The Emerging Scholars Blog

In addition to the Emerging Scholars Review, InterVarsity also publishes The Lamp Post, a quarterly email from Faculty Ministry. (If you have ever received or read the Faculty Ministry Newsletter, The Lamp Post is the new iteration of that publication.) It’s a great companion to the Emerging Scholars Review, as it features theological articles, reviews, and news specifically for Christian faculty.

A new edition of The Lamp Post will be published next week. If you’d like to subscribe (it’s free), click here.

While you’re at, you should also check out The Well, a publication of Women in the Academy and Professions. You can subscribe to that free email publication by clicking here.

The Chronicle of Higher Education’s On Hiring blog posted last week about finding a fit at small colleges. Some faculty relish their work at small liberal arts colleges, while others find the atmosphere burdensome. The post and the comments that follow it offer some excellent advice, both to job seekers and to those seeking to hire at small colleges.

At The Well, the excellent website of our fellow InterVarsity ministry Women in the Academy and the Professions, Dorothy Boorse, associate professor of biology at Gordon College, recently wrote about her experiences working at a small college, particularly in making the transition from the large research university where she earned her PhD, and the importance of “Asking the Right Question” in assessing your success in higher education.

Last Lecture Book Cover

When I purchased Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture, I mentioned to the cashier how I played pick-up basketball with Randy while a campus minister at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).  She responded by sharing excitedly about the CMU Computer Science Professor’s book and interview with Diane Sawyer.  I asked her if she watched The Last Lecture.  She responded, No.  I encouraged her to do so.  Why?

1.   Randy was a dynamic, creative, and refreshing personality at CMU well before he faced pancreatic cancer.  His optimism in the face of tragedy was inspirational to many people.  And his legacy will continue to be influential for years to come.  In Randy’s lecture, entitled Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, you find a hopeful Tigger instead of an cynical Eeyore pushing his technological habitat forward with his last breath while at the same time leaving a legacy for his wife and children! 

2.   Randy confronts head on the elephant in the room, i.e. his terminal cancer.  Passionate about honesty, he writes, If I could only give three words of advice, they would be “tell the truth.” If I got three more words, I’d add: “All the time.” My parents taught me that “you’re only as good as your word,” and there’s no better way to say it” (p. 163).  Note:  for Randy’s chronicling of his journey, check out his health update page.

3.  The Last Lecture stands out as a command performance, truly worthy of high regard in the genre, check out the various Last Lecture website media links (including his interview with Oprah).  

But as a follower of Christ who has faced his share of brick walls, including a personal struggle with intermediate grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma along with post-treatment health concerns and the death of my infant daughter Elise Faith; I find optimism alone to be lacking when facing life’s tragedies.  Although some hardships may, as Randy states, give us a chance to show us how much we want something because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people, I find that brick walls remind me that the world is not about me, that I depend upon Another (beyond family, community, financial resources, contacts, and memories), and I have been given One More Day to be a blessing to those around me.  

I enjoyed my time on the basketball court with Randy, never-the-less I wish that I would have had One More Day to chat with him about facing brick walls not by one’s own will but through Christ Jesus.  If you have a moment as the new term begins, let me know your thougths on The Last Lecture.