"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." - Jeremiah 1:5 Before Jeremiah knew God, God knew Jeremiah. . . . We are known before we know. This realization has a practical result: no longer do we run here and there, panicked and anxious, searching for the answers to life. Our lives are not puzzles to be figured out. Rather, we come to God, who knows us and reveals to us the truth of our lives. The fundamental mistake is to begin … [Read more...] about Living Mid-Story (Lent 2019)
Call to Faithful Witness in 2019
https://vimeo.com/285895688 As we press into the daily grind of 2019, set aside time to join me in checking / resetting our compass by prayerfully considering: Who is this Jesus I / we follow? Is Jesus my / our first love -- receiving primary allegiance? Do I / we "trust and obey" -- placing hope (short / long term) in Jesus? How do I / we share the love of Jesus with others in our messy context? … [Read more...] about Call to Faithful Witness in 2019
This is not our final destination. . . .
While we should enjoy God's good creation, and while we should make the most of our time here, this is not our final destination. The new heavens and the new earth are our destination, where we will live with God forever in face-to-face and heart-to-heart encounter with God through Jesus in the Spirit. Jesus' first followers' hopes were set fully and firmly on his promises of enduring presence in their lives through the Spirit, and then later in face-to-face encounter with Jesus in the Father's house. Certainly, the … [Read more...] about This is not our final destination. . . .
Living in relationships with immigrants, refugees, and other low-income people . . .
Living in relationships with immigrants, refugees, and other low-income people has forced us to grapple with the question of what it means for us, as followers of Christ, to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. It has also awakened us to the ethically complex questions of immigration and refugee policy—who do we let in, what do we do with those who came in even though our government did not allow them in, and what effect will our policies have on those already here and struggling to get by? Of course, our attempts … [Read more...] about Living in relationships with immigrants, refugees, and other low-income people . . .
2018’s Most Visited ESN Blog Posts
Drumroll . . . Science in Review: Thor, Thanos and Theology by Andy Walsh A Prayer for Those Finishing a Semester by Hannah Eagleson How should Christians in the sciences choose an epistemology? by Jim Stump is part of the STEAM Grant/Faith Science Series. Stay tuned for when the booklet goes to print. How Do You Talk About Faith with Secular Colleagues? (STEAM Grant Faith/Science Series) by Robert Kaita Apply for the ESN Urbana 18 Fellows Program. What a privilege to serve the Emerging Scholars at … [Read more...] about 2018’s Most Visited ESN Blog Posts