_good_report Pray for the Father to grant Theresa and myself quick orientation to this new facility, patience from the Holy Spirit with the potentially long wait (MRI in the morning, appointment scheduled for 4pm), and discernment regarding next steps shaped by His Word.

I posted on Scott McKnight's blog (thanks for the tip Peter) and I must confess that I got carried away. I recommend you follow the link and check out the brief report on University Professors and Faith. When I have a moment, I'll gather my thoughts and try to give them more focus.

Hayley and Ellen are watching The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe as I type [Hope you've marked your calendar for Prince Caspian on May 16, 2008]. Theresa and I are having quite the conversation regarding the book (it's not in the book . . . any scenes come to your mind, hurry!), World War II (look at those planes, that really happened), and evil (she doesn't look that bad). Where is Aslan? I thought there was no Christmas in Narnia? Winter is almost over. Long live Aslan and Merry Christmas!

We'll let you know more on our thoughts later. As you live in the reality of Jesus the Christ, enter the Sabbath (and each day) with the image of the Lion and the Lamb:

 (More)

Spirituality, Vocation, and the Powers. I had the opportunity to share about Graduate and Faculty Ministry (GFM) at Harvest (IVCF-Western PA's undergrad fall conference), note the previous entry regarding a conversation with and article by Durwood Ray. Here's notes from one of the presentations by the tremendous speaker Kevin Oro-Hahn

Seeing the whole duck. Spirituality is important. It can be oriented toward good or bad . . .

 (More)

I had the opportunity to see Durwood Ray, one of our Grove City College Biology Professors, at Harvest (IVCF-Western PA's undergrad fall conference) where he was once again serving as a member of the prayer team. He gave me a sneak peek of this Washington Times piece, check it out. Durwood also shared that his son Andrew was returning to the Pittsburgh area to serve in a local congregation.

Only the HVAC operations manager and the electrician were on-site yesterday. The HVAC operations manager walked through the basement and we discussed the equipment layout. He'll be ready to go once the basement floor has set (note: the pouring of the floor has been rescheduled for next Tuesday).

The electrician was able to take care of the interior wiring, set-up the box, etc., but the rain prevented the digging of the trench for the lines (note: this may occur on Monday).

Currently mom and the girls are taking advantage of the warm and sunny day to clean closets, mirrors, window sills, etc. You might wonder, Why aren't Hayley and Ellen at school?

Today was a parent-teacher conference day. We rejoice in your prayers and encouragement during this transition! According to official sources, Hayley and Ellen are adjusting very well in reading, writing, arithmetic, and friendship :-)

Amish & Old Order Mennos in the 2004 Presidential Election (Donald B. Kraybill, Elizabethtown College; Kyle C. Kopko, The Ohio State University; April 2007 Mennonite Quarterly Review)

What are we going to see on Election Day? A good turnout, but nothing will compare to the 2004 Presidential Election in which some declared The Amish are caught up with Bush fever while others reminded us God never lost an election.

 (More)

Here's a promo pic pasted on the lot next to the real modular on the lot. Not bad. As you've probably noticed, we decided against the garage. Today the siding facing Theresa's parents' house was completed as the sun went down.

On Wednesday, the basement floor will be poured, the trenches will be dug for various utilities, and the utility lines will be run to the house. We're still waiting for the basement windows and doors. Pics of Carl cutting out a second basement door on the way.

It was chilly as the heating system malfunctioned in the Pietist Center, but Don Kraybill offered to generate a lot of hot air :-) I have a lot of notes and I apologize that they drift into a more listing form toward the end, but its all worth the read. Next presentation in the series: Bush Fever: Amish & Old Order Mennos in the 2004 Presidential. ... incredible material for tomorrow!

 (More)

This provoking piece was forwarded to me by Arlene, retired from the Department of Nursing at Messiah College, member of Elizabethtown Brethren-in-Christ, and co-author of InterVarsity Press' Called to Care. I'm still processing how to apply the article to conversations about religion on campus, but it contains a lot of good material, particularly for those from liturgical and/or intentionally culture making traditions. FYI: noticed a comment by Gene Chase, Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Messiah College. Looks like person I should get to know, so many new people to meet :-)

P.S. Celebrated Communion this morning, informed by Psalm 100, Isaiah 53:4-6, John 3:16-21, and a number of hymns including O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing, Glory to God, How Deep the Father's Love for Us, He Has Wounded for our Transgressions, And Can It Be That I Should Gain. As Pastor Hall shared from Romans 3:21-6:

 (More)