Books

I have a tendency to wear out books. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Maybe I hold books incorrectly; or maybe I read too slowly, so the book has to be held open longer. I always get books from friends that they claim to have read but seem to be in nearly perfect condition. This makes me suspect of whether they have actually read the book; because after I'm finished with it the binding tends to be quite a bit more worn, or there seems to be a slight crease in the cover from holding it open. I need to either learn to hold a book properly or learn to read more quickly.

Tolerance

Our wonderful country was founded on the idea of liberty and tolerance. Tolerance is defined by the Meriam Webster Dictionary as, "a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own." This does not mean that we are expected to subscribe to the views of each person we encounter. What this means is whether you agree with another person's opinion or not, recognize that person's right to feel the way that he or she does. Conservatives and liberals have both distorted this. Conservatives try to use the first amendment to deny the need for tolerance. On the other end of the spectrum, liberals cry, "intolerance!" whenever someone disapproves of another viewpoint. Both sides need to pull their heads out and get over themselves. Be an adult; learn to coexist with people that have different ideas than your own.

Moving Forward

In the 16th century, 1500 years of Christian tradition held that the stars and planets revolved around the earth. An ancient Greek scientist, Ptolemy, put forth this geocentric theory, and the church held to this view. They believed that mankind was the greatest of God's creations and that we must be the center of the universe. When Nicolas Copernicus published his De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium in 1543, he had the luxury of dying a few weeks later. He avoided the attacks of the church on charges of heresy. Galileo was not so lucky. He suffered trial and conviction over his agreement with Copernicus' heliocentric model of the solar system and was forced to live in seclusion for much of the rest of his life.


The church seems to be quick to attack or deny science when it seems to contradict the Bible. Now the purpose of this entry is not to present scientific evidence one way or the other; I simply want to draw attention to the fact that the church is wrongfully afraid of science. When science brought forth the theory of evolution, Christians all over the United States retreated from the intellectual and scientific world into fundamentalism. This is the wrong response. Here's the secret: all truth is God's truth. No matter what science uncovers, it will not contradict God.


Jon Huntsman, a republican presidential hopeful for the 2012 election, created quite a ripple when he tweeted, "To be clear. I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy." This sent the evangelical voters into a frenzy. How can this guy believe in evolution and call himself a Christian? Kudos to him for recognizing the fact that evolution does not nullify his belief in God. Why do you think so many kids that go off to college lose their faith so quickly? Perhaps it is the fact that they are brought up being told that they have a choice between Christianity and evolution, and the two cannot coexist.


We should not be afraid to progress in science, and we should not be suspect of all scientists as this is the attitude that many in conservative Christian circles share. God has given us a beautiful, magnificent, and wonderful universe, full of intricacies and mysteries. Don't be afraid of what science finds; explore your world and know the glory of God through what He has made.

A New Responsiblity

A new school year, a new start, and a new responsibility knock at my door. This fall semester will, once again, bring me a completely new kind of experience. Two years ago, the new experience was college. I arrived on campus and was immediately thrust into a new type of atmosphere that I could not possibly have anticipated. Last year, as it came time to start my sophomore year, I also prepared for a completely new kind of experience - studying abroad. Europe was great, and I returned in January to continue back at HLG. This week, I prepare for my junior year of college, and have now an altogether new adventure staring me in the face. This year I will be an Resident Advisor.


By the time the new students start arriving on Thursday, the 25th, we will have been training for over a week for this job. So much excitement and so many concerns surround the anticipation of the students' arrivals. My chief concern is my example to other students. We're supposed to be leaders in our halls and all over campus. What if I stumble, and they see me? We are supposed to be above reproach. I feel that I am bound to mess up, but when it happens, I hope that my walk with Christ is strong enough to defend against the doubts that the enemy will throw my way.

Discipline

For the whole of my Christian life I have had difficulty disciplining myself to read my bible and pray regularly. This has made my walk with Christ a hard thing to maintain. I know that I lack self-discipline. I have the same problem in my physical shape. Sometimes I become motivated to get in shape, and I start a plan to get there that inevitably fades out of importance as soon as something else catches my attention. When I am surrounded by strong Christians and powerful biblical messages, I reach a spiritual high and desire to catch fire for Christ and start reading my bible all the time. This, too, falls away soon thereafter. Lastly, this lack of discipline affects my academic life as well. I start the school year off strong, but quickly become distracted and lose focus, making every assignment a scramble at the last minute. It's time for change.


