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May you find this telling of the story a blessing to be shared among family, friends, members of your local congregation, neighbors. As I've mentioned in early posts (e.g., Come quickly, Jesus!) our whole family has been blessed by the The Jesus Storybook Bible. We'll be reading it several more times in the coming years as the children grow.
In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. ... Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD. -- Isaiah 2:1,5
Are you desiring to become more familiar with the lectinonary we begin Advent? If so, swing by Christine Sine's post Daily Bible Readings For Advent, consider Begin Living the Christian Year in Advent, and/or try out Following the Star (HT Arlene, more below).
The d365 daily devotional series is produced by Passport, Inc. Passport’s seasonal devotional sites, Following the Star and Journey to the Cross, help readers journey through Advent and Lent. These series are written especially for students and seek to provide reflections on themes that impact our faith journey. We hope that in the midst of busy or boring days, these sites will create a quiet space in your life for contemplation and prayer. As you complete the devotion, if you would like to offer a response, a prayer, or prayer request, please click here and visit our Guestbook, also found in the menu below.
You can help the devotional series by spreading the word! For free resources to promote the sites at your church, in Bible study groups, or in other organizations, please click here and visit www.d365.org/share. You can also find a place to email your friends about the site at this link.
Note: If you have lectionary (or other Advent) materials to suggest, please comment or drop me an email (and I'll include in future posts as I develop an Advent resource base).
In case you missed the Advent Conspiracy 2008 promo video, worth the few minutes before planning your day/season ...
Note: Don't miss conversation/ideas sharing at Rethinking Christmas
Check out this opportunity ...
It's great to see that the first 50 entries win a copy of Kent Annan's new InterVarsity Press book, Following Jesus Through the Eye of the Needle: Living Fully, Loving Dangerously :-)
BTW, Following Jesus Through the Eye of the Needle was one of the InterVarsity Press titles highlighted by Byron Borger of Hearts and Minds Bookstore in his fabulous Thanksgiving post, Three things about which I am thankful: tribal technology, skeptical friends, surprising books. In this post, Byron shares these encouraging words about InterVarsity Press:
Still our favorite publisher, with excellent titles coming out every month, they have taken a serious turn in recent years (with Likewise, for instance) doing books about social justice, for and from the new generation who are serving the poor, and resources for those who are taking up this struggle to seek God's reign in ways that bring hope to the hurting and hungry. Solid evangelicals doing amazingly rich writing on social change!
Due to our opportunity to help out a friend by dog sitting for about 1 week, Eden didn't sleep much on Sunday night. On Monday morning, Eden exclaimed, "We're going to watch a puppy for a whole week!!" Theresa reports, "Much excitement getting acclimated the first day, but all in all, a good day. Sadly, she's better trained than my kids..."
In day two, Eden can hardly contain her nervous enthusiasm as she spins around and tries to pet Daisy. She moves and licks a little too much, too fast for Eden. Good prep to have been around dogs on our trip to Austin, TX. Time with Daisy now provides leverage for Eden accomplishing tasks. It's great to see how well Eden manages balance around Daisy in the living room and the stairwell between floors.
Note: Ellen has been a great help sitting with and walking Daisy. Also, I have tried to remember to close the doors behind me to make sure I accomplish as much as possible before Thanksgiving celebrations begin ;-) Although right now I'm watching the Eden while Theresa hits the grocery store before the Great Thanksgiving Rush. Daisy is in the basement. Later in the morning, I'm heading over to PSU-Hershey Christian Medical Society's lunch outreach. I don't think Lily napped and she's having a fit. Gotta run. ...
Dear Friends in South Central PA, If you're planning to come to our December 3 Dessert please RSVP to us by email/phone. We'd love to have a close count by Wednesday and a final count by the end of Thanksgiving weekend. Thank-you. In Christ, Tom & Theresa
Celebrating Christ on Campus
Featured Speaker:
Bob Ives, an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship alumnus who served as senior pastor of Grantham Brethren in Christ (PA) for 30 years and an adjunct professor at Messiah College for 34 years. While at the College, he taught a class on C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and other Oxford Christian Writers.
