GroshLink

Prayer requests for upcomong lunch lecture preparations:

1. 1/31: Lunch details to come together for serving food and spreading the word about our guest speaker Steve Noblett, the executive director for Christian Community Health Fellowship (CCHF).  
   • CCHF (http://www.cchf.org/) is a network of Christian physicians and other health professionals committed to living out the gospel through healthcare among the poor.  There are over 300 Christian clinics located in medically underserved areas across the United States in the CCHF family.  Many of those offer rotations and clinical experiences where students and residents not only learn the unique challenges of working with complex medical and cultural issues, but also get to see how providers are integrating faith and spiritual care into clinical primary care settings. CMDA has a close relationship with CCHF, and considers CCHF to be its primary domestic missions partner.
   • Steve is a regular speaker at the Global Health Missions Conference, and various CMDA conferences and events.  Steve lives in Memphis with his wife, Victoria, where they have worked for over 20 years with urban teens in severely under-resourced communities.
2. 2/7: Lunch details to come together with Wenger Meats as Theresa and I will serve food with some friends from Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church.  
   • During the presentation time, Theresa will be interviewed by the PSU-Hershey CMS Chapter President regarding her reflections on health care and recommendations for future health care providers based upon her experiences with our family (loss of Elise Faith, my cancer/seizures, Eden's developmental delays). 
   • As you may have seen on Theresa's wall, she's asking for suggestions, so if you have material which you think should receive emphasis, drop her a note and/or post on her wall.Thank-you to those who have already responded to Theresa's request on her FB wall. Just taking the opportunity to spread the net out a little wider :)
3. 2/14: Lunch details to come together as one of the physician couples who serve as informal advisors will partner with their local congregation in providing lunch. 
   • Kent Annan, author of two InterVarsity Press books and co-founder of Haiti Partners, will speak on After Shock: Searching for Honest Faith When Your World Is Shaken. For more on his visit to South Central PA visit 2/13: Helping Haiti/After Shock (6 pm, Elizabethtown Public Library). . . .

On February 13 at 6 pm, Helping Haiti kicks off at Elizabethtown Public Library. Helping Haiti is a South Central PA grassroots networking event involving a group of people with a heart for Haiti and representatives of several local organizations with work in Haiti:

• Haiti Connections (Coordinated by Mennonite Central Committee East Coast) 
• Haiti Connection Network
• PSU-Hershey Center for Global Health 

The gathering was inspired by Kent Annan, author of two InterVarsity Press books and co-founder of Haiti Partners. Kent will join us for the evening and share some of his story, recently published in After Shock: Searching for Honest Faith When Your World Is Shaken. Afterward he will take questions and sign books, his other InterVarsity Press title being Following Jesus Through the Eye of the Needle. When the library closes at 8 pm, some of us will walk over to Folklore Coffee for further conversation :) Please share the word . . . 

• "Helping Haiti"/"After Shock" 1/4 page invitation
• "Helping Haiti"/"After Shock" 8.5 x 11 poster

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Continued from Middle School Minister. Baptism. Systematic Theology. . . .

having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. -- Colossians 2:12

Jason's handout on Preparing Your Testimony, which I walked through with my daughter who is seeking to make a public profession of faith accompanied by baptism, highlights four elements of Paul's testimony before King Agrippa Acts 26:

• Sinning: Paul was against God and hated Christians.
• Summoned (or Called): Paul heard Jesus calling him to follow Him and leave sin.
• Surrendered: He gave his life to Christ - it says in verse 19 that he was obedient to what Jesus told him.
• Servant: Paul then shares about how he began serving Christ.

Based upon these four elements, the handout asks one to think through one's life and how one has seen each aspect. Take a moment to consider your responses.

• You probably weren't killing Christians, but sin did separate you from from God. What general and specific ways did sin have a hold over you?
• You probably did not receive a vision, but somehow you heard the gospel message. How did you hear the message? Where were you? Was it over a period of time or did it happen all at once?
• You probably were not obedient to a vision, but you did surrender your life in obedience to Christ. Do you remember a specific day when you gave your life to Christ or a period in time when you gradually gave your life to Him? How did that happen? Who were the key people involved with that?
• You probably are not planting churches, but God is at work in your life now. What has Christ done through you since committing your life to Him and what ways do you hope to continue serving Him?

