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A belated Welcome to 2017 — a year that promises to be eventful, no matter how you look at it. A verse that jumps to mind is Psalm 28: 7, The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him. Because He is my strength, and because I trust in Him — my response must be joy, and this is how I look at the year ahead.
Friends,
I pray you had a blessed Christmas and New Year as you celebrated with family and friends. As we, the Christian Union ministry staff at Brown University, enjoyed hosting out-of-town family and enjoying the normal seasonal celebrations, all has been pretty quiet on campus. All this will be changing now as students have just returned to campus and began classes on Wednesday. Given that students have just returned, I don’t have much to share, but I would ask that you pray for this upcoming semester.
To our friends and partners in the Gospel,
It is a new year and with it comes many new opportunities for our God to do a new thing on campus at Penn. This past semester saw the creation of a new Christian journal at Penn, Locust Walk, and we are excited to see many of our students take on roles as writers and staff to bring this space for dialogue to the campus.
The biweekly eNewsletter from Christian Union
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
— Psalm 119:105
Recent graduates and professionals come together for a weekend of compelling speakers and dynamic worship.
April 7-9, 2017
Samford Marriot
Samford, Connecticut
Bringing together recent graduates and professionals from various professions and locations for a life-changing weekend of dynamic worship and compelling ideas about faith and its relevance to our work and culture in light of what it means to change the world.
No one wants to be criticized, regardless of whether the criticism is intended to be constructive or derisive. Nonetheless, criticism is a component of culture: we see criticism everywhere, from the comments section of a news article to exchanges in the workplace. How then, are we to deal with criticism? Naturally, we are tempted to turn and defend ourselves, often times wanting to prove we are “better” in some manner than our criticizers. But is this the best way to react?
In a blogpost, Timothy Keller expounds sage advice on how we are to deal with criticism from a Christian perspective.
A Student's Perspective
Kylen Soriano, Class of 2018, is one of the students involved with Christian Union's ministry at Brown. The biology major hails from Los Angeles, California. His campus activities include: Christian Union (2015-16 Co-President); Club Basketball; Undergraduate Research in Regenerative Medicine (Biotechnology); and First-Year Advising.
"Because I am attending Brown, my faith has grown more in the last two years than during the rest of my life as a believer. I grew up in the church, went to youth group and led worship. I lived in a Christian bubble and didn't really know what kids my age actually did. Brown couldn't have been more of an eye-opener.
The intake of Scripture and the practice of prayer are both spiritual disciplines Christians are called to engage in daily and diligently. Should we ever combine the two and pray about our Bible reading?Writer Kristen Wetherell, in "Unlocking the Bible," suggests that we can and should pray before we begin our study of the Bible.
She writes, "Reading the Bible before praying is like putting the cart before the horse. The proverbial horse is the Holy Spirit of God, who empowers and enlightens our Bible reading as we mine the depths of his Word. The proverbial cart makes up our willing eyes and hungry hearts, the Spirit-led choice to crack open our Bibles and pursue his everlasting truth. The cart must be pulled by the horse; our efforts to read must be motivated and helped by God’s grace and power. Christians come to God’s Word willing and hungry because he first made us willing and hungry to receive—but only he can enable us to receive. This is why we ask for help before we start reading."
Following this explanation, Wetherell offers 22 different prayers from Psalm 119 to help us focus on the incredible gift of God’s Word:
1. Pray for wholehearted seeking: Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!
2. Pray for protection from sin: I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
3. Pray for opened eyes: Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.
4. Pray for spiritual strength: My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.
5. Pray for delight and longing: Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain…Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life.
6. Pray to fight lies: Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise; then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word.
7. Pray to live with trust in God’s promises: This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.
8. Pray for quick obedience: I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments.
9. Pray for good judgment and knowledge: Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.
10. Pray for God’s comfort: Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant.
11. Pray for endurance against the enemy: All your commandments are sure; my enemies persecute me with falsehood; help me!
12. Pray to depend on God’s enduring Word: Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens… I am yours; save me, for I have sought your precepts.
13. Pray for continual meditation: Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.
14. Pray for God’s light to guide you: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
15. Pray for fear of the Lord: My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments.
16. Pray for trust in the Lord’s justice: I am your servant; give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies! It is time for the Lord to act, for your law has been broken.
17. Pray for victory over sin: Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.
18. Pray for joy in trouble: Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight.
19. Pray for God to hear you: Hear my voice according to your steadfast love; O Lord, according to your justice give me life.
20. Pray for mercy: Great is your mercy, O Lord; give me life according to your rules.
21. Pray to abhor falsehood: I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your law.
22. Pray for a soul of praise: Let my soul live and praise you, and let your rules help me.
Lastly, Wetherell leaves us with this exhortation, "The cart may be ready, but apart from the horse’s strength, it goes nowhere. May we bring our eagerness and hunger for Bible reading to God in prayer, trusting him to strengthen us for every gift we will receive when we open our Bibles, and depending on him to change us in the process."
Scripture ministers to us like nothing else in the world can as we engage with God through its pages. Let us put down our phones in 2024 and pick up His Word each morning to "be transformed by the renewing of our mind" (Romans 12:2).
As we seek God in our daily lives, it is essential that we ask Him to guide us in all matters, perhaps even in our study of Scripture. Asking God for guidance as we open this gift from Him each day holds the potential to align our hearts and minds with the heart and mind of Christ Jesus. How utterly amazing of a gift this is!
Read Witherall's full article here.
Learn more about a Biblical perspective on the importance of a massive intake of Scripture from Christian Union's "Seven Keys to Kingdom Advancement" Online Teaching Series here.
Dear Prayer Partners,
As you may well know, Hanover is extremely quiet this time of year, since the vast majority of students are home for their longest break of the year. It has been a good time for us as staff to begin thinking and preparing for a new term with returning students, many of whom we have not seen in months due to off-terms, as well as new Bible Courses.
Dear HCFA friends and family,
Merry Christmas! I hope this season of Advent has been one of remembering and waiting upon our God who draws near to us in Christ. We are winding down here at Harvard, students are in finals and are beginning to disappear from campus. Since December is largely a quiet month in our activity with HCFA, I would love for you to join in prayer with us in these ways.