Recently I have been challenged through RA training to train my body, mind and spirit continually. It seems that they are all intertwined. Every morning, my RD wakes us up for a morning work-out before breakfast. This work-out is not on our training schedule, however, I have come to expect it nonetheless. Instead of breakfast at 7:00, I know that exercise at 6:15 is now first on the morning schedule. The first morning, it was very difficult to pull myself out of my bed and get dressed. The second day it became a bit easier, but when we skipped day three it was that much harder to do it again on day four. It's one of those things that gets easier the more you do it. The key is to not break the pattern. When you're running, people will tell you, "If you stop to rest, that will only make it harder to start back up again." It's the same way with waking up in the morning to actually do the work-out.


It also applies to reading my bible each day. At first, it's hard to get started and build a habit; but I know that the more I do it, the more I will want to do it. It's all about perseverance. If I can push through at the beginning and create that habit, then I will have stretched myself enough so that I have the opportunity to grow. I don't expect that it will get too much easier to have my devotions every day, but at least I will have created that habit; and when the enemy attacks, I will be more ready for battle.


Lastly, I need to create a habit of discipline in my academic life. Now, I am twenty years old and am in my third year of college. One would think I had this down by now. Nope. I still procrastinate my school work. This all sounds so elementary, but I need to utilize things such as assignment notepads and things that help me keep myself organized so that I can be the best student possible. If I can create a habit of organization and diligence, then I know my grades will reflect that.


For me, training my body will overflow into the training of my spirit which will, in turn, translate to my mental organization and diligence. This way, I hope to become a better steward of the body God has given me, gain a closer walk with Christ, and produce the best year of academics to date.

Where I belong

Have you ever had this feeling that that position you're in is just "off" in some way? That there's just something about it that doesn't seem right? It's a disconcerting feeling. One that you have a gut feeling that you may regret not doing something about it.


I'm on the edge of something that seems to be the right decision for all of the right reasons. However, there still remains a certain fear of change. Complacency is nice, in that it requires no movement outside of the comfort zone. I know that change is natural and good. It is also scary. How will all of the pieces fit together? How do I make certain of every single detail? (Is that even possible?) I doubt that every variable can be planned for in advance. In fact, I'm convinced that it is impossible.


I know the right decision, and I cannot be satisfied by rejecting what I know to be right. If I am to live without regret, the only thing to do is to leap forward in faith and trust that God will work everything out that I still can't see.

Slow Down and Tie Your Shoes

Today's world is a fast-paced one. It seems that there is never enough hours in the day. I find that I never have real down time alone. I am nearly always either with other people or busy with something.


Normally when I put my tennis shoes on, I just shove my feet down into them. My dad always told me, as a child, that this ruins the backs of the shoes. I didn't really care. I was much more interested in getting where I was going rather than taking extra care of my shoes. As a result, I did, in fact, ruin my fair share of shoes, and it always made them uncomfortable to wear after the backs were all messed up.


The other day I tried to put my on my shoes as usual. However, last time I had them on I had tied them a little tighter, which made it nearly impossible to slip on. I was forced to sit down and untie the shoes. I thought about how often I fail to slow down for these little things. Whether it's taking the time to do something the right way or taking the time to appreciate some little thing that we take for granted.


I thought about my religious freedom. I can pray or read my Bible anytime I want. But I don't. I guess I figure that right has always been there and will always be; therefore, I can do it later. As you can imagine, it gets put off indefinitely. I think the reason for this is that since I grew up in church and Christian school, I allowed the Bible to become more of a textbook rather than a guide for my life. I stopped putting the proper amount of importance on it.


The point is that I should be taking the time out of each day for spiritual enrichment from the Word. My message to myself through this is to slow down and make time for the important things. Yeah, I have class, homework, jobs, and social time to juggle. If I can fit time in between all that to eat my meals, I'm sure I can squeeze in a spot to get my spiritual nourishment for the day. My body can't function without food; neither can I function as a member of the body of Christ without my spiritual food.


Well, there it is. Slow down and tie your shoes - or whatever it is that you neglect to do the right way or even at all.