Stemming from one's reflections, one is instructed to . . .

• Write out the whole thing and make it as long as you like.
• Keep the long version, but then edit it down to two paragraphs, about one typed page double spaced or two pages written out.
• Share it with at least two people to see if it makes sense and then make any changes that are suggested.

Some thoughts from my conversation with my daughter coming in future posts. Note: My spiritual autobiography, entitled One more day when you can live your life, can be read here. When I joined Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church, I wrote a short testimony. I will take a look for it and post it (or link to it).

On Monday, as I met with the Jason, the director of Middle School Ministry at our local assembly. Our main purpose for meeting was to discuss the desire of one of daughters to receive baptism. I knew from the start it was going to be a good conversation. Why? Because as I crossed Folklore Coffee House for my "second breakfast," he was digging into Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology. My kind of Middle School Minister :)

Thank-you to my friend who posted from "John Wesley's Covenant Service: For Those Who Would Make or Renew Their Covenant with God, 1780" [Wesley Hymns, Compiled by Ken Bible, Lillenas (Nazarene) Publishing Co., 1982]. May you also find it a blessing.

Lord Jesus, if Thou wilt receive me into Thy house, if Thou wilt but own me as Thy servant, I will not stand upon terms. Impose on me what condition Thou pleasest; write down Thy own articles; command me what Thou wilt; let me be Thy servant. Make me what Thou wilt, Lord, and set me where Thou wilt. Let me be a vessel of silver or gold, or a vessel of wood or stone; so I be a vessel of honor. I am content. If I be not the head, or the eye, or the ear, one of the nobler and more honorable instruments Thou wilt employ, let me be the hand, or the foot, as one of the lowest and least esteemed of all the servants of my Lord.

Lord, put me to what Thou wilt; rank me with whom Thou wilt.

Put me to doing; put me to suffering.

Let me be employed for Thee, or laid aside for Thee, exalted for Thee, or trodden under foot for Thee.

Let me be full; let me be empty.

Let me have all things; let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily resign all to Thy pleasure and disposal.

O most holy God, I beseech Thee, accept the poor prodigal prostrating himself at Thy door. I have fallen from Thee by my iniquity and am by nature a son of death and a thousandfold more the child of hell by my wicked practice. But of Thy infinite grace Thou hast promised mercy to me in Christ if I will but turn to Thee with all my heart. Therefore upon the call of Thy gospel, I am now come and, throwing down my weapons, submit myself to Thy mercy.

And because Thou requirest, as the condition of my peace with Thee, that I should put away my idols and be at defiance with all Thy enemies, I here from the bottom of my heart renounce them all. I firmly covenant with Thee not to allow myself in any known sin, but conscientiously to use all the means that I know Thou hast prescribed, for the death and utter destruction of all my corruptions. I humbly affirm before Thy glorious Majesty that it is the firm resolution of my law.

And since Thou hast told me I must suffer if I will reign, I do here covenant with Thee to take my lot, as it falls, with Thee and by Thy grace to run all hazards with Thee, purposing that neither life nor death shall part between Thee and me.

Now, Almighty God, Searcher of Hearts, Thou knowest that I make this covenant with Thee this day, without any known guile or reservation, beseeching Thee that if Thou seest any flaw or falsehood therein, Thou wouldst reveal it to me and help me to put it right.

And now, glory be to Thee, O God the Father, whom I shall be bold from this day forward to look upon as my God and Father. Glory be to Thee, O God the Son, who hast loved me and washed me from my sins in Thy own blood and art now become my Savior and Redeemer. Glory be to Thee, O God the Holy Ghost, who by Thy almighty power hast turned my heart from sin to God.

O eternal Jehovah, the Lord God Omnipotent, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Thou art now become my Covenant-Friend, and I, through Thy infinite grace, am become Thy Covenant-Servant. And the Covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen

Enjoying Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good, and/or What I Wish My Pastor Knew About... The Life of a Scientist, then check out what Richard Hughes, director of Messiah College's Sider Institute, has to say about the "Paradox of the Christian Scholar."

• Paradox and the Calling of the Christian Scholar 
  • http://blog.emergingscholars.org/2012/01/paradox-and-the-calling-of-the-christian-scholar/ 
• Can Christian Faith Sustain the Life of the Mind? 
  • http://blog.emergingscholars.org/2012/01/can-christian-faith-sustain-the-life-of-the-mind/

As always, feedback/comments are appreciated!

