Last summer as I walked along the Camino de Santiago I was grateful for many companions. First, there were the four women with whom I was walking. Each day we paired off based on our pace and our souls. Many times I chose to walk behind in solitude. Yet, I was thankful after several hours of silence that someone was there to walk together again. Then new companions crossed my path each day, most for only a few minutes or an hour. There was one woman we ran into four or more times over our week-long pilgrimage who … [Read more...] about Encouraging One Another
The University
Sacred Work of Scholarship
How do you see your work as sacred? As set apart for God’s purposes? Over the coming months, I want to explore what it might mean to see the work of scholarship, teaching, and service as sacred - the ways in which we engage in this work as well as the content itself. One of the first steps on this journey is to see ourselves and our work as part of God’s sacred story revealing God’s truth, goodness, and beauty. Perhaps Paul’s image of Jesus shared with the Colossians helps you to see your work as part of this … [Read more...] about Sacred Work of Scholarship
The Gift of Waiting
We are in a time of waiting in the church year. During Advent, we remember Israel’s waiting for a messiah and Mary’s waiting for the birth of Jesus. We also wait in hope for Christ's future return. I look forward to this season not only for its theological significance but also because waiting is a fundamental part of life. Waiting for the end of the semester. Waiting to hear about an article or book’s publication. Waiting for a job offer. Waiting to hear a diagnosis. Waiting for an upcoming … [Read more...] about The Gift of Waiting
What’s Your Story?
What story is driving your life today on this scholar’s journey? As humans, we are wired to make meaning and understand the world through narratives that connect the events, people, beliefs, and places in our lives. Neurobiology and neuropsychology confirm the physical reality of what we have known to be true. We are always living in and creating stories, whether we are aware of them or not. To know who we are as individuals and communities, we must know what story we are part of. Whether you are a graduate … [Read more...] about What’s Your Story?
Faithful Presence: University Structures and Faculty Service (Part Two)
Engagement In the previous post, I identified the frustration faculty have with university structures even as they serve within such structures, how the InterVarsity Statement of Faith calls its campus ministers to engage with university structures, and the sundry collection of structures easily observed with in the Bible. I concluded by observing that "some structures we already participate within but we have yet to discover how God would incorporate our faithful presence and work in the academy into the new … [Read more...] about Faithful Presence: University Structures and Faculty Service (Part Two)