Let me preface the following quote by saying first that I do feel some caution in providing a higlighted version of the quote, but it is only because I want you all to read it all the way through... and I acknowledge that many of you would stop if I posted the whole thing. Secondly, might I just say that this is probably one of the best statements ever made in the history of mankind. Please, take a minute to recall any history of the United States you might remember, and thing of the gravity of what these people were doing. The history of this statement alone should suffice for it being such a great work, but beyond even that, I hope that you do see the inherent eliquence and beauty in every sentence. Okay, enough of my words, here it is:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.....But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Humanities
By definition, a course in Humanities is the process by which we become more humane. Here at Grove City College, we are required to take 6 classes in the Humanities... apparently to the great objection of the majority of students. I am not sure if students object to the Humanities because they are required or if it is because people dont actually care what the class has to offer... but non-the-less, I love the class. Here is why:
On the second day of class our professor made the announcement that his class would in no way help us make more money in life. The soul purpose of this class is to culture us and to give us the oppertunity to be better humans. Sure, it might seem like a waist of time to most, but quite frankly- that is part of the reason I am here: to become a better person. I think most people would agree that for the most part, what you learn in college (academically) is not directly utilized in your profession. Instead, most of the knowledge is learned by "on the job training". What does matter in college, however, is the person you become in those 4 or so years. Quite frankly, it is the primary reason I am in college. With my knowledge of computers, I could have easily entered the job-market doing computer repair, or web-site design... but as I have posted earlier, I knew I need to advance as a better person first. And that is what humanities is all about- culturing us, and broadening our perspective so that we go into the world with our eyes wide open, but also secure in our faith (not out of ignorance, but because it is what we know is true).
There is a saying here at GCC that goes something like: "Grove City College, where your best hasn't been good enough since 1876." In these last two weeks, I have come to understand what people mean by that. There is a crazy amount of work to do here. Granted, it might be because of my major being one that requires alot of reading, but still... it is very hard here. Since I have been here, I have quite literally read over 4 hours a day and I am still behind. But the irony in all of this is that the professors really arent asking more of me than is possible. There have been moments when I have goofed around, did nothing but look at facebook... and those moments have cost me time. Now, dont get me wrong, I do have a social life here- I was just refrencing the "idle time" that I somehow stumble upon throughout the day.
In many ways, the work required of me here at Grove is similar to the work God has for all of our lives. They have given me more than my current self can do alone, but still, deep inside of me- I know that it is possible to finish everything, and to do it well. In life, I believe God works the same way. It seems to me that when God moves, he often thrusts us into situations where our current self is inadequate, and only by the leading of the Spirit of God, as it educates and guides us, can we finish the task at hand.
So as for me, I love the crazy amount of work. It is a healthy challenge. How else would I improve as a person. If I am tested to my current ability, then why would I have to rise up/ improve as a person. This saying goes for about any sport out there. When you are training or playing a sport, your skill will often reflect the quality of players around you. Now, there are exceptions to this rule, but for the most part, we all need some iron to sharpen ourselves againts from time to time. For me, this is the place to be sharpened.
One of my favorite sayings from highschool was: "The victor is defined by the size of his opponent."... and really, that is so true in life. Had David not defeated a goliath, there would be no great story to tell. But in every instance, God called David to rise above his previous abilities to reflect the glory of God.
So, word of the day- If you want to know what the calling of God is on your life, look for something you can't do on your own, because only then can the glory of God be shown.
-Z
On the second day of class our professor made the announcement that his class would in no way help us make more money in life. The soul purpose of this class is to culture us and to give us the oppertunity to be better humans. Sure, it might seem like a waist of time to most, but quite frankly- that is part of the reason I am here: to become a better person. I think most people would agree that for the most part, what you learn in college (academically) is not directly utilized in your profession. Instead, most of the knowledge is learned by "on the job training". What does matter in college, however, is the person you become in those 4 or so years. Quite frankly, it is the primary reason I am in college. With my knowledge of computers, I could have easily entered the job-market doing computer repair, or web-site design... but as I have posted earlier, I knew I need to advance as a better person first. And that is what humanities is all about- culturing us, and broadening our perspective so that we go into the world with our eyes wide open, but also secure in our faith (not out of ignorance, but because it is what we know is true).
