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

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