"How an Abortion Saved the Lives of Many." Thank-you to my friend who shared this powerful testimony/story via G+.* Be sure to watch the short video (http://vimeo.com/34880363) and read the article. To God be the glory! 

Pray for PSU-Hershey Christian Medical Society (CMS)/CMDA as we prepare to host Susquehanna Valley Pregnancy Service, http://www.svps.org/, later in the term. 

*Jenefer Igarashi is married to Geoff the Great and a homeschool momsie to six kids They've been homeschooling since 1995. She's socially awkward, somewhat unorganized and continually fails, but is saved and redeemed by the Sovereign Grace of God through Christ. 

In case you were wondering about what books round out those posted at What do these books have in common? Note: First two for OT 532 Historical & Poetic Booksw/Professor David A. Dorsey, the remaining for SF823: Spiritual Direction Strategies with Professor Jo Ann Kurz.

• Dorsey, David A. "The Literary Structure of the Old Testament: A Commentary on Genesis-Malachi." Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1999. 
• Fee, Gordon D., and Stuart, Douglas. "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth." 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. 
• Kelsey, Morton. "Dreams: A Way to Listen to God." New York: Paulist Press, 1978. 
• May, Gerald. "The Dark Night of the Soul: A Psychiatrist Explores the Connection Between Darkness and Spiritual Growth." San Francisco: HarperCollins, 2004. 
• Ruffing, Janet. "Spiritual Direction: Beyond the Beginnings." New York: Paulist Press, 2000.

Hmm . . . Must check to see if I have received:

• Conroy, Maureen. "Experiencing God’s Tremendous Love: Entering into Relational Prayer." Neptune, NJ: Upper Room Spiritual Center, 1988.

A special thank-you to those who have invested in these seminary classes/expenses (prayer, finances, child care, gifts of books . . .), providing a next step in equipping as the work has extended beyond all earthly expectations with the Christian Scholar Series, Emerging Scholars Network, Penn State Hershey Christian Medical Society (CMS)/CMDA! You are a great blessing for God. As I begin this new day of ministry, I am reminded how the Kingdom of God does not advance except by the Body of Christ serving together.

Look at the time! Must run to a breakfast appointment regarding these labors and then the weekly Penn State Hershey Christian Medical Society (CMS)/CMDA noon lunch lecture featuring a physician from the PSU-Hershey Medical Center. Pray for these conversations/presentations and the advance of the Lord's work. To God be the glory!

• Howard, David M., Jr. "An Introduction to the Old Testament Historical Books." 2nd ed. Chicago, IL: Moody, 2007.
• Josselson, Ruthellen. "The Space Between Us: Exploring the Dimensions of Human Relationships." Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1995.
• Merrill, Eugene H. "Kingdom of Priests: A History of Old Testament Israel. 2nd edition." Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2008.
• Merrill, Eugene H.; Rooker, Mark F.; and Grisanti, Michael A. "The World and the Word: An Introduction to the Old Testament." Nashville, Tenn.: B & H Publishing, 2011.
• Nemeck, Francis Kelly and Marie Theresa Coombs. "O Blessed Night: Recovering from Addiction, Codependency and Attachment based on the insights of St. John of the Cross and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin." New York: Alba House, 1991.
• Noll, Mark A. "Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind." Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2011.

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What are your interests? Greatest Game?

Hmm . . . When I was younger I liked to play Checkers. I shifted first to Chinese Checkers,then various stages of Chess, Monopoly, Risk, Sorry, Stratego, Tetris, Uno.

I remember a lot of Tetris, Rummy and Taboo in college. There must have also been Uno.

Thanks to friends at Carnegie Mellon University, Settlers of Catan then Carcasonne (picture above with PSU-Hershey CMS/CMDA students at 2011 Spring Retreat) then Cartegena topped the list (with Lost Cities and Bohnanza rising up/down as two or three player games at home). Note: Final Battle pictured below. At some point Dominoes was big, must have been due to friends in our local assembly's small group.

But the other day I won Apples to Apples in a room full of college friends (all girls, even with Theresa advising Becky) and our girls have really started to enjoy Fits. Could this be another change in disposition/perspective? Note: A PSU-Hershey CMS/CMDA game of Apples to Apples below (2011 Game Night).

