Simply Trusting

Bible Translation Speech

2008-11-28T21:17:00.001-08:00

I don't know how this will look in outline format, but this was my first speech for Fundamentals of Speech.

AN UNFINISHED TASK
What would life be like here at college if you were denied the use of your Bible? How sweet would your walk with God be? Where would you go to find encouragement when midterms come, or when a situation arises with your family or church back home? How effective of a soul winner would you be if you could not use your Bible? What kind of Christian would you be without a Bible?

Sadly, many Christians who love the Lord with all their heart go through life without God’s Word - not because they neglect it, not because they cannot afford to buy one, but because they do not speak English, and the Bible has never been translated into their language.

Out of 6,912 languages in the world today (not dialects, but distinct languages), the Bible is available in only 422. Praise God, there are works in progress in about 3500 other languages, but that still leaves almost 3,000 with nothing. Today, I would like to help you understand some reasons why Bible translation is important and the requirements for us to complete this unfinished task.

Transition: Maybe you’re thinking, “Why is Bible translation important? Should not missionaries just preach and win souls since Jesus is coming back soon?”

I. I believe that there are several reasons why Bible translation is important.

A. The first reason I think of is salvation for the lost.
1. The Bible says that “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
2. The gospel found in God’s Word is “the power of God unto salvation…”

B. Another reason to consider is strength for the saved. My quiet time with God in His Word gives me the strength I need to live the Christian life.
C. Another reason to think of is shepherding for pastors. Can you imagine being a pastor, and trying to
1. Win souls,
2. Disciple converts, and
3. Train preachers without the Word of God? That seems impractical and even impossible! Yet in many places, missionaries have gone, souls have been won, churches have been established, and pastors ordained, but they must learn a trade language to study the Bible, and then do their best to explain it to their people.

D. To me, however, the most important reason is the powerful statement of God Himself in Psalm 138:2, “…thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” We all would agree that it is vital to take the Name of Jesus to the ends of the earth, for there is no other name whereby we can be saved. Yet, God said that His Word was to be exalted higher than His name. To give people the Name of God without giving them the Word of God is to partially fulfill God’s commission.

Transition: So, if we see that Bible translation is important, what is our responsibility? What can we do to meet this need? We’ve considered the reasons for Bible translation.

II. Now, I’d like you to think about the requirements of all believers – what do we need to do?

A. The first thing we must do is be informed. The Bible says our eye affects our heart. We will not have a burden for something we have never seen and know nothing about.

1. In many cases, regarding Bible translation, people’s apathy is a result of their ignorance - they do not care simply because they do not know.

2. However, for some people, their ignorance is a result of their apathy - they do not know because they do not care. After this speech, you will know a little bit about the need for Bible translation. You aren’t ignorant anymore. The question now will be, do you care? Do you care enough to take a little bit of time every week to research online and learn some specifics of this unfinished task of Bible translation?

B. I believe that once you become informed, you will have you a desire to become involved.

1. While all of us can’t go to the bush of Africa, we can all be involved. The first thing you can do is pray for laborers – Jesus gave us one specific prayer request: “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.” Pray that God will raise up an army of young people with a passion for Bible translation!

2. Another thing anyone can do is give financial support. Find a missionary who is translating God’s Word and get on board to help them!

3. I don’t want to minimize prayer, and I sure don’t want to minimize giving, but there is one more way to become involved. Many of us believe we need a special call to go to the mission field. However, God already gave all Christians a call to go into “all the world.” We should believe that we need a special call to stay. Ask God if He would have you go to a foreign field. Maybe He hasn’t put it on your heart because He knows you’re not willing. Maybe He is waiting on you to offer yourself, to become a completely yielded vessel, willing to go wherever He would lead and do whatever He would desire.

Conclusion: In closing, I’d like to remind you of a stat I mentioned earlier: 3,000 languages are without God’s Word. That may seem overwhelming, but remember, God would never give a command to great for us to fulfill. Bible translation is an unfinished task, but not an impossible one.

May this poem express the prayer of our hearts.

Facing a task unfinished that drives us to our knees,
A need that, undiminished, rebukes our slothful ease.
We who rejoice to know Thee renew before Thy throne
The solemn pledge we owe to Thee: to go, and make Thee known.

You know, we do owe it to our Lord to pledge our lives to make Him known. My hope is that your understanding of the reasons and requirements of Bible translation will drive you to your knees, asking God what part He would have you play in seeing His Word available for the entire world. Bible translation - our unfinished task.

I've done two more speeches since this one. The second was demonstrative - "How to Shine Shoes." The last one was persuasive - "Why it's better to own a horse than a dog." I had to argue against one of my best friends too. Oh well. I'll find out on Monday when I get back to school if I won or not (I think I might have).

I thought about posting some of the essays I've been writing for General Psychology, but decided to spare anyone who might happen upon this blog the sheer boredom. :D

Take luck!

2008-11-28T21:11:00.000-08:00

Howdy! I'm home for Thanksgiving break. I won't be doing much with my blog now, because I'm unable to access it at school anymore. That would explain the lack of anything. :D

Three more days of class, five days of finals, and my third semester will be over. Praise the Lord. This is the final stretch to pull out all the stops and work to finish well. Thanks for all ya'll's prayers and support.

Have a great day!

