Christian Faculty and Staff Fellowship meets September 18

 Christian Faculty and Staff Network gathering on 9/18 - Work as our expression

Come to the Christian Faculty and Staff Network lunch gathering on Wednesday, September 18, at 11:45 AM (done by 12:45 PM). We meet at the Baptist Campus Ministries building (University Boulevard and 4th Avenue).

More:

• It's the best meal deal in town: You can get lunch there for $1 thanks to the generosity of local churches. Don't forget to thank the church workers for what they do for the students. The first meal of the term is special, so you won't want to miss it.
• Our book for the term is Tim Keller's Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work. Here's a summary from the Amazon page: "With deep conviction and often surprising advice, Keller shows readers that biblical wisdom is immensely relevant to our questions about work today. In fact, the Christian view of work that we work to serve others, not ourselves can provide the foundation of a thriving professional and balanced personal life."
• You're welcome to facilitate one of our meetings as well. I pass around a sign-up sheet and invite all to participate. Some things you might want to do:
• Facilitate the discussion of one of current chapter of the book we're going through. That involves asking questions and inviting responses.
• Giving a discipline talk about what you're doing in your area. It's a chance to get to know you and what you're doing at UA.
• Bring in a guest speaker (we can also dial up someone on speakerphone).
• Invite your pastor or college minister to chat about college students in your church.
• Etc. That's a catch-all in case you have a great idea about something else for our lunch gathering. 

Bob Brooks will lead a discussion of Chapter 3 in the book. Check out this provocative statement: "Work is our design and our dignity; it is also a way to serve God through creativity, particularly in the creation of culture." So much for my living for Friday and dread of Monday, eh?

 

Have you heard of Fields of Faith? West Alabama Fellowship of Christian Athletes is organizing the event on 10/9 that will span many middle and high schools in the region. If that's your interest, I attached an email I received that has details about the event and how people can help.

 

Check out this Dorothy Sayers essay, "Why Work?" Key points:

• "… it [work] should be looked upon, not as a necessary drudgery to be undergone for the purpose of making money, but as a way of life in which the nature of man should find its proper exercise and delight and so fulfill itself to the glory of God. That it should, in fact, be thought of as a creative activity undertaken for the love of the work itself; and that man, made in God’s image, should make things, as God makes them, for the sake of doing well a thing that is well worth doing."
• "…in all the world there are only two sources of real wealth: the fruit of the earth and the labor of men; and to estimate work not by the money it brings to the producer, but by the worth of the thing that is made."
• It is your business, you churchmen, to get what good you can from observing his [the person in the workplace] work – not to take him away from it, so that he may do ecclesiastical work for you. But, if you have any power, see that he is set free to do this own work as well as it may be done. He is not there to serve you; he is there to serve God by serving his work."
• "If work is to find its right place in the world, it is the duty of the Church to see to it that the work serves God, and that the worker serves the work." 

Can you guess what happened in the faith on 9/18?

• 1634. Anne Hutchinson arrived in Boston, Massachusetts from England. She was a leading figure in the Antinomian Controversy in New England.
• 1905. Clergyman and author George MacDonald died. His novels captured the essence of the gospel in the real world and influenced CS Lewis. A dear friend of mine, President Emeritus of Colorado Christian University, discovered MacDonald and told me his characters have taught him more about living the gospel than most nonfiction books.
• 1961. Dag Hammarskjold, Secretary-General of the UN, died in a plane crash. His book, Markings, was a journal of his Christian faith. 

And since you've been kind enough to read through everything so far, here's an almanac treat for you. 9/18 marks these occasions:

• Birthday of the US Air Force in 1947. The Air Force was the US Army Air Corps and was established as a separate service. As an Army guy myself, I have to say, "Happy birthday, fellow warriors!"
• It's also National Cheeseburger Day.  My wife got mad at me one time because I didn't like the meat loaf she served up. She asked, "Why don't you like meat loaf?" I said, "I love meat loaf. It's really great when it's round, a half-inch thick, grilled with a slice of cheese on top, and between 2 pieces of bread." She didn't like my logic.
•  BTW - It's also National Rice Krispies Treat Day. It's indeed a sad day when you run out.