Exodus 40:12-15 (NIV)

¹² “Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water. ¹³ Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest. ¹⁴ Bring his sons and dress them in tunics. ¹⁵ Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations.”

Numbers 18:2-7 (NIV)

² Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to join you and assist you when you and your sons minister before the tent of the covenant law. ³ They are to be responsible to you and are to perform all the duties of the tent, but they must not go near the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar. Otherwise both they and you will die. ⁴ They are to join you and be responsible for the care of the tent of meeting—all the work at the tent—and no one else may come near where you are.

⁵ “You are to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar, so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelites again. ⁶ I myself have selected your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD to do the work at the tent of meeting. ⁷ But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death.”

Reflection:

Under the Mosaic Law, the tribe of Levi was chosen by God to be the dedicated priests for the nation.  The priests had many duties, but were primarily the mediators between God and the people.  They were the ones who took the people’s sacrifices and offered them up to God.  The High Priest, in particular, represented the whole nation of Israel before God.  When a priest sinned, he brought guilt not only upon himself, but also upon the whole people.  The priests also interceded on behalf of the people before God, and they would inquire of God for the nation.

Just like the priests of the Old Testament, God has chosen us to continue this royal priesthood- an incredible privilege entrusted to us.  It’s not a status that is earned or achieved; it is a calling given by God to serve and bless others and to glorify Him in all that we do.  As the people of God, we live out this calling whenever we pray and intercede for those who are lost and share the good news with others.

Responding to the Transmission:

As we desire to live for Jesus, may we take up our calling of being a part of this priesthood in confidence because He has chosen us.  Spend time today reflecting on the greatness and love of God.  Pray that He will give us the strength and the wisdom to live out this calling in our lives.

Expectant father, UMBC alumnus and UMBC development office Jordan Hadfield ’07, ’08, shares memories of his father, Ken Hadfield, Jr., in an essay in the Dundalk Patch.

While a student at UMBC, Jordan served as president of the Student Government Association, and also was a founding member of the a cappella group The Mama’s Boys.

Read the full story here.

Contact:
Anthony Lane
alane@umbc.edu
(410) 455-5793

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) will administer a new NASA research center focused on studying space weather and the impact it can have on human activities.

The Goddard Planetary Heliophysics Institute (GPHI), operating under a 5-year, $10 million cooperative agreement, will provide support and resources for university researchers to collaborate with scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center as they refine efforts to predict the solar activity that ejects charged particles into space. The “weather” created by these events interferes with power grids, telecommunication systems and other activities on Earth, while also threatening spacecraft and creating risks for space travel.

“This agreement offers a great opportunity to continue research that is deepening our understanding of solar and magnetospheric physics,” said Jan Merka, director of the new center. “The main goal is to more reliably predict space weather so we can avoid the impacts on space and Earth activities caused by extreme solar and magnetospheric events."

The GPHI research portfolio was formerly part of the UMBC-administered Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology Center (GEST). The cooperative agreement that established GEST in 2000 expired in May, and research now encompassed by GPHI was re-competed separately from the rest of the GEST portfolio. The remainder of GEST is now administered under a new cooperative agreement between NASA and the University Space Research Association.

The research group at GEST that focused on heliophysics has expanded to 16 researchers at GPHI.

UMBC has a long history of working closely with scientists at NASA and the Goddard Space Flight Center. In addition to GPHI, UMBC administers the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET), which focuses on geosciences and is now in its sixteenth year. The university is also a partner in the Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology (CRESST), which focuses on astrophysics.

"We are delighted to continue collaborating with NASA in the area of planetary and heliophsyics research as GPHI scientists work to expand our understanding of space weather," said Geoff Summers, UMBC's vice president for research. "This ongoing area of research is particularly exciting as it both increases our understanding of the solar system and helps explain the effect of space weather on Earth."

UMBC now has trial access to The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism. The trial runs through August 4, 2011.

The Johns Hopkins Online Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism is an indispensable resource for scholars and students of literary theory and discourse. Revised extensively to reflect a decade of rapidly changing scholarship, the Online Guide features 48 new entries and subentries. Compiled by 275 specialists from around the world, the Online Guide presents a comprehensive historical survey of the field's most important figures, schools, and movements. It includes more than 240 alphabetically arranged entries on critics and theorists, critical schools and movements, and the critical and theoretical innovations of specific countries and historical periods.

For off-campus access, please login via VPN first (http://vpn.umbc.edu), and follow the link to the UMBC Library Homepage. Then follow the link under "News & Events" on the library homepage. For more info on remote access, see http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/services/remoteaccess.php.

Please let us know what you think. Send your comments to Janet Hack at jhack@umbc.edu.

Jordan as a child with his father, Ken.

Expectant father, UMBC alumnus and UMBC development office Jordan Hadfield ’07, ’08, shares memories of his father, Ken Hadfield, Jr., in an essay in the Dundalk Patch.

While a student at UMBC, Jordan served as president of the Student Government Association, and also was a founding member of the a cappella group The Mama’s Boys.

Read the full story here.

1 Peter 1:13-21 (NIV)

¹³ Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. ¹⁵ But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶ for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

¹⁷ Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. ¹⁸ For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. ²⁰ He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. ²¹ Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

Reflection:

Having experienced this wonderful blessing of salvation, the Apostle Peter encourages us with this challenge- the promises of God and the hope that we now possess should motivate us to live a life that is holy.  It is in this same hope we are to live with eager anticipation of Christ’s return.  What does a life motivated by this hope look like?  Well, in this passage Peter provides us with some insight:

-Preparing our minds to be ready for action at God’s prompting

-Disciplined and self-controlled lives that are not easily enticed away by the temptations of this world

-Holding on to a true hope with a confident expectation of what God has promised in light of Christ’s return.

-Living holy lives that are totally devoted and dedicated to God, set apart to be used by Him.

Yes, we are called to live extraordinary lives, reflecting this salvation and hope, which was graciously given to each one of us!

Responding to the Transmission:

Living holy lives, separated out for the Lord’s service, can be difficult in today’s world.  It’s especially tough trying to live this out with our own strength, but because of the Spirit of God in each one of us this is now possible.  Read over and pray through this passage asking for the Spirit’s empowering to live this out.

Courtesy of Eddie Malluk/ WireImage

‘Jackass’ star dies in fatal car crash.

Supreme Court decides there’s too many women at Walmart.

Academics rank the best supercomputers in the world.

And finally, here’s something guaranteed to cheer up your day.