There is a saying here at GCC that goes something like: "Grove City College, where your best hasn't been good enough since 1876." In these last two weeks, I have come to understand what people mean by that. There is a crazy amount of work to do here. Granted, it might be because of my major being one that requires alot of reading, but still... it is very hard here. Since I have been here, I have quite literally read over 4 hours a day and I am still behind. But the irony in all of this is that the professors really arent asking more of me than is possible. There have been moments when I have goofed around, did nothing but look at facebook... and those moments have cost me time. Now, dont get me wrong, I do have a social life here- I was just refrencing the "idle time" that I somehow stumble upon throughout the day.
In many ways, the work required of me here at Grove is similar to the work God has for all of our lives. They have given me more than my current self can do alone, but still, deep inside of me- I know that it is possible to finish everything, and to do it well. In life, I believe God works the same way. It seems to me that when God moves, he often thrusts us into situations where our current self is inadequate, and only by the leading of the Spirit of God, as it educates and guides us, can we finish the task at hand.
So as for me, I love the crazy amount of work. It is a healthy challenge. How else would I improve as a person. If I am tested to my current ability, then why would I have to rise up/ improve as a person. This saying goes for about any sport out there. When you are training or playing a sport, your skill will often reflect the quality of players around you. Now, there are exceptions to this rule, but for the most part, we all need some iron to sharpen ourselves againts from time to time. For me, this is the place to be sharpened.
One of my favorite sayings from highschool was: "The victor is defined by the size of his opponent."... and really, that is so true in life. Had David not defeated a goliath, there would be no great story to tell. But in every instance, God called David to rise above his previous abilities to reflect the glory of God.
So, word of the day- If you want to know what the calling of God is on your life, look for something you can't do on your own, because only then can the glory of God be shown.
-Z
Monday, January 29, 2007
Challenge
1 Cor 9: "Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified"
Most of the people in my life tell me that I am way too hard on myself. Understandably, I can see what they are talking about, but I still hold to my desire to better myself. It would take way too much time to discribe all of the specifics, so for this posts I will have to stick to the vaguities. I believe it is important for people to do two things. First, they must decided on what type of person they were meant to be, or construct some general image of their own personality that is better than their current position, that they personally feel would allow the will of God to flow through their lives the easiest. Secondly, I think they must then take the appropriate steps to pull their-self up to that position in life.
I am not trying to create an endless cycle of betterment here, but I do think there is something to be said about really going after the dreams you believe should be a reality in your own life. This doesnt just apply to your personality/ way of looking at the world, it can apply to all of your life, but for the purpose of this post, I am going to directly apply it to who you are as a person.
A few years ago I decided that deep beneath the crap in my life existed a genuinly good person who wanted to help the people around him. However, between that good person and the rest of the world was a lot of crap/pain/etc. that would first have to be moved/ purged... and so I have been pushing myself constantly since then. I have restrained from getting into another relationship (though my heart desires it), I have moved out of my comfort zone in Tulsa (though my security desired it), and I am writing on this random blog. (even though I believe my words wont help anyone else out there).
There are several "easy ways out" in my life... Back in Tulsa, I had a guarunteed success, and a good life that would have been just swell... but at some point I started to believe that there was something more out there for me. So, I have been pushing and pushing my mind, body, and spirit "so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified"
I have a lot of struggles in my life. Specifically, I have a strong longing in my heart, my mind, and my body to be in a relationship. I miss the companionship and the intimacy (dont take that word the wrong way... I'm refrencing closeness, not physical intimacy). But, at some point I came to the decision that having a girl in my life was inhibiting my relationship with God... at the time, I was getting my security and my comfort from the relationship instead of from God. Now, I understand the idea of a complimentary role of the relationship instead of always relying on it.... and so I am here. For the most part, I am forcing myself to stay single until the "right girl" (whatever that means) comes along. Sure... that seams whimsical, but I am done just having a girlfriend to have a girlfriend. I dont have a strong enough desire to "just have someone in my life"... for it to be worth all the emotional trauma if they arent the right one. Im not saying it will be love at first sight, and I might date a few girls between her and now... but I think it is time to take relationships a lot more seriously. I no longer believe I should date someone who I do not think I would marry. Humerously enough, I once believe this... back in Sophomore year of highschool... but somewhere in there I decided to date people I knew I would never marry.. but alas, here I am again. I think that I need to find girl friends, so that I can learn to "just be friends". And in the event of me actually thinking a future is possible with someone... then and only then will I begin the whole dating thing.
You know, I once wanted to be a writer... but Im not sure now- I have a crazy hard time communicating things. Granted, I am writing these posts in a hurry.. but still, you would think I would be better at this, lol.
