GroshLink

Earlier this week Kami L. Rice (who recently joined InterVarsity staff to work with graduate and professional students in Nashville) began an Emerging Scholars Network (ESN) guest blogging series with Heading East: Kami in India, http://blog.emergingscholars.org/2011/07/heading-east-kami-in-india/. If you're not already subscribing to the ESN blog, I'd encourage you to take the time to track with Kami's series.

Also related to India, today I posted on Pandita Ramabai (1858 – 1922), drawing from Dennis Hollinger‘s highlighting of Pandita Ramabai as an example of 'Head, Heart, & Hands' faith, http://blog.emergingscholars.org/2011/07/head-heart-hands-pandita-ramabai/.

Did you know you can receive the Emerging Scholars Network Blog updates by email? If not and you'd like to, subscribe here & enjoy :)

Emerging Scholars Blog Subscribers

Note: As I've mentioned before, Emerging Scholars Network Blog posts are available at http://blog.emergingscholars.org/author/tomg/. I'm currently in a series based upon Dennis Hollinger's "Head, Heart & Hands: Bringing Together Christian Thought, Passion and Action" (InterVarsity Press, 2005). The most recent post in the series wrestles with "Distortions of the Heart."

"Head, Heart & Hands: Christian Faith and the Hands" will be posted on Thursday.

 

In response to my colleague Mike's Emerging Scholars Network Blog Post What Will You Be Reading This Summer?, I compiled the below list and placed it in the comments section. But out of curiosity, What Will You Be Reading This Summer?

Hard to pull together a full list of summer reads, so here's a few. Please remind me if I've mentioned one earlier and didn't include it here :) After I organize my office library in order to host friends over the course of the next several weeks, maybe I'll have to do a second post anyway. Note to Mike: let's be sure to do a follow-up "What did you read over the summer?"

New releases
Philip W. Eaton's "Engaging the Culture, Changing the World: The Christian University in a Post-Christian World" (InterVarsity Press. 2011). ESN blog post coming. Anyone interested in an on-line book discussion on this title? Check out Eaton's book lists at http://blog.spu.edu/eaton/bookshelf/ :)

John Dickson's "Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love and Leadership" (Zondervan. June 2011). ESN blog post coming. Anyone interested in an on-line book discussion on "Humilitas"? It will be humbling ;)

Debby Read's "Prescription for the Doctor's Wife: Hope and Help for Your Unique Marriage" (Dawson Media. 2011) -- For my work with PSU-Hershey Medical Center Christian Medical Society/CMDA. I'm sure I'll loan it out as soon as I'm finished (if not before).

Books I've "dwelled in" (More)

"Along with significant ways in which our mind has been part of coming to Christ, growing in faith, and engaging the world,
Distortions of the Head also come quickly to our thoughts when considering loving God with our mind."

A "heads up" that yesterday and today I added posts to the growing "Head, Heart & Hands" Emerging Scholars Network series (based on an adult elective at Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church and tied to the Central PA Christian Scholars Network/ESN). To read (and contribute to) the series and other posts I've written for the Emerging Scholars Network visit http://blog.emergingscholars.org/author/tomg/.

As you characterize your conversion experience, would you say that it is one

• Of the head?
  
• Of the heart?
  
• Of the hands?
  
• A combination of one or more?

The Emerging Scholars Network blog's Head, Heart & Hands book study is up & running.

Head, Heart & Hands: Fragmented Faith and Fragmented People (Intro/Chapter 1) | ESN Blog | Tom Grosh

... The holistic perspective offered by Dennis Hollinger (President of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) serves the whole believer and the whole Body of Christ, including Christian scholars. In response the Central PA Christian Scholars Network/ESN, in partnership with Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church and Hearts and Minds Bookstore, invited Hollinger to speak for a series in Fall 2010. ...

Please join us on-line.

For those in South Central PA, let me know if you'd be interested in gathering "live" (i.e., in person -- in a home or a coffee shop) to discuss a foundational book by an Elizabethown College alum from South Central PA who served at a local congregation, Messiah College, & Evangelical Theological Seminary before becoming President of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

PS. I'm hoping to invite Dennis back again ;) I'm particularly interested in having him speak at the PSU-Hershey Medical Center on 1. medical ethics, 2. meaning of sex.

