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This Week in GFM at IU: April 23-29

This Week: 

Today: Thinking About Faith will meet at Tim O'Connor's home again this Tuesday at 7:30 pm. We will discuss the final two chapters of NT Wright's Surprised By Hope.

Chapter 14 is titled "Reshaping the Church for Mission (1): Biblical Roots."
Here Wright once again tries to get us to rethink our understanding of the New Testament -- this time on the topic of 'mission.' He discusses the understanding of Christian mission first in the Gospels and Acts and then in Paul.

Chapter 15 is titled "Reshaping the Church for Mission (2): Living the Future."
Since I haven't read this yet (I will tonight!), all I can do is tell you the chapter subheadings:

• Celebrating Easter
• Space, Time, and Matter: Creation Redeemed
• Resurrection and Mission
• Resurrection and Sprituality

(Under this last heading, he takes up New Birth and Baptism, Eucharist, Prayer, Scripture, Holiness, and Love. He obviously picked up a head of steam at this point!)

Hope to see many of you there. If you would like to come but need a ride, email me and I'll try to arrange one for you.

Tomorrow: Men's Group:

This Wednesday, April 25th, we're meeting from 7-9 PM at Josh & Kerilyn's house (3442 N Stoneycrest Rd.) to conclude our discussion of the book "What Makes Life Worth Living" by W. Phillip Keller. We'll discuss the themes of chapters 19-21 – "Serving as God's Steward", "Courage to Carry On", and "Stillness, Solitude, Serenity". If you haven't yet read them, please come anyway, since Christian fellowship is the main focus. Also, snacks and drinks will be on hand.

Thursday: Weekly Prayer 
meets in the Charter Room of the Memorial Union at 9:00 a.m. each Thursday.  

Saturday: End-of-Semester Picnic, yeeeeeaaaahhh! 
Come and bring a friend to Cascades Park, Sycamore Shelter, at 5:00 p.m. for diversions,* perambulations, and general merriment before gormandizing delectable comestibles at 6! (This email brought to you by thesaurus.com). We will ask for donations to cover the cost of the shelter.  A-M, please bring a dessert to share, and N-Z, please bring a side dish!** 

We're also looking for a few extra items: could someone volunteer to bring a bit of firewood for roasting marshmallows, and could a few other people volunteer to bring s'mores fixings and/or roasting sticks? Email me if you think you can swing it! Also, if you're the kind of person who likes to stand around the grill and make comments about how it should be done, you're in luck, because I rely entirely on crowd-sourcing for determining things like meat done-ness and fire-readiness. 

Directions: Take the 45/46 Bypass north to N. Walnut and turn left (south). Turn right (west) at the first intersection, N. Old State Road 37. Cascades Park is located about 1/2 mile north on Old State Road 37. Map: http://bloomington.in.gov/media/media/application/pdf/10704.pdf. 

*Water balloons cannot be ruled out. GFM bears no responsibility for Things That Get Wet. 

**If you feel constrained by these guidelines, and would prefer to bring the opposite item, or something else entirely, such as an amuse-bouche or cocktail olives, please be sure you've filled out form GFM-126b, in triplicate, and had it notarized and formally witnessed before arriving at the picnic. There, the clerk will submit your forms to a review committee and determine its picnic-worthiness on a scale of 1 to 8. Anything scoring a five or higher is acceptable. Those scoring between 3 and 4 may re-submit after bribing the clerk with Snickers, and anyone whose non-sanctioned item scores a 1 or 2 will be forced to take home leftover baked beans. 

This Week in GFM at IU!

This Week: 

New Blog Post!
Chad Burrus writes on reminding oneself to seek God. Thanks, Chad! Read it here.

Manuscript Study 
Acts & snacks, this Wednesday, 7-9pm, Ballantine 004.

Weekly Prayer 
meets in the Charter Room of the Memorial Union at 9:00 a.m. each Thursday for a time of intercessory prayer for one another.

End-of-the-Semester Women’s Event! Friday, April 20th from 6-8:30pm at Kerilyn Harkaway-Krieger’s house, 3442 N Stoneycrest Rd, 47404. Bring a dish to share. Drinks will be provided. We'll be eEating, talking, and singing praises to God! We’ll have an informal gathering to reflect on the semester and celebrate our time together
Questions? Need a Ride? Contact Cindy Geiger (cmgeiger@indiana.edu) or Jennifer Bellville (jennifer.bellville@uwalumni.com)

Do Good Works: 

Thanks to all who walked in the Homeward Bound 5k Walk, and thanks especially to Laura Freeze for captaining while also staffing the event! It was a great time and a good cause.

