Ways of Knowing

Intuitive Leadership - Embracing a Paradigm of Narrative, Metaphor and Chaos, by Tim Keel

Intuitive Leadership - Embracing a Paradigm of Narrative, Metaphor and Chaos, by Tim Keel

I’m reading a book called “Intuitive Leadership – Embracing a Paradign of Narrative, Metaphor and Chaos” by Tim Keel. In chapter 5, “Being There: grappling with the context of a ‘post’ world” – on page 128, Tim shares this observation:

“As a young Christian, most of what I was taught as “evangelism” was merely apologetics–-a particularly Western way of arguing people into submission by anticipating every possible argument they might come up with and having a rational argument prepared in response… I have found that many Christians, consciously or not, try first to convert postmodern people into a modern, Enlightenment way of thinking before they can share the Good News of Jesus Christ with them. Why? Because we have encoded the gospel in the categories of modernity… [This] … is an incarnational and missional necessity. But the missional context of our world has changed. Postmodern people reject these limited ways of knowing–[because] they leave out too much life and reality. Meanwhile many Christians sit wringing their hands and assume that the God of the cosmos revealed by Jesus Christ is confounded by a postmodern world.”

I found this particular paragraph in the book to resonate strongly with my own experience and outlook on the future. I’m finding the whole book to be like this!

The “God Delusion” Debate

Richard Dawkins and John LennoxLast night at 7 PM Chicago time, a debate was broadcast on Moody Radio Network between Richard Dawkins, author of “The God Delusion,” and John Lennox, professor of Mathematics and Philosophy of Science, both at Oxford University, England. Dawkins is considered one of the leading intellectuals in science today, and a spokesman for the “New Atheism.”

The debate was held at The Alys Stephens Center at the University of Alabama, and was sponsored by a group called Fixed Point Foundation. I heard about the debate from my brother Barry, and also saw it advertised in Christianity Today magazine.

The debate was positioned to center on Dawkins’ views as expressed in his book, and their validity over and against the Christian faith. Lennox is a well-know Christian apologist, and has written a rebuttal to Dawkins’ book entitled: “God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?” Dawkins was given the first and last words for the evening debate out of “Christian charity” as the host humorously noted.

I was able to listen to the first 30 minutes before attending a previous commitment. In that time I heard introductions of the speakers by the moderator, and a 5 minute biography introduction by each debater.

I plan to purchase the DVD of the event through the Fixed Point website as soon as it is available. I’ll do a more detailed analysis after viewing that.

What I found personally interesting is that when I was in Oxford in 2006 for the RZIM Summer School (see my 2006 Summer School Posts), John Lennox was one of the lecturers that I heard on a daily basis. We also heard our evening lectures from Ravi Zacharias and other RZIM speakers, in the British Museum of Natural History, where Richard Dawkins has his office.

Kind of ironic!

Zactrust Summer School – Oxford, England – Day 7

Eagle and Child Sketch9:00 PM

The flight home went well – no problems at all. I took the “EL” home from O’Hare, whch got me to the house about 9 PM. I’m pretty tired since I’ve been “up” for 22 hours. It’s good to be home!

Good night!

10:30 AM – Final Walk

After checking out at the Porter’s Lodge of Keble College around 10 AM, I decided to stop by the Eagle & Child (sometimes called the Bird & Baby) one last time on my way to the bus station. Here’s a sketch that I did, leaning against a large old tree out in front.

6:41 AM

Keble College DormIt’s a beautiful sunny, cool and clear Oxford morning. The birds are singing outside my window. I’m packing up, going to breakfast and will check out by 10 AM. Here is a photo of the dorm building I stayed in.

My plans are to walk around Oxford a bit more today, get a few more photos, then head over to the bus station and buy a ticket around noon. I’ll take the same “Airline” bus to Heathrow, get my plane boarding pass, and hang out there until my flight home around 5 PM British time.

That flight will get me in to O’Hare around 7:30 PM Chicago time. I’ll take the CTA “El” Blue Line home, sleep and be at The Upper Room church service on Sunday morning.

See you all then!

Zactrust Summer School – Oxford, England – Day 6

Randal with another Summer School Student10:41 PM

Am getting packed and and ready for the morning check out after breakfast. Had a great “Hog Roast” dinner out in the quad. Said good-bye to friends I met this week. Had a great conversation with Maynard Colondam, my new friend from Indonesia, and a few others (Maynard took the photo at right, and many others on this blog).