Ever had the experience of not wanting to return books to the library?  As part of the spring class which I took on Spiritual Formation in Ministry and the subsequent thoughts which have slowly turned from papers into posts, I've been digging into, drawing material from, and spending time in

• Atwood, Craig D. 2004. Community of the cross: Moravian piety in colonial Bethlehem. University Park, Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press.
• Homan, Daniel, and Lonni Collins Pratt. 2002. Radical hospitality: Benedict's way of love. Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press.
• McQuiston II, John. 1996. Always we begin again: The Benedictine way of living Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing.
• Ware, Corinne. 2001. Saint Benedict on the freeway: A rule of life for the 21^st century. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.

As time closed in on returning the resources, I mused as to whether owning the books would make me less likely to give them the urgent attention which they're receiving. Looking around my home library, I think the answer is "yes."  Hoping others who visit the Elizabethtown College Library (Atwood) and the Lancaster County Library System (Homan, McQuiston, Ware) are blessed by these materials.  When I have time later in the summer to give Ware more focused attention, I will be checking them out again and posting some reflections.

Somehow I was able to receive another renewal on Atwood! It's one of those books which I have to feed upon slowly, it's worth giving it the extra time.  June 30th return date marked on the calendar.

Is Education’s End a concern of yours? Then be sure

1. to check out Mike Hickerson's recent Emerging Scholars Network blog series on Anthony Kronman’s 2007 book Education’s End: Why Our Colleges and Universities Have Given Up on the Meaning of Life. The last in the series directly confronts Kronman's misunderstanding of the relationship of Religion, Education, and the Meaning of Life.
2. to connect with us about how to support and/or become involved with our work among Christian Scholars (concentrated in South Central PA*) but also with a national presence through the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN) (particularly the ESN blog). As I've shared before, I would love the opportunity connect/reconnect with you in person, email, or by phone.

Note: If you're led to give toward our $93,340 ministry budget (of which God provides 100% through the gifts of the people of God), then swing by https://donate.intervarsity.org/donate/to/Tom_Grosh. At present we have received $75,399 and are seeking to address an anticipated gap of ~$2,400.

To volunteer in other ways (e.g., assist with special events such as retreats and the Christian Scholar Series, collate mailings, provide food for our weekly PSU-Hershey CMS/CMDA Tuesday lunch lectures), drop us an email or give us a call.

For Christ’s love compels us… I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation (II Cor. 5:14—6:2).

*Local partnerships include Brethren in Christ World Mission, Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ, Elizabethtown Public Library, Hearts & Minds Bookstore, Manheim Brethren in Christ, Penn State Hershey Christian Medical Society (CMS)/Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA).

News from The Charles Malik Society for Redeeming Reason, Chicago, IL. Thanks John! Yes, it is a "[a]nother signal of new opportunities for Christian engagement with modern culture."

The Chicago music group Soli Deo Gloria will perform, along with other choirs, a new work by composer James MacMillan on Saturday, June 4, in Rockefeller Chapel at 4:30 pm. Alpha and Omega (six-minute choral setting of Revelation 21:1-6a, English Standard Version) was commissioned by Soli Deo Gloria and Crossway Books in honor of the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.” -- Revelation 21:1-6a, English Standard Version.*

For more read Soli Deo Gloria Commissions New Work From James Macmillan.  For more about James MacMillan watch the below video.

If you're in Chicago, IL, check it and share with me what you receive from the performance.

*Note: Follow the link to dig into the references ;-) Also available in audio at the 'new and improved BibleGateway. A refreshing start to my day. Revelation 21: 2-4 NIV is the BibleGateway "Verse of the Day." To God be the glory!

Yes, I've been talking a lot about PSU-Hershey Christian Medical Society (CMS)/CMDA over the past several weeks. God is giving us a clearer direction in the focus of our time in ministry and PSU-Hershey is one of those locations.

