Listening for God’s Calling

The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” (Judges 6:11)

I remember in my undergraduate days being quite interested in what it meant to have a “calling.” My friends and I would often discuss it, and we had different opinions of what Scripture had to say about this idea of being “called by God” to do something. For some, our calling was largely summed up in how Scripture refers to our adoption into God’s family through Christ’s redemptive work, such as, “those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified” (Rom. 8:30). As Christians, our life is based on Scripture; we refer to it as “God’s word” and we can trust it for our daily living and calling. There’s also the experiential component, where in such and such a place, God confirmed to me through others, and/or through circumstances, that He was calling me to serve Him in some unique way.

In the case of Gideon, there was both an audible calling via the angel of the Lord, and an experiential calling signified by putting out “fleece” as a confirmation that he was hearing from God. When God calls us to do something, we know that it will conform to his character as manifested in the Bible. We also know that God is alive and active today and he uses people and things around us to get our attention and to speak to us even if it means passing through our own cognitive filters. The key for us, as it was for Gideon, is to dispose ourselves each and every day to live out our faith according to Scripture, which includes an active and vibrant life listening to God and awaiting his call.

Paz,

Scott

AL5398 with the President

Dr. Scott Berthiaume will be teaching AL5398 Current Issues in Translation this fall. This seminar exposes the student to some of the most current and critical themes relevant to Bible Translation including Orality, Scripture Engagement, Consulting, Key Terms and Biblical Exegesis, and Translation Theory. The student will learn to contextualize and critique such issues through personal interaction and interviews with experienced translators. Registration and attendance to the Bible Translation Conference 2023 is required as part of this course. Conference fee is waived.

DIU Awarded $100,000 Grant for 4theWorld-Innovation Project

The grant is awarded by Hillcrest Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee, and provides 40% of the $250,000 needed to improve and update DIU’s technological infrastructure by 2025. DIU initiated the 4TheWorld-Innovation Project this year and seeks the remaining $150,000 needed by November 2023. Equipment installation and staff training will be completed by July 2024, in time to launch our 2024-2025 academic year fully prepared for globally-focused and innovative distance education.