Of course, I joked around a bit with Simon & Simon, my Zactrust Intern friends. I told them about the American TV series about two private-eye brothers, and we had a good laugh.

I was also able to get a few minutes with Ravi, and bring him greetings from the Wolgemuth family, and chat about my week. He was very encouraging, and told me that Robert had emailed him that I would be there. He asked if the week was what I had hoped. It was a great conversation and way to end a great week in Oxford. Thank you to my family! Most of all, thank you Deb for thinking of and organizing this fantastic gift! — I love you!

Ravi Zacharias8 PM

I have just returned from Ravi’s lecture. We first watched a DVD of the Wellspring Ministry that his daughter Naomi runs.

Ravi used the text of the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, to make observation on the following 4 points:

  1. The Heart and Soul of the Giver: According to Ravi’s favorite author, F.W. Boreham, there are three options where every heart will end eventually up. Hardened, Broken or Tender. He told us an unbelievable story of coming face to face with the sex trade in Bombay, India and the impact it had on him. It was the beginning of what eventually became Wellspring.
  2. Binding the Wounds/Opening the Heart of the Receiver: Ravi quoted from Eleanor Stump, that people actually become more and more hardened by exposure to evil. The antidote is to do acts of kindness, mercy and gentleness to those who need it. We need our hearts to be tenderized in this way, or the constant exposure to all the evil in the world will eventually harden us.
  3. The Will & Courage of the Practitioner: Again citing Boreham, he told the story of the death of a baby, and the mother who brought the child to him asking for a burial. As the result of his simple actions with this woman on that day, she showed up for the next 35 years at his church, without fail. All because he was available and willing to meet this poor lady in her need.
  4. The Result & Impact of the Observer: Jesus asked the expert in the law, so who was this man’s neighbor? “The one who had mercy” was the answer. “Go and do likewise,” Jesus told him. The context of this exchange is immediately after Jesus asked him what the law said about inheriting eternal life. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” These are inextricably intertwined.

Ravi encouraged us to learn to give from our hearts (not just our money) but from all the resources gifts and talents that we have been blessed with. He reminded us that we have so much by the world’s standards… way more than we actually need. To respond to whatever the Lord calls us to – and to just do it.

That gets the ideas and dreams flowing! I have a lot to process personally on that topic!

6:11 PM

I am getting ready for tonight at 6:30, we will gather at the Oxford Museum for a last lecture by Ravi Zacharias on “With All Your Heart,” the theme of this conference. Following that will be a Hog Roast and Dinner at Keble College in the Hayward Quad (my room overlooks this quad).

5:30 PM

The Rabbit RoomI just took a stroll over to the Eagle & Child for a pint of beer and a look around. It was my last chance. The place has a number of photos and plaques on the walls explaining the history of the pub. I took a photo of the “Rabbit Room” where the “Inklin’s” met. It’s a nice and very old place.

When Deb and I were in Oxford in 1980, they had not fixed it up quite as nice back then. All we saw at that time was a small brass plaque on the wall… that was all! It’s been upgraded since then!

I heard or read somewhere while I was here, that St. John’s College had recently bought the Eagle & Child and plan to continue preserving it. They also own the “Lamb & Flag” across the street, where the Inking’s were also known to meet from time to time.

4:30 PM – Michael Green – Searching Issues

I just returned from an afternoon lecture from Michael Green on the Searching Issues of approaching Atheism & Agnosticism.

Michael Green Notes

He noted that we have moved from a rationalistic and reason-based “modern” world, to a predominantly “post-modern” world based upon feelings. Postmoderns are skeptical that we can know truth, and of traditional moral values. Postmodernism spells virtual defeat for Atheism. Note: Alister McGrath wrote a book on this topic called: “The Twilight of Atheism.”

After all, who among us after 9/11 and Iraq and Pol Pot, really believes that mankind really has a heart of gold at its core? Who really belives that science will solve all the worlds problems? Most people today have realized that it was in fact atheistic regimes that are responsible for the greatest atrocities of the 20th century.

So how do we approach the atheist today?

First, we must recognize that there are real reasons for Atheism. There is the problem of pain and evil in the world that must be answered. Often there are real personal issues the atheist needs answered such as a personal tragedy or loss, or a terrible childhood experience at the hands of a “theist” person.

As Christians, we must be person-centric in our approach. We must point out that God cannot be proved or disproved any more than we can prove anyone else’s personal existence. You simply “meet” a person, and thereby know they exist. We need to encourage our atheistic friends to take the time to think deeply about their position. It is often a position they have not really thought through.

