GroshLink

We have good news to report from today's MRI at PSU-Hershey Medical Center.  Her venous angioma/cavernous malformation hasn't grown, which is quite apparent in her continued positive development.  We've decided against the angiogram and further MRIs. There is a low percentage chance of another bleed and no means to helpfully address the current situation.  If additional bleeds occur, they will be noticeable, giving us the ability to respond.  

Praise God for the stable condition of the bleed, the continued positive development in all areas, and family support (thank-you to Grandpa Ginder for watching her this evening as she tried to calm down from all the activities of the day, while the rest of us took part in Wednesday night activities at Etown Brethren-in-Christ)!  We take our next steps as a family, leaning upon the Christ's strength given to us through His Spirit, Word, prayer, sacraments, and the people of God. 

The professor which shared a version of this piece with a class of which I was a part, embraced the following story: 

This is a car ad from England which never got to tv because of spooky things in it.  Look carefully for when the car becomes a ghost.  

There are numerous versions posted, but this one at least provides proper warning.  Comments on Nightmare Before Christmas and the origin of All Hallows Eve/All Saints Day some other time. 

As I woke up to A Mighty Fortress is our God on cyberhymnal this morning, I took some time to reflect upon my family's faith development and where I stand in relationship to it. As I've shared with some of you before, the Grosch family had been responsible for collecting the Groschen, but as a result of the reformation of faith led by John Hus, beginning in 1457, they choose the narrow path of the Unitas Fratum (i.e., the Unity of the Brethren).

In 1743, Valentine and Barbara (Sandman) Grosh left the turmoil of the region on the Loyal Judith to settle with the Moravian Colony in Lititz, PA.  Valentine (who was taken into the Moravian Congregation along with his wife Barbara at Warwick during a Synod held there Nov. 20 to 23, 1749) hosted a gathering of the United Brethren (later referred to as the United Brethren in Christ but not to be confused with the Brethren in Christ) led by one of his sons, Christopher Grosh* . . . which eventually became Ranck's United Methodist Church

Our family comes from the line of Christopher's brother Philip (b. 1732 in Eichloch, d. 24 Feb. 1812).  Philip, as his brother Christopher, married a member of the Ranck family (Anna Margaret Ranck, b. 1740, d. 24 Feb. 1818), prominent in the French Protestant Church.  I assume Philip remained connected with Moravianism as his son Samuel filled various offices in the Moravian Church.  [Note:  Another Samuel Grosh was a prominent carriage manufacturer of Lititz, Pa].  But our branch, coming from Philip's son George, left the Moravian community in Lititz to join relatives in Maryland and then to take root in Marietta with John Jacob Grosh (Note:  John Jacob's quite a figure, see Marietta history.  He's the son of John Grosh, and grandson of Valentine). At some point our branch of the family became Presbyterian for several generations, which included lay and ordained leadership in PA and New York.  I was raised at Donegal Presbyterian Church, Mount Joy, PA.  For those interested in revivalism check out what is recorded in the Ranck family history, below is a picture of the location of Christopher Grosh's first sermon.

Here's the cyberhymnal story story linking A Mighty Fortress is our God to a significant moment in Moravian history:  (More)

As an encouragement in ministry, a friend on InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's Graduate & Faculty Ministry team emailed the below quote by C.S. Lewis on latent Christianity (Thank-you Kevin!)

A professor recently pointed to the fragrance of Christ emanating from followers of Christ on campus being the compelling witness of enabling other members of the campus community to glimpse God and explore following Christ with the People of God. C.S. Lewis' interaction with Hugo Dyson and J.R.R. Tolkien serves as an excellent illustration of such an initiation into the Kingdom of God.  One's relationship with God, or lack of relationship, shapes a way of life which overflows into all aspects of one's life, even one's vocation. (More)

Dr. Dale C. Allison Jr., Errett M. Grable professor of New Testament exegesis and early Christianity, and I agree about at least one item.  In a spiritual formation seminar last spring, I remember him challenging those which would offer the Desert Fathers and Mothers as role models for spiritual formation, i.e., living like Christ.  This topic comes up for me again and again when discussing the teaching authority of the Desert Fathers and Mothers.  Yes, there is much to learn from them, but their teaching is not the Word of God.  An important part of teaching is not only our stated relationship with God, but also our embodiment of the Word (through our life, words, and actions).  It is in the area of pursuit of holiness through extreme measures where I find the Desert Fathers and Mothers going a separate direction.  For those with a beginning interest in the Desert Fathers, check out Discovering the Desert Paradox:  What many found when they sought God in a seemingly God-forsaken landscape.  Conversation with Belden Lane, Presbyterian professor of theology at St. Louis U. Note:  Belden's The Solace of Fierce Landscapes: Exploring Mountain and Desert Spirituality (Oxford, 1998) is resported to be a brilliant analysis of how geography has played a vital role in the history of Western spirituality.  I guess this goes on the to read list.

Questions provided by the facilitator, at the discussion of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night, see earlier post. Anyone who has read the book have thoughts?  I'll get to them. I promise. I don't lie in my world, well not too often. You can trust me. Really.