Volunteers are still needed at Genesis House. Please contact Alyssa Jones, Genesis House Director, at shelter.genesis@gmail.com to volunteer. 

Looking ahead:
End-of-Semester Picnic: 
April 28th at Cascades Park in the Sycamore Shelter. Come (and bring a friend) at 5:00 p.m. for games, leisurely hiking, and good times before digging into food at 6! The cost to rent the shelter and its many amenities (with bathrooms, grills, electricity, parking, and a fireplace) was $70, so we will be asking for donations at the picnic.  A-M, please bring a dessert to share, and N-Z, please bring a side dish.  

Directions: Take the 45/46 Bypass north to N. Walnut and turn left (south). Turn right (west) at the first intersection, N. Old State Road 37. Cascades Park is located about 1/2 mile north on Old State Road 37. Map: http://bloomington.in.gov/media/media/application/pdf/10704.pdf. 

GFM Blog Series: Chad Burrus

This week's post comes from Chad Burrus in the department of bioinformatics. Chad writes on reminding oneself to seek God. Great post, Chad!
______


One of the things I’ve been thinking about a lot over the past few months can be summed up in one simple statement: you usually can’t find what you’re not looking for. Random? Maybe, but then again, I’m a bit of a random person. But think about it for a second–what do you have in life that you can find without looking/seeking/reaching out for? Forget about the purely physical things you look for on a daily basis like your pen/bag/planner/keys/etc., and the random quarter you find on the street, and definitely forget about the random birthday card you’ve got hidden away under a pile of work–those things don’t count. I’m talking about the things that are harder to find–purpose, friendship, connection with God…that kind of thing. How many times in life do we see these things given to us on a silver platter?

All the champions of faith that I can think of are people who sought God some time in their lives, and then continued to do so, lending truth to the idea that faith is a journey or a process, as we (or at least I) have been told so many times and in so many ways. But that very fact of a journey implies movement, activity, and growth, i.e., that we’ve got to work for it, at least a little. To truly know God, we have to seek him. The problem?

I’m the type of person that likes to lose sight of things that aren’t blatantly shoved back in my face every once in a while. (Sounds like I’m human, yes?) Those things that aren’t just kind of float to the side like a leaf on the wind. That’s all too often true for those intangibles in life–they get lost in the clutter of the here-and-now, the visible and the physical. To steal an idea from a productivity guru I read once–the invisibles are important, but they’re not always urgent. We need to do them, but we don’t always have to do them now, and so they sometimes get lost in the shuffle until they are urgent.

Think about the last time you went through a major change in your life–moving to a new place, starting a new job, or graduating from school (some things more than a few of us are facing in the next couple of weeks)–something like that, or maybe all of them. What do you do right before the change occurs? You meet with friends to reminisce, you collect addresses and phone numbers from the people you won’t be seeing much (or at least look them up on Facebook if you haven’t already), you make peace with some of the people you’ve had conflicts with–all the little things that we know we should do all along in our relationships, but often don’t until there’s something to force us into doing them.

God is like that for me, sometimes. Well, maybe all the time. I don’t see (in the physical/literal sense) him, and so I forget about him. He’s there, watching from the background, but not usually in the foreground except during those times where I think I need help, or company, or just someone to talk things out with, and when you let it go far enough down this path, you tend to avoid looking for him at all until you wonder why you can’t find him anymore when you do need him. (At least I do.) Or you let doubts and fears and questions lead you to a place where you don’t want to find him, and so for you, he’s not there. (Been there too.)

In either case (and probably some others I haven’t thought of yet), you’ve basically stopped the search. There’s an elephant in the room that you can sort of sense if you think about it, but why think about it? You’ve got better, more important, more urgent things to think about–places to go, people to see, things to do. Or you’re content with the limited aspects of the thing you’ve found, and wonder, “Why search anymore? This that I’ve found is good enough.”

