All that Gilead puts to us is the plain reminder goodness is not enough. Goodness, self-defined and self-contained, is something which will be poisonous if we're not careful. Without the wound, the openness, the crack that connects us to reality, to one another, and to God, healing doesn't happen. The “good“ can so easily come to believe that healing is natural and simple. But revelation tells us that healing is indeed the restoration of a broken nature, but precisely because our nature is broken, this healing must be … [Read more...] about Healing…Fiction…Connectedness [Balm in Gilead / Summer Read…Quote…Reflect]
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A Prayer for Summer Break
This summer, we're sharing prayers for and by Christian scholars in our network. We hope this is a chance for readers to connect with each other and with God, to be encouraged, and to pray together. May this series remind us of how the church is connected across time and space in the love of Jesus Christ our Lord. Today we welcome back IVP and ESN author Ken Litwak. You may enjoy browsing his other work for Emerging Scholars Network, or you can explore Ken's InterVarsity Press book (coauthored with Paul Copan), The … [Read more...] about A Prayer for Summer Break
God’s Abundance: Prioritize a Few Strategic Things, Damage Control the Rest (Time Management Series)
We continue our series on time management with a brief reflection by Heather Peterson. For more ESN posts by Heather, click here. To explore the time management series further, click here. As a department chair, I could pick up my kids at 4:45 p.m. each day, put them to bed at 8, and then neglect my husband while I spend the next 2 to 3 hours catching up on more chair duties or grading. Occasionally, I do do this, but I try to make it once a week and not the rule. I plan 1 to 2 hours each weekend working, and … [Read more...] about God’s Abundance: Prioritize a Few Strategic Things, Damage Control the Rest (Time Management Series)
Time Management (is a modern fantasy)
As we begin Advent, we bring you a special edition of our Time Management series. Anthropologist Kevin Birth draws on his extensive research on concepts of time in different cultures to challenge our modern concepts of time management and point us to other possible ways of experiencing time. We hope that his description of "kairotic time" helps you find a meaningful way of experiencing time, especially as we enter the Advent season with its liturgical timekeeping that points us to God's presence. Kevin is the … [Read more...] about Time Management (is a modern fantasy)
Summer Snapshot: Reimagining Work
This summer I have been focusing on reimagining work instead of escaping work. I started the summer completing one of the heaviest projects of my life, my dissertation. PhD in hand, I spent a good few weeks reflecting on how to “come out of the tunnel” after an intense academic year. It felt like walking into a sunny afternoon after nine hours in a dark library. I spent plenty of time on long walks and lying in my hammock looking at treetops. … [Read more...] about Summer Snapshot: Reimagining Work