January 8, 2021

I decided to get on the podcast bandwagon! Actually, I started the podcast last semester which I called The CSF @ PSU Berks Podcast. It was geared towards my students as a supplement for what we were studying on Thursday at our Bible study. Since November, I have been thinking and praying about how to better serve (and teach) my students.

I asked myself - why limit it to just my students?
 

How can I serve, teach, encourage, uplift, challenge and minister to you?

I created this podcast towards that end - teaching, encouraging, uplifting, challenging and ministering to my partners in ministry. In the next few months, I will be telling the story of scripture. The title Ancient Pathways comes from Jeremiah 6:16 - Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls (NRSV). I do not desire to share anything new, but instead to invite listeners to journey alongside of the men and women who have traveled the road of life before us. As we walk with these saints, I believe we will learn wisdom.

You can find the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher. Or go right to the website here:

https://ancientpathwayspodcast.buzzsprout.com/

 

Two years ago I began training as a Life Coach and one of the assignments in the first class I took was for us to create our personal vision and mission. I came up with that vision, which I hope to be my legacy. Implicit in it is my faith that Jesus is fully God and fully human – Jesus is our clearest image of God and our sharpest picture of who humans were made to be. Thus ,the more we become like Jesus the more human we become and the more like God we become.

There is a lot more I would love to say about that Vision. It was helpful to think through what motivates me and get it down on paper. Every word has a deeper meaning. Just starting with “I” means I start with myself – what I desire for others is what I desire for me. My Purpose builds on this statement:

Purpose (Our Way of Being) – I hope to be someone who looks at people as unique individuals created in God’s image and loved unconditionally in Jesus Christ. I value being open and accepting of where each individual is on their own life journey. I believe humans grow through being honest and authentic with themselves and others. As I come alongside others to help them grow, I seek to instill in each relationship integrity, joy, curiosity, depth of thought and humor.

This podcast is another venture to help achieve my Vision and Purpose. Over the years I have read, studied, learned and taught a lot. Just in 2020 I read over 100 books. Lots were fiction, but plenty were theology and Biblical study and philosophy and history. I love learning. In this podcast, I will seek to share what I have learned. My target audience is college students, specifically those I work with. But I hope to draw a wider audience of anyone who desires to learn.

If you desire to learn more about who God is and what God has done, I believe this podcast will benefit you.

If you desire to learn more about who we are as humans and what we were made to be, I believe this podcast will benefit you.

The goal is not just head knowledge and acquiring more information though. The goal is to get to know our Creator, the one in whom we live and move and have our Being, we we can Become who we were made to be.

To read the rest, click here.

 

 

“First of all, we know that God is the beginning, middle and end of everything good; and it is impossible for us to have faith in anything good or to carry it into effect except in Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit.”

“God is the source of every virtue, as the sun is of daylight.”

St. Mark the Ascetic (400s, Egypt)

(Source: The Philokalia)

 

Students return to classes on Tuesday, January 19. This return will not be in person, as Penn State decided to not bring students back in person until February. 

During the break between semesters, I have led a Bible study on 1 John with the students. We will wrap this up the week before school begins, and then dive into the Book of Acts. This follows nicely from our study on Luke’s gospel in the fall.

There are also five students reading through the Bible with me this year. If you would like to join us, its not too late. We chose a plan that hits the highlights of the Bible, and in skipping some portions the daily readings are small. So feel free to join and catch up!

Please pray for the students to have the energy and desire to reach out and demonstrate love to their peers. It is easy with campus life at a minimum for students to just do class and worry about themselves. Pray they remain other-centered. Along those same lines, PSU is not having Spring Break this year which is normally our biggest outreach and service project of the year. Pray for myself and the students to have creativity in ways to put faith into action.

You can echo the same prayer for all our campuses across PA. On Tuesday, January 5, we had a staff meeting with the twin goals of planning and encouragement. First, I wanted the ministers to know we value any work they do. I think a lot of them are down, as changes on campus have made ministry harder and we missed so many fun things last semester. With this in mind, I wanted to remind them that they are enough, that God loves them just as they are, and they are called to this work and will be judged on faithfulness to their call not on numbers who show up to a study or event. Second, we wanted to brainstorm what has worked as well as new ideas to try both now and next fall. The reality is, even if next fall is closer to “normal”, there is no going back and these changes will continue. We need to be adaptable and flexible. My prayer is we can be.. 

Make Sure to follow CSF on Social Media:

If you want to get a better grasp on the overall story of scripture, my favorite book to start with would be The Story of God, The Story of Us by Sean Gladding.


The Bible Project is becoming one of my favorite resources. They have videos, podcasts and reading plans. The reading plan my students and I are using is created by The Bible Project and includes videos, which makes reading the Bible even more engaging! Check it out if you are unfamiliar.

Check out this video on the Story of the Bible. Its a bit more professional than my podcast...but I hope you give the podcast a listen anyway!

I am working towards certification through the International Coaching Federation, with my training through the Professional Christian Coaching Institute. In this, I desire to come alongside workers in non-profit organizations (such as the campus ministers with CSFPA) as well as anyone who needs help getting out of a rut. Coaching helps you set goals and take actions to develop both in the workplace and all of life.  My dream is to meet you where you are at and do all I can to help you move forward.

If you, or anyone you know, wants to look into coaching, follow this link:
https://dmlhershey.com/coaching/