GroshLink

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

What a joy to serve the Lord "One More Day!" God is providing for and multiplying His work on the local and national scene. We rejoice in having you on the team, interceding for and standing with us not only the labors in South Central PA with CMDA and Christian Scholars, but also nationally as part of the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN). You are a great encouragement during a stretching time.

A few points to highlight . . .

1. The February prayer calendar is available here.
2. For an overview of my most recent ESN Blog series, based on Amy Sherman's Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good (InterVarsity Press. 2011), click here.
3. As we enter the leadership selection process for PSU-Hershey Christian Medical Society (CMS)/CMDA, I implore you to join me in prayer for the challenges faced by campus ministries across the nation (e.g., 1/31 Vanderbilt Town Mtg, article, Youtube, Tom's ESN blog post Prayerful consideration & Discussion: Vanderbilt Town Mtg).
4. Next week Tuesday at PSU-Hershey Christian Medical Society (CMS)/CMDA, Theresa and I will provide lunch in partnership with friends from our local assembly.
   1. During the presentation time, Jade (CMS/CMDA team leader) will interview Theresa regarding her journey/response to the loss of Elise Faith, my health concerns (cancer, seizures, fainting spells), and Eden's brain bleed/resultant developmental delays.
   2. If you have wisdom you would consider important to impart to budding health care professionals, please drop us a line not only for this event but also our regular interactions with the CMS/CMDA community and those beyond. . . . e.g., I'm once again rounding up a group of Messiah College alum at PSU-Hershey to share with pre-health care professionals associated with Messiah College's MedAware. Date: 2/10. Hoping for the opportunity for a return visit to Grove City College (our alma mater) later in the spring.
5. Kent Annan's Helping Haiti presentation (Monday, February 13, Elizabethtown Public Library, 6 pm) received front page coverage in the Elizabethtown-Mount Joy Merchandiser. To read, click here. To God be the glory! Kent Annan is the author of two InterVarsity Press books and co-founder of Haiti Partners. February 13-16, Kent will share from After Shock: Searching for Honest Faith When Your World Is Shaken with students on campuses in South Central PA. To learn more, visit our Facebook event page and the PA Libraries event page.
6. Below is Rachel's response to one of the ESN Blog posts by Richard Hughes on Why Christians Must Embrace the Life of the Mind. What a privilege it's been to partner with Richard, who is the Distinguished Professor of Religion and Director of the Sider Institute for Anabaptist, Pietist, and Wesleyan Studies at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania AND author of The Vocation of a Christian Scholar: How Christian Faith Can Sustain the Life of the Mind (Eerdmans, 2005).

Thank you for this. I read the final bolded section and let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. The difficulty of translating the pedantries of my academic discipline into feeding the hungry or healing the sick has always bothered me. Thank you for the reminder not to put the cart before the horse – that love is the basic characteristic of Christ-like service, and that it’s much harder to love someone well if you don’t know the truths that have shaped them into who they are.

Additional opportunities for those in South Central PA . . .

• please consider joining our local assembly (maybe just for lunch addressing Universalism) on Sunday, February 19, to hear Scot McKnight, a recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus, AND Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University, Chicago, IL, speak as part of the Christian Scholar Series, http://www.etownbic.org/mcknight.
  • Sermon: The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited (Sermon part of 8:30am and 11:00am worship services)
  • Sunday school elective: Blue Parakeet: Why do people understand the Bible so differently? (10am - 10:45am)
  • Lunch discussion: Facing the Challenge of Universalism in the church and the academy (12:30 - 1:30 am). RSVP via email.
• please join us on March 15 for A Night with the Inklings: InterVarsity Christian Fellowship dessert & Christian Scholars gathering
  • David C. Downing, R. W. Schlosser Professor of English at Elizabethtown College & author of several books on C.S. Lewis, will speak on the interaction between the fiction of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien AND the fruit/value of conversation among Christian Scholars.
  • Doors open at 6:30 pm. Program begins at 7 pm.
  • Acorn Farms, Mount Joy, PA
  • RSVP via email or phone.

