Part of Our Scholar’s Compass Discussion Guide
So many things about the academic life are positive: the chance to learn new things, the opportunity to mentor others, the possibility of making new discoveries in a way that genuinely helps people. Yet we often encounter periods of severe difficulty in this work as well. That difficulty is not limited just to our working hours–often it is intertwined with our spiritual lives. In this unit, we’ll explore 3 reflections on navigating difficulty. In the first, Tamarie Macon explores some deep challenges she encountered unexpectedly in academia, and how she grew through them. Then, in a two-part series, Paul Yandle describes how his work as a historian led to a challenging experience of doubt–and what grew from that experience in his life.
This group discussion guide is designed to be flexible, so some groups will be doing all four units and others may only be exploring one. We have provided short notes on: 1) How the unit fits into the overall discussion guide 2) How the unit functions individually.
How this Unit Fits into the Overall Discussion Guide: In Unit 1, we explored some ways to love your neighbor through your academic work. Unit 2 was about developing the virtues that help you become someone who consistently shows love for God and neighbor. In Unit 3, we recognize some of the difficulties of the academic life. We explore some of the moments that may not initially feel full of growth, and share some stories of navigating those times.
How This Unit Functions Individually: In this unit, we explore some of the challenges in the academic life, and how we can navigate difficulty and sometimes even grow through it. Connecting faith & work over the long arc of the academic life will require navigating some difficult times, and we hope this unit helps you find hope when those moments come.
Session 1: Navigating Uncertainty & Challenges
Reading: Navigating the Rapids, Part 1: When It Doesn’t Go As You Expect, by Tamarie Macon
What about the times when we run into unexpected difficulty in our work? It doesn’t always feel as though we’re growing spiritually when this happens. Sometimes it’s hard to love our neighbors or feel connected to God at all. What surprising gifts might God give us in difficult times of our academic life and work? Tamarie Macon shares a story of challenge and growth. Note: We’re reading this post on its own here for reasons of time, but it is the first of a 3-part series. If you have time, browse Part 2 and Part 3 online, or read them in the Scholar’s Compass booklet.
Small Group Discussion Guide:
Here’s a quick guide to exploring in small groups. If you’re having a fantastic discussion of one point, feel free to spend longer on it even if you don’t get to everything.
Introductions: Each person please share your name, field area, and a habit or practice that has helped you in a difficult time. Examples could include: exercise, journalling, music, prayer, talking regularly with a counselor, gathering with a group of friends, etc.
Reading: Take 5 minutes to read the Scholar’s Compass entry silently & write a few personal notes on what stood out to you.
Adjust: Discussion Questions:
- Each person please share: What is one thing that stood out to you as you read?
- Do you think any stages of the academic life are especially likely to be challenging? Examples could include graduate exams, thesis writing, searching for a job, applying for tenure, etc.
- Tamarie talks about feeling uncertainty in her academic work, and feeling that she was pursuing the wrong research direction for her at a particular time. Have you felt uncertainty about your sense of calling to academic work, or to a particular research direction? What has been helpful in those times?
- Looking back over your past experience, what was an unexpected difficulty you encountered in your work (large or small)? What helped you in that experience of unexpected difficulty?
- Next Steps: What do you need God to do in your circumstances right now, whether they are difficult or more manageable? Take 5 minutes to write down 1-3 ideas for practices that might help you connect with God in your work when things are difficult. Close with each member of the group sharing one idea, if you are comfortable doing so.
Probably add some sort of help line for mental health questions? Or adjust to a different entry? Probably the first.
Session 2: Recognizing Doubt
Reading: Surely the Lord Was in the Rare Books Room, Part 1, by Paul Yandle
It’s profoundly true that faith is often a source of hope and comfort in difficult moments of our working lives. But sometimes, as we grow in our knowledge of both faith and our field areas, we are confronted with doubt. In our next two sessions, we’ll explore a two-part series by Paul Yandle. Paul tells the story of a time that his work as a historian led to doubts at the same time that he was encountering spiritual difficulties in the rest of his life. We hope his story helps you wrestle honestly with times of doubt in your own life as a scholar.
