Wesley Journal January 2019: Encouragement



For some of us, the beginning of a new semester is a familiar routine. We register for the classes we want to or have to have, we struggle to remember where exactly the booklists are posted, we wait for the syllabi to be uploaded to blackboard, and then we pull out battered calendars and dig out highlighters that have been derelict for months to write down assignments and deadlines. Or, maybe we find ourselves getting that first email from that one on-top-of-things professor that begins, "In preparation for our class tonight..." and realize that we do, in fact, have class tonight. Still, regardless of how we start the semester, we make it to the end all the same. 

But for some of us, the new semester really is new. If this is your first week on campus, welcome! The Course Reserves shelf is behind the front desk in the library and has many of the books you've been assigned, in case you leave yours at home or want to save some money. Also, the gummies in the vending machine tend to get stuck, so keep an eye out for that. But, as our cover reminds us, we are thinkers, each one of us, and that will carry all of us through this time. 

To begin the new semester, we've asked for contributions from leaders of student organizations to help encourage you, whether new or seasoned, and give you a sense of where you can find community here at Wesley. Check out the calendar of events in the Journal and keep an eye on weekly emails to see what all there is to do. Here's to a semester where we study and work and live together, supported through the challenges that are sure to come by those journeying with us. 

Inside this issue:

You can view the full PDF of the Journal here.

I have found this prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas helpful in my own devotions over these three years of seminary and so I'd like to share it with you as we begin again the task of learning and growing. May we all be given the strength we need, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, to take on this semester together.

Jo Schonewolf
Editor, Wesley Journal
January 24, 2019


A Prayer of Saint Thomas Aquinas
Give us, O Lord,
steadfast hearts, which no unworthy thought
can drag downward,
unconquered hearts, which no tribulation can
wear out,
upright hearts, which no unworthy purpose
may tempt aside.
Bestow upon us also, O Lord our God,
understanding to know you, diligence to seek
you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness
that may finally embrace you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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