Day-by-Day by His Grace,

Tom Grosh IV, Groshlink
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
Graduate & Faculty Ministry in Central PA
Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA) Associate Staff for PSU-Hershey Medical Center Christian Medical Society (CMS)
Emerging Scholars Network (ESN) Blogger, http://blog.emergingscholars.org/author/tomg/
To support visit https://donate.intervarsity.org/donate/to/Tom_Grosh

Our Mission: "To establish and advance at colleges and universities witnessing communities that follow Jesus"

Our Vision: "To see students and faculty transformed. Campuses renewed. World changers developed."

Front Page Elizabethtown-Mount Joy Merchandiser coverage of upcoming Helping Haiti gathering (2/13, Elizabethtown Public Library, 6 pm), click here. To God be the glory!

If you're in South Central PA, I hope you can invite a friend and join us for the evening. Whether or not you're able to join us, I invite you to participate through 

To God be the glory & the advance of His Kingdom!

Prayer requests for upcomong lunch lecture preparations:

1. 1/31: Lunch details to come together for serving food and spreading the word about our guest speaker Steve Noblett, the executive director for Christian Community Health Fellowship (CCHF).  
   • CCHF (http://www.cchf.org/) is a network of Christian physicians and other health professionals committed to living out the gospel through healthcare among the poor.  There are over 300 Christian clinics located in medically underserved areas across the United States in the CCHF family.  Many of those offer rotations and clinical experiences where students and residents not only learn the unique challenges of working with complex medical and cultural issues, but also get to see how providers are integrating faith and spiritual care into clinical primary care settings. CMDA has a close relationship with CCHF, and considers CCHF to be its primary domestic missions partner.
   • Steve is a regular speaker at the Global Health Missions Conference, and various CMDA conferences and events.  Steve lives in Memphis with his wife, Victoria, where they have worked for over 20 years with urban teens in severely under-resourced communities.
2. 2/7: Lunch details to come together with Wenger Meats as Theresa and I will serve food with some friends from Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church.  
   • During the presentation time, Theresa will be interviewed by the PSU-Hershey CMS Chapter President regarding her reflections on health care and recommendations for future health care providers based upon her experiences with our family (loss of Elise Faith, my cancer/seizures, Eden's developmental delays). 
   • As you may have seen on Theresa's wall, she's asking for suggestions, so if you have material which you think should receive emphasis, drop her a note and/or post on her wall.Thank-you to those who have already responded to Theresa's request on her FB wall. Just taking the opportunity to spread the net out a little wider :)
3. 2/14: Lunch details to come together as one of the physician couples who serve as informal advisors will partner with their local congregation in providing lunch. 
   • Kent Annan, author of two InterVarsity Press books and co-founder of Haiti Partners, will speak on After Shock: Searching for Honest Faith When Your World Is Shaken. For more on his visit to South Central PA visit 2/13: Helping Haiti/After Shock (6 pm, Elizabethtown Public Library). . . .

On February 13 at 6 pm, Helping Haiti kicks off at Elizabethtown Public Library. Helping Haiti is a South Central PA grassroots networking event involving a group of people with a heart for Haiti and representatives of several local organizations with work in Haiti:

• Haiti Connections (Coordinated by Mennonite Central Committee East Coast) 
• Haiti Connection Network
• PSU-Hershey Center for Global Health 

The gathering was inspired by Kent Annan, author of two InterVarsity Press books and co-founder of Haiti Partners. Kent will join us for the evening and share some of his story, recently published in After Shock: Searching for Honest Faith When Your World Is Shaken. Afterward he will take questions and sign books, his other InterVarsity Press title being Following Jesus Through the Eye of the Needle. When the library closes at 8 pm, some of us will walk over to Folklore Coffee for further conversation :) Please share the word . . . 

