Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV)

⁹ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰ so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Ephesians 1:15-23 (NIV)

¹⁵ For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, ¹⁶ I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. ¹⁷ I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength ²⁰ he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²² And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Reflection:

In the 1970’s after dabbling in drugs, mysticism and various life pursuits, a young talented musician Keith Green experienced a dramatic conversion to Christ.  He then went on to become an influential songwriter and minister, and wrote the lyrics to the following song based on his conversion:

Like a foolish dreamer, trying to build a highway to the sky
All my hopes would come tumbling down, and I never knew just why
Until today, when you pulled away the clouds that hung like curtains on my eyes
Well I’ve been blind all these wasted years and I thought I was so wise
But then you took me by surprise

Like waking up from the longest dream, how real it seemed
Until your love broke through
I’ve been lost in a fantasy, that blinded me
Until your love broke through

The Apostle Paul also had a powerful conversion experience where something like “scales” literally fell off his eyes and then he could clearly see and understand who Jesus really is.  He subsequently viewed his life in light of his new calling in Christ.  In these letters to the Philippian and the Ephesian churches, his prayer is that they would also experience the same; and that they would grow in knowing Christ personally and the glorious way He has for His church.

As we are empowered by the Holy Spirit, may we also see life through Christ’s eyes!

Responding to Transmission:
We are called to live a life of prayer based in the love of Christ with our eyes now open to the truth of the gospel.  This world is full of many distractions and false ideologies, but as followers of Christ, let’s spend time in prayer asking for more discernment as we view life through the eyes of Christ.

Ellen Handler Spitz, honors college professor of visual arts, spent her winter break traveling to the Czech Republic, for research, and to India, where she gave the first annual alumni lecture to English Alumni Association of Ravenshaw University in Cuttack and the keynote address at the International Seminar on Children’s Literature and Politics.

Spitz shared an account of her journeys on Talking Heads, UMBC’s faculty expert blog.  Her post can be read here.

If you want to join the ranks of the America’s wealthiest 1%, the New York Times’s Economix blog thinks you might want to change your major. The blog analyzed census data and found that the majors with the best chance of making it into the upper-crust of American society are:

• Pre-med: Of those who major in pre-med programs, 11.8% make it into the 1%. However, just 0.9% of all 1-percenters majored in pre-med.
• Economics: Of those who major in econ, 8.2% reach the 1%. And a relatively large share—5.4%—of 1-percenters are econ majors.
• Biochemistry: Biochemical science majors have a 7.2% chance of getting into the 1%. Just 0.7% of 1-percenters majored in biochem.
• Zoology: Of zoology majors, 6.9% are in the 1%. Of 1-percenters, 0.6% are zoology majors.
• Biology: Biology majors have a 6.7% chance of landing a spot in the 1%. But a whopping 6.6% of 1-percenters majored in bio, the largest share on the list.

So what do you think? Do any of these surprise you? Are you thinking about changing your major? Would you change your major just to change your projected socio-economic status?

Click here for the full list.

We all remember John McCain from his 2008 presidential run. Lately he’s been campaigning for Mitt Romney. Here we have a rare opportunity to see John McCain take a break from being a sitting US Senator and yelling at kids who come on his lawn, to do a little comedy.

I hope that you have had an enjoyable winter break and I want to welcome you back to a new semester.  As we begin the Spring 2012 semester, I encourage every student to take full advantage of all opportunities in order to facilitate a strong finish to your first academic year.

As a participant in the iCubed Community-based Study Group Program you will continue to receive encouragement and organizational support to form, join, and sustain study groups.  Also, you will be provided opportunities to meet fellow iCubed participants whom may serve as potential study partners. 

Here are some of the exciting activities scheduled for the Spring 2012 semester:

- iCubed Study Group Orientation: an opportunity to learn about the iCubed Program  information about the iCubed Program, get tips on how to form effective study groups, and assistance finding study group members.         

**REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN:    https://docs.google.com/a/umbc.edu/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEEybE44aG1lY1lKa2FrUEh4czZLTnc6MQ **

- iCubed Study Group Meet and Greet:  an opportunity to connect    with other iCubed students and form study groups with those taking the same courses.

- Weekly office hours for Spring 2012 will be held on Wednesdays by  Dr. Felix.  A detailed schedule will be posted soon.

Be sure to visit the iCubed Study Group website regularly for updates and details on upcoming events @ my.umbc.edu/groups/getsmartiesumbc

Best wishes for a successful semester!!

--

Tashauna Felix, M.S., Ph.D.

iCubed Study Group Coordinator

tfelix1@umbc.edu

410.455.3173

A number of Baltimore County public officials use Twitter, Owings Mills Patch noted.

Rebecca Adelman, assistant professor of media and communication studies, predicts Twitter use among public officials will soon become the norm.

“I could see how that could be a real benefit for someone trying to maintain a relationship with their constituents,” she said.

The story, “Baltimore County Public Officials To Follow on Twitter,” appeared on the website on January 17.