Most of the people in my life tell me that I am way too hard on myself. Understandably, I can see what they are talking about, but I still hold to my desire to better myself. It would take way too much time to discribe all of the specifics, so for this posts I will have to stick to the vaguities. I believe it is important for people to do two things. First, they must decided on what type of person they were meant to be, or construct some general image of their own personality that is better than their current position, that they personally feel would allow the will of God to flow through their lives the easiest. Secondly, I think they must then take the appropriate steps to pull their-self up to that position in life.
I am not trying to create an endless cycle of betterment here, but I do think there is something to be said about really going after the dreams you believe should be a reality in your own life. This doesnt just apply to your personality/ way of looking at the world, it can apply to all of your life, but for the purpose of this post, I am going to directly apply it to who you are as a person.
A few years ago I decided that deep beneath the crap in my life existed a genuinly good person who wanted to help the people around him. However, between that good person and the rest of the world was a lot of crap/pain/etc. that would first have to be moved/ purged... and so I have been pushing myself constantly since then. I have restrained from getting into another relationship (though my heart desires it), I have moved out of my comfort zone in Tulsa (though my security desired it), and I am writing on this random blog. (even though I believe my words wont help anyone else out there).
There are several "easy ways out" in my life... Back in Tulsa, I had a guarunteed success, and a good life that would have been just swell... but at some point I started to believe that there was something more out there for me. So, I have been pushing and pushing my mind, body, and spirit "so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified"
I have a lot of struggles in my life. Specifically, I have a strong longing in my heart, my mind, and my body to be in a relationship. I miss the companionship and the intimacy (dont take that word the wrong way... I'm refrencing closeness, not physical intimacy). But, at some point I came to the decision that having a girl in my life was inhibiting my relationship with God... at the time, I was getting my security and my comfort from the relationship instead of from God. Now, I understand the idea of a complimentary role of the relationship instead of always relying on it.... and so I am here. For the most part, I am forcing myself to stay single until the "right girl" (whatever that means) comes along. Sure... that seams whimsical, but I am done just having a girlfriend to have a girlfriend. I dont have a strong enough desire to "just have someone in my life"... for it to be worth all the emotional trauma if they arent the right one. Im not saying it will be love at first sight, and I might date a few girls between her and now... but I think it is time to take relationships a lot more seriously. I no longer believe I should date someone who I do not think I would marry. Humerously enough, I once believe this... back in Sophomore year of highschool... but somewhere in there I decided to date people I knew I would never marry.. but alas, here I am again. I think that I need to find girl friends, so that I can learn to "just be friends". And in the event of me actually thinking a future is possible with someone... then and only then will I begin the whole dating thing.
You know, I once wanted to be a writer... but Im not sure now- I have a crazy hard time communicating things. Granted, I am writing these posts in a hurry.. but still, you would think I would be better at this, lol.
Friday, January 26, 2007
A (hopefully) Short Addendum
Okay, so here are the two major topics (briefly discribed) that are rocking my mind right now....
First, I have been fighting the concept of giving God controll of my life for a long time now. Sometime in the summer, I decided that I needed to give God absolute controll of my life, and since then I have been on the journey to do just that. First, it was the little things... computers, games, all the misc. things that took up my free time. I decided that several things were wasting my time and keeping me from pursuing God. The next step was not so easy. Admits a relationship that was getting all sorts of complicated, I realized that females just weren't something I should be partaking of right now. I think I went around 4 years without being out of a relationship of some sort for over a two weeks. I had essentially zero down time. That created in me a dependance on having a girl in my life. They became my comfort, my refuge, and my security- all things that God was suppose to be. So, that was terminated. Then, it came time to give God controll of my future. I was an engineer for a while, with a guarunteed future... but I gave that up in search of God. However, then I declared another major (History and PoliSci) that still had hopes of getting me a job. Once again, I felt secure in life.. but it wasnt through God. In addition to that, Tulsa was comfortable for me. I knew I was safe there, and I knew I could "make it" if I stayed there. That kept me from God. And so I am here... for a challenge, and so I can find all those things in God and not from things in life. (okay, as you can tell, this is going to be a long addendum, sorry :-) ) So, now I am at Pennsylvania wondering what the heck is going on. I keep trying to get girls out of my mind. I do not want to be dependent on a relationship. I want it to be a beautiful addition to my life that exists with in company with the peace of God... and quite simply- I am SICK AND TIRED of all the confusion that girls bring to my life. I think life should be way more simple than it has been in the history of my relations with the opposite sex. Anywho, this leads me to my next point.