Thursday, December 3, 7pm
The dessert will be hosted by Acorn Farms, 1/2 mile south of 283, Exit Rt 772, Manheim/Mount Joy
RSVP by November 25.
Church partners include Brethren in Christ World Missions, Elizabethtown Brethren-in-Christ, and Manheim Brethren-in-Christ.
Note: If you know of some people which we may not currently be in touch with which would have interest in coming to the dessert or if your local congregation would be willing to share information regarding this event, please let us know.
... liturgies make us certain kinds of people, and what defines us is what we love. They do this because we are the sorts of animals whose orientation to the world is shaped from the body up more than from the head down. Liturgies aim our love to different ends precisely by training our hearts through our bodies. They prime us to approach the world in a certain way, to value certain things, to aim for certain goals, to pursue certain dreams, to work together on certain projects.
James K.A. Smith
Desiring the Kingdom
Join me in prayerful consideration/application of this quote as we enter the holiday season on campus and in the larger culture. HT: *CINO daily asterisk (11/3/2009). Placing Smith's book on my to read list, check out Byron Borger's post A rich week of new books: Bobby Gross, James K. A. Smith, Walt Brueggeman, Timothy Keller DVD
Swing by Emerging Scholars Network for Mike's excellent interview of Bobby Gross, director of InterVarsity's Graduate & Faculty Ministry & author of Living the Christian Year: Time to Inhabit the Story of God (IVP, 2009). Our family will be journeying through this book in the coming year (starts November 29). Check out Byron Borger's rave reviews at A rich week of new books: Bobby Gross, James K. A. Smith, Walt Brueggeman, Timothy Keller DVD and Pennsylvania State Pastors' Conference: Books about Church, Congregational life, and more.
PS. For those in South Central PA, mark your calendars for when Bobby visits the area on Ascension Day 2010 (i.e., May 13), in partnership with Hearts & Minds Books. Details tba. ...
As we prepare to enter the Adventure of Advent. I once again invite you to join me in participating in Advent posts with Christine Sine at Godspace.
Nothing is more countercultural than a community serving the Suffering Servant in a world devoted to consumption and violence.
James K.A. Smith
Who's Afraid of Postmodernism?
Amen!
Join me in prayerful consideration/application of this quote as we enter the holiday season on campus and in the larger culture. HT: *CINO daily asterisk (11/11/2009).
For those in Pittsburgh, don't miss ...
Did the Puritans Create Modern Science?
University of Pittsburgh Veritas Conversations Forum
Date: Thursday, November 19, 2009
Time: 12:10pm - 1:30pm
Location: 837 William Pitt Union
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, recalling images of pilgrims in black clothes serving up a harvest meal. What does the Mayflower have to do with modern science? The answer lies in their English homeland during the most turbulent period of British history. This talk will present the many ways in which historians have suggested that Puritans played a essential role in the scientific revolution.
Dr. Jason M. Rampelt is a research fellow at the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, St. Edmund's College, Cambridge. Since relocating to Pittsburgh in 2008, he has been a visiting scholar in History and Philosophy of Science at Pitt. Dr. Rampelt's writing to date has focused primarily on the relationship between theology and science in the lives of past scientists from 1600 to the present.
Later today we'll celebrate Scott (Theresa's brother) & Andrea's wedding.
Pray for
Later this morning our whole family will be flying out of Baltimore, with a number of Theresa's relatives, to celebrate Scott (Theresa's brother) & Andrea's wedding in Austin, TX.
Pray for
Tonight on the News Hour with Lehrer, there was a summary/conversation of the presence/value of Sesame Street. I do not recall the below interaction between MacNeil and Kermit/Cookie Monster (after my youth), but no doubt an example of how Sesame Street interacts with kids and parents as more is taught than the basics ;-) Tomorrow morning, check out the Emerging Scholars Network blog for a piece on Sesame Street's 40th Anniversary.
