Thursday, October 26, 2006, 04:31 PM - Friday Meetings
You've just completed your fiftieth entry in an annotated bibliography and feel like you are just getting started. "Home" for the past three days has been the futon and the microwave in your lab. You've rehearsed a piece of music so much you swear you play it in your sleep--yet you wonder if you really know the piece yet. You've come to believe that the thing you like the most about grad school is deciding which 18 hours a day you will work.
You wonder, so what does all this have to do with following Jesus? Singing his praises in worship, teaching children, or serving the poor all seem so much more spiritually vital. This Friday we will explore--and celebrate the connection between faith and scholarship. One of the values of CGSA from the very beginning has been the recognition that the most mundane and tedious aspects of grad life are also part of our spiritual worship to God and we may glorify Him just as much in the stacks, the lab, or the practice room as we do on Sunday (or Saturday night!).
This Friday is the 2nd (Annual?) CGSA Research Fair. Members of CGSA will be sharing their research via poster displays and other creative means. And to kick it all off, Susan Fisher, Ph.D, Chair of the Entomology Department at Ohio State will speak on "Faith and Scholarship: Friends or Enemies."
Time and Place
We meet on Friday evenings at Royer Student Activities Center located on north campus next to Jones Graduate Tower. Come in the north doors and enter the room on the right at the top of the stairs. CGSA Prayer starts at 5:30 and is a great way to jump into God's mission as we pray for the world, the campus, and our own concerns. The Friday Night Meeting goes from 6:30 to 8:00 pm after which we go out for dinner at an inexpensive restaurant. Rides are available and all are welcome.
Upcoming Events
October 30. The Main Event at St. John's Arena, 7:00 pm. Coach Tressel and a number of OSU football players will speak about their faith. The event is free and doors open at 6 pm. Join the Jones Tower Bible study for dinner at 5:30 pm and head over with us to the event!
November 3. Conversation & Cuisine with Al Erisman, a co-founder of the Institute of Business and Technology Ethics He will speak on "Marks of Healthy Organizations and Departments." This is co-sponsored with Fisher Christian Fellowship and will be held in the Student Lounge in Gerlach Hall (nice place!).
November 10. James W Sire author of "The Universe Next Door, editor of a number of the late Francis Schaeffer's works, and campus apologist, will speak on "What You Can't Not Know About Picking your Battles." Dr. Sire will also offer a workshop the next day on "Humble Apologetics" open to all.
Featured Links
Throughout the history of science, Christians have felt that faith and their pursuit of research could walk hand in hand. This List of Christian thinkers in science includes a number of living scientists as well as scientists from every major body of Christians. A more general resource can be found in the numerous downloadable talks available for free at the Veritas Forum website. There are even presentations from Veritas Forums at Ohio State.
On a Personal Note
This will be my last "Friday Night at CGSA" for at least six months. On Wednesday I begin a six month sabbatical, my first since we formed CGSA over nine years ago. I will be working on a writing project for InterVarsity as well as some projects for personal renewal. Jon Helmus, CGSA president will continue the emails/blog and Gary Nielsen will "fill the gap" and more during my absence. I will stay in touch, sending an occasional email just to share what we're up to. And I'll be back on May 1 in time to celebrate graduations, jobs, and the end of another year with you all!
[ add comment ]
Thursday, October 19, 2006, 02:21 PM - Friday Meetings
Crossing cultures can often be fascinating as we discover how differently people can look at the world. And it can also be perplexing, tiring and frustrating. Most of all, for Christians, crossing cultures is a "gospel thing." From the time the first Jewish believers in Antioch began telling Gentiles about Jesus, the gospel, and God's people, have been crossing cultural barriers and discovering what the world longs for--something, rather Someone, powerful enough to bring human beings together across all the lines that separate them.