• "Helping Haiti"/"After Shock" 1/4 page invitation
• "Helping Haiti"/"After Shock" 8.5 x 11 poster

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"How an Abortion Saved the Lives of Many." Thank-you to my friend who shared this powerful testimony/story via G+.* Be sure to watch the short video (http://vimeo.com/34880363) and read the article. To God be the glory! 

Pray for PSU-Hershey Christian Medical Society (CMS)/CMDA as we prepare to host Susquehanna Valley Pregnancy Service, http://www.svps.org/, later in the term. 

*Jenefer Igarashi is married to Geoff the Great and a homeschool momsie to six kids They've been homeschooling since 1995. She's socially awkward, somewhat unorganized and continually fails, but is saved and redeemed by the Sovereign Grace of God through Christ. 

Today, Eden's receiving a replacement of her ear tubes. Pray for a smooth surgery/recovery. We look for forward to the improvement of her hearing, leading to an improvement in communication.

As I'm caring for our youngest during Eden's procedure, I'll miss the launch of this term's PSU-Harrisburg C.S. Lewis Seminar.  But I can pray for the noon gathering. Take a few minutes to join me to pray for the members to reconnect, recap previous chapters of N.T. Wright's Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense, complete Chapter 7, and most importantly walk away with richer understanding of/actual with with Jesus the Christ.

PS. If you'r unfamiliar with the work of N.T. Wright (former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England and one of the world’s leading Bible scholars who is now serving as the Chair of New Testament and Early Christianity at University of St. Andrews’s School of Divinity) and desire to learn more about his writing/perspective, I encourage you to check out Believing and Belonging (excerpt from "Simply Christian") and Georgetown University Veritas Forum Presentation (10/20/2006). I had the privilege of attending this Veritas Forum at which N.T. Wright spoke, my notes are posted on this blog at Simply Christian.

Updated: 1/18/2012, 8:56 AM.

2011 CMDA Northeast Winter Retreat    

In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation." -- Isaiah 25:9

Tonight Theresa and I head out to Sandy Cove, MD, for CMDA's Northeast Winter Retreat. We can't wait for the opportunity to hang out with student as they worship God and grow in their "call to care."

Pray for 

• Safe travel for delegates from across the Northeast.
• Growth in depth of relationship with students from PSU-Hershey and physician friends from the area who will join us as we hangout over meals and consider God's word in small groups. Opportunities for significant networking and encouragement in larger circles . . . 

South Central PA Delegates (2011 Winter Retreat)

• My preparation/leading of Saturday morning prayer. My focus will be upon the Bridgemans in Honduras, see Why do you do what you do? - Medical Missionaries.

• Clarity in teaching by Drs. Paul and Susan Lim, The Christian Life: Called to Pursue Soul-Satisfying Joy: A medical couple reflects on their missionary experience in Ethiopia. 
  

•  
  • In 2008, Paul and Susan along with their two children, Justin and Karis, moved to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to help CURE International start and run a new Christian mission hospital specializing in pediatric disabilities.  Paul, a plastic/reconstructive surgeon, was the Medical Director, and Susan was the Consultant Pediatrician for the hospital, two of only three first world trained pediatricians in the entire country of 85 million people. They had a passion for reaching unreached people groups with the Gospel and integrated their medical work with this passion.  After two and a half years, just as they began to see the first fruits, they unexpectedly needed to relocate back to the US, ending up in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, where they were graciously welcomed back by their sending church, Bethlehem Baptist Church of Minneapolis.  Paul is currently working as a pediatric plastic surgeon with Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul, Minnesota.  He is also an Assistant Professor of the University of Minnesota, being part of the teaching faculty for the plastic surgery residency.  Susan is not currently working as a pediatrician but is busy taking care of her family and home in their sudden and tumultuous transition that is still not even a year old.
• Wisdom in next steps and application of what is learned (including sharing core truths/principles/stories with friends) with on campus accountability.

