Large Group #3

How do I title this? We were planning to discuss contemporary approaches to Atonement in the Crucifixion, Extravagant Welcome, among other things; instead we had quite a lovely discussion on other subjects. 

Read the full post for some take-away points from our discussion. It's not long, I promise.

Nehemiah Dig-in Recap

Hey everyone,

Last Saturday (April 7) we had our last dig-in (aka 24hr bible study) for the school year. We studied the book of Nehemiah, and it was simply awesome! (both hopeful and depressing at the same time) And so I've posted a couple of notes below about some points that we learned. If there's more you'd like to share, feel free to put it in the comments. :)

And if you'd like to ask questions or discuss, put those in the comments as well.

So why did we study Nehemiah? Because currently at Caltech, we are in trying times (and for some, they have a lot of turmoil in their lives). So our focus was to learn how we should deal with trial, how we can help one another, and how we can help the non-Christians with us as well.

Read the full post to find out what we learned!

Edit 4/16/12: Added the historical context and timeline preceding the events in Nehemiah. Scroll all the way down to read. Props to Tim :)

Large Group #2: Doubt

This week's large group, Sam shared with us a little bit about some biblical principles about belief/doubt, and then sent us off into a flurry of discussion. From his email:

"By doubt I mean anything that inclines us not to believe some statement, or at least to be less certain of it. There are a couple different questions I want to explore, both biblically and in discussion with each other. First, when is it appropriate to doubt what facts, particularly those related to our Christian walk? And second, what do we do with doubts that we experience, whether they be internal or external, general or personal, related to faith, hope or love, rational or irrational? I hope to make this discussion very practical and the lessons you bring away like a rope for when you're in a tight spot."

Read the full post to see some notes I've taken. (Unfortunately I could only be in one discussion group so I don't have everything written down) And any feedback is appreciated :)

And remember to scroll over the bible passages to read them.

Council Meeting Minutes April 6

April 6th, 2012 Meeting Minutes
Present:
Peter B, Richard G, Sam E, Tim J, Robb M

Large Group #1: Christian Priorities in Academia

Hey everyone. So on Monday April 2, 2012, we had our first CCF large group meeting of the term. Our very own professor John Dabiri spoke to us about how, as a Christian, we ought to prioritize what we do (in terms of choosing b/w academics and Christian-related activities--it's a topic a lot (I dare say all) of us have struggled with at some point in our lives or are currently struggling with right now. 

In the first hour we read some passages and he elaborated on some of the spiritual principles from those passages, and then in the second hour we went into a Q&A/Discussion format where everyone got to talk a bit and ask questions. Read the full post to get the full picture :) 

(This is my first time posting, so please forgive me if the notes I took are not so well written. Feel free to ask me any questions or give any feedback/criticism. God bless!)

Meeting Minutes March 2

March 2nd, 2012 Meeting Minutes
Present:
Cathy D, Sam E, Richard G

Large Group #4 Debrief: The Problem of Evil

Hello again! On January 30, Pastor Rich Katekawa, an itinerant pastor from the area who Timothy put me in contact, came to talk about suffering and the problem of evil. He also joined us for dinner beforehand, and was very engaging throughout both dinner and the talk. Here are my notes from his talk.