Today, I got to the point where I was like "Why am I here?". I believe God can give me what I need when I need it. I believe you dont have to know the whole bible for the spirit of God to flow through you. I do not believe the path to success in my life is attaniable my my own study, outside of God. I do not want "studying God" to become an intellectual thing to me. I very much want to keep the deep, intimate, spiritual relationship I have with my heavenly father. Also, I do not want any more reasons to doubt the capacity of God. I refuse to try and quanitfy God... or ever feel like I "know" what he can and cant do.... Which leads me to Jesus.
For so long I have been talking to God trying to figure out what I was suppose to "do".. who I was suppose to date, what I was suppose to study, where I was suppose to go. It is very easy for me to lecture others about how we have the gift of choice, so we should use it based on our spirit, and do not neccesarily need an audible voice to tell us everything. I know that God moves beyond words, and can touch us through our spirit... but why was I not allowing the same thing to happen in my life....
Then I was reminded by the spirit what I was doing. I was seeking/ talking to God- and not speaking to Jesus. I have not ever really done that. I have always directly addressed God, and avoided Jesus. But I dont think we are suppose to do that. Jesus said He was to be the intersessor for us and the father... so why wasn't I just obeying him? Because I was stupid, that was why. Then the comparison hit me. I was trying to follow a very old covenent way of doing things. I was looking for works to find God... when Jesus is very much a different way.
When I was having this very angry and confused conversation with God... I was pacing my room, seemingly arguing with myself and God. Then I was reminded of the way Jesus worked. He told me to lay down... and that was how I was suppose to feel with Him. As I lay there on my comforter, stretched out across my bed, I felt the embrace of warmth and comfort. I felt Jesus tell me, "you worry too much"... "I will take care of you".... then all the sermons about "just as he takes care of the flowers of the field and sparrow, so will he take care of you" as well as the many speaches I have given others about how it is God who does the heavy lifting, not us. It was then that I was forced to admitt my own ignorance, and submitt to God.... through the love and comfort that Jesus brings. What I was doing was not the new covenent... it was very old covenent. I was seeking works, when all Jesus wants for us to do is to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to follow the desires of our heart, to have a relationship with Him. We do not have to have everything in controll, we do not have to understand everything. We are just suppose to obey. I think that is what it comes down to. Obedience. I did not trust God enough to obey. I need to work on that.
So then I asked, "Why am I here, studying the word?"... and the answer I felt was that my studies was to teach me to seek God, to focus on Him and not myself, and most importantly, to have the scripture deep in me, so if I stumble again, I will have the word to push me forward.
I believe there are many parts to God, and that each one serves a purpose. I am not sure why I am here, but I know God has things in controll. I want a girl to laugh with and to love, but if now isnt the time, then so be it. For now, I will consume my mind and heart with the pursuit of God and try for once to let God be in controll.... We'll see how this goes. ;-) In all reality, I have like 3-4 hours of reading on "Jesus stuff" to do every day, so that should help. But, you know how my self controll is... haha.
-May your days be better than mine, and may you find God in every movement of your life.
First, I have been fighting the concept of giving God controll of my life for a long time now. Sometime in the summer, I decided that I needed to give God absolute controll of my life, and since then I have been on the journey to do just that. First, it was the little things... computers, games, all the misc. things that took up my free time. I decided that several things were wasting my time and keeping me from pursuing God. The next step was not so easy. Admits a relationship that was getting all sorts of complicated, I realized that females just weren't something I should be partaking of right now. I think I went around 4 years without being out of a relationship of some sort for over a two weeks. I had essentially zero down time. That created in me a dependance on having a girl in my life. They became my comfort, my refuge, and my security- all things that God was suppose to be. So, that was terminated. Then, it came time to give God controll of my future. I was an engineer for a while, with a guarunteed future... but I gave that up in search of God. However, then I declared another major (History and PoliSci) that still had hopes of getting me a job. Once again, I felt secure in life.. but it wasnt through God. In addition to that, Tulsa was comfortable for me. I knew I was safe there, and I knew I could "make it" if I stayed there. That kept me from God. And so I am here... for a challenge, and so I can find all those things in God and not from things in life. (okay, as you can tell, this is going to be a long addendum, sorry :-) ) So, now I am at Pennsylvania wondering what the heck is going on. I keep trying to get girls out of my mind. I do not want to be dependent on a relationship. I want it to be a beautiful addition to my life that exists with in company with the peace of God... and quite simply- I am SICK AND TIRED of all the confusion that girls bring to my life. I think life should be way more simple than it has been in the history of my relations with the opposite sex. Anywho, this leads me to my next point.
