GroshLink

Note:  the below adapted from an email to our support team.  If you desire to receive monthly email updates from us, drop us a line.

The InterVarsity event on April 19th was quite enjoyable due to the fact that it enlightened Christians on how to apply faith in Jesus to our work and allowed people from different fields to learn from each other like a family. -- Sergey, a first year Spanish Major at Millersville University

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ, A brief update to share a prayer request, a praise, and the May prayer calendar. Please print the calendar for posting in a high traffic area like the refrigerator and/or keeping with your Bible/prayer journal. As always, many additional updates on this blog, e.g., Conversation with two elders from the Church of Latter Day Saints.

Prayer request: Tomorrow Eden has an adenoidectomy along with a replacement of an ear tube.

I've adapted the below post from illustration regarding the importance of asking the question upon what is the church founded? -- see Review - Flickering Pixels.  My purpose in posting the story here is to address the re-occuring question of Now tell me again, just what do you do?  The short response is I bring the Gospel to the campus, a place very much in need of it!

As to my job description, I identify, encourage, and equip Christian scholars to be redeeming influences in higher education by blogging on issues related to higher education (http://blog.emergingscholars.org), leading (and participating in) conferences/retreats on topics of relevance to following Christ in higher education, and preparing for campus conversations (through prayer, the Word, networking, various weblinks/articles/books).  AND yes, I regularly visit a number of campuses weekly (Millersville, Penn State Harrisburg, Penn State Hershey Medical Center), 2x a term (Elizabethtown College, Franklin & Marshall College, Johns Hopkins University, Loyola College, Messiah College), as asked/needed (Carnegie Mellon, Dickinson, Penn, Pitt), and hoping to expand to 2x a term visits on a few more (e.g., Bucknell, Lancaster Bible College).

But just because I'm scheduled to go to a campus for a lunch discussion of The Truth Project with a small group of faculty, doesn't mean that I can walk past two elders from the Church of Latter Day Saints chatting w/a student on the sidewalk!  The two elders were standing in front of a mainline denominational church adjacent to the campus. Was it the Spirit, my compassion for the young woman, and/or my desire for dialogue (or should I say debate) which led me to turn around and enter the conversation even though I knew I'd be late for lunch discussion? Note: My 30 minute conversation caused me to be 25 minutes late for The Truth Project discussion, but the faculty were doing quite well on their own exploring the issues of being considered by Dawkins and company ignorant, stupid or insane (or wicked) for not embracing evolutionary theory.  (More)

Yesterday in the first of this series, I mentioned the painter Makoto Fujimura, but how about John Donne's description of the separation of distance between lovers in travel as Like gold to airy thinness beat? 

Our two souls therefore, which are one,

Though I must go, endure not yet

A breach, but an expansion,

Like gold to airy thinness beat.

-- A Valediction* Forbidding Mourning (1611)

 (More)

Last Sunday when preaching at Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ, Andy Crouch mentioned the work of painter Makoto Fujimura.  

The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. -- for more visit Revelation 21 and http://www.culture-making.com/tag/makoto+fujimura.

When scrolling through Fujimura's various works on-line, Ellen particularly liked A Face Still Forming  

It's hard for me to choose, they're all so rich.  Here's one with the gold!

Fire Mountains (24 x 36 in., gold and mineral pigments on paper), by Makoto Fujimura, from the exhibition Charis, at the Dillon Gallery , New York City, through 2 Aug 2008

You may remember my mention of The Watchmen in Who is your Savior?  HT to my friend Kevin who passed along Making superheroes bad. Below's the conclusion, any avoid comic book fans have thoughts to share about the film or the graphic novel in relationship to the development of the craft of the comic superhero genre?

Mr. Moore is one of the best-known comic book writers of our time. But he has also forgotten the responsibility his own craft carries and has misused his power. He has corrupted the comic book, destroying the heart and soul of the classic superhero. The antiheroes he portrays leave little to the imagination and even less to aspire to. Moviegoers have taken notice — and rightly so.

As you may remember, C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters has been on my mind for quite some time (The Broken Heart, Demons on the web, Halloween/Harvest Party?, Temptations come and go).  Currently, I'm in the process of writing a book review.  Below's a quote on prayer which came to my attention and I couldn't shake it.  So I pass it along to you.  More quotes coming.  

The best thing, where it is possible, is to keep the patient from the serious intention of praying altogether. ... If this fails, you must fall back on a subler misdirection of his intention. ... Keep them watching their own minds and trying to produce feelings there by the action of their own wills. ... Teach them to estimate the value of each prayer by their success in producing the desired feelings and never let them suspect how much success or failure of that kind depends on whether they are well or ill, fresh or tired, at the moment.  