This week, Pastor Adrian L. Pennebaker, pastor of Seventh Avenue Community Baptist Church (located on High Street just south of campus) will speak on "What you can't not know about cross-cultural life at Ohio State." Pastor Pennebaker leads a predominantly African-American congregation that seeks to minister across cultural lines both in Weinland Park and at Ohio State. We are honored to have him with us!
BYOP! After the CGSA meeting, join us for dinner and Pumpkin Carving at the home of Gary and Peggy Nielsen. BYOP=bring your own pumpkin! (although we will have a couple on hand if you can't get to a store). We'll begin about 8:30pm so even if you can't make it to the meeting, we would love to have you come join us! Peggy will be providing some of her delicious homemade soup and we'll have stuff to go with it, so in addition to a pumpkin be sure to bring your appetite! Gary and Peggy live at 542 Blenheim Rd, between High St & Indianola in Clintonville (northeast of Park of Roses) If you need a ride let us know (614-263-2429 or gary.ivcf at earthlink.net) by 5pm Friday.
Time and Place
We meet on Friday evenings at Royer Student Activities Center located on north campus next to Jones Graduate Tower. Come in the north doors and enter the room on the right at the top of the stairs. CGSA Prayer starts at 5:30 and is a great way to jump into God's mission as we pray for the world, the campus, and our own concerns. The Friday Night Meeting goes from 6:30 to 8:00 pm
Upcoming Events
October 27: CGSA research fair. If you have a poster presentation or other creative ways to share your research (and we're sure you do) sign up at CGSA to be part of the research fair. This is a chance to see all the ways we seek to glorify God in our work and learn about what each other does the rest of the time. Also, Susan Fisher, chair of the entomology department at Ohio State will speak on "Faith and Scholarship: Friends or Enemies."
October 30: The Main Event at St. John's Arena, 7:00 pm. Coach Tressel and a number of OSU football players will speak about their faith. The event is free and doors open at 6 pm.
November 3: Conversation & Cuisine with Al Erisman, a co-founder of the Institute of Business and Technology Ethics. He will speak on "Marks of Healthy Organizations and Departments." This is co-sponsored with Fisher Christian Fellowship and will be held in the Student Lounge in Gerlach Hall (nice place!).
November 10: James W Sire, author of "The Universe Next Door, editor of a number of the late Francis Schaeffer's works, and campus apologist, will speak on "What You Can't Not Know About Picking your Battles." Dr. Sire will also offer a workshop the next day on "Humble Apologetics" open to all.
Featured Link
We've talked a good deal in CGSA recently about the idea of Christian community development--not only our own in CGSA but also the role Christians can play in the renewal and development of physical communities. The Christian Community Development Association website offers a number of resources to learn more about Christian community development including downloadable messages.
[ add comment ]
Friday, October 13, 2006, 01:02 PM - Friday Meetings
"What You Can't Not Know about God's Mission." Chris Orban graduate student in physics and CGSA leader will speak about the opportunities graduate students have to pursue God's mission in the world.
Time and Place
We meet on Friday evenings at Royer Student Activities Center located on north campus next to Jones Graduate Tower. Come in the north doors and enter the room on the right at the top of the stairs. CGSA Prayer starts at 5:30 and is a great way to jump into God's mission as we pray for the world, the campus, and our own concerns. The Friday Night Meeting goes from 6:30 to 8:00 pm after which we go out for dinner at an inexpensive restaurant. Rides are available and all are welcome.
Upcoming Events
October 14: Weinland Park Service Opportunity. Meet at 10:30 on Curl Drive behind Jones Tower. We'll be finished by 1 pm. Contact Chris Orban at 291-8492 for more information.
October 20: After the CGSA meeting, join us for dinner and Pumpkin Carving at the home of Gary and Peggy Nielsen. More details in next week's blog/email.
October 27: CGSA research fair. If you have a poster presentation or other creative ways to share your research (and we're sure you do) sign up at CGSA to be part of the research fair. This is a chance to see all the ways we seek to glorify God in our work and learn about what each other does the rest of the time. Also, Susan Fisher, chair of the entomology department at Ohio State will speak.
