The Week in GFM: January 9-15, 2012

Welcome to 2012, GFM! Here's hoping your holidays were a time of rejuvenation. We know you've got a lot planned for the Spring term-- and so do we! Below is a list of what's coming down the pipe. Be aware that we've also got a public calendar on our blog. You can even download it and add it to your own digital calendar! Or just print it and stick it to the fridge. See, we make it so easy. 

This week:

New today! GFM Blog Series: This spring semester we’re going to introduce what we hope will become a new GFM tradition—our blog (oh, right-- you're reading it now) is going to feature a short reflection each Monday, written by various graduate students and faculty members who are involved in our fellowship. The topic of these reflections will be quite open; posts might include someone’s thoughts on the integration of their faith and their discipline, or responses on a particular intellectual or academic problem that relates to Christianity, or even a review of a book or film. Bloggers might share something more personal—reflections on their own faith, or interesting and compelling experiences or encounters. As long as a topic is, in some way, related to the faith, we welcome it on our blog! We’re on the lookout for people willing to post, so if you’re interested, contact Kerilyn Harkaway-Krieger (kharkawa@indiana.edu). To kick off our weekly blogging, Kerilyn shares a few of her own reflections about God’s goodness, reflections that have (gasp!) actually come to her while in graduate school. If you're reading this post, you've probably already scrolled right past it. Next week, look for a reflection from Laura Freeze!

Manuscript Study. You know how this works: You come; we study the Bible; there's coffee & cookies. This Wednesday, 7-9pm, Ballantine 004. 

This semester, Weekly Prayer will meet on Thursdays from 9-10. Room location for this week is still TBA! We'll let you know when the Student Union lets us know. 

Next week:

Thinking about Faith returns on Tuesday, January 17th at 7:30 pm at Dr. Tim O'Connor's home (3119 S Forrester Street). It is a great time for newcomers, so if you have been standing at the edge of the pool, now's the time to take the plunge. In the new term, our main reading will be N.T. Wright's book, Surprised by Hope. We will intersperse occasional sessions devoted to one-off discussions of some Christian poetry. See the calendar for a complete list of meeting dates (things change a little at the end of February & around Spring Break). 

“Seeking the peace and prosperity of IU” meeting: Wednesday, January 18, 7-9pm, location TBA (somewhere on campus). 

In early November, we had a weekend retreat on the theme of “Flourishing within the Academy.” We spent some time thinking about Jeremiah 29:4-14, which is addressed to the Israelites while they are in exile—in their minds, they are categorically unable to flourish, because they are supposed to be in the holy land, not in Babylon. This passage pushed the Israelites to re-define their understanding of the purpose of their exile and the definition of prosperity. After looking at the passage, Craig Gartland posed the following two questions to the group: 

1.       What does it mean for you to seek the peace and prosperity of Indiana University and Bloomington?

2.       Do you believe that God plans to give you a hope and a future?

Part of Intervarsity’s national Graduate and Faculty Ministry commitment is “to be a redeeming influence among the people, ideas, and structures of the university and professions.” So what might God’s plans for GFM’s hope and future look like? I’m not sure! But I do believe that if we seek to discern together where God might be leading us, that He will be faithful in revealing where we should go. 

To that end, we are meeting to try, through prayer and conversation, to find out how we might seek the peace and prosperity of IU and Bloomington. This meeting will be open to anyone who’s interested in pursuing the two questions above, whether or not they’ve been a regular GFM attender. I hope to see many of you there! Please contact Kerilyn Harkaway-Krieger if you have any questions (kharkawa@indiana.edu).

Looking ahead:

Superbowl party! Our most hotly-anticipated GFM event is coming up on Sunday, February 5. Details forthcoming!

Any time you want: 

New! GFM Facebook group! You can connect with other GFM folks on Facebook! Click here to go to our group page.