Eric and Lisa
Blog
Assistant Professor of Linguistics
01/31/2008 03:02 PM | Permalink
It is official. Today I accepted an offer to become Bethel College's first Assistant Professor of Linguistics, beginning Fall of 2008.
It is a tenure-track position that will involve helping Bethel integrate Linguistics and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) into their curriculum. We are excited at the opportunity to return to our alma mater, as well as the chance for our children to grow up as Hoosiers and be close to their grandparents.
So, now its on to finishing my dissertation, selling our house, and finding a new place to live...all in the next 6 months!
--Eric
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Ian's first IU basketball game
Today I took Ian to his
first game in Assembly Hall. Although we lost, it was
still one of the most fun IU games I've ever been to
because I was able to share it with my son. During
the first half, Ian seemed in awe of the place;
however, by the second half he was yelling when we
were on Defense, and clapping along to the band
during timeouts. I took him down to the court after
the game, and I had to carry him kicking and
screaming out of the arena (he kept pointing to the
basketball goals and crying "ba-ba!!!! BA BA!!!!!").
There is a certain joy in conditioning your child.
--Eric
There is a certain joy in conditioning your child.
--Eric
Real Church
01/21/2008 02:57 PM | Christianity
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In an article in
Relevant Magazine
this month, Rob
Bell, the pastor of Mars Hill church in Grand Rapids,
Michigan, was being interviewed on his thoughts on
the church and its role in society. One thing that
he said in there that really stuck with me was,
"We have these giant services with thousands of
people, and I think that public gatherings beyond
10 or 20 people should be questioned." He was
talking about what church really is, and was
saying that the best example of real church he
ever experienced happened in his living room with
a relatively small group of people who were
gathering around someone who was in trouble.
There's a lot of truth to that, and it's
refreshing to hear someone who is the leader of a
megachurch say it.
In the past month, with everything that Eric and I have been through, we have seen that idea firsthand. We have always loved going to our church here in Bloomington, and while we've always been involved there, we've never really had a chance to experience the true love that is available to the members of the congregation (and beyond)....until now. While we absolutely love our Sunday morning services and classes, real church has happened to us on the phone, in hugs, in messages sent to us, or in time spent with us, not necessarily on Sunday morning in the sanctuary. We've been overwhelmed by the loving response of people around us -- not only from those who attend our church, but also our other Christian friends and family who know us. We hope that someday we'll be able to pour out this kind of comfort and love on someone else who is going through a rough time.
It seems like that's what Paul was talking about in 2 Corinthians 1 when he said, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God" (verses 3-4). We've received such an amazing amount of comfort from God through other people, that maybe someday we can take this tragedy that we've walked through and use it to encourage someone else. Based on our recent experiences, it seems pretty clear that that's one important responsibility of the Church as a body and one major way to live out "real church."
--Lisa
In the past month, with everything that Eric and I have been through, we have seen that idea firsthand. We have always loved going to our church here in Bloomington, and while we've always been involved there, we've never really had a chance to experience the true love that is available to the members of the congregation (and beyond)....until now. While we absolutely love our Sunday morning services and classes, real church has happened to us on the phone, in hugs, in messages sent to us, or in time spent with us, not necessarily on Sunday morning in the sanctuary. We've been overwhelmed by the loving response of people around us -- not only from those who attend our church, but also our other Christian friends and family who know us. We hope that someday we'll be able to pour out this kind of comfort and love on someone else who is going through a rough time.
It seems like that's what Paul was talking about in 2 Corinthians 1 when he said, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God" (verses 3-4). We've received such an amazing amount of comfort from God through other people, that maybe someday we can take this tragedy that we've walked through and use it to encourage someone else. Based on our recent experiences, it seems pretty clear that that's one important responsibility of the Church as a body and one major way to live out "real church."
--Lisa
On a lighter note...
01/01/2008 07:57 PM | Permalink