Many have drunk deeply from the well of “intellectualism” and never explored those who have abandoned it, and why. We must lead them to the realization that their belief is based on just as much “faith” as the theist, and that the real question ought to be, what position has the best reasons and evidence to base belief upon?

How do we approach the agnostic?

Agnostics are often just as dogmatic in their belief as atheists. However, there are also real reasons agnostics have that need to be addressed. Michael asks, “How did we make it to the mid 20th-century without agnosticism?”

We need to point out to our agnostic friends that there is a compatibility of reason and revelation. They are complimentary. For instance, if we see a big hole in the ground near our house, with dirt and rocks around it, we may say to ourselves… something is going happen there! If we see additional materials showing up such as lumber, bricks and shingles, we may say, I think a building is going to be built.

There are two ways we can know for sure. First, wait until the end of the process and see if we were right. The other, is to go and find the architect/builder and ask what he is doing. If we love our agnostic friends, we will encourage them to use the latter method, and ask the creator about the plan. They may not have time to wait until the end.

Michael gave us 7 “Signposts” that help the atheist or agnostic believe.

  1. The World: What accounts for conscious life to have developed only here so far as we know? Was it really all just chance happenstance?
  2. Design: How can we account for such things as the complexity of the human ear, or the focusing mechanisms of the human eye? How does a world develop by chance that is custom made for human life? There is a designer at work.
  3. Personality: Love emotion, mind… can anyone explain it? Science can’t. Where does it come from?
  4. Values: take life itself – why do we value it? If it is all random chance, why would we have a problem with someone taking it? Why do we value creativity, fidelity, and yet reject the idea of a Creator?
  5. Conscience: This internal law-maker is more than just the result of societal pressures. There has always existed a general condemnation of murder, infidelity, pedophilia, etc. Why? Where does that come from?
  6. Religion: We are a religious animal. Many powers have tried to abolish religious faith in history and none have succeeded. USSR, China, Pol Pot… and others. Sociologists predicted the demise of religion, yet is has mushroomed. It appears that we WILL worship something, no matter what. Why?
  7. Jesus: Why is Jesus still the central figure of history? Why did he claim to be God? To know him is to know the God we cannot see. Who raised him to life, to never die again?

Michael Green Notes

London Terrorist Bombings2:00 PM

This morning we finished our series in Revelation, lead by John Lennox at the Rhodes House, followed by a lecture by Michael Ramsden on “The Uniqueness of the Cross.” Michael is the director of The Zacharias Trust in the UK, and a gifted speaker.

At noon, we paused for a minute of silence in memory and honor of those who lost their lives or loved ones a year ago today in the bombings that took place in London.

Afternoon Session – Michael Ramsden

Michael prefaced his presentation by saying he would approach the subject from the vantage point of a non-believer who would ask:

  • “How can a loving God, judge people and send them to Hell?
  • “How can it be fair for one person to die to save someone else?”

On this topic, Michael highly recommended a book by John Stott, as the best book in the 20th century on the subject of the cross: “The Cross of Christ.”

He also cited a song by the Black Eyed Peas called “Where is the Love?” A line of which is: “If you’ve never known truth, then you’ve never known love.”

“Love cannot exist with the absence of correct judgment. It is not unloving to pass judgment”

The very meaning of “compassion” is that you see something that deeply disturbs you, you make a judgment as to what needs to be done to correct it, and it moves you do take action.

Michael then wrapped up his comments on the the idea that one difference that the cross proclaims to our world, is that when we are attacked and assaulted, we want revenge on the perpetrators. We retaliate personally, or we go to war against the enemy as a natural reaction. God is not like that. Even before the foundation of the world, God foreknew we would rebel against him, and in his joy, he was happy to provide a way of salvation, paying the price himself. How different we are from that.

“The idea of substitution is at the heart of the cross.”

There was a time of Q&A that followed . One young American asked about the whole issue of what do you say to a non-believer who asks: “If you are a Christian, why is your President who claims to be a Christian, so eager to go to war?”

Michael answered that you have to approach this on 2 levels. One level is more theoretical. There is a place for war when a government is making a decision based upon the best knowledge they have at the time, on behalf of its people for the greatest good. He suggested one of Amy’s books that covers the “just War” theory.

