Published 6 Dec 2024
Watch for the light
There it is, in the midst of the darkness
A blog post Women Scholars and Professionals
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” So states John at the beginning of his gospel in a passage that many of us will revisit this month. Indeed, the truth of this faithful statement has the power to carry us through many of the challenges we experience in our world, from ordinary deadlines to winter-bourne viruses to family drama to international violence. Juliet Skuldt reminds us of a spiritual tool that can invite us into grace amidst the darkness in her review of the 2001 Advent devotional Watch for the Light. Although the book has been around for over 20 years, the essays within still speak to our current situations with a prescience that is uncanny at times. Allow Juliet’s review convince you to dust off this classic volume.
“The sad truth is that the contemplation of God’s miraculous, bodily entrance into human history must vie for mental space with department meetings, research deadlines, and grading of epic proportions.
“I have found that the effort to push back against the avalanche of distraction takes some intentionality. Over the years, I have benefited from various practices and devotionals to carve out time and realign my brain in a daily way in an effort to preserve Advent as a season of Christ-focused anticipation. Among the best of these has been the compact volume Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas.”
For those of us whose minds haven’t quite yet turned to the new church year, the pull of the semester’s end may be weighing on us. The tasks of wrapping up a term are many, but they almost always include the (burdensome?) responsibility of grading. We’re remembering Anna Moseley Gissing’s reflections on the angst-filled expectations surrounding the work of grading. Anna helps us remember that God can provide us with the wisdom and courage and capability to teach our students well through the tough-love of written feedback — and that we can grow as compassionate, wise followers of Jesus in the process.
“May we all grow in spiritual maturity each time we grade a batch of papers, no matter whether they meet our expectations (of ourselves) or not. May we trust that God is working in us, helping us to find our identity in him and not in the performance or opinions of our students. May we grade with honesty, integrity, and impartiality, not favoring the brightest nor worrying about pleasing students. May we give God the glory in our work.”
You’re Invited!
Pray with us. Join our online, 30-minute guided prayer meetings on Fridays at 8 am, 9 am, and 12 pm (Eastern). Can’t come? Send your prayer requests anyway by emailing us at wsap@intervarsity.org. Ready to pray? Join the Zoom meeting here for those Friday meetings.
Looking for an Advent devotional? We at The Well are following the 2024 Advent Project, available for free online and produced by the Biola University Center for Christianity, Culture, and the Arts. Join us if you like, and watch for opportunities to connect through this simple practice!
As we wrap up the first week of Advent, let’s have some fun with a quick poll:
Get your copy of the Spring 2025 Book Club selection! Join Women Scholars and Professionals this spring for a discussion of Habits of Hope: Educational Practices for a Weary World. Register now to receive your 40% discount for a copy of the book and prepare for online discussions about a Christian understanding of hope in academia. We hope you can join us!
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Downloadable Pocket Prayer Card from Graduate Healthcare Ministries. Medical students at Brown asked for a small resource that would prompt them to pray throughout the day. Colleague Renee Nicholas created this card with psalms and short prayers to support them — and you’re invited to use it too! Thanks, Renee!
Calling All Scientists! The American Scientific Affiliation is hosting their Winter Symposium on Saturday, January 25, 2025 at 1:00 pm ET/10:00 am PT. The topic is "AI & Christianity" and features speakers Joanna Ng and Rosalind Picard. Register for this online event here.
Save the Date: February 21-22, 2025 for Believers in Business. As the largest Christian MBA gathering in the country, the 2025 Believers in Business Conference is a key intersection of the Christian MBA and Christian professional communities. Mark your calendars to join them in New York this February!
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Four More Things We Loved This Week
There are a lot of holiday gift guides out there, but this one that boasts “the best in girl-empowering toys for babies, kids, and teens” caught our eye. Perhaps a miniature DIY bookshop for your budding entrepreneur?
Looking for a reflective experience? Pray-As-You-Go is offering a (free) audio resource to guide you into an Advent retreat.
Therapist Lori Gottlieb Explains How to Set (and Keep) Better Boundaries This Holiday Season.
Some of us found cookbook author Caroline Chambers’s “official christmas movie good-bad matrix” to be both charming and insightful.