GroshLink

The end of third grade has been exciting.  On Friday, Ellen placed 8th in Donegal Springs Elementary School's Third Grader Spelling Bee.  Well done!  But she came home to find out that her class crayfish had already passed away!  Ellen buried "Rachel" and moved on.  I was quite impressed.  Field day on Monday ... school ends with 1/2 day on Thursday and then we're off to 'da Burgh on Friday!

Last night Ellen, Hayley, and myself played Dutch Blitz.  The competition was quite strong while Theresa focused her attention on creating another set of burp cloths for a friend from our local congregation.  Anyone interested in helping her start a small business to help fund our ministry ;-)

Returning to email regarding Wild Animals & Safety, pray for the team as they work in Seldova.

Seldovia does not connect to the road system, and in order to reach it we will travel across the bay in an open boat. If you want to fish and shoot black bear Seldovia is your place. Here is a except from our host Scott Ogan’s latest email  “The fishing should be good for King Salmon and Halibut.  We will be busy, but I will be fishing for dinner and taking a few folks at a time.  Black Bears are like big overgrown black beach rats, and if anyone wants to kill one, be my guest.  Lic and tag needed, no guarantees but a good possibility.

Ellen advanced to the final round of the Spelling Bee. She's hoping to spell 'thermometer' at some point!

Also of interest, Ellen brought home a crayfish, from school.  "Rachel" joins our growing array of pets, i.e., a rooster from her 2nd grade class, a hen given to us by a friend, and a canary we've been bird-sitting for a friend.

The twins have a Spelling Bee at school this morning.  Wish we would have practiced over the past several weeks instead of mostly cramming last night and this morning.  Below's a list of some of the words, how would you have done in third grade?

• caught
• eight
• expect
• escape
• it's
• its
• kitchen
• paint 
• November
• smile 
• strength
• thermometer
• thought
• tomorrow 
• through

P.S.  Spelling's never been a strength of mine, particularly under pressure ...

I just heard Theresa shouting from the other room:

It's official.  I saw her first step! 

So, Lily's ahead of all the other girls in taking her first step. 

I wonder what else we have in store for us from our little beaver, who chews on everything.  Most recently she's set upon the corner of the tv stand.  Theresa's first measure was horse radish.  Her second was Louisiana Hot Sauce.   Any other suggestions (besides Bitter Apple Spray) for parents who don't want teeth marks in every piece of furniture?

Regarding team safety, it was pointed out that although the biggest threat is probably Momma Moose protecting her calf, a momma Griz has a worse temper. 

So what would one do if one encounters a bear?  According to Scott, who works for Alaska DNR:

Bear spray is a good thing to have, although it must be applied at close range and directly in their face.  I prefer lead poisoning of the large caliber type.   There are numerous black bears on the beach in Seldovia, and while most run into the woods when they spot you, they will be hungry that time of the year (before fish show up) and if a black bear stalks you it is because it wants to eat you.  A Griz will usually just get aggressive when threatened box you around, bite you and leave.  Play dead with Griz, fight for your life with a black.  Black Bears are very common in Seldovia.  I have killed one every spring for the last few years. ... This was the all day bear seminar in one paragraph.

He threw in the fun fact that if one shoots a bear, it costs about $1.2K to mount the hide.

Before he left, Carl forwarded to me several emails he had received in preparation for the Alaska Mission.  Below's an excerpt an emails on Team Safety and Wild Animals!  Pray for the team to truly stand in awe of the beauty of God's creation* and for the Lord's protection during their travel, work, and rest time.

Globe Creek Camp is very beautiful, is also in a wilderness setting, and that means wild animals rooming about. ... [Above] is a photo of a wolf print taken near camp last year by one of our team members. In my experience we have never had any problems with wildlife near camp. Animals generally stay away from the chaos and food is not left sitting around to attract unwanted attention. During break time if you feel like taking a walk around the woods invite someone else along, or at least let someone know where you will be going. Good judgment is the key to safety.