Mark your calendars for February 13 - 16. Kent Annan, author of two InterVarsity Press books and co-founder of Haiti Partners, will be in South Central PA sharing an honest word about his journey with God in Haiti.

He kicks off with Helping Haiti, a South Central PA grassroots networking event involving a group of people with a heart for Haiti and representatives of several local organizations with work in Haiti (Elizabethtown Public Library, 6 pm). For more information visit the Library Event Page and/or the Facebook Event Page.

Praise: Yesterday's Merchandiser interview on Kent's visit went well. What a joy to partner with Elizabethtown Public Library on this project! Lord willing, the article will run 2/1. I've started sharing posters, lots of interest at "Bearly Used Boutique," "Mount Joy Gift & Thrift," & "Pages." Also I let "Folklore" know some of us would be dropping by afterward . . . If you'd like a poster to hang and/or some quarter sheets to share, drop me a line :)

Update: 1/11/2012 (9:41 AM).

 Les welcomes students to his house to celebrate Christmas.

Today begins the PSU-Hershey Christian Medical Society (CMS)/CMDA lunch lecture series. Les Scorza, M.D., an interventional radiologist and the fellowship's advisor, will speak.

Pray for

• Students to re-engage and for a growth in the men's Bible study. Note: CMS pictures from the fall are posted here.
• Plenty of food not just for this week, but throughout the term. Pray for volunteers to fill the open weeks.
• Les to present clearly the "call to care."
• Discernment in the spring leadership selection process. Pray for the Lord alone to be our strength.

PSU-Hershey Christian Medical Society (CMS)/CMDA Fall Retreat (2011)

Pray for myself and several students from PSU-Hershey Christian Medical Society (CMS)/CMDA as we give testimony to "God at work" with Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church. We'll share during the morning worship service, a few minutes with several Fellowship Groups, and a lunch with a physician from the local assembly.

As you probably know, our family worships at Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church and the local assembly has been a great encouragement to our labors, even partnering with the bold/experimental Christian Author Series (which will host Kent Annan from February 13 -16) and the Christian Scholar Series (which will host Scot McKnight on February 19).

We desire the time this morning to be one of celebration and an invitation to deeper partnership, particularly with regard to providing lunch for our weekly Tuesday outreaches. For a glimpse of PSU-Hershey Christian Medical Society (CMS)/CMDA click here.

As we're focused upon a day celebrating the gift of One More Day in marriage (1/6/1996), I'll try to be brief . . .

• Happy Anniversary Theresa! What a joy to share our lives together in the mystery of marriage. How amazing is the providence of God to be seated alphabetical in nearly all our high school classes (In the end, Ginder and Grosh have a lot more in common than anticipated), drawn to Odyssey of the Mind, Biology majors together at Grove City College, married in college, and a couple who find ourselves commited to a life in mission with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (along with a handful of growing girls)! To God be the glory!
• Theresa and I rejoice in your sharing ministry with us through time, encouragement, energy, prayer, hosting, passing on the word about speakers/events, and volunteering. Please keep track of what's going on through the January 2012 Prayer Calendar and pictures from the PSU-Hershey Christian Medical Society (CMS)/CMDA Christmas Party (Note: posted here. Scroll to the bottom of the fall term pictures. A teaser below . . .).
• God is providing for our finanical support through His Body. We received $13,143 in December (bringing us $45,305 as we enter 2012, with a total budget of ~$98,000). We ask you to join us in leaning upon Him alone as we rejoice in the gift to serve Him One More Day by raising up/mentoring the next generation of Christian Scholars and Health Care Professionals to be salt, light, and leaven across the globe.

Note: "After Shock" YouTube link, http://www.youtube.com/v/IgnQZE9Q4fE.

In addition to the Facebook Event Page for 2/13-16 Christian Author Series: "After Shock: Searching for Honest Faith When Your World is Shaken," promotional materials are available for 

2/13 (6 pm, Elizabethtown Public Library, Elizabethtown, PA): Kick-off to a series which will focus upon campuses in South Central PA. 