And so, in the fullness of time when you begin to realize there’s a hole in your life somewhere, you end up with three choices:

1.     You ignore it and move on, being content to be holey and not whole. (Not usually recommended.) Or:

2.     You ignore it and move on, hoping that things will magically take care of themselves. (Not usually recommended either.) Or:

3.     You start looking for something to fill it.

That’s a part of the reason I’m thinking about seeking things lately–I’ve been making the first two choices way too much in recent years, and it’s past time to try out the third.

This Week in GFM at IU: April 9-15

This Week: 

Thinking About Faith 

meets again tomorrow (Tue) night at 7:30 pm. It is fitting that Easter Sunday should be followed for us by the final part of Tom Wright's book, Surprised By Hope. Newcomers and spotty attenders welcome! If you don't have the book or the time to read these chapters, don't worry: I will summarize it below. That should be enough to provoke a reaction from you, and our goal is less that of fine-grained Wright exegesis and analysis as it is discussing the main ideas he presents. 

Men's Group: 

This Wednesday, April 11th, we're meeting from 7-9 PM at Henry Gabriel's house (3814 S. Woodmere Ct. / 314.691.2331) to continue discussing the book "What Makes Life Worth Living" by W. Phillip Keller. We'll discuss the themes of chapters 16-18 – "The Joy of Mobility in Many Ways", "Simplicity of Life--Zest in Loving Others", and "Prayer for the Common Man-an Honor!". If you haven't yet read them, please come anyway, since Christian fellowship is the main focus. Also, snacks and drinks will be on hand.

Weekly Prayer 

meets in the Charter Room of the Memorial Union at 9:00 a.m. each Thursday for a time of intercessory prayer for one another. 

Seminar: Christian Spirituality 

Kerilyn Harkaway-Krieger will present on Friday, April 13th, 6-9pm &Saturday, April 14th, 9-12pm at a seminar that Evangelical Community Church is holding on Christian Spirituality. It’s a two-day event with a small registration fee ($10 for students, $20 for non-students). http://www.eccbloomington.org/ministries/adult-ministry/seminars.

Homeward Bound 5k Walk

Who: GFMers and hundreds of other community members!

What: The 10th annual Homeward Bound 5K Walk--the largest collaboration in Bloomington to end homelessness 

When: Sunday, April 15th.  Registration starts at noon, walk begins at one.  

Where: Third Street Park  (331 South Washington Street)

Why: Exercise, get some fresh air, and help 12 local nonprofit agencies working to alleviate poverty in Bloomington

How:  For more information and to join the walk, check out http://homewardboundindiana.org/bloomington.  Click "browse teams" and join the "IU GFM" team.  The walk is free, but if you want a cool t-shirt to show all your friends, there is a minimum donation of $20.  Contact Laura Freeze at lfreeze[at]indiana.edu with any questions!

Volunteers Needed: 

Forwarded by GFMer Chad Burrus: 

We are quickly approaching the opening of Genesis House and we need your help! 

Genesis House is opening for operation on April 16th at 8pm. Wednesday & Thursday we are having volunteer trainings at 6:30 p.m. If you have not attended a training and plan to volunteer, please plan to attend one of these trainings.  We currently are in need of 135 more volunteers to be trained before we can open the shelter.  If we do not have enough volunteers trained, we will not be able to open the shelter on April 16th.

Thank you, everyone, for your willingness to serve the homeless in Bloomington. Contact 

Alyssa Jones, Genesis House Director, at shelter.genesis@gmail.com to volunteer. 

Looking Ahead: 
End-of-the-Semester Women’s Event!

When: Friday April 20th from 6-8:30pm

Where: Kerilyn Harkaway-Krieger’s house, 3442 N Stoneycrest Rd, 47404

Bring: A dish to share. Drinks will be provided.

Description: Eating, talking, and singing praises to God! We’ll have an informal gathering to reflect on the semester and celebrate our time together

Questions? Need a Ride? Contact Cindy Geiger (cmgeiger@indiana.edu) or Jennifer Bellville (jennifer.bellville@uwalumni.com)

End-of-Semester Picnic: 

April 28th at Cascades Park in the Sycamore Shelter. Come (and bring a friend) at 5:00 p.m. for games, leisurely hiking, and good times before digging into food at 6! The cost to rent the shelter was $70 (which is only fair-- it's kind of a castle, with bathrooms, grills, electricity, parking, AND last but not least, a fireplace where we can roast marshmallows after dinner), so we will be asking for donations at the picnic. You've been warned! 

