Webinar Recording
Vocation in Film
Did you beat the heat watching one of the summer’s Blockbusters? Check out the recording of our recent webinar on Vocation in Film – Finding Meaning at the Movies. This webinar discussed the vocational elements in four current films: Oppenheimer, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Barbie, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. Film, like other methods of storytelling, reflects the human desire to find meaning and purpose in the world. Integrating popular culture into the classroom engages students in creative ways. Guests included Brian Bowman (Campell University), Martin Dotterweich (King University), Marie Drews (Luther College), and Antonios Finitsis (Pacific Lutheran University), and was hosted by Rachel Pickett, NetVUE webinar coordinator.
Having just hit the milestone of 7,500 downloads, the NetVUE podcast Callings is poised to kick off the fourth season! We are excited to share the fall lineup, which will include theologian Norman Wirzba from Duke Divinity School, climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, educational philosopher Parker Palmer, and Shirley Hoogstra, who is the president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.
Risks, Pivots, and Deep Courage | Shirley Hoogstra
Published January 17, 2024
Shirley Hoogstra has been an elementary school teacher, a litigator, a vice president for student life at Calvin University and, since 2014, the president of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU). In this conversation, she discusses vocational pivots, risk taking, effective leadership, the meaning of Christian higher education, and her passion for marginalized and underrepresented populations. She also emphasizes the deep courage and grace that beckon us in our callings and that are desperately needed in today’s world.
Crisis, Hope, and Action | Katharine Hayhoe
Published December 14, 2023
Katharine Hayhoe’s influence on conversations about climate change is known to many through her vibrant and engaging social media presence. As a distinguished professor at Texas Tech University and the author of the recently published Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World, she uses her platform to educate and to inform. Katharine speaks openly as a deeply committed Christian about how she is called to be a scientist, using her work to shed light on the ways climate change affects the most vulnerable. Even in the face of crisis, she invites everyone to see that hope is not the same as optimism or wishful thinking; it is a practice that can encourage individuals to act and address pressing issues, including this one. She suggests that we are being called to care for each other and our world.
Shadow and Light | Parker Palmer
Published November 30, 2023
Well before vocation and calling developed their current popularity, Parker Palmer was recognized as one of the foremost scholars, authors, and speakers on the topic. In this conversation, he shares profound and honest answers about paying attention to our mistakes—along with our achievements—when describing our callings. Parker’s commitment to the value of listening, to reflection in community, and to resisting easy answers emerges with humor and grace. His insights about what it means to be human offer listeners ways to think about life deeply and holistically. This conversation with the writer of Let Your Life Speak (and many other books on vocation and calling) emphasizes the importance of acknowledging both the shadow and light as we affirm our connectedness to each other. In his words, “we are all walking each other home.”
Agents of Repair | Norman Wirzba
Published October 30, 2023
Norman Wirzba’s research, writing, and teaching explore the overlap between theology and ecology, working to address major environmental issues such as climate crisis and food insecurity. In this conversation, we discuss aspects of agrarian living, freedom and fidelity, and the importance of kinesthetic learning. His emphasis on our relationship to the land as a relationship with others—as an expression of love—reminds us of the communal callings in every aspect of our lives. Vocation is a reflection of our rootedness in place and commitment to others, calling us to be agents of repair in the world.
The fall season of NetVUE’s blog, Vocation Matters, is underway!
The slate of new bloggers includes Kerry Hasler-Brooks, associate professor of English and chair of the department of language, literature and writing at Messiah University, whose first post is titled, “Seeking the Irrelevant.”
Justin Klassen, associate professor of theology and religious studies at Bellarmine University has also contributed a first post, “Learning and Living through Awe.”
Later in the fall we will see posts by Martin Dotterweich, professor of history and director of the King Institute for Faith and Culture at King University, Kim Garza, professor of design and director of user experience design at St. Edwards University, and M. Hakes, adjunct voice instructor at The College of St. Scholastica and academic advisor at the University of Minnesota – Duluth.
Additionally, our very own editor of the blog, Stephanie L. Johnson, has made two recent posts, “Article of Note: The Good Life,” and “Called to Endings,” the latter of which explores the important role endings play in the reflection on meaning and purpose, even when starting something new, like a college education.
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