But there is also a personal level. Can we as an individual support that government’s decision? It will depend on whether or not you believe your leaders have acted with integrity making the best decision they could make under the circumstances. Do you believe and trust the leaders? For himself, Michael said he believes Tony Blair made his decisions about Iraq with integrity. Only time will tell if those decisions were good or bad, right or wrong.

The Uniqueness of the Cross – Notes

The Uniqueness of the Cross

12:54 PM

Going to lunch after a full morning. Here are notes from the final morning session on Revelation.

Final Notes on Revelation

Zactrust Summer School – Oxford, England – Day 5

Michael Green10:30 PM
I have returned from an evening lecture in the Oxford Museum, by Michael Green. His lecture title was “With All Your Heart – Outreach.

I was not expecting what I heard. Michael Green is one of the world’s leading evangelists, is 78 years old, and has for some years been a Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University. He left Wycliffe last August, and is currently co-Rector of Holy Trinity Church, Raleigh, North Carolina. This guy was funny, lively, witty, and very passionate about evangelism!

Here are some take-away thoughts
- “The key to evangelism is not technique. It is passion!”
- “We’ve grown cold. We don’t really care enough about people to love them much anymore.”

5 principles on evangelism in the New Testament Church:
1 – Dynamic church life: attractive to the community
2 – Get into the non-believers mindset
3 – Challenge people for a decision
4 – Ministry to individuals, one-on-one, build relationships
5 – Taking small teams with you – training and growth

5 more principles from the church today:
6 – Prayer for individuals
7 – Testimonies: especially in a post-modern world!
8 – Invitations: to homes, parties, cookouts, alpha courses — practice hospitality in homes!
9 – Church based outreach
10 – Use of non-church buildings and neutral spaces:
- One guy started “On the Move” ministry offering free BBQ’s! Read “Sizzling Faith” by Martin Graham.
- Read “Irresistible Revolution” by Shane Claiborne

Typical College in Oxford, England4:45 PM

Just back from a walking tour of Oxford, originally known as Oxen Ford. Some of the buildings in this town are 400 and more years old. Oxford University is an organization that all the Colleges of Oxford belong to. There is no single campus called Oxford University.

We visited a number of colleges and sites including: St. John’s College (the richest), Balliol, The Martyrs’ Memorial, the actual spot (marked by a stone cross in the middle of Broad Street) where the Martyr’s (Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, Thomas Cranmer, who were burned at the stake), Radcliffe Square, Oriel College, Merton College (where J.R.R. Tolkien taught) and other sites as we walked by them. Our guide was excellent – a retired English teacher who lives in Oxford and is now a professional Oxford Guide. She told us many interesting stories and tidbits of history.

Here is a great resource I found online with “Virtual Tours” of many of these places.

1:45 PM

Famous BridgeAm heading out for my walking tour of Oxford. Had a great conversation at lunch with a guy named Chris who lives in Tulsa and is in his residency program there. He is thinking about going into bioethics, and is here with his wife in the process of thinking that decision through.

I made sure he was aware of the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network that I receive regular email updates from.

12:30 PM

I just returned from Rhodes House hearing two lectures. The first lecture on the letters to the 7 churches in Revelation presented by John Lennox (see photo). The second lecture by Ravi Zacharias on “The Uniqueness of Christ in History.”

John LennoxTake away thoughts from Revelation. The basic problem with the church in Ephesus was that they were good at hating bad theology and teaching, and really poor at loving. In fact they had left their first love. We skipped ahead to the church at Thyatira, and saw that they were really good at loving, but did not take a stand against sin and wrong teaching in their midst. Then we skipped to the church at Laodicea to see that they were just lukewarm, neither hot nor cold and were about the be spewed out for it.

If we are going to “overcome” we are going to have to figure out how to love one another and our neighbors and yet be intolerant of evil in a healthy and balanced way.

Then Ravi, in his overview of the Uniqueness of Christ in History pointed out how in revealing himself to us as a Trinity, God reveals himself as a being in relationship. When creating us then in his image, he reveals a foundational element of our being and need to for relationship with him and one another.

He noted that one of the last prayers of Jesus was for the church, that – “we would be one, even as I and the Father are one.” The church has lost one of its main callings – to be a community of healing. “We torment people who are already in agony.” Some episodes in my recent past immediately came to mind when I heard that statement. How sad and how true!

There is a clear need for the church to become a community of healing and restoration, without watering down the reality of sin and the call to repentence and conversion.

I’m off to lunch, then a professional guided walking tour of Oxford this afternoon! The sun has come out and it looks to be a perfect afternoon.