Today, I got to the point where I was like "Why am I here?". I believe God can give me what I need when I need it. I believe you dont have to know the whole bible for the spirit of God to flow through you. I do not believe the path to success in my life is attaniable my my own study, outside of God. I do not want "studying God" to become an intellectual thing to me. I very much want to keep the deep, intimate, spiritual relationship I have with my heavenly father. Also, I do not want any more reasons to doubt the capacity of God. I refuse to try and quanitfy God... or ever feel like I "know" what he can and cant do.... Which leads me to Jesus.
For so long I have been talking to God trying to figure out what I was suppose to "do".. who I was suppose to date, what I was suppose to study, where I was suppose to go. It is very easy for me to lecture others about how we have the gift of choice, so we should use it based on our spirit, and do not neccesarily need an audible voice to tell us everything. I know that God moves beyond words, and can touch us through our spirit... but why was I not allowing the same thing to happen in my life....
Then I was reminded by the spirit what I was doing. I was seeking/ talking to God- and not speaking to Jesus. I have not ever really done that. I have always directly addressed God, and avoided Jesus. But I dont think we are suppose to do that. Jesus said He was to be the intersessor for us and the father... so why wasn't I just obeying him? Because I was stupid, that was why. Then the comparison hit me. I was trying to follow a very old covenent way of doing things. I was looking for works to find God... when Jesus is very much a different way.
When I was having this very angry and confused conversation with God... I was pacing my room, seemingly arguing with myself and God. Then I was reminded of the way Jesus worked. He told me to lay down... and that was how I was suppose to feel with Him. As I lay there on my comforter, stretched out across my bed, I felt the embrace of warmth and comfort. I felt Jesus tell me, "you worry too much"... "I will take care of you".... then all the sermons about "just as he takes care of the flowers of the field and sparrow, so will he take care of you" as well as the many speaches I have given others about how it is God who does the heavy lifting, not us. It was then that I was forced to admitt my own ignorance, and submitt to God.... through the love and comfort that Jesus brings. What I was doing was not the new covenent... it was very old covenent. I was seeking works, when all Jesus wants for us to do is to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to follow the desires of our heart, to have a relationship with Him. We do not have to have everything in controll, we do not have to understand everything. We are just suppose to obey. I think that is what it comes down to. Obedience. I did not trust God enough to obey. I need to work on that.
So then I asked, "Why am I here, studying the word?"... and the answer I felt was that my studies was to teach me to seek God, to focus on Him and not myself, and most importantly, to have the scripture deep in me, so if I stumble again, I will have the word to push me forward.
I believe there are many parts to God, and that each one serves a purpose. I am not sure why I am here, but I know God has things in controll. I want a girl to laugh with and to love, but if now isnt the time, then so be it. For now, I will consume my mind and heart with the pursuit of God and try for once to let God be in controll.... We'll see how this goes. ;-) In all reality, I have like 3-4 hours of reading on "Jesus stuff" to do every day, so that should help. But, you know how my self controll is... haha.
-May your days be better than mine, and may you find God in every movement of your life.
Relativism
I guess I should have expected it, but no matter where you go, it seems, everyone always thinks the grass is greener on the other side of the fense. I am not sure why this is. I guess perhaps that for the most part most people are trapped by their own perspective and can only see the bad in their own situation, and only the good in other places. It is funny how life works this way. I am here at Grove City College, which seems so far to be even better than I hoped it would be. Granted, it has its shortcomings, but in the areas I wanted something great- it has even surpassed my own expectations. I would like to think that this is not a distorted image of Grove City, because my perseption should not be twisted. However, it seems that many people I talk to who have attended GCC for a few years dream of a "better place"... which they think might be ORU or another Christian school. Granted, these are very charismatic students at a presbyterian- so I can see how ORU would look like the promise land to them.... but to me, this place is incredible. Nothing againts ORU, it just wasnt the place for me.
In life, I believe we all have to make the decisions as to where the best place for us to be is. For me, it was following a desire in my heart to study God, to be around intelligent people, and to get out of Tulsa. That is what I wanted, and that is why I am here. For me, GCC does all of that and more. I am not trying to sugar coat it, there are some negatives- it is hard to uproot your life in the middle of college. It is hard to leave behind your friends and the ones you love in hopes of a better experience, in hopes that an education elsewhere will make a worthwhile difference in your life- but alas, it is just something I had to do. I do not think leaving your comfort zone is for everyone, but for me I knew it was the right thing to do. Yes, it did start my meter over, but I needed the challenge. I am not trying to make a relative argument here, but I think a persons choice for college/ higher-education is a relative decision. No matter what Princeton Review might say, no matter what opinions your friends or parents may have- You have to make your own decision, independent of everything... and make sure that is a decision based on solid reasons that arent just emotional.
