Is God Angry, Sexist and Racist? Event

If you, like many people, are confused by the God of the Old Testament who seems angry, sexist and racist, you need to attend this event! Dave Lamb, who studied at Stanford and Oxford, and is currently a professor at a local seminary, was the InterVarsity staff leader at Penn in the 90's. Thursday, March 29, 7:30 pm. Details here.

Greek Getaway 2012

Registration for Greek Getaway 2012 is now open! We will once again venture to lovely Martha's Vineyard for our year-end retreat. Questions you may have:

• Who should go? Leaders and anyone else who considers themselves a committed member of the Greek IV community (ie you attend Core Group and bible study faithfully).
• Which begs the question...who shouldn't go? People who are very new to our group, as we will spend a lot of the time planning for next year.  Also, people who just want an inexpensive trip to MV, but don't really care about Greek IV :) 
• How much is it? We are not yet certain, but there will be a small fee associated this year.
• When is it? May 9-13. We will drive to Woods Hole, MA and take a ferry to the island. Your cars and/or driving skills are most wanted! 
• What is it it? A year-end retreat filled with service projects, bible studies, planning for the upcoming school year, as well as the obvious- food, friends, fun. 
• Where is it? We will stay at the FOCUS Study Center. 
• Can I leave early/come late? We would prefer you didn't. 

Any other questions? Email Jamie Hawthorn. We hope you can come! Register today!

Lenten Devotionals, etc.

Lent is the period of time when we prepare our hearts for Easter. It begins today with Ash Wednesday. A number of resources are available to help you observe Lent:

• World Vision's act:s  which has been adopted by all of InterVarsity this year. 
• Huffington Post (!) 
• Christian Resource Institute Daily Readings 
• Past Greek IV Lenten Blogs 

Save the Date: Urbana 2012

URBANA STUDENT MISSIONS CONFERENCE

December 27-31, 2012

 

Register Today: Jesus Justice and Poverty: Education

Jesus has something to say about the way the world should be, could be, will be and is. He even cares about education, and He is especially grieved about the state of education in Philadelphia!

You are invited to a 24-hour in-depth, hands-on retreat hosted by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. February 24-25. For more info visit the registration page and the Facebook event.

(If you aren't attending the prayer seminar, you are strongly encouraged to attend!)

Highlights include:
Speaker, Dr. Chaz Howard, Penn Chaplain
Community Service Projects
Students from University of Delaware, Ursinus, Haverford, Swarthmore, Temple, Bryn Mawr, Arcadia, etc.

Don't miss this awesome opportunity to ask hard questions, to deepen your faith, to build friendships, and to serve the poor. Email me with any questions.

The S Word

"They (writers of Christian classics) would want us to understand the absurdity of sin...'We refuse ourselves to God, who only wants to save us. We give ourselves up to the world, which only wants to tyrannize over us and destroy us'...What do these testimonies mean? Away with self-serving testimonies that sound as if we do God a favor by repenting of our sin! God does us a favor by making us hate the sin that destroys us, by giving us the will to fight it, and by offering His grace to forgive it.

Quotes like these also remind us that if sin is a rat, we should start treating it like a rat. If you didn't want rats to break into your house, you wouldn't leave out food for them, and you would plug up any holes through which they might enter. If you were unable to keep them out on your own, you'd ask for advice or get some help. If you truly hated rats, you'd go to great lengths to get rid of them.

But how often do we accommodate sin, feed its desires, and treat it in the aftermath as a casual or minor mistake?"

excerpt by Gary Thomas, Thirsting for God

Seriously people, if you haven't bought this book yet, you must!

Greek Conference: Charlotte

Who are these beautiful women?! 

Although "our" Greek Conference takes place in the fall (in New York), those of you who weren't able to attend GCLI are more than welcome to attend Greek Conference in Charlotte, February 10-12. Details here. Interested? Email this guy.

Re: Tebow

Ah, Timmy. Tim Tebow. Today's hero; Tomorrow's disaster?

While it's perfectly OK to respect someone's faith and to desire to emulate them, I do cringe when I see the way the world is placing #15 up on a pedestal. Christians rally around him and lift him up while skeptics want to see him fall, and fall hard. I don't watch football but I know when Tebow scores. My Facebook wall blows up. The blogosphere alights. The Tweeters are atwitter. (You'd have to live a hole to not know when Tim Tebow has scored a touchdown.) You may have even seen my reaction to the game last night on Facebook:

"Everyone is saying "Tebow!" but I think the point Tim is trying to get across is: "God!" 

How frustrating that must be for him. He is trying to point the world to God, and instead, the world points to him.  So, if you really love Tim Tebow and you are really psyched about what is going on when he's on the field, do him a favor and:

• Give God the credit. (It's pretty obvious He's the one doing the work.)
• Be like him. Fer real. If he's not afraid to pray on national TV, you need not feel afraid to pray over your dinner. 
• Pray for him. Like I said, many people want him to fall. Pray that he would grow in his faith and that God will uphold him and keep him strong. Pray that people would actually know God through him.  

Re: Rush

It's the most wonderful time of the year...Rush! As you enter into a week+ of skits, small talk and bid celebrations, here are some things to think about:

• Remember what it was like when you rushed? Could you be Greek and a Christian? Would anyone understand your faith? And remember how awesome it was when you met someone during rush that told you that you can be Greek and Christian? (ie. Jesse and Erik) Be that person. Don't be afraid to talk about how Greek IV has enhanced your Greek life experience. Don't be afraid to talk about how God has deepened your friendships within your Greek chapter. 
• Rush is caddy. It is superficial. It is shallow. But you don't have to be. Try to speak well of everyone. Look for the good in others. Don't be a jerk. Treat others the way you would want to be treated. God has placed you in your house at this time for a purpose. Don't be disenchanted. Don't disengage. Be an agent of change. 
• Rush is long and tedious. People can get on your nerves. You can be tempted to live myopically for two weeks. Enter into rush prayerfully. Spend time praying alone and with your brothers and sisters. "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17
• Finally, remember why we do what we do in Greek IV. If we don't keep our eye out for interested freshmen and sophomores, we can assume that Greek IV will fizzle out after our junior class graduates. This rush, promote Greek life and promote Greek IV.