Faith-Rooted Organizing: Mobilizing the Church in Service to the World, Rev. Alexia Salvatierra and Peter Heltzel. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2014. Summary: Most advocacy and activism efforts have been organized around secular principles. The authors explore what organizing and advocacy work that is deeply and thoroughly rooted in Christian principles would look like and illustrate this from their years of experience. … [Read more...] about Book Review: Faith-Rooted Organizing, by Rev. Alexia Salvatierra and Peter Heltzel
Ministry
Navigating Beginnings: Glory-Seeking Ministry in the Academic Life (Scholar’s Compass)
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord's glory, as the waters cover the sea. -- Habakkuk 2:14 (HCSB) Reflection I didn't want a career in the university world. That's not how you were expecting this devotional to start, is it? My original intention when I began studying physics as a university freshman was to become a high school physics teacher. Then, I became involved in campus ministry (with my weeknights full of meetings and my backpack full of gospel tracts) and fell in awe over Bible … [Read more...] about Navigating Beginnings: Glory-Seeking Ministry in the Academic Life (Scholar’s Compass)
Rejection
Note: This post was written nearly a year ago, but only recently submitted to the blog. I had a new experience recently. I guess I'm a bit behind, since many people have been dealing with this for decades. But it's new to me, and I want to share it with you. For the first time ever, I was refused the opportunity to serve at church in a ministry I feel called to because I'm a woman. I don't normally label myself a feminist. I'm grateful for the opportunities available to me because feminists before me have … [Read more...] about Rejection
What Is Ministry?
About 18 months ago, I stepped down from my position as Associate Director of the Emerging Scholars Network and handed the reins over to my faithful coworker Tom Grosh. I kept my toe in the world of campus ministry by continuing to write for InterVarsity and leading a seminar at Urbana, but at the end of this month, I'm going to be stepping down (again) from my role as a blog contributor to focus on my new full-time job as web manager for a Cincinnati-based manufacturing company. It's an unusual career move, but most of … [Read more...] about What Is Ministry?
Finding Calcutta: I’m not called to be Mother Teresa, but . . .
What do you think about . . . The nature of calling in the formal work of the church? Our need to recognize God's call and act in faithful response to it: in personal actions and obedience? in ways modeled by Mother Teresa as recorded by Mary Poplin in Finding Calcutta: What Mother Teresa Taught Me About Meaningful Work and Service (InterVarsity Press. 2008)? Calling to Formal Ministry with the Church Mother Teresa's special calling to start the Missionaries of Charity in ministry to the … [Read more...] about Finding Calcutta: I’m not called to be Mother Teresa, but . . .