No doubt our personal experiences, such as the loss of Elise Faith (our first child) after eight days, my own physical concerns (cancer, seizures, fainting spells), Eden's vascular malformation in the brain stem leading to a number of developmental delays, and relatives in health care (my uncle who is an oncologist, my sister will graduate from nursing school on Friday, my father who is a dentist) are part of the picture.

As the NY Times Op-Ed Physician, Heel Thyself (Theresa Brown. 5/7/2011) and our own experience indicates, hospital campuses are in need of healing and renewal. Our work with the PSU-Hershey CMS/CMDA is countercultural and culturemaking. We are part of a movement raising up a new generation of health care professionals who love God, love one-another, and love their patients. They embrace the call to care and stand against 'lateral violence'/'bullying.' Note: Our fellowship has nurses and graduate students in the mix. In addition, physicians, nurses, researchers, and ministry leaders (including pastors, a hospital chaplain, myself) have spoken for our lunch lecture series.

Recently, I've come to realize that my desire to care and to be present with others has deep roots in growing up in a dental office, hanging out in a waiting room, climbing the dental chairs to invite little children to have their first check-up, becoming an assistant during high school/college. I wouldn't trade this opportunity to grow up in practice which serves/attends to one another and their patients for anything.

To support our countercultural, culturemaking ministry through finances visit https://donate.intervarsity.org/donate/to/Tom_Grosh.* To volunteer in other ways (e.g., assist with special events such as retreats and the Christian Scholar Series, collate mailings, provide food for our weekly PSU-Hershey CMS/CMDA Tuesday lunch lectures), drop us an email or give us a call.  To read Tom's spiritual autobiography, entitled One more day when you can live your life, click here.

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. — Colossians 3:17

*Praying for God's provision of our $93,340 ministry budget. At present we have received $73,659 (5/19/2011). Our fiscal year closes on June 30. Based on past giving cycles we estimate our gap consists of ~$3,500, ~$2,400.

Thank-you to my faculty friend who share these texts of encouragement for finals week. I also pass these along to the many Medical students preparing for boards. Note: This morning I'll be involved in the commissioning of PSU-Hershey Christian Medical Society Graduates (2011). To God be the glory! Highlights coming ...

  I look up to the mountains—
      does my help come from there?
  My help comes from the Lord,
      who made heaven and earth!
             Psalm 121

  “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
      and he saved them from their distress.
   He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom;
      he snapped their chains.
   Let them praise the Lord for his great love
      and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
   For he broke down their prison gates of bronze;
      he cut apart their bars of iron
             Psalm 107

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”  Matthew 11

  Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
  Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
  I will strengthen you and help you.
  I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
  For I hold you by your right hand— 
  Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you
        Isaiah 41

Several donors have expressed interest in hearing from alumni as to the long term value of our campus ministry. Peter (Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University), married to Kelly (a Grove City College alumnus), kicks off a periodic series of posts. Peter and Kelly have been connected with our ministry in some form since "the early days" and have been a great joy to grow with "in Christ" through the years. Conversations from the decade at Carnegie Mellon inspire not only some of the topics, but also some of the style of my posts on the Emerging Scholars Network blog. Currently Peter serves as a software engineer with Logos Bible Software.

It's easy for me to say that InterVarsity changed my life, because I met the girl of my dreams at an InterVarsity conference, now happily married.  While that's hard to beat, it's also true that the ideas and relationships I encountered through InterVarsity have had a profound long-term effect on my professional and spiritual life.  For example, as a Ph.D. student in computer science I grappled with questions of vocation and work; it was important for me to understand how my work (and not just that of pastors and missionaries) is of value to God in itself.  

Tom and the InterVarsity community were instrumental in encouraging me through the challenges of graduate school and facilitating the discussions and deep thinking needed to navigate this and other questions of meaning and purpose, and to sustain my spiritual life through prayer, worship, study, outreach, and celebration.  The training and experience gained through InterVarsity have stayed with me as I continue to lead others in Bible study, to grapple with big questions, and to serve the Lord by working in my field.

Peter

Peter's ministry affirmation is humbling. We offer his reflections to the glory of God and for your consideration as you prayerfully invest in strategic Kingdom of God endeavors, https://donate.intervarsity.org/donate/to/Tom_Grosh.