Directions

Take the 45/46 Bypass north to N. Walnut and turn left (south). Turn right (west) at the first intersection, N. Old State Road 37. Cascades Park is located about 1/2 mile north on Old State Road 37. Map: http://bloomington.in.gov/media/media/application/pdf/10704.pdf 

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for: the great dividing of the sheep from the goats, the dessert-bringers from the side-dish bringers. A-M, please bring a dessert to share, and N-Z, please bring a side dish. This is based on my perfectly random and fair potluck-dividing algorithm. It is certainly not influenced by the knowledge that Henry Gabriel makes County Fair prize-winning cookies. 

This Week:

New Blog Post from Yee Choi! Thanks, Yee!

Manuscript Study 

Acts & snacks, this Wednesday, 7-9pm, Ballantine 004.

Weekly Prayer 

meets in the Charter Room of the Memorial Union at 9:00 a.m. each Thursday for a time of intercessory prayer for one another. 

Look Ahead:
Seminar: Christian Spirituality 

Kerilyn Harkaway-Krieger will present on Friday, April 13th, 6-9pm & Saturday, April 14th, 9-12pm at a seminar that Evangelical Community Church is holding on Christian Spirituality. It’s a two-day event with a small registration fee ($10 for students, $20 for non-students). http://www.eccbloomington.org/ministries/adult-ministry/seminars.

Homeward Bound 5k Walk

Who: GFMers and hundreds of other community members!

What: The 10th annual Homeward Bound 5K Walk--the largest collaboration in Bloomington to end homelessness 

When: Sunday, April 15th.  Registration starts at noon, walk begins at one.  

Where: Third Street Park  (331 South Washington Street)

Why: Exercise, get some fresh air, and help 12 local nonprofit agencies working to alleviate poverty in Bloomington

How:  For more information and to join the walk, check out http://homewardboundindiana.org/bloomington.  Click "browse teams" and join the "IU GFM" team.  The walk is free, but if you want a cool t-shirt to show all your friends, there is a minimum donation of $20.  Contact Laura Freeze at lfreeze[at]indiana.edu with any questions!

End-of-Semester Picnic: 

Mark your calendars! At Cascades Park, Sycamore Shelter, in the evening of April 28th. Details to follow!

GFM Blog Series, Week 13

Yee Choi writes about pruning back & growing anew in our series of short, open-topic reflections by graduate students, faculty members, and friends! Thank you, Yee! 

_______


Before I moved to Bloomington, I had never seen a tree pruned. Having grown up in a desert and then living four years in a big city, Bloomington was brand new territory. The trees are tall and seemingly endless here.

Last year, outside my bedroom window stood a big and beautiful tree, full of life. Birds would perch in its branches and peck at the fruit that it bore. Squirrels ran up and down and around it as they went off to wherever it is squirrels go. And even in the winter, having shed its leaves, it stood beautifully, holding up piles of glistening snow as if to show off how strong it could be.

But this past winter, it was pruned. I've heard it said that you don't look at a tree that was pruned and wonder whether or not it's been pruned, and I found this to be shockingly true. The big, strong tree that was once full of life suddenly looked small, weak and more naked than ever. There were barely any branches from which fruit could blossom and you can forget about standing room for the birds.

Shocking as it was, I found it incredibly timely (as most things are when the Creator is orchestrating life). You see, I was being pruned. I felt just as small and weak and naked as the tree outside my window and some days all I could do was mourn. Mourn the loss of my branches. Mourn the loss of height and ravishing beauty. Mourn the loss of life coming from and around me. Just mourn.

But, fortunately, there is more to the season of pruning than the mourning. While mourning may be necessary and healthy, there is one thing about pruning that makes it all worth it. The promise of life. Jesus says in John 15, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser….every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me."

Those that are pruned are on the path to bear more fruit.  And this fruit is borne by abiding in the true vine. This is the hope that comes from the pruning. A life of abundance by abiding in Jesus, living and growing for His Kingdom.

I pray that whether it is today or tomorrow you find yourself a little more naked or a little smaller than usual, it is the hope of life in Christ that keeps you.