Thursday, April 27, 2006, 10:44 AM - Friday Meetings
Redeeming the time. It used to be the case that I thought this idea meant cramming as much into each day as possible. Somewhere along the way, I became aware that living this way felt like being on a treadmill that kept accelerating while I was getting more and more tired!
Steve Simmons will speak on the topic of "The Gospel and Time." Another title for his talk might be, "the rests between the notes." Steve will help us see how the pauses to reflect on our life experiences can help make our lives more than a series of run-together notes where all the drama and beauty of the music is lost.
Steve is a professor in the department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota. He is one of the retreat leaders at Saturday's "A Time Apart" retreat. You can read about his work at: Steve R. Simmons, Ph.D
Time and Place We will be in our usual location in the Royer Activity Center on Friday at 6:30 pm. This Friday, Columbus Zoo is hosting "Late Night at the Zoo." It has been suggested that the group go out there after the meeting. Admission and food are free. Details are available at: Late Night at the Zoo
Coming Events
May 5: Leigh Salter's Master's Recital, 4 pm Weigel Auditorium
May 5: The Gospel and Music, Dr. Robert Gillespie
May 12: The Gospel and Postmodernism
May 12-14: InterVarsity grad retreat in Toledo: Grace at Work
May 19: Conversation & Cuisine: Sleep, Dr. Mark Splaingard
Featured Link Last Saturday was Earth Day. One organization whose work I've appreciated in bringing a Christian perspective to these issues is the Evangelical Environmental Network. I know there is much discussion of human impact on the environment. What is without question, however, is that all of us will account to God for how we have taken care of his world. EEN has a number of helpful resources!
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Thursday, April 20, 2006, 06:37 PM - Friday Meetings
We've been talking about how gospel and culture engage and interact. Missionaries are particularly aware of this. They need to recognize the difference between the core truths of the gospel and what is simply a matter of cultural difference between their own culture and the culture in which they are guests. At the same time, they need to discern those elements of culture that cannot be embraced because they flow out of a worldview alien or hostile to Christian belief.
Truth be told, this is something we all need to do to avoid a culturally captive Christianity. Sometimes we attack aspects of our culture that are not necessarily in conflict with the gospel (e.g. musical styles) while embracing other cultural values, or even a worldview that is at its core, hostile to vibrant Christian faith. Often, we fail to recognize this because it has become the air we breath, the water in which we swim. And this is where brothers or sisters who have crossed cultures can help us see ourselves.
Pastor William "Billy" Burke (Christina Burke Mathison's father!) is one who has crossed cultures as a missionary in Taiwan and who has reflected on these issues. While there, he married a Taiwanese woman. He has encountered and lived with the issue of distinguishing gospel and culture and will share with us out of that experience. [By the way, if Pastor Burke is new to you, you are in for a treat--he is one of our favorite speakers in CGSA!].
Time and Place: We will be back at our usual location in the Royer Activity Center at 6:30 on Friday. CGSA prayer begins at 5:30. We break shortly after 8 pm and everyone is welcome to join us for dinner at an inexpensive local restaurant.
Coming Attractions:
April 28: Steve Simmons will speak on "The Rests Between the Notes" (how spiritual disciplines [the rests] enrich all the activities of our lives [the notes]).
April 29: Faculty Grad Retreat at St. Stephens' Episcopal: "A Day Apart" (focusing on lectio divina and memoir writing). Information available on the CGSA website.
May 5: Dr. Robert Gillespie, on "The Gospel and the World of Music"
Featured Link: One of the most thoughtful thinkers and writers I know on the interaction of gospel and culture was Bishop Lesslie Newbigin. Newbigin spent nearly 40 years in India as a Church of Scotland missionary before returning to Great Britain. He discovered he had returned to a totally different culture from pre-World War II Great Britain and spent his last years thinking and writing extensively about how Christians could engage post-modern culture with the gospel. Many of his talks and articles are at Newbigin.net.
By the way, thank you for all who prayed and worked on No Ordinary People. Thirty-three people professed faith in Christ through this outreach and over $1400 was raised for International Justice Mission.
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Friday, April 7, 2006, 08:31 AM
Wednesday, April 12 at 6:30 pm in Stillman Hall Room 100: Bill Clark, with the International Justice Mission will speak on "Human Trafficking...Why Good People Often Do Nothing." This talk focuses on the worldwide problem of human trafficking which includes sexual slavery and indentured servitude and the work International Justice Mission is doing to help free people caught in these oppressive situations. And Clark will highlight how a Christian understanding of God's concern for injustice drives their work. The presentation is free, open to all, and sponsored by CGSA.
Thursday, April 13 at 12 noon in Saxbe Auditorium of the Moritz College of Law: Bill Clark will give the same talk. This presentation is also free and open to all and will be jointly sponsored by CGSA and the Christian Legal Society.
Thursday, April 13 at 7 pm in the Ohio Union West Ballroom: A benefit dinner will be held, the proceeds from which will go toward the work of the International Justice Mission. The cost of the dinner will be $5 and tickets will be available at CGSA and at the door (if not sold out). There will also be a raffle with tickets going for $1. York Moore, regional evangelism specialist with InterVarsity will speak, exploring what human trafficking reveals about the human condition and our need for redemption in Christ.