But of course the Enemy will not meantime be idle.  Whenever there is prayer, there is danger of His own immediate action.  He is cynically indifferent to the dignity to the dignity of His position, and ours, as pure spirits, and to human animals on their knees He pours out self knowledge in a quite shameless fashion. ... In avoiding this situation – this real nakedness of the soul in prayer – you will be helped by the fact that the humans themselves do not desire it as much as they suppose. There’s such a thing as getting more than they bargained for! (C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, NY:  New York,  Touchstone, 1996, 1961 original edition, Letter IV, p.30)

As you may remember from the article Donegal School District Referendum 2?, I participated in a Donegal School District consensus making meeting after the failed referendum. To evaluate how well the material was processed and whether there would be the pursuit of wider consensus building, I attended the April 7 Donegal School Board meeting (Note: minutes available here). For the most part, yesterday's Lancaster County newspaper article Residents comment on approaches to 2nd referendum in Donegal* patched together my public comments in an understandable/readable manner.  As you might suspect I had a few more thoughts and illustrations which flowed during my time at the microphone.  But the below quote accurately summarizes my bottom line:

"Without further community understanding, your aren't going to get much with 85 people," he said. "I don't think this information is known, and, without it, I think going ahead you are in big trouble."

This summer marks three years back home and from the landfill to township recycling** to the school district referendum, we find ourselves unable to avoid the call to become re-engaged in the nitty gritty-ness of culture making.  (More)

Now that it's after Easter, time to share my joy in reading Whoopie! Cookie, Pie or Cake, It's Having Its Moment (by Micheline Maynard, NY Times, 3/18/2009).  Whoopie pies are one of my favorite desserts and periodic pumpkin whoopie pies are quite a treat.  How about this assessment of real whoopie pies?

Many of the whoopie pies sold in Maine come sheathed in plastic wrap. Generally sold for less than $2, they can be found stacked next to cash registers, the dry cake growing moister by the hour. “If you peel the Saran off and half the cookie doesn’t come away, it’s not a real whoopie pie,” Ms. Oliver said.

Note:  Check out the accompanying recipe, another on-line recipe at PA Dutch Country Blog.

How about The Watchmen?  With the film receiving so much press, I had to check out the graphic novel.*  What is interesting about The Watchmen, and receives exploration in the essay Taking Off the Mask: Invocation and Formal Presentation of the Superhero Comic in Moore and Gibbons’ Watchmen, is the irony of vigilante superheros.  From where does our salvation come?  Who can be trusted to set things aright in our difficult age, or any age for that matter?

In stark contrast to how The Watchmen resolve the problems of the world (in case you're not familiar with their decisions, I won't spoil the story for you), we find Jesus the Christ giving his life as a ransom for many and calling His people to love God, neighbor, self, and creation.  Gregory Nazianzen writes,

Many indeed are the wonderous happenings of that time:  God hanging from a cross, the sun made dark and again flaming out; for it was fitting that creation should mourn with its creator.  The temple veil rent, blood and water flowing from his side: the one as from a man, the other as from what was above man; the earth shaken, the rocks shattered because of the rock; the dead risen to bear witness to the final and universal resurrection of the dead.  The happenings at the sepulcher and after the sepulcher, who can fittingly recount them?  Yet no one of them can be compared to the miracle of salvation.  A few drops of blood renew the whole world, and do for all men what the rennet does for the milk:  joining us and binding us. -- Gregory Nazianzen, On the Holy Pasch, Oration 45.1, taken from The Ancient Christian Commentary on Mark, edited by Thomas C. Oden and Christopher A. Hall.

Greeting:  Christ is risen!

Response: Christ is risen indeed!

Let us eagerly anticipate the new heavens and the new earth and follow God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

As Ellen headed out the door to help set-up the Elizabethtown Clothing Bank, she reminded me we should once again go over Psalm 121 (in order for her to be prepared to share with our local congregation's director of children's ministry ASAP). 

I place a high value on understanding the text which one's trying to memorize.  One resource we pulled off the shelf to assist us with this task was InterVarsity Press' Ancient Christian Commentary on Psalms 51 - 150. Here's some words from Augustine on My help is from the LORD (v.2).

And say, I have lifted my eyes to the mountains from which help shall come to me in such a way that you add to it immediately, My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.  Therefore let us lift our eyes to the mountains from which my help shall come to us.  Yet it is not the mountains themselves in which our hope is to be placed, for the mountains receive what they may present to us.  Therefore we must put our hope in that place from which the mountains also receive [what they give to us].  When we lift our eyes to the Scriptures, because the Scriptures were delivered through people, we lift our eyes to the mountains from which help will come to us; and yet since they who wrote the Scriptures were themselves people, they were not providing enlightenment from the themselves.  Rather, Christ was the true light who enlightens everyone coming into the world. --  InterVarsity Press' Ancient Christian Commentary on Psalms 51 - 150, Edited by Quentin F. Wesselschmidt.

