Daily Journal

Daily Journal

Day 1: Baptized Into a Whole New Life

published on Wednesday, June 20, 2012 by ag227@duke.edu

Theme: Introduction to Baptismal Theology and Life
Faculty Speaker:  Dr. Fred Edie, Associate Professor of the Practice of Christian Education
Lectionary Texts:  Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Psalm 119:1-8, 33-48, 129-144; Romans 6:3-11; John 6:26-36

Reflections on the Lecture

Dr. Fred Edie set the stage for DYA by beginning his lecture with things we can expect for the next two weeks.  Not only will we become well-versed in the language of God’s story, but we will also learn the language of theology, which reveals important things about who God is and who we are in relation to God.  With this understanding, Dr. Edie talked about baptism, telling us how the waters of baptism initiate us into the Church, making God’s story our story.  Baptism is an active remembering of God’s great works, even as it re-members us as new creations into the body of Christ!

Quotes

“You are theologians whether you know it or not.  You may not have that on your Facebook page.  Maybe you should put it there.” – Rev. Dr. Fred Edie during plenary

“Anamnetic re-presentation in baptismal action that mediates God’s saving work with present force” – Rev. Dr. Jeff Conklin-Miller during plenary

“Preachers are artists as well.  Pastors don’t get to write the gospel, but be written by it.” – Matthew Martin Nickoloff during Arts Village Showcase

“Where’s the coffee?  It’s all about the Caffeine for Christ!” – Blaze Blaze, a character in a skit during Worship Workshop

Other Activities

Talk about a jam-packed day!  Before plenary lecture with Dr. Edie, we gathered as a DYA community in Duke Chapel for Morning Prayer.  Following plenary, we met with Rev. Julian Pridgen for Worship Workshop, where we discussed the nuts and bolts of what Christian worship entails, and why we as Christians worship in the first place.  In the afternoon, we experienced the artistic talents of the DYA Arts Village, hearing a musician, potter, dancer, and story-teller explain how they see their artistic abilities as gifts from a Creator (and Creative!) God.   In worship tonight we had Rev. Andrew Thompson deliver a sermon about the power of baptism, reminding us that in baptism we die to this world’s way of identifying us, so that we might live into our new identity as sons and daughters of God.  After so many activities, it was good to close the day with our mentor groups so we could discuss the many connections between today’s activities!

 

Submitted by Bobby Rackley, Mentor

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Welcome to the 2012 DYA Blog Journal!!

published on Wednesday, June 6, 2012 by ag227@duke.edu

The Duke Youth Academy for Christian Formation will begin it's 11th year on June 17, 2012. We are expecting 44 students from all over the country who are excited about their walk with the Lord.

Please join us daily, beginning Monday June 18th. We will be discussing our sessions, worship experiences, & service projects.

We solicit your prayers as we finalize logistics and prepare our minds, hearts, and spirits to be humbled by the presence of God throughout DYA.

In Christ,

Ashley

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Day 12 - And Now, The End (Reign of God)

published on Tuesday, July 5, 2011 by jlp34@duke.edu

Theme

Coming Reign of God

Faculty Speaker

Dr. J. Kameron Carter, Associate Professor of Theology and Black Church Studies

Lectionary Texts

Ezekiel 47:6-12; Psalm 147; Revelation 22:1-5, 20-21; Mark 13:32-37

Quotes from the Last 24 Hours

“The Kingdom of God ripped from the context of prayer and discipleship becomes a space of control and domination, and shuts down identity.” - Dr. Carter during plenary

“Will you live into the story of being a child of God or into distorted stories - the ones that crush you?” - Dr. Carter during plenary

Reflections on the Lecture

Dr. Carter’s lecture aimed to demystify the subject of “The Reign of God” by putting it into the contexts of the Lord’s Prayer and current examples of how we understand Christian identity. We who pray “Thy Kingdom come” are revolting against the worldly powers that are in opposition to Jesus Christ, and asking that God’s Kingdom become a powerful reality among us. Dr. Carter challenged listeners to think about the reign of God as inextricably bound to a life of prayer and discipleship. He asserted that removing it from these contexts only results in a perversion and misapplication of the reign of God in which people attempt to become masters of their own and others’ destinies. Unless those who follow Christ realize that being children of God changes their identities, then we will allow the powerful pressures of this world to conform us. When our identities are determined by societal standards of power, beauty, success and economics, then we bear witness to the corrupted kingdom of worldly powers and not to God’s Kingdom. Dr. Carter showed a video clip from "The Matrix" in which Neo chooses to accept the truth, requiring him to sever allegiances with the old world and its systems in order to embrace the new. In watching the clip, we realized how the movie illustrates the power and responsibilities that come with a commitment like Christian baptism.

Other activities

The liveliness and familiarity of morning prayer, the crowded bookstore, the hubbub of packing and other logistical duties, and our general conversation signal the end is near. Today is a joyful day with tearful sharing and heartfelt reflection. Our DYA director, the Rev. Jeff Conklin-Miller, is the preacher for evening worship. Through proclaiming the “Coming Reign of God,” Jeff will call attention to the work that God has been doing in our lives during these two weeks (and before we even arrived) and urge us to bear witness to God’s reign by the power of God’s Spirit in whatever ways God will call us.

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