Photo above: The Hertford Bridge in Oxford, England. Used by Permission. © Tom Ley 01302 782837

Monday, December 21, 2009

Good News for ALL

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:8-11

I worked retail for several Christmas seasons. It’s a thankless task, and anyone who’s had that experience can feel forgotten. Can you imagine if God Himself suddenly showed up at your workplace? No doubt the poor sheep herders working the night shift that first Christmas wondered if anyone cared for them. They discovered the truth that Good News isn’t just for the church place, but the marketplace as well.

The good news of Christmas, said the angel, is for “all the people.” Not just the church people, or the people that make a lot of money, or even the people who are on Santa’s “good list.” The Christmas angel could have appeared to a priest in the temple, or a holy man deep in meditation on Mt. Sinai. But he didn't; He showed up in the middle of the night, to a bunch of working stiffs far from God.

Whether you find yourself in the mall or the church hall this Christmas, there’s good news. God can show up right where you are! The surprise of Christmas is that God makes house calls. Our university community exists to place leaders in every sphere of influence; from the courtroom to the board room to the living room with this message of peace…God has arrived in the person of Jesus, right where you are.

Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. Submitted by Dr. Richard Kidd, Director of Campus Ministries

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Proverbs 27:17 As Iron Sharpens Iron...

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

This "proverbial" truth reminds me of my Eagle Scout days out in the woods. There we faced crucial tasks of cutting firewood with an ax and carving campsite necessities with a knife. It didn't take long to realize, axes and knives get DULL through use. The proverb reminds us the same is true with people.

The truth is we all need one another for spiritual sharpening, don't we? Whether its the grind of routine that dulls us, or the acid of discouraging circumstance, or even the hard-hearted rebellion of sensuality, our souls get dull--just like knives. We lose the keen edge of spiritual interest whetted in us through constant contact with Christ.

I know as a long-time "dullard" the friction of fellowship often restores my spiritual edge. Others notice gaps in my spiritual armor, "blind spots" that I might miss. They challenge rationalizations that I cherish. Sparks fly when iron sharpens iron. Just ask the Regent Students who started, "The Sharpening." Every week they practice just this type of full-contact discipleship, not with knives or axes; but with sharp souls that seek to help shape one another for service to Christ.

Jesus said it plainly, "Are you still so dull?" (Matt. 15:16) Perhaps you need the friction of fellowship to sharpen up your soul. God bless you as you seek others to share your spiritual journey. Submitted by Dr. Richard Kidd, Director of Campus Ministries

Monday, November 16, 2009

A Brother is Born for Adversity

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Prov. 17:17)

A number of years ago, I served as the primary care-giver for my grandfather. He exemplified the adage, “Some are better by nature than others are by grace.” Although he did not have a personal relationship with Jesus until just before his passing, my grandfather’s gentle nature and integrity were unquestionable. As his personal challenges increased because of aging, so did mine as his caregiver. It was during these difficult few years that a couple in my church surrounded me with support and care. They understood my situation, sensitively uplifted me in tangible ways, and seemed to know just the right time to call or stop by our home for a visit. They became friends who stood by me during a challenging life season and have continued to love me despite life’s ups and downs, as a living reminder that God would see me through.

The writer of Proverbs 17:17, presumably King Solomon, addresses the quality of relationship with both a friend and a brother. There are two probable meanings to this proverb based on the parallelism of friend and brother. First, if both parts are synonymous, then a friend who comes along side of us in a difficult situation becomes like a brother, metaphorically speaking. Thus, the friend is always available but especially during adversity. Second, if both parts are contrasting, then a brother offers more certainty than a friend when crises occur, providing a sense of safety and protection. Regardless of which of these two views the writer intended, the message is clear. True friends lighten our load, provide support and protection, and are unflinchingly dedicated especially during times of anguish or suffering, similar to the couple who supported me during my life challenge.

Several biblical illustrations of this kind of friendship and commitment quickly come to mind ~ Jonathan’s undaunted friendship with David and Ruth’s self-sacrificial commitment to Naomi. However, friends not only align with us in adversity, they likewise call out the best in us in vocation, as colleagues J. R. R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis exemplified. Meeting three times weekly, they called forth each other’s literary giftedness and creativity within a mutually supportive small group. Tolkien wrote of Lewis, “Friendship with Lewis compensates for much, and besides giving constant pleasure and comfort has done me much good from the contact with a man at once honest, brave, intellectual - a scholar, a poet, and a philosopher - and a lover, at least after a long pilgrimage, of Our Lord.”

How does Proverbs 17:17 relate to us today at Regent? What would it look like if we called forth each other’s giftedness in a spirit of genuine collegiality and friendship and stood by each other during times of personal adversity? As my friends were to me, Jonathan was to David, Ruth was to Naomi, and as Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were to each other, may we be found faithful to uplift each other’s arms in genuine love and caring. And in so doing, might not we become Jesus’ heart, hands, and feet one to another?

Submitted by Dr. Diane Chandler

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Are you a Friend like Jonathan?