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Friday, April 7, 2006, 08:11 AM - Friday Meetings
Cuba. Just 90 miles from the American mainland (closer to Florida than Cincinnati is to Columbus). Once a favorite US vacation destination. Then a revolutionary by the name of Fidel Castro came to power. The debacle of the Bay of Pigs. And after the Cuban missile crisis, over 40 years of severed relations. But the wind of the Spirit continues to blow. God is at work in Cuba.
This Friday night, we have the chance to hear how God is working in the lives of the people of Cuba. Recently Adrea Lovejoy from our fellowship went to Cuba on a mission trip. She will talk of what she saw and did and what God is doing through His people in Cuba. She will be joined by a friend Yaritza. Come join us for a very special evening of learning about this people who live so close but have been estranged by international politics--and about how the gospel of the kingdom is so much greater.
Time and Place: We meet in the Royer Activity Center. CGSA Prayer begins at 5:30 pm on Friday. Our meetings begin at 6:30 with snacks and informal fellowship, followed by music and our speaker at 6:45 pm.
No Ordinary People: Next week, CGSA joins the InterVarsity undergraduate fellowship in a 3 day outreach on campus. There are three events that I want to highlight and urge you to consider attending along with your friends.
Wednesday, April 12 at 6:30 pm in Stillman Hall Room 100:
Bill Clark, with the International Justice Mission will speak on "Human Trafficking...Why Good People Often Do Nothing." This talk focuses on the worldwide problem of human trafficking which includes sexual slavery and indentured servitude and the work International Justice Mission is doing to help free people caught in these oppressive situations. And Clark will highlight how a Christian understanding of God's concern for injustice drives their work. The presentation is free, open to all, and sponsored by CGSA.
Thursday, April 13 at 12 noon in Saxbe Auditorium of the Moritz College of Law:
Bill Clark will give the same talk. This presentation is also free and open to all and will be jointly sponsored by CGSA and the Christian Legal Society.
Thursday, April 13 at 7 pm in the Ohio Union West Ballroom:
A benefit dinner will be held, the proceeds from which will go toward the work of the International Justice Mission. The cost of the dinner will be $5 and tickets will be available at CGSA and at the door (if not sold out). There will also be a raffle with tickets going for $1. York Moore, regional evangelism specialist with InterVarsity will speak, exploring what human trafficking reveals about the human condition and our need for redemption in Christ. There will be an invitation to follow Christ.
No CGSA meeting next Friday! Next Friday is good Friday and we have decided to cancel our regular meeting so that people can attend services at their own church. There will be an opportunity for those who don't have a service to attend to join other CGSA members. Look for an email with details next week.
Featured Link: Sunday begins Holy Week. Some of us come from churches with rich traditions around Holy Week. Others focus more exclusively on Good Friday and Easter. I found this description of The Days of Holy Week helpful for better understanding the various church traditions around this rich week of remember the triumphal entry, last supper, trial, and death of Jesus.
I would encourage you to remember the liberating work of Christ this week, both at the No Ordinary People events as well as in the practices of your own particular congregation (or one of ours!).
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Thursday, March 30, 2006, 03:27 PM - Friday Meetings
Our theme for Friday Nights at CGSA this spring is "Engaging the Culture." We will be exploring how Christians can skillfully and thoughtfully engage with our contemporary culture and communicate the gospel, God's good news, into our context. And for this Friday, we begin with the context just beyond the borders of Ohio State. . . .
"It's not a coincidence that in the scriptures, poverty is mentioned more than 2,100 times. It's not an accident. That's a lot of air time, 2100 mentions...There is much to do...It's not about charity, it's about justice." (U2's Bono, in a speech at the Feb 2006 National Prayer Breakfast available at: http://www.data.org/archives/000774.php).
This Friday night we'll hear how 25 graduate and undergraduate OSU students learned about and experienced a little of the gospel call for justice being worked out in Weinland Park. During CUE (the Columbus Urban Experience) we engaged with Bono as we listened to his speech, then we went out into the neighborhood to engage with Weinland Park residents.
Why is it important to do this? What more might we do in response to God's heart for the poor and oppressed? Come to CGSA this Friday night as we discuss the Gospel in relation to Weinland Park.
Time and Place: We meet at 6:30 pm on Fridays in the Royer Activity Center on North Campus, located next to Jones Graduate Tower. You are welcome to come early at 5:30 and join us for CGSA prayer. Can't join us but need prayer? Drop me a line and we will pray for you!
Our meetings end by shortly after 8 pm, after which we go out to a low cost local restaurant that has room for significant groups. You are welcome to join us--and we always have munchies available to tide you over to dinner!
Coming Events: Here are some of the upcoming events you might want to get on your calendar:
April 7: The Gospel and Cuba: Adrea Lovejoy will speak on her mission trip to Cuba
April 7-8: Grad and Professional School Women's Retreat. Contact Debbie Splaingard for info at splaingard@aol.com
April 8: No Ordinary People evangelism training workshop (9-4 pm)
April 11-13: No Ordinary People outreach on campus (look for more info on this next week)
April 14: CGSA Social (still being planned but it will be fun)
April 29: A Time Apart Retreat for faculty and grad students.
Featured Link: The London Institute for Contemporary Christianity was started by Anglican pastor John R.W. Stott. This group is doing some of the most thoughtful work of considering how Christians can engage the issues of the day (it's Gary's favorite website!).
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