John Lennox – Revelation Notes

Randal Birkey Notes on John Lennox Presentation
7:00 AM

Another rainy, cloudy, cool, Oxford, English day! Heading to breakfast.

Zactrust Summer School – Oxford, England – Day 3

Happy 4th! Our English hosts greeted us today with a gift of a very nice official Oxford University key ring and fob.

Keble College Dining RoomObservation: Our food and service here at Keble College has been very good. I was not expecting it to be this good based upon my past experience in Oxford in 1980, and my exposure to British food in general. So, that has been a good surprise! Also, the dining hall reminds me of the one at Hogwarts! Apparently the dining hall in the Harry Potter movies was filmed here in Oxford at Christ Church (College).

Morning Session – Rhodes House

I heard Alister McGrath this morning speak on “The Uniqueness of Nature vs. Creation,” addressing the question of “what difference does it make to believe in a Creator God?” Does this belief change the way we see things?

Alister shared how he thought it did in three areas:
- Spirituality
- Ecology
- Apologetics

Rhodes House TeaI especially liked this quote he shared from C. S. Lewis: “I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it, I see everything else.”

This evening we will be treated to “punting” on the Cherwell river (see photo below), and a BBQ and fireworks. The British have been very kind to us, even though we “wooped their butts” back in 1776! They appear to have gotten over it!

Morning Session Revelation Notes – John Lennox

Revelation Notes - Day 3

Afternoon Session

This afternoon I attended a seminar talk delivered by L.T. Jeyachandran on the issue of Suffering, or “Why Should the Innocent Suffer?” L.T. explored answers offered in various worldviews:
1 – Fatalism (Islam and Hinduism): Don’t ask questions!
2 – There is no “Good God”, or there is a “No-Good” God: This is a finite view of God. He is all-loving, but not all powerful.
3 – An Escapist Enlightenment (New Age and Eastern): We are all part of a whole, we will merge with Nirvana.

Given these views, there are 4 possible consequences:
1 – We are living in an accidental, impersonal, chance universe: Richard Dawkins believes this.
2 – The world is made of an impersonal force or energy, and therefore no morality can be attributed to IT.
3 – The world is a place where good and evil are equal and opposite forces where we have to fight evil with our bare hands: Dualism, Deism
4 – There is an all-powerful, loving God who made the world and who is sovereign over it and in control of it.

Therefore we may ask:
1 – Is it an all-good world?
2 – Is it an all-bad world?
3 – Is it a bad world, slowly becoming better until utopia is reached?
4 – Is it a good world, that at some crucial point turned and is now becoming bad?

Christianity believes #4. We believe evil is a fallen good. We believe finite creation has a potential for growth, which includes the possibility that it can and will be restored to full good. We believe evil is only understandable in a moral world, and that it is an idirect proof of the existence of a moral God.

Special Early Afternoon Session

I also heard the testimony of Tom Tarrants today.

Tom lived in the South during desegregation. He became full of hate toward blacks, Jews, Communists, socialists, and others. He entered the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi, and become a domestic terroist, ending up on J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI Top-10 Most Wanted list.

In an FBI sting and shootout, he was shot and miraculously survived, and sent to prison. He escaped and was again miraculously spared from death in another shootout, captured and sent back to prison in solitary confinement in a 6 x 9 cell.

In prison, he began reading, starting with “Mein Kampf” and others of that genre. He moved on to classical philosophy, then decided to read the Gospels. In the Gospels, Tom was confronted with his own sin and need of a Savior. He gave his life to Jesus Christ and started walking with him.

He was released from prison early, in a miraculous way, and now directs the C.S. Lewis Institute Fellows Program in Washington, D.C. and lectures in practical theology, with a special focus on biblical discipleship and spiritual formation/mentoring.

You can get more info on these 2 web pages: American Anglican and Sarges.com

OTHER NOTES

Punting on the Cherwell• I also found a solution to my laptop power problems today! At lunch I sat with a few “interns” who work for The Zacharias Trust and are helping here for the summer school. One of them named Simon Farres, is a sort of “techie” here. I explained my laptop power recharging problems and he said “Oh, I have what you need!” Sure enough, he had an Apple part that fit right on my power chord and fixed everything – plus it was an extra one and he doesn’t need it until the end of the week! Amazing! Thank you, Simon!