Please be in touch with us, if you have availability to volunteer in lives of students/families such as Peter and Kelly by

• assisting with special events such as retreats, funding events, and the Christian Scholar Series
•  collating mailings and preparing various communications materials
• providing food for PSU-Hershey CMS/CMDA's weekly Tuesday lunch lectures.

Note: To get to know Tom & Theresa better, we encourage you to read Tom's One more day when you can live your life and Theresa's God at Work Testimony (6/19/2011).

For Christ’s love compels us… I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation (II Cor. 5:14—6:2).

Updated:  7/2/2011. 5:01 pm EST.

So what's your story about social net(works?) & 'friending?' Here's a provoking piece, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oi4fYBbWlQ,with superb artistry & an excellent 'punch line' ;)

Don't miss my colleague Mike Hickerson's post Scholars, Teachers, and the Church (ESN Blog, 5/3/2011), in follow-up to the ESN blog record setting post Jesus Didn’t Choose Scholars…

What examples have you seen of scholars & teachers serving the church or in secular fields? What kinds of scholarly work are needed in the church?

Our work among Emerging Scholars and the creation of the Central PA Christian Scholars Network with Christian Scholar Series is motivated by the longing to be part of the process in which more members of the community of higher education are raised up with and encouraged in a sense of calling like Intervarsity Alumni Lendol Calder, history professor at Augustana College. Calder was recently named the 2010 Illinois Professor of the Year, an award recognizing professors who excel in undergraduate teaching and mentoring. To God be the glory!

InterVarsity Alum: Lendol Calder on "Uncoverage" from InterVarsity-twentyonehundred on Vimeo.

More on this topic coming ...

To support financially visit https://donate.intervarsity.org/donate/to/Tom_Grosh. To volunteer in other ways (e.g., assist with special events such as retreats and the Christian Scholar Series, collate mailings, provide food for our weekly PSU-Hershey CMS/CMDA Tuesday lunch lectures), drop us an email or give us a call.  To read Tom's spiritual autobiography, entitled One more day when you can live your life, click here.

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. — Colossians 3:17

My friend Chad Frey, Director of the Agape Center for Service Learning, Messiah College, speaks about service learning, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIeJsgz5EWg.  We were classmates in Geneva College's Masters in Higher Education Program and recently reconnected at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies Annual Banquet.  He is doing excellent work.

Couldn't resist, a few more minutes with John Updike's Seven Stanzas at Easter (1960), Correspondence theory & Updike’s “Seven Stanzas of Easter” (ESN Blog. 4/26/2011). I draw a quote from David Lyle Jeffrey and Gregory Maillet's Christianity and Literature: Philosophical Foundations and Critical Practice (Christian Worldview Integration Series. InterVarsity Press. 2011).

Make no mistake: if He rose at all
it was as His body;
if the cells’ dissolution did not reverse, the molecules
reknit, the amino acids rekindle,
the Church will fall. ...
– John Updike. Seven Stanzas at Easter. 1960.

Note:  Earlier post, A few minutes with Updike’s “Seven Stanzas of Easter” (ESN Blog. 4/21/2011).

"Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again."

Brief Reflection on “The Great Sin” [Emerging Scholars Network (ESN) Blog post. 4/14/2011] was provoked by a section in C.S. Lewis' The Horse and His Boy which sent me back to a section on "The Great Sin" in Mere Christianity. MacMillan, 1975, Book III, Chapter 8). Note:  I was reading The Horse and His Boy with one of my daughters for a book review, see below.  With one of my other daughters I'm reading David Downing's Looking for the King: An Inklings Novel (Ignatius. 2010).

What is the most interesting part of the book?  I think that the most interesting part of the book was when Aravis and Cor (Shasta) met and both were speechless.  They were speechless because Shasta was now Cor, which meant that he was now a prince.  Aravis was amazed that he was in the battle and was alive.

What is your least favorite part of the book?  My least favorite part of the book was Chapter 1.  I thought that it moved by very slowly.  I like it better when the story plot moves along faster.