As I return to this quote, I ask myself to where did the disciples look on this in between day?  (More)

The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.  They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!"  "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"  "Blessed is the King of Israel!"  Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt." -- John 12:12-15 NIV via BibleGateway.com

This evening our family debriefed Palm Sunday (John 12:12-19 & Matthew 21:1-11) and embraced the Holy Week journey through the lens of Christine Sine's Lenten Guide 2009.  The neighborhood Palm Sunday procession sounds like a good idea for next year, in anticipation we might try an extended family demo this year w/Eden's New Bike leading the procession. 

Expanding upon our Who do you trust today (tomorrow, for years to come) series,* we asked the question where do we find our primary identity?  As the Son of Man/Son of God, we too find our primary identity in our countercultural, new creation call from the God the Father and NOT from the fickle crowds/cultural norms by which we're surrounded.  Easier to say than to live.  Looking forward to Andy Crouch's culture making encouragement the first Sunday after Easter!

Although I wrestled with reading Christine's personal reflection upon being a premature infant who spent the first month of her life in hospital,** our children didn't find it difficult to listen to or consider.  Why?  The memory of our first child, Elise Faith is regularly mentioned in our household by Eden.  She loves to celebrate Elise Faith's birthday and share about how her baby sister, who died due to premature birth complications, now waits for us to join her in dancing on the streets that are golden. (Note: For some my reflections visit One more day & Addressing the skeptic).

Ellen has been learning Psalm 121 over the course of the past several weeks. During our time while working through the text, we have returned again and again to the questions:

Who is my help? Who is my guardian?  In whom do I place my trust? 

As we celebrated Palm Sunday this morning, I reflected upon the question of who Jesus the Son of Man/the Son of God trusted when he entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey looking toward the cross.  It was not the crowds, the disciples, the authorities, or the traditions, but instead God the Father.  Do we likewise give our primary sense of hope, trust, and confidence to God the Father as we begin our journey this Holy Week in our communities, families, and workplaces?  To Him be the glory for the gift of Life through His Son Jesus which dwells among & transforms His people by the Word and Spirit.  (More)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                     April 3, 2009

CONTACT:    TOM GROSH IV

                        INTERVARISITY CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

                        tgrosh4 @ aol dot com

CHRISTIANITY TODAY AWARD WINNER TO SPEAK

Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church (EBIC) and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship will co-host the award winning author Andy Crouch.  Crouch, author of Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling, and winner of Christianity Today’s 2009 Book Award for Christianity and Culture, will speak at EBIC on Sunday, April 19, 2009 during the 8:30 and 11:00 am worship services. He will focus upon our role in culture making and what that looks like.  He will challenge attendees to be salt, light and leaven in the world.  Crouch will also share during the adult elective time at 10:00 am.

Tom Grosh IV, on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and a member of EBIC explains that “rather than Christians separating themselves from the world in which we live, Andy advocates an approach where Christians participate in the culture in a Biblically centered, redeeming manner.  It’s really just about following Jesus’ call for followers to be salt and light in our world.”  He also notes that this topic fits well with how EBIC seeks to"engage Elizabethtown and the world with the love of Jesus Christ."

In support of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Crouch will also speak at a luncheon on the same day with the intent to encourage the development of a Christian Scholars Network in Central PA. This group’s purpose is to support, bless and equip Christian Scholars to be redeeming influences in higher education.  For information regarding Crouch's visit, contact EBIC at 717-367-2651.

Con't from my April Fool's Day post, Who do you trust today (tomorrow, for years to come), Part I

Last week's Good News Club devotions of Matthew 5:1-12 not only reminded our family of the creation as God the Father intended, but also enboldened us to step into the new creation inauguarated by Christ Jesus the Son.  Under whose power?  Not our own, but that of the Word & the Spirit of God. 

Today, join me in envisioning, yearning for, interceding for, and working toward the coming of the new heavens and new earth. ...

Whatever the origin of April Fool's Day (visit here for a variety of opinions), this Good News Club memory text reminds of me of who I trust as I enter April:

Be strong & courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. -- Deuteronomy 31:6

When the God the Father called me to offer my whole person fully to the service of His kingdom, a brother in Christ shared with me this related text in Joshua 1:6-9.  And the Spirit of God has returned me to it again and again as reminder of where my true strength and courage comes from ... 

⁶ "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. ⁷ Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." -- Joshua 1:6-9

Join me in praying through this text and offering to God the Father all the false idols in which we place our courage and trust as individuals and a people (even as the people of God) ... no idol more powerful than our very self guided by the dreams/aspirations of self-actualization which seek to guide our way instead of walking in the Way, Truth, and Life given to us by our Father in heaven AND revealed in completeness through His Son, brought to us daily by the Word, the Spirit, and the people of God.