The area around Globe creek was chosen because there is no permafrost in that spot. That makes for pleasant conditions; fewer mosquitoes and a nice area surrounding the camp that is free from underbrush and swamp so it’s easy to walk around in. A cow Moose with a new calf is probably the most dangerous thing you are likely to run into. We will be in Alaska during calving season and a moose can turn up anywhere, usually unexpectedly.

*Hoping for Carl to bring back lots of good pictures!

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. -- Psalms 91: 1-2

 

This morning, Theresa's dad Carl left for Alaska with a LightShine mission/work team project in Alaska. Their labors will be focused upon ...  (More)

It looks like crop circles are popping up next to our house, but if all goes well in a few months we'll have corn, beans, and squash, not aliens.

 

 

It's our first go at a Three Sisters Garden, named for the 3 sisters of corn, beans, and squash. The first step was clearing the weeds from a fallow, but former farm field next to our house. Uncle Jay did that on Monday night. The second step happened on Tuesday when Tom roto-tilled the area. The third step came on Wednesday when I (Theresa) sprayed the area with Round Up. If thistles were a cash crop we could retire now. So hopefully the spraying will save us hours of toil. Even after being tilled there were still some buggers standing their ground (pardon the pun). Step four occurred Thursday (today) when I made 20 mounds of earth, approx. 2 feet in diameter and 2 feet apart. Then I planted 6 corn seeds in a circle in the center of each mound. I way underestimated the number of seeds in a seed packet and in addition to the 2 packets I didn't even open I was able to plant 2 additional rows of corn on the garden perimeter. We'll call these the Big Brothers. I watered my mounds and rows and now we wait for God to work His magic. After the corn seedlings are a few inches tall I'll plant the beans, in a circle outside of the corn. I'll also thin the corn to 1-2 stalks per mound. After the beans sprout I'll plant the squash, you guessed it, in a circle outside of the beans! The plan is for the beans to climb the cornstalk and the squash to spread out and shade the soil around the other plants.

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In an on-line discussion group I assembled the below resources to encourage further consideration of our call to care for creation. One item which came out of the various posts was my awareness of the importance for a shared framework and developing forums for face-to-face conversations featuring the likes of and/or the works of the below followers of Christ:

1. Ed Brown, author of Our Father's World:  Mobilizing the Church to Care for Creation and director of of Care of Creation
2. Cal DeWitt, Environmental Studies Professor at U. of Wisconsin, author of Caring for Creation: Responsible Stewardship of God's Handiwork (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998), speaker for a number of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship conferences, and lead figure in Ausable (See On-line Resources, More On-Line Resources)
3. Loren Wilkinson, Regent College, Earthkeeping in the Nineties: Stewardship of Creation (rev. ed.)
4. Evangelical Environmental Network's On-line Adult Sunday School Resources, Additional On-Line Resources

PS.  I've found, How about those Southern Baptists [who] Back a Shift on Climate Change a conversation starter ;-)

PPS.  Placing Ben Lowe's new Green Revolution: Coming Together to Care for Creation on the to read pile.

Although I've always had an awe and appreciation for God's creation, encouraged and cultivated through the outdoor activities of my family as I was growing up, as an adult I've been able to investigate some of the theology behind that awe.  Caring for our world is not a hobby or preference, it is a Biblical imperative.  It is part of who God designed us to be.  He put man and woman in the garden to work and till the soil, to grow food, and to care for the animals. 

Unfortunately as technology has marched forward toward making our lives increasingly convenient we have become divorced from our connection with creation.  In our family, we are taking small steps to try to reconcile that relationship.  Two and a half years ago we moved to our "homeland" of Lancaster County Pennsylvania, an area with a rich farming heritage and diligent work ethic.  Each year since moving I have added a little more "agriculture" to our half acre in an effort to grow some of our own vegetables and fill our yard with self-sustaining plants.  It's a labor of love -- a love I hope to instill in the hearts of our children as they labor beside me.  We will never be able to live totally independent of grocery stores, nor is that our goal.  But in the choices we make we try to be aware of the origin of our food and the energy it took to produce and deliver it. 