What are two lessons that you learned from the book?  One of the lessons that I learned was to listen when the "lion is talking" (lion = God).  In the book, Aslan is the lion and he guides the characters the same way that God guides us.  The other lesson that I learned was don't take pride in what you look like.  In the book Bree doesn't want to enter Narnia because his tail is cut short.  Aslan says to him, "Don't take pride in what you look like Bree."

Would you recommend the book to a friend?  I would recommend this book to my friends because it has talking animals and it's an action packed adventure book.

Yeah!  And as one of my friends mentioned the other day, the Focus on the Family Narnia Chronicles audio series is superb!  If you haven't checked it out, I'd recommend you do such :-)

Mathematics faculty friend's comment on Bill Gates Seeks Formula for Better Teachers (Stephanie Banchero. Wall Street Journal. 3/22/2011)

But, i don't think gates' more money and more taxation and paying higher salaries for "best" teachers (who determines that...just standard test scores...the purpose of education is to help students learn how to learn, even more learn how to teach themselves...it's not the magical transfer of knowledge stuff from the teacher's brain to the student's brain...a teacher is a coach to assist the students...the teacher does not do the learning...yet, the myth persists that a marvelous teacher, with great charisma, will bewitch the students...the video "stand and deliver" shows how those poor math students in CA were able to perform...they just worked harder, and practiced by solving thousands of problems after school and on weekends...

Thank-you.  I would add discipine.  Mary Poplin (Professor of Education. Claremont) recently published She's Strict for a Good Reason: Highly Effective Teachers in Low-Performing Urban Schools (Phi Delta Kappan. January 2011. vol. 92 no. 5 39-43) based on research in Los Angeles.

Abstract: A study of 31 high-performing teachers in low-performing urban schools found that these teachers had certain traits in common. They were strict; they taught in traditional, explicit ways; there was little time in their classrooms when instruction was not occurring; and they moved around the room helping their students. They used very few constructivist or cooperative activities. And they stressed particular virtues, including respecting self and others, working hard, being responsible, never giving up, doing excellent work, trying one's best, being hopeful, thinking critically, being honest, and considering consequences. They strongly believed in their students' potential and pushed them to achieve.

i'm thinking about question from someone in capetown south africa..why does God let people die...as a teacher, i am asked "why did you let that student fail"...I didn't want him to fail, I offered help to him..he refused the help...he didn't come to class...he turned away from the very things that would have given him a good grade...he chose to fail, despite my pleas...God often asked israel, "why will you die...why do you choose death"...God is the only source of life, Life is found in him, when we turn against him, we turn against Life, and choose death...the prodigal son chose to leave home...it broke the father's heart...thankfully the prodigal son soon learned that all the joys and happiness of life were back home with the father...he had to live with pigs, and lose everything to come to the end of  living for himself...he returned to the father who welcomed him hom, with undeserved grace and favor...and rejoiced over the son's return... -- a faculty friend.

Over the course of the past week InterVarsity's Graduate & Faculty Ministery gathered to dig into the theme of "Campus Renewal."  Thank-you to Miller for passing along this "case study/story" from Harvard by Jeff Barneson, InterVarsity Graduate & Faculty Ministry.  Jeff has served graduate students at Harvard for 25 years. Below's a quote from his tribute to Peter Gomes, Harvard's Dean of the Chapel, who passed away February 28.

First, Peter was a friend to the Christian fellowships at Harvard—even the evangelical ones.

Shortly after I arrived in Cambridge in 1983, Peter took me aside in his office and told me that he loved evangelical students because their hearts are warmed by the love of Christ. But loving the InterVarsity and Campus Crusade cohorts was not always easy, since students zealous in their witness for Jesus frequently overstepped the rules of engagement set out at Harvard. In those instances when one or another of our groups drew the ire of the administration or other students, Peter would calmly call the Dean of Students or the appropriate House Master and explain that part of life at the University is for students to learn appropriate ways of engaging in conversation about these matters and that these students were still learning.

