As we prepare for the academic year in this complicated moment, what journey is God inviting us to take? ESN Director Bob Trube reflects on the choices we make at key moments of our lives and callings. When you hear the term “critical junctures” at the beginning of an academic year, your mind may go to the decisions that may have important consequences for your academic career—the choice of an advisor, defining a research interest, or deciding which journal to which you submit an article. What about … [Read more...] about Critical Junctures: Preparing for the Academic Year
Prayer, Scholarship, and the Pandemic
Many of us have felt adrift in these days of quarantine, and work from home. The rhythms of our lives are upset. We try to give lectures, or write while supervising children's school work or letting out the dog. We follow health warnings, infection statistics, and the endless public debates reflected in the news and our social media. We often lack the ability to get into labs or access other resources needed for research. We wonder how long this will go on, and whether it will be safe for us and our students if schools … [Read more...] about Prayer, Scholarship, and the Pandemic
Director’s Corner: Meeting the Challenge of Double Work
Do you ever feel like you have two jobs, excelling in your field and figuring out how it all relates to your calling to follow Christ? At ESN, we work hard to support Christian academics in bringing the two together. ESN Director Bob Trube reflects on this key challenge/opportunity for Christian scholars in Director's Corner, our occasional ESN blog series where Bob distills his observations and offers ideas and resources to encourage our readers. Few of us like the idea of double work. Yet it has been suggested … [Read more...] about Director’s Corner: Meeting the Challenge of Double Work
A More Inviting Doorway to Your Favorite Things
We like to make our home inviting, especially over the holidays. One of the places we begin, and perhaps you do as well, is your front doorway. We scrub the entrance and the light outside our door, rake away accumulated leaves, sweep all the cobwebs our industrious spiders weave, clean the storm door windows, and hang out a wreath. Sometimes, people use occasions like this as an opportunity to upgrade the door, perhaps to something more elegant. Here at the Emerging Scholars Network, we've just updated our doorway! … [Read more...] about A More Inviting Doorway to Your Favorite Things
Beginning Fall 2019: A Letter from ESN Director Bob Trube
As we start the academic year, Bob encourages us from his experience as campus minister and ESN Director. Stay tuned for our weekly readings for individuals and groups, and some upcoming announcements for events in person and online. Image: Ohio State University. Scholarship is framed around what we do not know, the research questions we pursue in our work, or even the more down to earth questions of how we will complete all this work in our waking hours. Sometimes the unknown has to do with our own … [Read more...] about Beginning Fall 2019: A Letter from ESN Director Bob Trube