Diversity

Oh, that magical word. So much in this world is done in its name. Pursuing it and maintaining it is nearly a religion to many in this country, on our campuses. It is a key to winning favor among the elite of our culture. Yet many in the Body of Christ shudder at its utterance.

They needn’t.

Many Christians look askance at the word because of its political associations. Here’s the secret—diversity is in the marrow of the Church. As it happens, ironically, that is exactly why it is such a powerful word in our culture.

Wait a minute, you say. Sunday morning is the most segregated time in our country. Christians are so intolerant of others, so narrow-minded.

Global Impact

You never know when God will tap on your shoulder…

I received an email recently from someone in a closed country who has been sharing with a woman and her husband. The woman wants to attend a UT PhD program, and my correspondent was directed to me by someone who knew of our faculty fellowship. The writer was looking for believing faculty to assist in the application process and ultimately to continue sharing with the couple upon their arrival.

In this case, I became involved simply because I am the contact person for our faculty fellowship. If no one knew me as a believer, then I would have missed out. Who knows that you are a servant of Christ? There are times and places where it is wise to be undercover, but rarely should we be undercover from each other.

When I travelled in grad school, my advisor was always amazed that I never needed a hotel because there were always brothers in Christ with whom I could stay. I may not have known them personally, but all I needed to do was find out a contact at our sister church on that campus or in that city, and they came through with some guys who had a couch or extra bed. Just that was a witness to my advisor.

As faculty members, we don’t have to travel the world to have a global impact. The Lord has placed His people throughout the world, so that we can work together in all places. As folks with whom we minister move on, we can prepare a place for them when they land by contacting believers there, and even provide support along the way. This is how our body works—transporting needed resources to their destination and getting some types of cells to the right place. It only makes sense that the church does the same—moving or receiving people that all may be supported in times of need.

There are many ministries who desperately want to partner with Christian faculty. When we travel, we have a platform internationally that few do. It is surprising how open we as faculty can be, even in closed countries, just because we are scholars, especially from American universities. We have more freedom to be light abroad than we often do at home. Also, when international Christian faculty come to the States to study or speak, they want to have fellowship with believing colleagues here. What a wonderful blessing to find someone in your field from across the world with whom you will also share eternity. Talk about a long-lasting collaboration!

If you are an undercover academic, I exhort and encourage you to contact Faculty Commons or other faculty ministry, just to let them know you are there. They can often tell you of other Christians on your campus or in your area, can provide resources for encouraging you in your walk, and provide a conduit for you to have a global impact with your faith.

SDG

Plumb Luck

Praise God from whom all blessings ‘flow’! The leak is fixed and water is flowing in its appointed courses. The experience also shows the church in action. I emailed my pastor and some friends last night with the situation asking if anyone knew a plumber or if one was in the church. My pastor replied this morning that there was a plumber in the church, but he was on his way back from Colorado. I called him and he referred me to another company who came within just a few hours.

Turns out, modern plumbing involves a plastic pipe with brass compression couplings. At the time my house was built about five years ago, an earlier generation of this (requiring special tools) was used and has since been abandoned. These plumbers didn’t have those tools and couldn’t fix the problem—the coupling between the faucet and pipe had popped out. They referred me to the company that actually installed the original plumbing on the house, only charging me a minimum fee.

The second company showed up within a couple of hours and was able to fix the problem within minutes. As it happens, the crimp on that particular connection was bad and so a failure was inevitable, sooner or later. The plumber put better insulation on the new pipe and there were no new leaks when the water was turned back on. Hallelujah.

Total bill for plumbing:  just under $150, a bargain compared to what it could have been. I still need to repair the interior wall, but I can do that myself and it is near the bottom of my pantry, so doesn’t need to be pretty. The carpet still needs to have a little padding replaced and then re-tacked. But it could have been much worse.

I learned that only drip indoor faucets, not outdoor faucets. I had a number of friends from church and work call or email with support and help, and I am deeply grateful. Most of all, thank you to my folks, who were available for consultation at the late hours at which things developed.

This episode reminds me of one of God’s highest desires for us—to love one another in healthy interdependence. When one member suffers, the rest support them. I am grateful beyond belief that my suffering has been little more than an inconvenience, but there was still some uncertainty as to the severity while I waited—was it a simple inexpensive job, or would my slab be compromised and remodeling necessary? How long would I be without water, and would I need to go to a friend’s or get a hotel? Knowing there were resources available because people cared with actions, not just words, helped give a peace to the waiting. Thank you to all involved.

Truly,

SDG