This winter in particular I have been checking the labels of fresh produce and purposely bypassing some fruits and vegetables which are not in season locally.  This small sacrifice reminds me that the bounty we enjoy in this country does indeed come at a price, economic, social, political, and environmental.  It will also make the local produce of summer so much sweeter and tastier after waiting all year for it.  God designed His world with natural rhythms and seasons.  I've just begun down the path of recovering those rhythms in an effort to live more fully in God's creation.

Lord willing ...

1. Our family will visit friends, a donor congregation, and a facial neuorological therapist (for Eden) over the course of June 5-8.  Pray for 'quantifiable' improvement and clarity in next steps with regard to Eden's care.
2. Tom will visit friends, support team members, and Allegheny Center C&MA Missions Committee on July 11-12.

If you're in 'da Burgh and desire to connect, let us know.

Over the past several days I've had several opportunities to answer the question, "What is the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN)?"  One of these conversations occurred in a grocery story with a woman who saw my Emerging Scholars Network shirt.  We spent about fifteen minutes discussing next steps in her undergraduate education and how to connect with followers of Christ on campus.  Note:  I'll have another one on Sunday when I share with Manheim Brethren in Christ's adult Sunday School.  If you attend Manheim Brethren in Christ, please don't miss this opportunity for us to connect!

If you've followed this blog for any amount of time, you'll know that God the Father has gifted me with a passion which closely aligns to the calling/mission of the Emerging Scholars Network, i.e., to identify, encourage, and equip the next generation of Christian scholars who seek to be a redeeming influence within higher education.  I don't go to activities (book discussions, conferencing, films, large groups, outreaches, small groups) for the sake of activities to entertain myself, feel like I'm accomplishing something, fill up time, mix with people, or to gather material to post on a blog.  BUT instead because God has blessed me with an unshakable yearning to know and love Him (1st), His creatures (including myself), and His creation. As one called by God to the campus mission, I would be about ESN, even if it didn't exist!

None-the-less, many of you are probably curious as to who listens when I scatter the seeds of thought which are stimulated when these activities and relationships interact with the Word, Spirit, and the Body of Christ.  As I have conversation in aa number of places, this is tough to track.  But here's some material contributed by Micheal Hickerson, ESN Associate Director:

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Note:   Emailed to support team members on 5/13.  If you would like to be added to our support team mailings (email and/or snail mail), let us know.

Followers of Jesus struggle with culture.  Sometimes we try to escape the culture and other times we ‘consume’ culture too readily, to use one of Andy’s terms.  To partner with InterVarsity’s Graduate & Faculty Ministry and host Andy Crouch offered our church a unique opportunity to delve deeper into questions about culture.  It also provided a chance to facilitate great discussions between graduate students, informed laypeople and Christian scholars in the area. Thanks to Tom Grosh for making it possible.

-- Steve Lane, Senior Pastor of Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ, InterVarsity - U. of New Hampshire alumnus

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

A brief update to share a praise, a prayer request, and fiscal year end newsletter (Click here). As always, much more to be found at http://www.groshlink.net, and http://blog.emergingscholars.org, e.g., Christianity needs to be unfashionable on campus.

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I've been wondering whether Americans can cook (and encouraging a pastor from our congregation to host a community cooking class/trainer ... which probably would be a good thing for me), now the question is whether Americans can freeze. If you're looking for some tips on using the freezer, click here for a full report from yesterday's New York Times. 

Note:  Theresa doesn't need any help in this area, but feel free to post a few extra pointers for me ;-)

On Sunday, April 19, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's Graduate & Faculty Ministry in Central PA partnered with Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ in exploring Culture Making and launching the Central PA Christian Scholars Network.  Below are links to audio files from two of Crouch's presentations.  Comments (including criticisms/misgivings) and reflections on Culture Making are welcome, particularly since I'm writing a review on Culture Making for Brethren in Christ History & Life. 