 

Maybe it depends on the audience, because I truly wish other locals had interest in Lord of the Rings, maybe after reading The Hobbit and now having started The Fellowship of Ring with one of my daughters, I'll nurture a next generation :)

Ok. Just because I like a game doesn't make it the "greatest game" and why haven't I even explored physical games or much in the area of computer games? So Ludwig Wittgenstein found game/games difficult to define. Not suprising :) The 3rd definition at Dictionary.com is "a competitive activity involving skill, chance, or endurance on the part of two or more persons who play according to a set of rules, usually for their own amusement or for that of spectators." But I've played plenty of games against myself, I wonder what that means ;)

It would seem that "the Greatest Game" would be simple enough to be learned early in life and be played across generations/cultures. Although not universal, Rock-Paper-Scissors immediately comes to mind. But the casting some form of die or shooting marbles may top my list. Close behind, games such as Candyland, Checkers, Chinese Checkers, and Fits can be learned/taught rather easily without reading. Then maybe Phase 10, Racko, Uno . . . As for 'the Greatest Game' being one of complexity and longevity, chess comes to mind first. Time to submit this question to some of my friends from Carnegie Mellon University ;)

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As some of you may know I've been posting an Emerging Scholar Network Blog series which draws from Amy Sherman's Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good (InterVarsity Press. 2011). If you haven't already, I'd recommend you pick up a copy of this book. A little more incentive to my Messiah College friends: Amy Sherman's an articulate Messiah College alumnus ('87) and commencement speaker (2011, Commencement Profile, Commencement Address).

Would love to read your responses to her work. Catch a glimpse, applied to higher education ;)

• "Kingdom Calling in the New Year" 
  • http://blog.emergingscholars.org/2012/01/kingdom-calling-2012/
• "What do 'the righteous' look like in higher education?"
  • http://blog.emergingscholars.org/2012/01/kingdom-calling-righteous-higher-ed/
• "Deploying Vocational Power: Four Pathways"
  • http://blog.emergingscholars.org/2012/01/kingdom-calling-deploying-vocational-power/

Note: Additional background on Amy Sherman . . .

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Thank-you to my friend Glenn who passed along the below texts with the title/comment, "Not admired by the world's eyes? . . . This is a compilation of Scriptures verses which helps remind me, that many things which do not receive the world's admiration, are of great value in the Kingdom of God!"

Isaiah 53:2-3

² He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, 
   nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 
³ He was despised and rejected by men, 
   a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. 
Like one from whom men hide their faces 
   he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 

John 1
¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

I John 4:5
⁵ They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.

John 14:16-17
¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

What I Wish My Pastor Knew About... The Life of a Scientist

http://www.intervarsity.org/gfm/well/resource/life-of-a-scientist

by Andy Crouch, award-winning author of Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling. He is special assistant to the president of Christianity Today International. Andy is married to Catherine Crouch, an associate professor in the Department of Physics at Swarthmore College and a contributor to The Biologus Forum. They have two children.

Note: InterVarsity's The Well is a virtual gathering place for graduate and professional women to receive wisdom, care, challenge, and inspiration as they seek to follow Christ in the academic or work world.  

Our three year old looking at this sunrise on January 6 declared, "Mom! I see God at work!" "Hi God!"

I opened Saturday and Sunday morning prayer at the Christian Medical & Dental Association's Northeast Winter Retreat (1/13-15) with this quote, Psalm 19, and the encouragement to see God at work (in the world, the human body, and one-another through the lens of the Word, Spirit, and Body of Christ).

PS. Below's a picture of the Hershey crew and the Saturday sunset at Sandy Cove. More pictures along with reflections from the retreat coming. We rejoice in your prayers for our family and the work to which we've been called. . . .

Eden came back hungry & wound up after receiving her new ear tubes. She's running around the house with our younger one. To God be the glory!

Hoping we can give both of them a good nap :) We rejoice in your prayers and encouragement.

Today, Eden's receiving a replacement of her ear tubes. Pray for a smooth surgery/recovery. We look for forward to the improvement of her hearing, leading to an improvement in communication.

As I'm caring for our youngest during Eden's procedure, I'll miss the launch of this term's PSU-Harrisburg C.S. Lewis Seminar.  But I can pray for the noon gathering. Take a few minutes to join me to pray for the members to reconnect, recap previous chapters of N.T. Wright's Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense, complete Chapter 7, and most importantly walk away with richer understanding of/actual with with Jesus the Christ.