October 30: The Main Event at St. John's Arena, 7:00 pm. Coach Tressel and a number of OSU football players will speak about their faith.
Featured Link
World Vision is one of the outstanding organizations engaged in a whole-person oriented approach to mission in the world. Their website is rich in resources and news of mission opportunities around the world.
[ add comment ]
Thursday, October 5, 2006, 06:33 PM - Friday Meetings
"Who is my neighbor?" asked the teacher of the law in dialogue with Jesus. This week we ask the came question in CGSA as we consider "what we can't not know about who are our neighbors."
In particular, we will learn about a neighborhood, Weinland Park, located within three blocks of Ohio State yet invisible to many on campus. Our speaker, Robert Caldwell, is a pastor and community developer living in the neighborhood, (along with two of our CGSA members). Over the past several years, we've been learning from Robert and members of his community to have God's heart for Weinland Park.
Time and Place. We meet at 6:30 pm in the Royer Student Activity Center. Enter through the north set of doors (closest to Jones Tower), go up the steps and our room is on the right. We meet until around 8 pm then go out for dinner at an inexpensive local restaurant. All are welcome and rides are available!
CGSA Prays! Each Friday at 5:30, a group of us meets in Royer to change the world through prayer. We pray for the world, the campus, and our own lives. Over the past several years we've seen many answers to prayer and caught a larger vision for God's love for the nations. So, if you'd like to join a real bunch of campus radicals, come join us each Friday at 5:30 as we speak to the God Who Hears.
Featured Link If you want to learn more about Weinland Park, go to the Weinland Park Neighborhood Plan Home Page to read about the neighborhood and the community development plan which our speaker helped draft.
Urbana 2006 at the Best Price! I've written this week about having God's heart for our neighbors. Urbana 2006 explores God's heart for the neighborhoods of the world and how we can share God's heart. Consider spending December 27-31 with Rick Warren and others exploring how God's purposes can drive our lives and fill our vision regardless of our field of study. And consider registering before October 15 to get the best price, which goes up $75 after that date.
[ add comment ]
Thursday, September 28, 2006, 07:43 PM - Friday Meetings
One of the things "we can't not know" about grad school is how to maintain a vital spiritual life in the midst of the academic demands of grad school. Probably nobody determines to opt out of their walk with God during grad school. Most of the time it just gets crowded out.
This week at CGSA, Randy and Christina Mathison, doctoral students and leaders in CGSA will talk about their own experiences of integrating spiritual and academic life. And there will be a chance to learn about resources and small group opportunities available through CGSA to help in the journey.
Time and Place: Our meetings are at 6:30 pm in the Royer Student Activities Center. The link will take you to a campus map. Royer is located next to Jones Graduate Tower. Go into the building through the left of the two front entrances. At the top of the steps you will see a room to your right. That's where we'll be (this is a change from last year--our old room is being renovated). We meet until 8 pm, then visit and go out for dinner at an inexpensive restaurant in the area. Everyone is welcome and rides are available.
Apple Picking, This Saturday! Join us at 2 pm on Saturday the 30th to go apple-picking at Lynd's Fruit Farm. We will meet on Curl Drive behind Jones Tower (if you can't meet us at Jones Tower, the link above has directions to Lynd's). Never had an apple right off the tree! Then come find out how good apples really can be. Afterwards, those who are interested can go to the home of Mark and Erin Longbrake to bake pies and other wonderful things with those apples (they'll have directions).
Featured Link. If you are looking for resources to nurture your devotional life, InterVarsity Press offers an online Daily Quiet Time. Some of us have found that fixed hour praying is a great way to remember to pray throughout the day. The Divine Hours website provides prayers and readings one can use four times a day.
Keeping company with God, picking apples and hanging out with other grad students just crazy (or sane) enough to follow Jesus. What a life!
[ add comment ]
Back Next