From the Garden to the City (Sermon)

Culture Making (Sunday School)

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C.S. Lewis comments in the Preface to the 1961 edition of The Screwtape Letters:

If you gauged the amount of Bible reading in England by the number of Bibles sold, you would go far astray.  Sales of The Screwtape Letters, in their own little way, suffer from a similar ambiguity. … It is even, as I have noticed with a chastened smile, the sort that gravitates towards spare bedrooms. … -- C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, NY: New York, Touchstone, 1996, 1961 original edition, p.5).

What book from the Christian scene would you place a similar seat of honor?  Today, would it be Christian Classics given as gifts or purchased as must haves for a Christian library, such as Augustine's Confessions, Brother Lawrence's Practice of the Presense of God, Foxe's Book of Martyrs, Hannah Hurnard's Hinds' Feet in High Places, J.I. Packer's Knowing God, Martyrs Mirror, Pilgrim's Progress, Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline?  OR do we only purchase books and keep books we intend to read (to address particular concerns or as part of discussion groups)?  Or do we not have a culture which leaves Christian books lying around?

Last week I had a brief conversation regarding the danger of peacemaking (and more broadly social action or global citizenship) becoming the end of our faith instead of our relationship with God as part of the people of God (i.e., the Church through time and space) rejoicing in the Victory of God lived out in the present and recieving full consummation in New Heavens and the New Earth.  Below's a quote from C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters in which a middle management demon counsels his mentee Wormwood on temptation in relationship to this very concern:

Once you have made the World an end, and faith a means, you have almost won your man, and it makes very little difference what kind of worldly end he is pursuing.  Provided that meetings, pamphlets, policies, movements, causes, and crusades, matter more to him than prayers and sacraments and charity, he is ours – and the more “religious” (on those terms), the more securely ours.  I could show you a pretty cageful down here -- C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, NY:  New York,  Touchstone, 1996, 1961 original edition, Letter IV, p.39.

For those interested, a little bit more on Reaching the Campus Tribes than what I posted yesterday at "Reaching the Campus Tribes" -- Reflections. ...

As many of you know, during my first year at Grove City College, I found myself at the foot of the cross overwhelmed by the reality of the cross as where evil is conquered by the ultimate degree of love in the fulfillment of justice [Henri Blocher, Evil and the Cross: An Analytical Look at the Problem of Pain (English Version), Downers Grove,IL:  InterVarsity Press, 1994, p.133].  Shortly afterward I received the call to mission at Urbana Student Missions Convention, became part of Grove City College's InterVarsity Missions Fellowship, began reading lots of InterVarsity Press, dug into religion classes at (while pressing on with my Biology major).  I've come to understand life in the Kingdom of God as a life reproducing the likeness of Jesus as individuals and the Church (the people of God across time and space), i.e., contextual mission.  Where-ever we have been placed, we are salt and light.  Discipling to be part of such a community begins as early as possible.  Remember the recent Culture Making event in partnership with Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ?  Below's the quote from Michael Murray, Philosophy Professor, Franklin & Marshall College, InterVarsity Franklin & Marshall College alumnus:

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Yesterday while Lily napped, I read through the free e-book Reaching the Campus Tribes by Benson Hines. I'd encourage you to take the time to download, skim, enjoy the pics, and share your thoughts.  Some initial reflections:

1. Yes, college prep & campus ministry is a largely neglected mission during the hinge of the life journey of many youth in the United States of America. The Church (and parental peer groups in particular) should give more attention to modeling/teaching/testifying to a life of following Christ which flows into youth discipleship and outreach.  In addition, youth must accept the costly counter-cultural call to follow Christ in the 'real world' and not serve themselves or the idols of our culture during Middle School/High School/College through young adulthood.  Below's some excellent quotes from the book.  Note:  For more of my own work in this area see Next steps for Next Steps.
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Eden's home chatting and eating breakfast (i.e., oatmeal).  Pray for her mobility and sense of space, especially when she's around Lily.  Note: due to her medication, Eden's even more wobbly. Pray for her to rest well this afternoon/evening.