Small Group Discussion Guide:
Here’s a quick guide to exploring in small groups. If you’re having a fantastic discussion of one point, feel free to spend longer on it even if you don’t get to everything.
Introductions: Each person please share your name, field area, and one unsolved question in your field area (small or large).
Reading: Take 5 minutes to read the Scholar’s Compass entry silently & write a few personal notes on what stood out to you.
Discussion Questions:
- Each person please share: What is one thing that stood out to you as you read?
- Paul shares a deeply personal story of doubt he experienced as his skills as a historian grew. Many scholars have the experience of growing in their skills in a field and being confronted by new questions about faith or their field or both. As you grow in skills in your own field, have you ever questioned whether the field is a good fit for you? If so, what made you wonder if it was a good fit?
- As Paul describes, doubt is sometimes an intertwined experience of different kinds of doubt: self-doubt, spiritual doubt, or sometimes doubt about whether your field area is right for you. If you feel comfortable talking about this question, has studying your field ever raised difficult questions about faith or your work for you? Or have other people talked with you about different kinds of doubt they encountered in their work?
- Whether they were your own doubts or those of others, what was/is the experience of encountering those doubts like for you?
- Next Steps: Take 5 minutes to write about any difficult questions about faith you have encountered in your work. For now, just give yourself time to face those doubts and recognize the experience of questioning. (We will think about some possible resolutions to doubts and questions in Session 3.) Usually we close by sharing one thing you wrote down. Since these questions are often hard to share, there is no need to do that unless you want to. Close by each sharing one thing that stood out to you from today’s conversation (choose something you feel comfortable talking about).
Session 3: Navigating Doubt
Reading: Surely the Lord Was in the Rare Books Room, Part 2, by Paul Yandle
Paul Yandle continues his story of a time he began to experience doubt, and what happened after. We’ll explore our own experiences of doubt and disappointment (as the group feels comfortable to share), and talk about what might be helpful in those times.
Small Group Discussion Guide:
Here’s a quick guide to exploring in small groups. If you’re having a fantastic discussion of one point, feel free to spend longer on it even if you don’t get to everything.
Introductions: Each person please say your name, field area, and one thing you feel hopeful about in your work (large or small).
Reading: Take 5 minutes to read the Scholar’s Compass entry silently & write a few personal notes on what stood out to you.
Discussion Questions:
- Each person please share: What is one thing that stood out to you as you read?
- Have you ever felt disappointed that your work or your spiritual experience doesn’t feel more exciting? Has God ever met you in the mundane in an unexpected way, in work or other settings?
- If you feel comfortable, would you share about a time you experienced doubts related to your work? If you feel they are resolved, how did that happen? If you feel they are not resolved at present, what do you hope for in this experience of doubt?
- Paul describes how an experience of working through doubt in his academic and spiritual life transformed his faith for the better. Have you ever had a similar experience? Or have you encountered a story from someone else who has? What helps you when you are in a season of doubt?
- Since this is the end of a unit, this is a great time to reflect briefly on the whole unit and your own experience. Take 5 minutes to write down A) Something you currently find difficult in your work B) What you hope for in that circumstance and C) If it seems helpful, one practice you might implement to help you move toward that hope. Usually we close by sharing one thing you wrote down. Since these questions are often hard to share, there is no need to do that unless you want to. Close by each sharing one thing you hope for in general as we come to the end of the unit (choose something you feel comfortable talking about).
Unit Conclusion & Next Unit
On the journey of connecting faith and work, this unit focused on navigating difficult times in your work as a scholar. Here we focused on two possible modes of difficulty in academic life: 1) navigating a time of unexpected difficulty in life and career and 2) experiencing doubt about faith or your work in your academic life. Both Tamarie Macon and Paul Yandle told stories of difficult experiences and how they ultimately grew in faith and life through those experiences.
We sometimes face great difficulties in the academic life. When you encounter difficult things, we pray God will give you help, community support, hope, and growth.
Next Unit: Explore Unit 4
While each unit can stand on its own, those wishing to explore further can go on to Unit 4.
Additional Resources
Scholar’s Compass Booklet
Scholar’s Compass Retreat Guide