PS. If you're unfamiliar with the work of N.T. Wright (former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England and one of the world’s leading Bible scholars who is now serving as the Chair of New Testament and Early Christianity at University of St. Andrews’s School of Divinity) and desire to learn more about his writing/perspective, I encourage you to check out Believing and Belonging (excerpt from Simply Christian) and Georgetown University Veritas Forum Presentation (10/20/2006). I had the privilege of attending this Veritas Forum at which N.T. Wright spoke, my notes are posted on this blog at Simply Christian.

Updated: 1/18/2012, 8:56 AM.

In preparation for Kent Annan's February 13 - 16 visit, a number of people have shared with me how much they have been challenged in their faith by reading Following Jesus Through the Eye of the Needle: Living Fully, Loving Dangerously (InterVarsity Press, 2009) and how his early work prepares one to digest After Shock: Searching for Honest Faith When Your World Is Shaken (2011). Today, I am reminded that Following Jesus Through the Eye of the Needle is a helpful word to me as I turn 38.

As I begin a new year of life, I have the opportunity to live "One More Day" to the glory of God. This is not a time to slack in "Following Jesus Through the Eye of the Needle." Hold me accountable to live out this commitment with a deliberate, daily passion for Christ alone.

As some of my family and friends know, I've posted this question on Facebook and G+. But I'm curious in throwing the net wide. Maybe at the base of the question, is what does it mean to be a "blogger." Anyone desire to offer a definition? Should one of my 2012 new years resolutions be to embrace "Christ-centered" blogging with a passion. Thoughts, prayers, encouragements, questions?

This topic came to mind as I followed the trail of Fatal Stampede in South Africa Points Up University Crisis to What Can U.S. Universities Do About a Student Stampede in Johannesburg? to Building a ‘Knowosphere,’ One Cable and Campus at a Time to Notes from a Blogging ‘Discomfort Zone’. Join me in praying for the struggle for higher education. More on the topic coming . . .

Opening of Bruce Kuhn's "One man recitation of the gospel of Luke," http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNSTtILNygg.

What's your experience of Bible reading in your local assembly, various public settings, in your house?

On Friday, December 23, I received "the call." I was invited to do a Bible/Scripture reading which provided the overarching narrative for Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church's Christmas Eve Service, comprised of a creative mix of drama and worship. What an opportunity! Question: what hymns/songs would you place in the various sections (keep in mind various children choirs were singing).

• Mary & Joseph
  • Luke 1:26-38
  • Luke 2:4-7
• The Shepherds, 
  • Luke 2:8-20
• The Magi
  • Matthew 2:1-12
• God
  • Isaiah 9:2,6
  • Isaiah 11:2-5 
  • Isaiah 9:7

As I thought about the great opportunity, I was also struck by the great responsibility to read the Word in such a setting. Inspired by this consideration, I performed a quick on-line search regarding "Bible" reading. I found these two posts of value.

• http://www.4-14.org.uk/how-the-bible-ought-to-be-read-in-church -- Post/comments.
• http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=342 -- As I skimmed it over, the post appeared to be a good resource for the worship director in prepping "readers." . . . "Why Me?" ;)

No, I didn't do all the preparation discussed by these pieces, but they complimented some of my thoughts stirred by memories of Bruce Kuhn's One Man Show of The Gospel of Luke (below pictures of Kuhn as Tolstoy and in a drama training in 'da Burgh a few years ago when we hosted him for a campus outreach at Pitt and CMU). By God's grace, the evening offered a unique opportunity to bless the many in attendence including my family, my parents, Theresa's parents, and wife's sister (along w/one of her three boys) -- who provided plenty of care for Lily who enjoyed the whole service. To God be the glory!

PS. Maybe it's time to invite Bruce Kuhn for an outreach series in South Central PA . . .

2011 CMDA Northeast Winter Retreat    

In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation." -- Isaiah 25:9

Tonight Theresa and I head out to Sandy Cove, MD, for CMDA's Northeast Winter Retreat. We can't wait for the opportunity to hang out with student as they worship God and grow in their "call to care."