I thank God for my opertunity to seek Him here at GCC. I am not sure where this road will lead me, but it is a path I feel I must take. There is more to my story called life, but that will have to be for a later post.
-Z
In life, I believe we all have to make the decisions as to where the best place for us to be is. For me, it was following a desire in my heart to study God, to be around intelligent people, and to get out of Tulsa. That is what I wanted, and that is why I am here. For me, GCC does all of that and more. I am not trying to sugar coat it, there are some negatives- it is hard to uproot your life in the middle of college. It is hard to leave behind your friends and the ones you love in hopes of a better experience, in hopes that an education elsewhere will make a worthwhile difference in your life- but alas, it is just something I had to do. I do not think leaving your comfort zone is for everyone, but for me I knew it was the right thing to do. Yes, it did start my meter over, but I needed the challenge. I am not trying to make a relative argument here, but I think a persons choice for college/ higher-education is a relative decision. No matter what Princeton Review might say, no matter what opinions your friends or parents may have- You have to make your own decision, independent of everything... and make sure that is a decision based on solid reasons that arent just emotional.
I thank God for my opertunity to seek Him here at GCC. I am not sure where this road will lead me, but it is a path I feel I must take. There is more to my story called life, but that will have to be for a later post.
-Z
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Grove City, Take One.
After 17 hours of driving, I have finally arrived. It has been two days since I first arrived, and everything has been better than I even expected. I am not sure what I thought I was getting myself into by comming here, but things seem to be even better than I had hoped. It feels so good to have the oppertuntiy to commit myself to the things that make me feel so alive and purposeful. Both academically and socially I have been given that oppertunity here. I am taking classes on The New Testament, Paul, the Book of Hebrews. That alone will be wonderful to finally study. Humerously enough, I have already been given the required reading of the New Testament... how funny is that. This is exactly what I needed, not only a commitment/reason/accountability to get into the word of God, but also to have individuals to examine it with. My Civilization professor wrote in his syllabus- "One mark of a civilized individual is participating in civilizing activites. In a very real sense, a scholar locked away in an ivory tower can be just as barbaric as the uneducated if the scholar refuses to actively support civic life." Even in the depths of their learning and theological studies, the professors too realize the importance of being a part of the community, not to just "help the community", but to become emmersed in its culture, and converse with its people, as they will shape you into a person of character. I just found that exciting.
My three bible classes (NT, Paul, and Hebrews) are all taught by the same professor, humerously enough in the same room. He got his doctrate in divinity from Princeton and has been teaching for the last 30 years at GCC. Aside from being a very funny and well-educated man, he also has shared with me a wonderful part of his character. At the end of his speach on the "purpose of his class", he would always add (in every class), a mini-speach similar to this: "Though it is perhaps useful to benchmark your intellectual,
That is what GCC has shown me here. I have been given the oppertunity to emmerse myself in the word and spirit of God. But beyond that, I have also been given two wonderful roomates, and a community of friends that will make this experience worth all the crap I went through to get here. Seriously, I could not have even dreamed of an oppertunity this great. Every day, I wake up excited about the day, and each day feels like 5, and yet I still dont have enough time to do everything I want to do. This will be a good semester.