• "Helping Haiti"/"After Shock" 1/4 page invitation
• "Helping Haiti"/"After Shock" 8.5 x 11 poster

Just getting the word out for those who work several months ahead. I'll begin promotion in the new year. If you're in South Central PA and would like a copy of one of his InterVarsity Press books, drop me a note. The suggested gift is $10 per copy.

For more on Kent Annan, author of two InterVarsity Press books and co-founder Haiti Partners, visit kentannan.org/bio/. Below's a picture of Tom with Kent at CCO's 2011 Jubilee Conference.

Tonight's the Haitian Connection Network's (HCN) Holiday Hearts for Haiti Concert. Can't wait! I'll try to remember to take pictures :)

I've really enjoyed getting to know Kristen Anselmo Hertzog, Founder & Executive Director at HCN, as we've discussed Kent Annan's 2/13-16 visit to South Central PA. Note: Kent Annan's the author of two InterVarsity Press books, including "After Shock: Searching for Honest Faith When: Your World Is Shaken," and co-founder of Haiti Partners.

As you may have guessed, HCN will be involved in the 2/13 "Helping Haiti" gathering featuring Kent Annan (Elizabethtown Public Library, 6:30 pm. Come at 6 pm to chat when some friends in the area who are also serving in Haiti). 1/4 sheets for the gathering available at the concert (or by clicking here). 8.5x11 poster available here. To get involved, give me a call or drop me a note.

What a joy to co-labor with the people of God to advance the work of the Kingdom. Praying for God's blessing upon His work in Haiti. May God grant me the grace to discern how to be His head, heart, and hands to his glory!

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge."

To God be the glory!

In giving attention to Psalm 19 for a final paper (Psalms class), the life, work, ministry of Cal DeWitt came to mind. Here's some of the recently retired Professor, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, U. Wisconsin-Madison, thoughts on "Is environmentalism an unhealthy pursuit?" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB4xVSJaFmQ)

Hosted Cal in Pittsburgh and our family had the opportunity to hear him as part of an InterVarsity Faculty Camp at Cedar Campus a few years ago. Would love to have him speak in South Central PA. The wheels are turning :)

PS. If you'd like a book on Creation Care to add to your Christmas list, I recommend you consider The Care of Creation: Focusing Concern and Action (InterVarsity Press, 2000). Cal wrote the chapter entitled, "Creation's Environmental Challenge to Evangelical Christianity." Yes, Theresa and I were biology majors at Grove City College and practice a form of simple living in concert with extended family :) Now where did those chickens get to . . .

As I mentioned yesterday with my post Starting 2012 Ahead: Overview, our family desires to be good stewards of our time on the mission field by focusing on equipping for outreach and being engaged in outreach instead of fund development. I know that many of our sponsors agree that significant conversations with students, emerging scholars, faculty, and health care professions is where our time and energy should be directed. To assist you in directing your prayers, here is our December Prayer Calendar. Please feel free to distribute among friends, family, small groups, local congregations, prayer ministries, etc. For those in South Central PA, please mark your calendar so you don't miss the upcoming special events:

• 12/12 InterVarsity Breakfast: When it is always winter and never really Christmas
  • Robert Ives, retired from the pastorate (pastor emeritus of Grantham Brethren in Christ Church) and from teaching at Messiah College.
  • 6:30 am, Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church, Elizabethtown, PA

• 2/13-16 Christian Author Series: "After Shock: Searching for Honest Faith When Your World is Shaken"
  • Kent Annan, Haiti Partners
  • 2/13 (6 pm, Elizabethtown Public Library, Elizabethtown, PA): Kick-off to a series which will focus upon campuses in South Central PA. "After Shock"/"Helping Haiti" 1/4 page invitation. "After Shock"/"Helping Haiti" 8.5 x 11 poster.