Pray for 

• Safe travel for delegates from across the Northeast.
• Growth in depth of relationship with students from PSU-Hershey and physician friends from the area who will join us as we hangout over meals and consider God's word in small groups. Opportunities for significant networking and encouragement in larger circles . . . 

South Central PA Delegates (2011 Winter Retreat)

• My preparation/leading of Saturday morning prayer. My focus will be upon the Bridgemans in Honduras, see Why do you do what you do? - Medical Missionaries.

• Clarity in teaching by Drs. Paul and Susan Lim, The Christian Life: Called to Pursue Soul-Satisfying Joy: A medical couple reflects on their missionary experience in Ethiopia. 
  

•  
  • In 2008, Paul and Susan along with their two children, Justin and Karis, moved to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to help CURE International start and run a new Christian mission hospital specializing in pediatric disabilities.  Paul, a plastic/reconstructive surgeon, was the Medical Director, and Susan was the Consultant Pediatrician for the hospital, two of only three first world trained pediatricians in the entire country of 85 million people. They had a passion for reaching unreached people groups with the Gospel and integrated their medical work with this passion.  After two and a half years, just as they began to see the first fruits, they unexpectedly needed to relocate back to the US, ending up in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, where they were graciously welcomed back by their sending church, Bethlehem Baptist Church of Minneapolis.  Paul is currently working as a pediatric plastic surgeon with Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul, Minnesota.  He is also an Assistant Professor of the University of Minnesota, being part of the teaching faculty for the plastic surgery residency.  Susan is not currently working as a pediatrician but is busy taking care of her family and home in their sudden and tumultuous transition that is still not even a year old.
• Wisdom in next steps and application of what is learned (including sharing core truths/principles/stories with friends) with on campus accountability.

A little background . . .

For more than a hundred years, beginning in the 1780’s, campuses set aside a day of prayer that focused just on the campus. Much of the energy of the revivals that swept through the country during those years was fueled by campus prayer.

In the early years of the 20th century, the day of prayer on campus fell by the wayside. The Gospel did not disappear, the day of prayer gave way to other ministry efforts.

A number of Christian ministries gathered together last year to re-establish the day of prayer on its traditional date (the last Thursday in February). This year they invited InterVarsity to join them, and InterVarsity has decided to engage with them.

We are joining our brother and sister organizations (Navigators, Cru, International House of Prayer, the 24/7 Prayer movement, YWAM, and SVM2 among others) to coordinate activity for this day. There are 21 different groups that have agreed to join together.

It is one day. . . . We are being asked to think creatively about how we can pray for the campus in a coordinated way. The last Thursday in February, the 23rd, is also the day after Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. The vision statement for the day simply says “open hands, open hearts, open heavens.”

Please join me in making a mental note of the date, marking it on the calendar, and beginning to pray about how to shape opportunities not only on the campuses which I directly serve, but also with the Emerging Scholars Network. Stay tuned . . .

Mark your calendars for February 13 - 16. Kent Annan, author of two InterVarsity Press books and co-founder of Haiti Partners, will be in South Central PA sharing an honest word about his journey with God in Haiti.

He kicks off with Helping Haiti, a South Central PA grassroots networking event involving a group of people with a heart for Haiti and representatives of several local organizations with work in Haiti (Elizabethtown Public Library, 6 pm). For more information visit the Library Event Page and/or the Facebook Event Page.

Praise: Yesterday's Merchandiser interview on Kent's visit went well. What a joy to partner with Elizabethtown Public Library on this project! Lord willing, the article will run 2/1. I've started sharing posters, lots of interest at "Bearly Used Boutique," "Mount Joy Gift & Thrift," & "Pages." Also I let "Folklore" know some of us would be dropping by afterward . . . If you'd like a poster to hang and/or some quarter sheets to share, drop me a line :)

Update: 1/11/2012 (9:41 AM).

 Les welcomes students to his house to celebrate Christmas.

Today begins the PSU-Hershey Christian Medical Society (CMS)/CMDA lunch lecture series. Les Scorza, M.D., an interventional radiologist and the fellowship's advisor, will speak.

Pray for

• Students to re-engage and for a growth in the men's Bible study. Note: CMS pictures from the fall are posted here.
• Plenty of food not just for this week, but throughout the term. Pray for volunteers to fill the open weeks.
• Les to present clearly the "call to care."
• Discernment in the spring leadership selection process. Pray for the Lord alone to be our strength.