Week of Spiritual Emphasis – Q&A with Marjukka Ostrovljanovic
Q&A with WOSE speaker Marjukka Ostrovljanovic
Theology Alumna Marjukka Ostrovljanovic will be taking centre stage delivering a series of talks as part of our Week of Spiritual Emphasis (WOSE) taking place from the 22 – 29 February 2020.
Whilst studying Theology, Marjukka found a deep love for the Biblical Hebrew language and the Old Testament Narratives. Studying and translating the Old Testament in Hebrew quickly became Marjukka’s way of learning more about God and His will. Taking her passion a step further, it is this subject that inspires her Vlog “The Treasure Hunt“.
Marjukka currently serves as a Pastor in Bavaria, South Germany.
We chat to Marjukka about what you can expect from our spring semester WOSE:
For new attendees of the Week of Spiritual Emphasis, what may they experience?
The WOSE is a chance to sit down each evening of the week and get a step closer to God. Sometimes just reading our Bibles alone is just what we need – but often it helps to do it together and discover something new about God and one’s relationship with him. I hope that this WOSE will be able to give you a boost into reading the awesome and interesting Bible stories that give us insights into who God actually is.
The theme of this semester’s Week of Spiritual Emphasis focuses on God and his character – a nice contrast to our last WOSE that focused on how we related to figures in the bible. Can you share the inspiration behind the concept of your upcoming presentations?
I have always been on a journey of finding out who God is. For me that’s one of the most fundamental questions of life. We speak so much about him and have so many theories about what we think he wants from us – but what is he really like? I’m on a quest of getting to really know God through what he himself and others have said about him in the Bible. This question is the reason why I went to study theology in the first place!
Why is this topic so important to you?
I think everything in our spiritual life is connected to our image of God. It is the basis of what we believe. Our whole theology that all of us develop is built upon that image. We make choices out of that perception of what God is like. It moves us. It is crucial to be on the right track there!
Is there a particular talk that you are especially looking forward to delivering?
Well, all of them, of course. But if I have to pick one – then I would say the short message at the HUB on Wednesday is personally very close to my heart because it has emerged from an experience of a closed end and lots of frustration.. but having said that, so have all the others as well!
What is the one thing you would like attendees to take away with them by the end of the Week of Spiritual Emphasis?
I would like the attendees to get inspired to go on their own journey in finding out who God is! I hope that the week can function as an inspiration to get to know God better.