We were all still learning, in fact, and Peter was a savvy and generous teacher. On one occasion he spoke at one of the regular meetings of the Harvard Graduate School Christian Fellowship—the InterVarsity group I advise. He told the graduate students packed together in Phillips Brooks House that their calling was to "Say the intolerable thing to a generation whose only value is tolerance." During the discussion following his remarks, I asked what he meant by "the intolerable thing." "Jeffrey," he said, "the intolerable thing is that Jesus Christ is Lord."

Jeff's complete tribute is posted at On Peter Gomes and His Many Friends: A Remembrance (Patheos. 3/8/2011).

Thank-you to my friends at Harvard who continue to pass along 'good reports' regarding Jeremy Lin, a follower of Christ who at present is the only Harvard grad in the NBA.  In addition, Lin is the only Asian-American in the NBA.  He's playing with the Golden State Warriors.  Below's a link to his recent CNN interview.  What a joy to hear him share his love of God.  To God be the glory!

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2011/03/10/exp.am.intv.jeremylin.cnn

Note:  Earlier posts on Jeremy Lin

• How does your faith shape the way you behave on the court?
• InterVarsity covering Harvard Basketball
• More on Harvard Hoops Star

Pray for the one hundred and twenty Graduate & Faculty Ministries staff to receive refreshed vision and direction from the Father, the Son (and Word), Holy Spirit, testimony of the Body of Christ as we gather March 20-26 for training, learning, and encouragement as we discuss renewal within higher education. I'll join the mtgs March 22-24.

In specific pray for

• safe travel
• strong support for the family as I'm gone
• clarity in communication regarding important topics
• discernment regarding next steps for the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN).  I'll participate in a workshop on ESN with some time focused upon the ESN Blog and the Central PA Christian Scholars Network
• wisdom for those who present
  • Dr. George Marsden, author of "The Soul of the American University" and of "The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship." George recently retired from his teaching responsibilities at Notre Dame.  Dr. Marsden will be addressing, "Renewing the Ideas and People of the University". 3/22/2011. Note: George M. Marsden, “The Soul of the American University,” First Things (January 1991), http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=16.
  • Dr. Santa Ono, Provost at the University of Cincinnati and IVCF Board Member will deliver our second plenary on "Renewing the People and Structures of the University".  3/23/2011
  • Marsden and Ono will be joined by others including Donald Davis, Professor Emeritus of U. of Texas - Austin School of Information, for a panel discussion and extended conversation about what this might mean for our work as staff.  3/23/2011

Thank-you to my friend Kevin who forwarded a link to Sex Economics 101 (Katelyn Beaty. Christianity Today. 2/18/2011).  The interview of Mark Regnerus, early-marriage sociologist focuses on his new research/book Premarital Sex in America: How Young Americans Meet, Mate, and Think about Marrying (Oxford University Press), coauthored with Jeremy Uecker.  Teaser ...

Question: You frame your research using sexual economics theory: Sex is a transaction in which men pay, via economic stability or education or as little as dinner, to get access to sex, while women pay with their sexuality to get goods that men can offer. Describing sex this way seems pretty cynical. Why use this theory to explain your research?

I encourage you to ake a few minutes to prayerful consider the piece and pass it along to others.  The material has particular relevance to college students, young adults, and those who are regularly in their midst. Note: Mary Poplin, Professor of Education at Claremont Graduate University, regularly uses the term serial monogamy to describe her pre-Christian relationships when giving her testimony.

Where there is strife, there is pride,
   but wisdom is found in those who take advice. -- Proverbs 13:10 (NIV)

How true.  Praying for discernment in recognizing good advice each step along the way. ...

I'm packing in preparation to help out with Mary Poplin's (Professor of Education, Claremont Graduate University, & author of Finding Calcutta:  What Mother Teresa Taught Me About Meaningful Work and Service) visit to Pittsburgh.  To learn more check out my two most recent posts on the Emerging Scholars Network Blog. 

• The Unlikely Conversion of a Radical Scholar (2/24)
• ESN: "An essential & growing movement" (2/25)

Please continue to pray for safe travel, good health, and clear articulation of the call of God. If you’re local to one of these gatherings, please join us. I’ll provide links to audio/video of various presentations when they are available :-)