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Today I was reading one of my favorite (and most challenging) of Jesus’ teachings: do not worry.

Here is what Leon Morris has to say about Luke 12:24:

Jesus reinforces this [teaching] with an appeal to the ravens (or ‘crows’, Goodspeed, GNB), mentioned here only in the New Testament (they are the objects of God’s care in Ps. 147:9). Birds do not engage in agricultural activities, but they do not lack for all that. God feeds them. There is possibly significance in the fact that ravens were unclean (Lev. 11:15). God makes provision even for these unclean birds. And Jesus goes on to remind his hearers that they are of more value than birds (cf. v. 7)

Here is a poem I wrote about a parallel passage, Matthew 6:34:

Matthew 6:34

It’d be too easy to assume
You were talking to me, so
Who? Your disciples? They
Seemed to worry more about
Fish than God (then anyway).
The crowds, hungry and poor
And the soldiers stealing their cloaks?
Maybe. And maybe yourself,
Reminding yourself of what
You already knew: the times
Were short, the work was long
From Capernaum down to Judah, and
The coming trial must not
Darken the day too soon.

Each day has trouble enough.

Photo credit: Raven and the First Men at UBC’s Museum of Anthropology, by bRONTE dIGITAL

During the next two weeks, I am going to be in Madison, Wisconsin, for InterVarsity’s Orientation for New Staff (ONS).  Though I’ve been with InterVarsity for about 2 years now, I have not yet been through my official orientation.  I’m looking for to the trip, because it will be a good chance for me to get to know some other staff from around the country (mostly working with undergraduates, a key area for ESN), and also to receive some valuable training.  The main InterVarsity website has posted a great article describing ONS. 

Please be in prayer for safe travel, and also for a peaceful home while I’m gone for Elizabeth and the kids. 

Yesterday was…

• Our first road trip with just the boy.
• Our first meeting with Mike Huckabee.
• Our first acquaintance with the former U.S. Ambassador to Latvia.
• And our first scalp wound in the family, from Ginger tumbling off her sister’s bed. 

What a day! 

One of my InterVarsity colleagues - Nan Thomas, our associate director for spiritual formation - also works in faculty development at Union University, where her husband is a professor.  Last night, Union’s campus was hit by a tornado.  According to the university’s president, 40 percent of the dorms were destroyed, and another 40 percent were severely damaged.  Thankfully, no one on campus was killed.  Classes have been canceled until at least February 18.

Please be in prayer for the campus, for the healing of injured students, and for the families of those killed in other tornadoes around the Southeast last night. 

If you would like more information, Union has set up an emergency blog for updates and news:
http://uuemergency.blogspot.com/

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January 1 marked my first day as a fulltime employee of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.  It has been nearly two years since I first read about the Emerging Scholars Network on intervarsity.org and emailed Stan Wallace to get involved.

It has been a true blessing to meet so many people who are excited about the vision of ESN.  I could not have gotten to this point without partners who support ESN through their prayers and financial and personal investments.  Thank you!

In other news, last night I began teaching “World Religions” at Lakeside Christian Church.  We’ll be meeting each week through the end of February.

My wife and I are in the middle of moving to a new house (yes, at Christmastime - perfect!).  During this process, several people have handed me things (boxes, televisions, etc.), and warned, “Be careful - it’s very, very heavy!” But, when I take the item, I find that it’s not that heavy at all.

So, either, a) I’m much stronger than your average person.  Or…

b) I look really puny.

A while back, a friend invited me to join him in a business opportunity to, in his words, “become financially independent.” He had seen me developing financial partners for my work with InterVarsity, relying on the generosity of others for my family’s wellbeing. I think that, in his mind, asking other people for money was a risky and insecure way of making a living.

He’s right.

My work with the Emerging Scholars Network depends on other people sharing ESN’s vision for our nation’s colleges and universities.  It requires me to trust that God will lead me to the right people, and that my (often frustrating) work in contacting people, setting appointments, and making “asks” will be rewarded.  There is no certainty, except the ever-present certainty of God’s promises.

In contrast, many other jobs seem secure.  They have a steady income stream, a proven business model, contractual or governmental guarantees, well-funded pensions…

It’s all an illusion.  Independence is an illusion.  All of us are dependent on God, for both our daily needs and our eternal ones.  An economic downturn, a tragic accident, a sudden scandal - sometimes, just plain bad luck - can demolish our dreams, and our dreams of financial independence will be gone like vapor.

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.  (James 4:13-17)

Tonight, we set up our Christmas tree. This will be the last Christmas for us in our current house, as we are moving the very week after!

Agatha took this picture of the ornament with her face on it. She’s a talented photographer (especially for a 4-year-old), but she has a bit of an ego.

And here’s the final product!

At Agatha’s insistence, we started a new Christmas tradition this year: gathering around the tree and singing a song (”Jingle Bells,” in this case). As our family is only four this year, and the tree is in a corner, we are glad that we selected a smallish tree this year, bought from the tree folks who normally sell out of an old RV at the putt-putt course, but this year had to move to a spot on Dixie Highway.

In October, I went to Los Angeles (specifically, IVCF’s Campus-by-the-Sea) for a Faculty Ministry Leadership Team meeting, and much busyness has occupied my time since then. A few quick updates:

1) For Halloween, Agatha was Little Red Riding Hood and Ginger was the Big Bad Wolf. Thus, it follows that I was the Woodcutter and Elizabeth was Grandma. Needless to say, we were a huge hit.

2) We have sold our house at 29 Clay St. (though we have occupancy until the end of the year), and we are now looking for a new home in Northern Kentucky that will accommodate our growing family, my work-from-home situation, and our values (community, hospitality, missional family life). Elizabeth is growing tired of my pipe-dream of building a small backyard studio for a home office.

3) I purchased a new Macbook, on which I am writing this blog post. Ever since my Commodore 64 gave up the ghost, I have been a PC user. So far, it has been revelation, with only a few hiccups (thanks to Paul for helping me get my Macbook to communicate with my church’s projector at the National Missionary Convention!). I have been relearning all of the shortcuts and hotkeys that I used without thinking, and I’ve been exploring the new world of software available to me. (I’m writing this on MarsEdit, for instance.)

4) In all of my spare time, I have taken up fantasy basketball. I am far more disappointed than I ever imagined I would be that Gilbert Arenas is out 3 months with a bum knee.

5) Our 4-year-old Agatha is becoming quite a shutterbug.

TTFN.

A while back, Seth Godin wrote about a “job of the future” - Online Community Organizer. It struck as very similar to what my role with the Emerging Scholars Network could be: helping to facilitate community and common goals among a large, dispersed, and diverse group of ESN members.

Here’s Seth’s original post:

Seth’s Blog: Jobs of the future, #1: Online Community Organizer