That all being said, I have some final words about the future of this blog. Because there will be so much input both in conversation with other people, and my own personal studies, I am going to need an outlet. In years past I have used this oppertunity of a "blog" not only as an outlet, but also as an attempt to communicate absolute truth to other people. However, as of late, I have come to realize that as I learn and mature, my opinions to change slightly, however, I still like the outlet. So, that will be the future purpose of my blog- an outlet and transcriptions of my studies, conversations, and conclusions. If nothing else, so I can go back and see what I was studying, talking, and thinking about over the semester. Hopefully, to the three of you that read this, it will benefit you in some way, if nothing else, just get your brain and spirit spinning. I will try and avoid pointless arguments on here, because those just annoy me. Okay, here we go. :-)
Admits many conversation in the last 15 hours, something interesting has come up. Many people here, myself included are going through cycles and stages of "perfecting" their self before God. The thought itself makes perfect sense. It is not that we want or think we can be perfect, but we do want to tune ourselves and our relationships in such a way that God can flow through us day to day. We do not want to let the ominous "sin" obstructs us from the workings of God. But here is my thought. In the bible- God never seems to use those who were "perfect" or close to it (excluding Jesus, lol). David had his struggles with the flesh, as did Moses and Abraham. In the NT, Jesus did not call anyone from the church to be a disciple. He chose fisherman, tax-collectors... and usually normal/ dirty people. It seems to me that God is not looking for a pure body, but rather for a willing heart. I was talking to someone tonight about this, and he was wondering if he should go to seminary to be a pastor or to work in the church. I told him that if he felt so inclined, to do so. However, do no think that a lack of such study with limit the workings of God. The bigest movements of God we have recorded, was not through the educated and elite, but simply through those who had a heart for God and a heart for the people. David defeated Goliath not because he was so well skilled, but because he had the faith and audactiy to stand-up for God. Joseph was no great person, but he belived in his God above all else. Solomon was not given his kingdom because of the "blessings of God", but because he asked for the wisdom to rule the people correctly. He had a realtionships with God, and a desire to better the world around him. For anyone out there who is wanting a movement of God, please do not think you have to perfect yourself first. I am in strong agreeance that the movement of God in your life will be much more restricted by your faith being conditional on your own purifying actions than by the actual purification itself. Dont get me wrong, we should pursue God and a "pure" lifestyle. But it is not the fufillment of being sinless that moves the spirit of God. It is the faith in God that will allow the spirit to move. For what it is worth, just know, that God is not asking you to figure everything out, or to be totally prepared- in fact, I believe that God calls us to situations we cannont comprehend, nor solve on our own, because only then by faith and by the movement of God can things work out. I do not know what the will of God is for my life or yours, but I guaruntee it is beyond your own comprehension and my own. I also pray it is beyond your own capacity to complete/fufill- because only then can our purpose be fufilled, only then can we give Glory to God as He does the heavy lifting for us.
I am sorry if this doesnt make sense, or if you read all this and got nothing from it. Like I said, it is just an outlet. Have a wonderful day and thank you for your time.
-Zac
My three bible classes (NT, Paul, and Hebrews) are all taught by the same professor, humerously enough in the same room. He got his doctrate in divinity from Princeton and has been teaching for the last 30 years at GCC. Aside from being a very funny and well-educated man, he also has shared with me a wonderful part of his character. At the end of his speach on the "purpose of his class", he would always add (in every class), a mini-speach similar to this: "Though it is perhaps useful to benchmark your intellectual,
That is what GCC has shown me here. I have been given the oppertunity to emmerse myself in the word and spirit of God. But beyond that, I have also been given two wonderful roomates, and a community of friends that will make this experience worth all the crap I went through to get here. Seriously, I could not have even dreamed of an oppertunity this great. Every day, I wake up excited about the day, and each day feels like 5, and yet I still dont have enough time to do everything I want to do. This will be a good semester.
That all being said, I have some final words about the future of this blog. Because there will be so much input both in conversation with other people, and my own personal studies, I am going to need an outlet. In years past I have used this oppertunity of a "blog" not only as an outlet, but also as an attempt to communicate absolute truth to other people. However, as of late, I have come to realize that as I learn and mature, my opinions to change slightly, however, I still like the outlet. So, that will be the future purpose of my blog- an outlet and transcriptions of my studies, conversations, and conclusions. If nothing else, so I can go back and see what I was studying, talking, and thinking about over the semester. Hopefully, to the three of you that read this, it will benefit you in some way, if nothing else, just get your brain and spirit spinning. I will try and avoid pointless arguments on here, because those just annoy me. Okay, here we go. :-)
