Why would a loving God let something like this happen?

Luke 4:1-13 (NIV)

1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

5The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

8Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

9The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you

to guard you carefully;

11they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

12Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

13When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Reflection

We are attracted to products backed by a 100% lifetime warranty. There is no risk because even if it breaks we can get our money back. But that’s just it, it can still fail and we are planning for contingencies. What we have in this passage is a 100% flawless guarantee.

What we see is a testament of Jesus’ commitment to be totally dependent on God for and in all things. This testament is our 100% flawless guarantee, it is our hope and promise that we too can also live dependent on God and find our lives sustained and blessed by Him.

Responding to the Transmission

Wilderness experiences are no longer simply battles with temptation, but they are encounters with the One who sustains and strengthens our lives for God’s even more awesome glory. Let’s pray that we would have this dependence on God. Let’s confidently bring the areas of our lives that need to know afresh his sustaining and strengthening power.

We are proud to announce that UMBC will be hosting introductory workshops on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, as well as LGBTQ Safe Zone Ally Development Training, throughout the Spring 2012 semester. Our aim is to help students, faculty and staff promote a more welcoming atmosphere for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning members of the UMBC community.

The first session is a Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Introductory Workshop. It will cover basic ideas and terminology related to LGBTQ issues and is intended for those with a very general understanding of what it means to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning. This session is for beginners.  The first Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity workshop will be taking place on Thursday,February 23rd, 2012 from 2:30pm - 4pm.

The second session is Safe Zone Ally Development Training.  It will prepare participants to join UMBC’s formal network of Safe Zone advocates, if they wish. Advocates are community members who agree to be publicly identified as being dedicated to making UMBC safer for students, faculty and staff of all sexual orientations and gender identities. One does not need to be a member of the LGBTQ community to become an advocate; all it takes is a genuine wish to be involved in helping students, faculty and staff feel safe and encouraged to be themselves as much as possible.

Since Safe Zone Ally Development Training does presume some level of knowledge and familiarity with LGBTQ ideas and terminology, Session II participants are expected to have a basic understanding of sexual orientation and gender identity through previous training (for example, the Session I Introductory Workshop), personal background or past experiences. 

A flyer with full descriptions for each workshop has been attached to this news story.  All community-wide workshops will take place in the OSL Mosaic Center, Commons 2B23 (unless otherwise noted).  RSVPs via email (mosaic@umbc.edu) are strongly encouraged.

Please be sure to use the correct email address for submitting protocol applications for review. That way, we at ORPC can respond to your requests in a timely manner and forward your application to the appropriate compliance committee.

Send all IRB applications and requests to irbsubmissions@umbc.edu. Protocol submission information may be found at: http://www.umbc.edu/research/ORPC/irb_forms.html.

Send all IACUC applications and requests to iacucsubmissions@umbc.edu. Protocol submission information may be found at: http://www.umbc.edu/research/ORPC/iacuc_forms.html.

Jessica Berman, Associate Professor and Chair of English, has just published a book, Modernist Commitments: Ethics, Politics and Transnational Modernism. In the book Berman explores how modernist narrative connects ethical attitudes and responsibilities to the active creation of political relationships and the way we imagine justice. She challenges divisions between “modernist” and “committed” writing, arguing that a continuum of political engagement undergirds modernisms worldwide and that it is strengthened rather than hindered by formal experimentation. The book also makes the case for an expanded, transnational model of literary modernism.

Modernist Commitments is part of the Modernist Latitudes book series from Columbia University Press, which Berman coedits with Paul Saint-Amour. For more information, visit http://cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-231-14950-1/modernist-commitments.

V-DAY is coming and we need volunteers who'd be interested in reading excerpts of "The Vagina Monologues"!

Please join us in a special Valentine's Day coffeehouse where we'll be doing a community reading of Vagina Monolgues excerpts. Feel free to stop by and join us in some fellowship, conscious raising, and conversation!

V-Day Coffee House: Community Reading of Vagina Monologes

When: Wed, February 15, 12pm – 1pm
Where: Women's Center Lounge (Commons 004)

For more information, contact Jess at jessm@umbc.edu

The PROMISE Staff has arranged for alumni of the Dissertation House (students who have participated in at least one Dissertation House week with Dr. Carter-Veale) to continue working on their dissertations during the weekend. You have the “DH” Room — the regular meeting spot on UMBC’s campus. You know the drill. Write your goals, blog in!

Sat. Feb. 4, 8:30 AM – 8:00 PM
Sun. Feb. 5, 12 noon – 8:00 PM
Sat. Feb. 11, 8:30 AM – 8:00 PM
Sun. Feb. 12, 12 noon – 8:00 PM

Are you coming? Let us know on the “Winter Challenge 2012″ site.  Limit 15.