. . . restless is our heart until it comes to rest in thee . . . — Augustine, Confessions.[1]
Gungor
Awake, my soul, and with the sun
Awake, my soul, and with the sun
Thy daily stage of duty run;
Shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise,
To pay thy morning sacrifice. . . .
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.[1]
This weekend Theresa (my wife) and I are assisting with the Christian Medical and Dental Associations (CMDA) Northeast Winter Retreat. What a joy to serve not only Emerging Scholars, but also future health care professionals! As we prepared for the weekend, Michael Gungor’s rendition of the Doxology kept coming back to me . . .
Join me in praying that as we [followers of Christ in higher ed] awake each and every day, we will offer our head, heart, and hands in praise to God alone. And that we will continue to live in such a manner as part of the people of God throughout all the days of our life in all that we learn, say, share, practice . . . To God be the glory!
Does your soul cry out?
With the new year only a few days away, does your soul cry out as mine . . .
. . . Jesus, you’re the one who saves us
constantly creates us into something new
Jesus, surely you will find us
Surely Our Messiah will make all things new
will make all things new. . . . . – Dry Bones. Gungor. 2010.
May you find glimpses of and embrace the bursting forth of “Christ’s new creation” in your life, on your campus, and to the ends of the earth as part of the Kingdom and people of God. If you have particular prayer requests and/or ways that the Emerging Scholars Network can better serve you in 2014, please email me. Thank-you. To God be the glory!
Late Have I Loved You
In last night’s Christian Devotional Classics (Evangelical Seminary) a fellow student shared how much he appreciated Gungor‘s “lifting” of the words of Augustine’s Confessions in Late have I loved you. As you may remember Augustine’s Confessions won ESN’s Best Christian Book of All Time and this is a beautiful selection from the text.
Belatedly I loved thee, O Beauty so ancient and so new, belatedly I loved thee. For see, thou wast within and I was without, and I sought thee out there. Unlovely, I rushed heedlessly among the lovely things thou hast made. Thou wast with me, but I was not with thee. These things kept me far from thee; even though they were not at all unless they were in thee. Thou didst call and cry aloud, and didst force open my deafness. Thou didst gleam and shine, and didst chase away my blindness. Thou didst breathe fragrant odors and I drew in my breath; and now I pant for thee. I tasted, and now I hunger and thirst. Thou didst touch me, and I burned for thy peace. — Augustine. Confessions. Book Ten, Chapter 27. Newly Translated and edited by Albert C. Outler. Philadelphia: Westminster Press [1955] (Library of Christian Classics, v. 7). Accessed 6/3/2013.
Have you come to love the “Beauty so ancient and so new” or have you “rushed heedlessly among” the beautiful things [made] out of dust, failing to give them their proper place? As you engage in your daily academic endeavors, do you pant, hunger, and thirst for the Creator, i.e., come to know God even more richly? Are you part of a community which encourages you and provides accountability toward that end?
Note: To dig into the Emerging Scholars Network Facebook Wall series built around readings from Christian Devotional Classics, check out “Evil behaviour injures. . . .”.
You make beautiful things out of dust
. . . You make beautiful things,
You make beautiful things out of dust.
You make beautiful things,
You make beautiful things out of us. . . . – Beautiful Things. Gungor. 2010.
May you likewise find this beautiful song by Gungor an encouragement as another busy semester comes to a close. Let us together rejoice in Out of chaos, life is being found in You [God]. Yes, new life. To God be the glory!
PS. For some the new life at the end of this term includes significant transitions. May I even say great adventures or at least the expectation of such?* As you have prayer requests, stories to share, a desire to establish a mentor/connections, please let me know by email. Thank-you. It’s great to have you part of the Emerging Scholars Network.
PPS. Don’t miss (and please add your responses) to what has becoming an inspired stream of Emerging Scholars Network Facebook Wall posts on “Can Science Lead to Faith?” (Gary Marcus. New Yorker. April 26, 2013): Introduction, God and the Genome . . .
*No PhD or PhD. That is the Question by Kate Peterson posted on 5/1/2013 (Update: 5/2/2013).