[T]he greatest challenge facing the church of Jesus Christ today, and therefore every local congregation, is motivating the people of God to engage in sincere, honest, fervent prayer. . . . we must not only pray. We must also reflect on the nature and the working of prayer. As we do so, we discover that ultimately all prayer is a cry for the kingdom. When we come to comprehend this basic truth regarding prayer, we are better equipped to become effective pray-ers for the sake of the kingdom of God.
— Stanley J. Grenz. Prayer: The Cry For The Kingdom. Revised Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans: 2005, 1, 7. Agree/disagree? How does this apply to your walk with God personally and corporately (as part of a campus fellowship, a local congregation, the kingdom of God)? [Read more…] about What is the greatest challenge facing the church today?Kingdom of God
Finding Calcutta: Prayer and Our Calling
Questions as we enter the prayer closet:
- How do we understand the role of prayer in seeking our calling with the Father?
- In what manner do the prayers, spiritual direction, and ministry of Mother Teresa, offer some guidance as we seek to understand and live our own “calling by God.”
The Incarnational Stream & Higher Education: Holistic Spirituality
Introduction
Last week I had the privilege of participating in the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA)1 Connections Conference. The support, conversations, content, networking, and resources which I took away from CMDA, Bristol, TN, encouraged me in and better equipped me to participate in the extension of the Kingdom of God across the various structures at Penn State Hershey College of Medicine/Medical Center [chaplains, counselors, faculty, nurses, patients (including the care of our own family), physicians, researchers, students (medical, nursing, graduate), support staff, therapists . . .] through the Christian Medical Society (CMS)/CMDA.
Not surprisingly the worship, renewal of vision/passion for the Kingdom of God, exploration of ethical decision making, call for discipleship/evangelism/missions, and honest conversations about relationships/vocation/marriage speak into much more than health care. So as we once again dig into making “present and visible the realm of the invisible Spirit†and experiencing “God as truly manifest and notoriously active in daily life†(Foster, 272), I will draw from Spiritual Formation in Ministry and Randy Gilmour’s, Pastor of Hamilton Hills Baptist Church, CMDA Connections Conference presentations on the Kingdom of God.
A Compartmentalized vs. A Christ-centered Life
When you review your life and vocation, do you find “A Compartmentalized Life” or “A Centered Life?” (Boa, 222) We will all fall short (please take a moment to join me in confession), but we are called as part of the Body of Christ to continually return to life In Christ Alone. As we do such, even the most mundane components of daily life become expressions of “An Integrated Life” (Boa, 223), making “present and visible the realm of the invisible Spirit†(Foster, 272). [Read more…] about The Incarnational Stream & Higher Education: Holistic Spirituality
Week in Review: Copying Lots of Books Edition
What are you reading, watching, thinking about this week? As usual, here’s a few which have been on our mind. Let us know your thoughts on any/all of them. If you have items you’d like us to consider for the top five, add them in the comments or send them to Tom or Mike.
1. What’s a book? How do you prefer to read? Verlyn Klinkenborg in Further Thoughts of a Novice E-Reader (NY Times Editorial, 5/28/2010) weighs in with some negative thoughts on digital reading, even with the I-Pad! Is this generational or do we loose something when not being able to page through pages of text? Might digital reading be fine to accomplish certain readings?
2. How do you define plagiarism? How do you deal with departmental conflict? Do you think Is It a Sin?” (Jack Stripling, Inside Higher Ed, 6/2/2010) has more to do with plagiarism or departmental conflict?
3. Have something to share about The Kingdom is Here, Where do You See it or Sustaining Small Not For Profits – How Do We Move Forward? — then swing by Blog with Me – An Invitation to Participate (Christine Sine, Godspace, 6/3/2010). Note: Tom will be participating in the first series. He would love to read a story about what you’re seeing and a part of. (3/10/2011): MSA’s site has been under attack as such I deleted the above link. Praying for full restoration of MSA’s valuable on-line resources.
God is at work, God is moving in our world transforming renewing and restoring and we want everyone to know how and where we see that happening. There is still time to participate. What seeds of hope do you see as you look out onto God’s world – it may be through the work of small seemingly insignificant ministries that are quietly changing your neighbourhood. Or it might be through movements that highlight concerns about child slavery, environmental degradation or poverty. — Blog with Me – An Invitation to Participate (Christine Sine. Godspace. 6/3/2010)
4. A few posts that Mike has been reading from Alan Jacobs’ Text Patterns blog:
- The past, present, and future of commonplace books
- 10 books that influenced Jacobs at various ages [happy to see one of the books was one of my own favorites, W. H. Auden’s The Dyer’s Hand – Mike]
- Jacobs shares his personal method for capturing quotes, links, etc.
Books
ESN member Robert Velarde (whose Conversations with C. S. Lewis we featured a while back) has a new book coming out on a topic dear to Mike’s heart: The Wisdom of Pixar. Be sure to check out this Christianity Today interview with Pixar’s Pete Docter about the way his faith informs his work and art. [Hmm…I wonder if anyone has a book deal for The Gospel According to Hayao Miyazaki…]