Christian Faculty and Staff Fellowship gathering on 12/4 - Wrap up and prayer for finals and commencement

I hope you had a wonder Thanksgiving break. We indeed have much to be thankful for. Come to the Christian Faculty and Staff Fellowship on Wednesday, December 4, at 11:45 AM (done by 12:45 PM). We meet at the Baptist Campus Ministries (BCM) building (University Boulevard and 4th Avenue). 

No lunch this time, so you'll want to bring your own. 

We'll wrap up Every Good Endeavor by discussing Chapters 10 and 11. Here are some quotations that should grab your interest:

  • "…we all know someone in our field who is not a Christian who seems to hold the best values and produce the most elegant product, beautiful dance piece, or trusted and well-organized work team. If the Christian worldview is so unique, how do we account for this?"
  • "God's loving care comes to us largely through the labor of others. Work is a major instrument of God's providence; it is how he sustains the human world."
  • "…because all human beings are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26—28) and all are given their talents and skills for work in the world by God (1 Corinthians 7:17), we should not be surprised that many people without belief in Jesus can do great work— even better work — than Christians."
  • "…the biblical concept of common grace emphasizes the commonalities between Christians and our work colleagues who do not subscribe to our beliefs."
  • "Those who take this biblical directive [to work as unto the Lord] seriously will seek the respect of their colleagues for the quality and integrity of their work. This means having a track record of saying what we mean and doing what we say, following through on commitments every time, whether formal or informal, and being transparent and fair-minded." 

We'll also pray for those preparing to take exams as well as those preparing to grade exams and also those preparing for a December graduation. 

It's that time of the semester to think about what book we'd like to go through next term. Here's a link to an interest survey: https://universityofalabama.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_40Kc3NxCezXzJ9X 

Would you mind ranking the 6 books to give us an idea of which one appears to have the greatest interest? 

Do you break out the Christmas music early in the year? You're not alone if you do. An article from Christianity Today discussed the phenomenon of playing Christmas music even before Thanksgiving. Some quotations:

  • "According to Spotify plays tracked by EveryNoise, most places started their surge in seasonal listening November 1."
  • "The Philippines, heavily Catholic and among the most devotedly Christian nations on earth, is the first to start playing Christmas music, with a spike on September 1. The country streams classics as well as local favorites like Jose Mari Chan’s 'Christmas In Our Hearts.'"
  • "Once the holiday music begins, listeners can expect one song to dominate: Mariah Carey’s 'All I Want for Christmas is Yo'” is the most-streamed Christmas song on the planet. (You have to go much further down the list to find a distinctly Christian Christmas song, with Pentatonix’s 'Mary Did You Know?' currently ranking No. 31.)"
  • "During the holidays, the Christmas music might attract listeners who might otherwise not listen to Christian stations."
  • "Can getting an early start on our favorite carols and hymns help 'every heart prepare him room'? W. David O. Taylor is no Scrooge—he says if churches want to start singing Christmas songs in November or early December, he won’t tell them to stop."
  • "…as a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, [David O.] Taylor turns to the rhythms of the liturgical calendar. Advent, Christmastide (the 12-day Christmas feast beginning on December 25), and Epiphany help Christians rehearse a story of the world, who we are, and what God has done for us."
  • "Even Mariah Carey observes some liturgical limits on holiday music. She refuses to play Christmas music or perform 'All I Want for Christmas is You' until after Thanksgiving." 

On 12/4:

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