On Sunday, the Cherub choir, which includes Eden, sang the first two verses of For the Beauty of the Earth for Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ. After the reading of Psalm 148, the Junior Choir sang led the congregation in For the Beauty of the Earth. Below's a video which I shared with girls over Sunday breakfast, in preparation for morning and as a time of worship.
Lord of all, to Thee we raise, This our hymn of grateful praise.
May our words, relationships, lives, Churches be such a hymn today!
Related choir post: How Great is our God.
On Sunday, Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ's Junior Choir, which includes Ellen & Hayley, led the congregation in worship. How Great is our God was one of selections. Below's a interview of Chris Tomlin which I watched with in Ellen & Hayley as we discussed the song. Tomlin shares the simple origin of How Great is our God, sings the praise song, and then shows the chords.
PS. Ellen and Hayley liked the section which showed the chord progression.
Building upon The Lord is good to me. ..., Eden and I watched and discussed Johnny Appleseed Part II. I figured we had covered enough of Johnny Appleseed Part I with The Lord is good to me. ..., but maybe that film should roll "with some qualification."
Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture (Adam McHugh, InterVarsity Press, November 2009) arrived today and I've started to read it. Hope Theresa has some interest in chatting about the book during our much needed date night. Below's a quote from Chapter 1. Any comments from friends, whether more heavily oriented toward introversion or extroversion.
The pragmatism that we have inherited fosters an action oriented culture. Evangelicalism values the doer over the thinker. The evangelical God has a big agenda. It’s as if the moment we surrender our lives to Christ we are issued a flashing neon sign that says “GO!” There is a restless energy to evangelicalism that leads to a full schedule and a fast pace. Some have said that, in Christian culture, busyness is next to godliness. We are always in motion, constantly growing, ever expanding.
I’ll never forget the statements a senior pastor of a 300-member congregation uttered when I interviewed for an associate pastor position: “This is a really high-octane environment. We’re looking for someone who is excitable and high energy. You have to be totally sold out to work here. We work full throttle.”
I double-checked my surroundings to make certain I was at a church and hadn’t stumbled into an interview for the pit crew at the Indianapolis Speedway. I would have laughed at his statements if I wasn’t so mortified. I was reminded of Eugene Peterson’s indictment of our brand of Christianity: “American religion is conspicuous for its messianically pretentious energy, its embarrassingly banal prose, and its impatiently hustling ambition.” -- Chapter 1 can be found on-line here.
Note: You may remember my earlier post, For My Introverted AND Extroverted friends, in which I express enthusiasm for the book's release. Since my time at The Changing Face of Ministry: Engaging All Ages in the Mission of the Church and The Authority of Scripture in the Christian Life, it has only increased. More on that later, need time to get-away to read, process, and then chat before writing more.
This morning, Eden and I prayed several prayers from A Child's First Book of Prayers (By Lois Rock, illustrated by Alison Jay, Augsburg Books, 2002). This prayer attributed to John Chapman, American pioneer, developer of nurseries, & Swedenborgian evangelist/missionary brings back memories of a favorite picture book and the below Disney clip. No doubt, the stories of Johnny Appleseed inspired me as a child to give praise to God for the creation, seek to care for the creation in a way which will bless my neighbor, and to love my neighbor. If you would have asked me at the time, I would have told you that he was Presbyterian just like me. ...
The Lord is good to me,
And so I thank the Lord
For giving me the things I need,
The sun, the rain, the appleseed,
The Lord is good to me.
PS. Interested in more music/video on Johnny Appleseed? Then check out the Swedenborgian Community.org: an on-line congregation. Comments on the broad teachings of the Swedenborgian Community delivered in a narrow context will have to wait for another day, but if you'd like to get a head start visit this post by the Swedenborgian Community.org: an on-line congregation. Note: I had some contact with members of their community when I lived in Pittsburgh.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
A quick note to
Day-by-Day by His Grace,
Tom & Theresa Grosh
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
Graduate & Faculty Ministry
http://www.groshlink.net
http://blog.emergingscholars.org
Our
Mission: "To establish and advance at colleges and universities witnessing communities that follow Jesus"
Our Vision: "To see students and faculty transformed. Campuses renewed. World changers developed."
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