• We also went to the Cherwell River this afternoon to watch “punting.” Many of us enjoyed a “punt” down the Cherwell and back. Later, we all joined together in a tented area near the boat house for a “BBQ.” The Brits did a pretty good job! I sat in a circle with some ZachTrust interns and Americans, discussing and contrasting the many different expressions and accents between our two cultures. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. It was a hilarious time! (Punting photo at right by Maynard)

Zactrust Summer School – Oxford, England – Day 2

It has been unusually warm here in Oxford… in the 90′s (degrees F). There is no air conditioning, so the lectures are difficult to stay awake through for an American who is not used to sitting and listening to serious lectures in the heat. I have however, managed to stay awake, even with the remaining effects of jet lag! I have the notes to prove it!

Monday’s sessions were good. I have been especially impressed with Professor Alister McGrath. What a mind he has been gifted with, and yet what a man after God. I imagine that C. S. Lewis was like this.

Today, I also learned of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (OCCA), a joint training and equipping ministry of The Zacharias Trust with Wycliffe House, in Oxford. You can get more info here.

OCCA offers 2 programs for additional apologetics training: an 8-week course, and a full-year course. I am interested in both and plan to find out more on them.

I also heard a bit from a man named Tom Tarrants, who apparently was on the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted List! I plan to attend a session to hear his story on July 4th! (See my post for Day 3)

Alister McGrath Notes – just my typical visual way of taking notes!

Alister McGrath Lecture Notes by Randal Birkey

A CHANCE CONVERSATION?

At dinner today I met a young man who is here from an east coast American city. who I will call “John”. As we talked, I shared about where I was from and some of the reasons that I came to Oxford, and what I was hoping and praying this trip would be for me in my life. He did the same.

In that process, I talked about Oak Park, and our church’s current discussion and desire to reach out to our community in new ways. I talked about our long history in the community and our negative image with the local “gay” community. FYI – Oak Park is the second largest “Gay” community in Illinois, second only to Chicago. It has been named one of the most “Gay Friendly” cities in the USA.

It turns out that John is an “ex-gay” man himself. Through the work of the Lord in his life, and the help of his church (a Vineyard Christian Fellowship) and a healing and counseling ministry to the relationally and sexually broken, called Desert Stream, he has abandoned the “gay” lifestyle and identity. He seemed truly happy and even though it is very hard work, he shared that his desires have changed and he is experiencing life as he had hoped he could when he was “gay.”

The Lamb & Flag Pub, Oxford, EnglanWe talked about the causes and sources of homosexuality in his life, and how the counseling he received and the support and prayers of a Christian community like Vineyard, had made a huge difference for him.

John is a creative writer and poet, and is in Oxford seeking how he might combine his gifts and abilities, passions and talents with Christian apologetics.

It was such a good conversation for me to have. It reminded me that there is real healing possible through the love, hope and hard work of a committed group of regular Christian people, and with the help of trained Christian counselors. John cautioned against a focus just on “gays & lesbians” in our outreach, but instead to focus on the community as a whole and reaching out to all, and allowing that to include some “gays,” lesbians and transsexuals, as God allows and directs. The conversation reinforced the idea that building relationships in our community (Oak Park) is the way that will allow God to work in and through us. Thank you, “John” for sharing your heart and for agreeing to pray for us believers in Oak Park!

Zactrust Summer School – Oxford, England – Day 1

Keble College ChapelDear Friends and Family,

I have arrived at Keble College, Oxford, England – safe and sound!

Through the gracious gifts and support of my family (you know who you are!), I have been lavishly treated to a paid trip to Oxford, England to attend the RZIM Summer School, the theme of which this year is: “With All Your Heart and Mind.

You can get more info on this program here, and a schedule of the week here (in PDF format).

You can read about the wonderful line-up of speakers, apologists and topics for the week. I am really looking forward to it! I leave my room shortly for the opening meeting, then dinner followed by Michael Ramsden’s presentation on “Sacrifice.”

Thank you for your interest, contributions, prayers and support.

Please pass the word of this blog on to anyone else you think may be interested!

First Sketch – Keble College Chapel

This is a sketch of the Keble College Chapel I did the first afternoon I arrived, during some down time. I was sitting across the quad on a stone ledge… it was beautiful! Very similar view to the photo taken above.

Keble College Chapel Sketch

Map and layout of Keble College – Virtual Tour

There is a also famous painting by Holman Hunt, located in the Keble College Chapel ()pictured above) called “Light of the World” 1853, oil on canvas.

Light Of The World Painting

The Keble College Crest

Keble College Crest