• 2/19 Christian Scholar Series: Embracing Grace 
  • Scot McKnight, Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University, Chicago, IL
  • Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church, Elizabethtown, PA

• 3/15, A Night with the Inklings: InterVarsity Christian Fellowship dessert & Christian Scholars gathering
  • David C. Downing, R. W. Schlosser Professor of English at Elizabethtown College & author of several books on C.S. Lewis. 
  • David will speak on the interaction between the fiction of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien AND the fruit/value of conversation among Christian Scholars
  • Doors open at 6:30 pm. Program begins at 7 pm.
  • Acorn Farms, Mount Joy, PA

12/16/2011: Updated with "After Shock"/"Helping Haiti" Materials.

In order to start 2012 ahead of the game finanically and focus on outreach instead of fundraising, I'm beginning a ministry update series which will run periodically through the end of the calendar year.

The below material is taken from our December email update. If you are not on this list, but desire to receive our monthly email, please let us know.

If you desire to give a year end gift and/or join the regular support team, on-line giving is available here.

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On Monday, December 12, Tom will host a breakfast with Robert Ives, Ph.D. (Ecclesiastical History, Manchester University, England). 

When it is always winter and never really Christmas: Jesus' birth and the Harried Christmas Racket.
Monday, December 12, 6:30 am
Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church, Elizabethtown, PA

RSVP by Thursday, December 8 on the Facebook event page or by contacting the Groshes.

The program will also include student testimonies and an invitation to invest in the work to which God has called Tom & Theresa Grosh IV as part of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

Abstract:

CS Lewis had a long dislike for what he called "Xmas", the secular part of Christmas, the buying of gifts and the sending of cards, which he called a distraction from celebrating the birth of Jesus in a manger. But there are other sides to his view of the real Christmas. In the years following World War II, many Americans would send Lewis food packages at Christmas. Those he was always thankful for, and he would share the food with friends at the college. And then, of course, there are the scenes in 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' where it is always winter and never Christmas, until Aslan returns, and Father Christmas arrives. How shall we put all this together?

In case you're not already familiar with our speaker: Bob is retired from the pastorate (pastor emeritus of Grantham Brethren in Christ Church) and from teaching at Messiah College. As a pastor, speaker, and teacher, he has given significant attention to the work of C.S. Lewis.

By God's grace, Bob moved from church goer to follower of Christ through InterVarsity's ministry at Drexel. While attending Fuller Seminary, he worked as an InterVarsity staff person and met Nancy (his wife) at Campus by the Sea (an InterVarsity camp). To return to the student world some of what it had given him, Bob has spent his years of ministry in the context of higher education. He served students at Boston's Park Street Church, Philadelphia's 10th Presbyterian Church, and the Campus Church at Messiah College. In addition, Bob has been a great encouragement to our labors in South Central PA. What a joy to partner across the generations of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's ministry. To God be the glory!

PS. If you're in the area, please mark your calendar for Thursday, March 15, 6:30 pm, Acorn Farms, when we'll host an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship dessert and Christian Scholars gathering with David C. Downing, Ph.D., R. W. Schlosser Professor of English at Elizabethtown College & author of several books on C.S. Lewis. You may remember David launched our Christian Author Series at Elizabethtown Public Library by speaking on his newly released novel Looking for the King: An Inklings Novel (2010).

If you're in South Central PA, then don't miss When Thrift is Chic: Living More with Less in a Real Simple World. Valerie Weaver-Zercher, as part of the Christian Author Series, will share from Living More With Less at the Elizabethtown Public Library on Thursday, October 27. If you're not in the area, please still take advantage of the resources posted on the FaceBook event page, e.g., the great tips/conversation available through More with Less FaceBook group.

What a joy to partner with the Elizabethtown Public Library, see local Merchandiser article as part of InterVarsity's Graduate & Faculty Ministry/Emerging Scholars Network. More coming on the gathering and the unique partnership, but you can catch a glimpse by visiting Finding the Words through Baby Loss, A Reading (10/11/2011) and the draft schedule, 2011-2012 Christian Scholar Series (Draft).

