Our Advent post for the Third Week of Advent focuses on hope, essential yet hard to describe, "a feathered thing" lifting us on our journey from exile to our ultimate home. Emily Dickenson famously described hope this way: Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all, And sweetest in the gale is heard[i] Intangible. Elusive. Hope is hard to grasp and hard to hold onto. Sometimes singing, sometimes silent … [Read more...] about Hoping: On the Way Home
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Finding Hope for Church in Divided Times
Church is difficult for many of us in these divided times. Lisa Liou has been in the thick of it, serving on the search committee of her church. She shared her experience of how God gave her hope through prayer and the wisdom of community at a recent staff conference of InterVarsity Graduate and Faculty Ministry staff. We are so grateful that she was willing to share a version of that story, which we hope will nurture hope for others in difficult church situations. These days when we gather for reunions, it's common … [Read more...] about Finding Hope for Church in Divided Times
Second Week of Advent: The Hope (Scholar’s Compass)
Scripture Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence— as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil— to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence! —Isaiah 64:1-2 (ESV) … [Read more...] about Second Week of Advent: The Hope (Scholar’s Compass)
Book Review: A Glorious Dark, by A. J. Swoboda
A Glorious Dark: Finding Hope in the Tension Between Belief and Experience by A. J. Swoboda. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Press, 2015. Summary: An exploration of living in the tension of the glorious hope of Christian faith and the dark, unsettling realities of our lives through reflections grouped around the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the Triduum of Holy Week. A great book to read reflectively during Holy Week [April 9 - 16, 2017]. … [Read more...] about Book Review: A Glorious Dark, by A. J. Swoboda
Hope: First Week of Advent (Scholar’s Compass)
This Advent, Nan Thomas will share four Sunday reflections with us on these themes: hope, prepare, watch, and rejoice. Nan is deeply thoughtful about spiritual formation, a topic she pursues as an InterVarsity Graduate and Faculty Ministries staff member and as Associate Director of Faculty Development at Union University. In addition, Nan was part of the founding team that imagined the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN) and made it a reality. We're grateful for her ongoing advice and encouragement, and for this Advent … [Read more...] about Hope: First Week of Advent (Scholar’s Compass)