Emerging Scholars Blog

InterVarsity's Emerging Scholars Network

prayer request

Preview: ESN This Fall

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As the semester starts up, we wanted to share a preview of what’s happening at the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN) this fall. We’re excited to be introducing new ways of connecting with other Christian scholars online and in person, as well as a wide range of blog options. This week, we’ll be sharing a preview of upcoming blog features for this academic year. For now, we’d like to introduce some new or expanded ways to connect face to face. Stay tuned for more on these ways to connect: [Read more…] about Preview: ESN This Fall

Prayers for Graduate and Faculty Team Meetings

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ESN has an exciting opportunity to join with other InterVarsity Graduate and Faculty Ministry (GFM) Staff Members this week in Chicago. As we gather for our annual team meetings, we ask for your prayers:

  1. That we would find new ways to support campus chapters of GFM as they minister to emerging scholars.
  2. That we would be able to share Scholar’s Compass with GFM Staff Members who can use it on campus.
  3. That all members of GFM would experience the deep fellowship of Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Father.

[Read more…] about Prayers for Graduate and Faculty Team Meetings

ESN Devotional Has a Name

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Thanks to everyone who commented for giving us so many great name ideas. We were impressed as always with the creativity and thoughtfulness of ESN members. We deeply appreciated your ideas, and may use some of them as theme ideas and titles within the devotional.

We’re also profoundly grateful for the response to the project so far. We’ve had nearly 50 people respond, and we’re delighted for each reply. If you haven’t responded, you can still fill out our survey, and we’d love to include you in the participants.

After discussing which names commenters recommended the most and weighing the metaphorical nuances of each one, ESN has found a name for the devotional: Scholar’s Compass.

As commenters and emailers noted, Scholar’s Compass is easily recognizable as related to the academic life, and it suggests the idea of charting a path and going on a journey, two themes that fit the goal of crafting devotionals about integrating faith and academic vocation.

We love the other ideas as well, and are working to find ways of integrating some of them into the devotional.

Please thank God with us as we celebrate such an exciting response to the project, and please pray for wisdom as we move into the next steps in the writing and editing process. Please continue to pray for deep and thoughtful community to come from this project, and join us in thanking God for the ways that is already starting to happen.

Thank you again for your participation, and stay tuned for more.

Photo by Lee Cannon (cc)

8/20/2014: Scholars’ Compass revised to Scholar’s Compass. More on the revision in a future post.

Devotional for Scholars: Prayers and More

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Great blue heron.

We’re deeply excited by the response to the academic devotional so far. Over forty writers in at least five countries have gotten in touch. We’re delighted to hear from so many scholars who want to talk about integrating faith and academic vocation.

If you haven’t responded yet, we’d love to hear from you. We’d also love to receive your input on names. Which are your favorites? Any new suggestions? We’ll be deciding soon, so please tell us your ideas.

We’re so grateful for the many people who’ve offered to pray for the project, as well.

Please thank God with us for:

  • The number of writers who are willing to share their experience
  • The groups who’ve expressed an interest in engaging with the devotional as we’re writing
  • The great name input we’ve received so far

Please pray for:

  • More writers and communities who desire to collaborate
  • A deep sense of community among writers and readers of the devotional
  • Wisdom as we choose a name soon

Photo by TexasEagle (cc)