Elizabethtown Public Library began its conversation on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night (note: begins with cartoon/reading) by Mark Haddon asking whether the book is really a good piece of literature.  I'd hope so if it's being promoted by One Community, One Book, but you might remember my post regarding the surreal experience of coming across A Curious Incident in the One Community, One Book campaign. 

Saturday October 27th's Human Trafficking and Enslavement Symposium, Carlisle Theatre, Carlisle, PA.

We've been wondering when we should stop referring to Eden as Baby Eden.  Looks like the beginning of June 2008 will be a good time.  We'll call her Eden and pass the Baby title onto the next youngest member of the Grosh family.  That's right!  A new Groshling is on the way!  And to clarify -- just ONE Groshling is on the way (confirmed by ultrasound this morning). 

On Sunday, October 14, Valerie from Brethren-in-Christ World Mission (BIC-WM) shared a presentation regarding Islam in the United Kingdom (UK), note:  mentioned in Prayer: A week in mission. Some material she shared from a 2001 census and Muslim's in London, 2006 Report by Greater London Authority include the following:

Islam in the UK
1.4-2.9 million
2. More than 1,500 mosques and 5,000 Quaranic schools
3. Muslim groups have identified the UK as their Gateway to the West4. London has been called the policitcal and evangelistic center of Islam

Places of origin of London's Muslims, with the first four being particular high:  (More)

In follow-up to Negative Report of American Church Scene? and the Imperfect Church, Willow Creek repenting of its failures came into my e-box.  Real repentence leading to transformation, go here for a brief clip of Bill Hybels and here for thoughts by Greg Hawkins.  But don't worry there is research to be done and money for your local congregation to participate  

I would comment, event programming is a tool.  In many circles there is an overdependence upon the numbers (equated with the relevance and value of the programming) and the marketing necessary to generate them, e.g., Master Chief of Halo 3 in youth groups.  Programming, in this case with a focus on initiating people into the kingdom of God, must be a catechesis into a Biblical oriented perspective on the world which by the Spirit of God is lived out in the context of the People of God becoming more like Christ under submission to the Word of God.  And when the call of Christ is not the first priority, other interests cloud our vision and connection with the Body of Christ . . . leading to dissatisfaction as noted by a comment on the Negative Report of American Church Scene? 

Below is an excerpt from Willow Creek repenting of its failures: (More)

So after trying Heroes, I thought I'd give The Bionic Woman a chance.  As you know, the machine is nothing without the woman. But I have better ways to use my time. Why? The Department of Agriculture (i.e., the cover in one of the episodes) has more sexuality and violence in the first several episodes than is beneficial . . . now that I put it that way, I confess Alias may fall in this category).  Maybe as my girls grow older and I contemplate more on the Christ of Christmas, I've become more sensitive to shining like a star in a dark world.  Heroes has been better than Lost, in which I never found much interest. Time to place NetFlix order of the new Dr. Who in queue.  Although the episodes which I've seen don't take me back to Tom Baker (and to a lesser degree Peter Davison who was fantastic in All Creatures Great and Small), they're worth a run through.

Received email letting me know about these presentations by Ed Brown, Director of Care of Creation Inc., and Cal Beisner, spokesperson for the Cornwall Alliance.  The presentations are from a recent environmental forum at the Proclamation Presbyterian Church in suburban Philadelphia.

For those interested, here are the audio links (click to play or right click to download and save):

1. Ed's Presentation
2. Cal's Presentation
3. Q&A Session 

As a family, we understand our call as human beings to love God and to use the gifts we've been given to bless/love one-another, our neighbors, and the piece of creation given to our care, including the proper disposal of waste in our house, our township, our county, our state, our country, and our world.  Pray for the next steps of the landfill conversation in our township.

A few months ago I received the below email.  I would respond that I do not believe in Christian perfectionism as an individual, a local assembly, or the visible representation of the Body of Christ on earth.  The wheat are mixed among the tares in the Imperfect Church as much as they are in my own life.  Yes, followers of Christ are to be known by their transformed lives as individuals and a people, so when it appears that the faith shapes human beings into ugly, rude creatures I'm disappointed, even angered.  In response, we are called to pray, to teach the Scriptures in a manner leading to godly living, to share our concern and when necessary as part a community, exercise appropriate discipline.  At times, God may even be call us issue a prophetic challenge.  But we must not forget that human beings begin as ugly, rude creatures; American culture/values do shape Christians in the United States (e.g., low tipping is familiar to me as one with German-American roots and who finds it necessary to carefully watch his family's limited resources); and most importantly, our concern is in what direction one travels in the continuum of drawing closer to God given form in a humble understanding of ourselves and a life of blessing toward others and the creation?  How do you respond?

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A few weeks ago I posted on Randy Pausch's final lecture stemming from his loosing battle with terminal pancreatic cancer.  Yesterday Theresa and I watched his appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show in which he reprised a portion of the CMU lecture ("Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams") and chatted w/Dr. Oz regarding facing death.

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