For Christ’s love compels us… I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation(II Cor. 5:14—6:2).

Tom introduces Finding the Words through Baby Loss, A Reading

After Finding the Words through Baby Loss, A Reading at the Elizabethtown Public Library, I wrote on the Facebook Event page:

Once again walked upon sacred ground. Hard to put tonight's session into words, except to say, 'Thank-you' to all who shared their stories & came to walk w/those who have experienced stillbirth. Pictures from the evening & some of my reflections coming. If you were present & desire to share, you are more than welcome to do such. If you are connected w/an organization being present for those w/loss, please post weblinks/info on this page. I've let several people know material will be available here. To God be the glory! ...

Earlier in the day I wrote my Facebook page . . . 

In the morning Janel met w/several mothers at the Elizabethtown Public Library. Over lunch, 40+ budding health care professionals listened intently as she spoke on "Supporting Families through Pregnancy and Infant Loss: A Parent’s Perspective." Several had extended conversations with her afterward. This afternoon my wife Theresa shared her joy in the opportunity to participate in the morning session. Can't wait for tonight & all the stories/resources which will be shared. If you're in the area & can make it, please come. For those who wonder . . . yes, this is a glimpse of "why I do & how I do what I do" :) To God be the glory! ...

The Facebook Event page. . .

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Click here to open/download our October 2011 Prayer Calendar in PDF. We rejoice in your prayers and investment in the sharing the love of Christ with students, faculty, campuses, physician practices, hospitals. We ask you to particularly pray for the upcoming gatherings highlighted in the prayer letter (to which I'd add the PSU-Hershey CMS/CMDA Bonfire tonight -- interested in seeing lots of fall fellowship pictures, click here). If you'd like to be present for some of the gatherings (or learn more about them), check out their Facebook event pages.

More updates coming, but at present I must run to share materials about the upcoming events in partnership with the Elizabethtown Public Library, see local Merchandiser article and Library Webpage.

For Christ’s love compels us… I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation (II Cor. 5:14—6:2).

On Friday as Theresa and I pushed to start our Road Trip: Traveling back in time to "the Grove"/Road Trip: Traveling back in time to "ACAC", I ran into the grocery story to pick up a few items. While flying through the aisles, I glanced at the Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era. 

Bam!

The front page news, just under the banner, hit me with a picture similiar to the one I took the day before at the Young Center's The Power of Forgiveness: Lessons from Nickel Mines: Forgiveness in the Face of Tragedy: Five-Year Lessons Conference. The article is superb and a must read: Elizabethtown conference revisits Nickel Mines: Forgiveness 'a way of life' (Tom Knapp. Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era. 9/23/2011). 

Teaser: I left the conference's day session for dinner with family singing Holy, Holy, Holy. The 250 participants as a community truly walked on holy ground and in a sacred space. "Culture making" by the people of God in a rich and complex manner. To God be the glory! 

PS. Lots of notes to sort through. . . . a series in progress with testimony and wrestlings posted in a variety of places :)

With the new academic year beginning, the calendar has been full. We rejoice in your standing with us in prayer day-by-day. We have sensed the presence and sustaining power of Jesus the Christ (in Person and through the Body of Christ) as we've sprinted out the gate with much more on the agenda than ever before. Click here for the 2011 September Prayer Calendar. For more specifics on the work (including some of the writing) visit

• Central Pa Christian Scholars/Christian Scholars Series
• Emerging Scholars Network
• Tom's Emerging Scholars Network Blog posts.

Shortly after posting on the Bridgemans in Honduras and the Nelsons in Kijabe, Kenya, I received word that Samaritan's Purse did a survey of all their Post Residency Mission Program trainees.

One of the questions was

"What was #1 thing that has motivated you to choose a career serving God in medical missions?"

What do you think the answer was? (More)