After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. 1 Samuel 18:1

This verse appears in Scripture just after David killed Goliath and just before his rather meteoric rise to prominence in Israel. It also marks the point from which Jonathan enjoyed a deep friendship with David, while Saul entertained jealousy and paranoia that opened him up to fits of madness, increased his vulnerability to being politically manipulated, and distracted him from being the godly leader he was anointed to be. Why the difference? David’s spirit tended to put God’s interests before his own, as did Jonathan’s, so they were “one in spirit” while Saul definitely was not.

Gore Vidal once wrote, “Every time a friend succeeds, I die a little.” That sounds shocking, but is it really so foreign to us? It’s so easy to measure our success or our worth against another’s, but this is Saul-thinking, not Jonathan-thinking. Jonathan could have viewed every success of David’s as a threat to his family, himself, and his future. Instead, he was free to rejoice when God worked blessing through his friend instead of himself because his spirit put God’s interests ahead of his own. Saul-thinking lacks security in the Father’s love, so it competes with others to find an alternative security. When I hear it in me, it’s time to find out why my spirit is out of whack and why I’m not “one in spirit” with others.

There is a great model of friendship that looks like a stone doorway. God is the threshold. The uprights of the doorway are time spent together and effort invested in the friendship. Finally, the arch of the doorway is formed from love, loyalty, encouragement, sharing, sacrifice, fun, and challenge. David and Jonathan are a wonderful illustration of this kind of friendship. Let’s become a community marked by deep friendships built solidly on this model. Can we build relationships that are “one in spirit” because we put God above our own interests? Can we invest in those relationships with the same level of love with which we love ourselves?

Submitted by Joel Ladd, Director of Student Development

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

We Were Created for Community!

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27

Becoming a community has always been on the mind of God in His development of humanity. In Genesis chapter 1 you can see this developmental process in action and in verses 26 and 27 you can clearly see the importance of humanity in this process. God designed humans like Himself, created for community!

From the very beginning we were created and designed to enjoy a divine connection with God and with one other. God meticulously placed everything in our environment for the growth and nurturing of His community. Finally, He placed us in this environment to act as His agents with authority to continue the operation of community building.

So what have you done today with the God-given call to community? How could you be a renewing agent upon our world, bringing the presence of God into your circle of influence? Do you see the people and things around you as obstacles, or as divinely positioned partners in building God's influence in the world? It is God’s desire and nature to build community, so becoming community is in our spiritual DNA! Submitted by Rev. Roger Cheeks, Director of Community Life

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Unity Amidst Diversity

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” John 17:20-21

John 17 is quite clear in the message that Christians should be fully connected and engaged with God and each other. Understanding this spiritually is one thing, implementing the concept practically is another. Indeed, the challenge comes in living this mandate out daily. To those with only slight awareness of Regent, the University and the Regent community would seem to be a bastion of likeminded individuals – all marching lockstep in Christian harmony. However, anyone with more in-depth knowledge of the University recognizes that while most community members are Christians, great diversity is prevalent.

With over 5,000 Regent students, faculty, and staff represented we are an amazingly diverse group. Students reported participation in over 70 different Protestant denominations at last count. We are diverse ethnically as well. Last year over 34% of students indicated that they were non-white. Moreover, international students from approximately 60 countries are enrolled. While the average student age is in the early 30’s range, a wide-span of ages are represented at Regent, with students as young as 17, some in their 60’s, and every age in between. Regent community members are diverse according to any measure. The challenge comes in understanding how to be spiritually connected as a diverse yet unified family.

Even with our many differences, the Regent community is united in the mission to serve Jesus Christ. This powerful first priority gives us the possibility of practical unity. Events like Hispanic Heritage month demonstrate hope that our differences can unite rather than divide. University “family” gatherings such as the SIFE Can Hunger effort express faith in our ability through Christ to make a difference. It is so easy to be distracted and disengaged by our differences, be they big or small. Unity can be present even in the midst of diversity and demonstrates God’s presence and daily working in our lives. May we continue to show Christ in our lives daily in support of John 17:20-21! Submitted by Dr. Jeff Pittman, Vice-President of Student Services

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

What would the trainer say?

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
I Corinthians 12:12-13

The Apostle Paul wrote the book of 1 Corinthians to arguably the unhealthiest church body in the New Testament. There was gross sexual immorality, church members suing each other in open court, drunkenness at Communion! On top of it all, the church was rife with divisions, each claiming their own leader for their pet projects and agendas. "I’m of Peter, I’m of Apollos, I’m of Paul, I’m of Christ.” (I Cor. 1:12)

If St. Paul were an athletic trainer, and the church in Corinth were one of his clients, he might ask, “What kind of body are you building there in Corinth? You’re out of shape!" You need to attend to the unhealthy habits that you’ve acquired in your life together or you will have some serious problems in the performance of your body.

Paul’s advice applies to us as well. We’re all building a body of sorts, aren’t we? One decision, one dumbbell, one donut at a time, we build our bodies. In the same way, we build the body of Christ here at Regent University every day. The only question is, “How effective are we?” Do we work with other "muscle" groups in our body or fight against them? Do we see differences in background, ethnicity or denomination as an opportunity to learn or to laugh? Do we compete for scarce resources or complete one another for the sake of a common mission? As athletes for Christ, I pray we daily drink from the Spirit who makes us one body! ~ Submitted by Dr. Richard Kidd, Director of Campus Ministries