Admits many conversation in the last 15 hours, something interesting has come up. Many people here, myself included are going through cycles and stages of "perfecting" their self before God. The thought itself makes perfect sense. It is not that we want or think we can be perfect, but we do want to tune ourselves and our relationships in such a way that God can flow through us day to day. We do not want to let the ominous "sin" obstructs us from the workings of God. But here is my thought. In the bible- God never seems to use those who were "perfect" or close to it (excluding Jesus, lol). David had his struggles with the flesh, as did Moses and Abraham. In the NT, Jesus did not call anyone from the church to be a disciple. He chose fisherman, tax-collectors... and usually normal/ dirty people. It seems to me that God is not looking for a pure body, but rather for a willing heart. I was talking to someone tonight about this, and he was wondering if he should go to seminary to be a pastor or to work in the church. I told him that if he felt so inclined, to do so. However, do no think that a lack of such study with limit the workings of God. The bigest movements of God we have recorded, was not through the educated and elite, but simply through those who had a heart for God and a heart for the people. David defeated Goliath not because he was so well skilled, but because he had the faith and audactiy to stand-up for God. Joseph was no great person, but he belived in his God above all else. Solomon was not given his kingdom because of the "blessings of God", but because he asked for the wisdom to rule the people correctly. He had a realtionships with God, and a desire to better the world around him. For anyone out there who is wanting a movement of God, please do not think you have to perfect yourself first. I am in strong agreeance that the movement of God in your life will be much more restricted by your faith being conditional on your own purifying actions than by the actual purification itself. Dont get me wrong, we should pursue God and a "pure" lifestyle. But it is not the fufillment of being sinless that moves the spirit of God. It is the faith in God that will allow the spirit to move. For what it is worth, just know, that God is not asking you to figure everything out, or to be totally prepared- in fact, I believe that God calls us to situations we cannont comprehend, nor solve on our own, because only then by faith and by the movement of God can things work out. I do not know what the will of God is for my life or yours, but I guaruntee it is beyond your own comprehension and my own. I also pray it is beyond your own capacity to complete/fufill- because only then can our purpose be fufilled, only then can we give Glory to God as He does the heavy lifting for us.
I am sorry if this doesnt make sense, or if you read all this and got nothing from it. Like I said, it is just an outlet. Have a wonderful day and thank you for your time.
-Zac
Friday, January 19, 2007
add one to the tally
This is an ammendment to the previous entry.... My uncle (by marriage)'s father died today. What is going on? Seriously, this is all too weird.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
new life
A lot has been happening in my life recently, but every time I go to write, I stop, because it comes out horribly. The short version is: I dropped out of college circa Dec 10 after finishing the fall semester. Dec 15 I had an interview at a college in Grove City Pennsylvania, and essentially gave them my application the same day. Through the grace of God, they accepted me. It is a small liberal-arts school that is a Christian school by nature. It is ranked higher academically than TU was, and yet it is more theolocially liberal than Wheaton or Oral Roberts. I will be studying Christian Thought there. Here is their discription of the major: "Christian Thought
This major explores issues in Biblical, theological, and historical studies, both in order to be grounded in the texts, issues, and concerns of the Christian Church throughout the centuries, and in order to deal competently with the questions posed both by Christians and non-Christians about the Christian faith in this new century. For those students who wish to attend seminary after college, the Christian Thought program will prepare them well. No matter what their major, Pre-Theological students are advised to include a number of liberal arts courses in their work, including English, history, philosophy, religion, psychology, sociology, political science, Greek, and a modern foreign language."
I will be driving to Grove City this Friday, it is around a 16 hour drive, and I will be following the ice storm, with my life packed in the back of my Tahoe. Wish me luck, lol.
And because I dont feel like writing on anything actually going on in my life other than the facts, the defacto topic will be my simple amusement at the topic of death. It is just starting to get funny. First Bethany, then Josh, then my Father's close friend dies, then my dog of 14 years was put down the other day, and finally another good friend of the family died today. That puts the count at 4 humans and 1 dog. Or rather, about one every 2 weeks. At this point, I just laugh when I hear about another death. I wonder if that is a bad thing?
This major explores issues in Biblical, theological, and historical studies, both in order to be grounded in the texts, issues, and concerns of the Christian Church throughout the centuries, and in order to deal competently with the questions posed both by Christians and non-Christians about the Christian faith in this new century. For those students who wish to attend seminary after college, the Christian Thought program will prepare them well. No matter what their major, Pre-Theological students are advised to include a number of liberal arts courses in their work, including English, history, philosophy, religion, psychology, sociology, political science, Greek, and a modern foreign language."
I will be driving to Grove City this Friday, it is around a 16 hour drive, and I will be following the ice storm, with my life packed in the back of my Tahoe. Wish me luck, lol.
And because I dont feel like writing on anything actually going on in my life other than the facts, the defacto topic will be my simple amusement at the topic of death. It is just starting to get funny. First Bethany, then Josh, then my Father's close friend dies, then my dog of 14 years was put down the other day, and finally another good friend of the family died today. That puts the count at 4 humans and 1 dog. Or rather, about one every 2 weeks. At this point, I just laugh when I hear about another death. I wonder if that is a bad thing?
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