Back to the Books

2008-10-03T14:46:00.001-07:00

Sorry it's been so long. :D

I'm back at school now. My class schedule is as follows:

M,W,F - 8:45-9:35 Fundamentals of Speech I
9:40-10:30 Philosophy of Education
10:35-11:25 General Psychology
11:30-12:30 Chapel
1:05-1:55 Teaching Math

Tuesday - 7:50-9:35 Intro to Missions
9:40-11:25 Teaching English as a Second/Foriegn Language
11:30-12:30 Chapel

Thursday - 9:40-11:25 Evangelizing Youth

I have to admit, I'm not as thrilled about all my classes as I was last year. I enjoy most of them. :D I think Speech is my favorite. I'm giving my first speech on Monday. The purpose is "to inform my audience of the need for Bible translation." I'll post it as soon as I finish my last changes.

Well, I need to accomplish a few things before dinner. I hope ya'll have a super day! God is faithful!

Heading Out!

2008-07-31T21:56:00.001-07:00

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. There has been a lot going on this summer!

I got home before BBTI ended, so I was here for graduation. That was a blessing! I was able to go to camp with my church, and I also had the opportunity to attend SMITE Camp. I learned much about ministering to children in that full week!

I worked at a stable part of the summer. My formal title was "assistant to the executive director of equestrian sanitation control." I'll leave it to your imagination to figure out what I did. :D It was a good chance to learn and work and earn some extra money.

That extra money finished paying for my missions trip to Costa Rica! I'm leaving a week from today, and I'll be gone until August 25. Please pray for open doors of ministry, for God to prepare both our hearts and the hearts of those we will see, and that we can be a blessing to our host family, the Brileys. I am going with a family from Gospel Light and the wife of a Champion teacher. Lord willing, I'll be able to do a few chalk drawings while I'm there! Please pray that those will go well also.

Well, I will do my best to keep a good journal in Costa Rica, and I should have some interesting stories when I come back. :D

Thanks for praying!

Have a great day!

Another Proverbs Paper

2008-07-31T21:53:00.001-07:00

“Lessons from the Chicken Yard”

When my family moved to Texas, my brother and I thought it would be good experiment to raise chickens and sell eggs. Living in the country gave us that opportunity, and we gladly took it! As I began to write about financial principles today, I thought back to our experiences with our flock and realized we practiced many of God’s principles.
First and foremost, we exalted wisdom above our financial endeavors. As much as we enjoyed working in our chicken yard, our first priorities were church, family, and school. God’s Word stayed at the top of our list of values. If we had ignored God we could have spent more time working, but our work would not have prospered without God’s blessing.
We were also careful to take care of what we had. We began our flock with three hens and two roosters, and were diligent to care for them. We worked hard building and maintaining the pens and yard, and we read books about raising chickens. God blessed, and by the time we moved and had to sell everything we had eleven pullets, ten game hens, three roosters, seven laying hens, three geese, numerous feeders, waterers, and pens, and a tri-level brooder with capacity to raise one hundred fifty chicks at a time. Although we had to sell everything before we saw major returns, we got to see this principle clearly. Caleb and I diligently took care of what we had, and God continually blessed us with more.
Another lesson we learned is that financial prosperity follows commitment to hard work. It took us many hours to dig post holes, hang fences, cut wood, and build pens and houses. Caleb and I were committed to the project we started, and we were dedicated to work hard to see it prosper.
We also learned to be disciplined in our sleep habits. We rose early every morning to clean the hen house, feeders, and waterers, and to provide fresh food and water for our flock. If we had chosen to sleep in, our chickens’ living conditions would have decreased and the eggs would not have been as good. It is crucial to be disciplined in your sleep habits if you wish to prosper.
Caleb and I were also very cautious about how we spent our money. We made many phone calls, checking prices to find the best deals. If you do not shop wisely, you will waste money because you will not find the lowest prices!
We also were careful to never take advantage of our parents. They were supportive of our work, but we did not ask them for money to purchase buildings or birds. If we had asked, I am sure they would have helped as they could. However, by not depending on them, we learned to work harder and be more careful with our purchases.
I believe that the most important financial principle I learned through our chicken ventures was this: “Seek enjoyment and fulfillment in relationships and not in possessions.” (Dr. Mitchell) The greatest blessing of our investments was the time we spent together. Those hours we spent working made our relationship much stronger. If we had been more concerned with our investments than our relationship, it would have been easy to argue over numberless little things. Instead, we loved each other, worked together, and saw God bless us.
Whatever level of prosperity you attain, remember to put God first, take care of what you have, work hard, and keep your relationships in their proper place. If you live by God’s financial principles, He will bless you beyond what you can imagine!

“GOD’S KEYS IN MAN’S CULTURES”

2008-04-14T11:47:00.000-07:00

The Santal story rocked the foundations of accepted missions methodology in churches across Europe. In 1867, missionary Lars Skresfrud was baptizing Santal Christians every day, and thousands more were begging for the Gospel! How could these people, who had been steeped in spiritism for centuries, so readily understand and accept the Gospel?

As Skresfrud began learning the Santal language and culture, he heard mention of a Deity they called Thakur Jiu, a Name meaning “the Genuine God.” Curious, Skresfrud inquired of a Santal prophet Who Thakur Jiu was. The missionary was astonished when he learned the story behind the Name. According to the legend, the Santal’s forefathers had known and worshiped Thakur Jiu, but they had abandoned Him to worship “the spirits of the great mountains.” Therefore, Thakur Jiu abandoned them to serve the gods they had chosen.

That legend, passed down from generation to generation, kept hope alive in the hearts of the people that someday Thakur Jiu would reveal Himself to them again. Therefore, when Skresfrud preached of the One True God of the Old Testament, he was not introducing a new, foreign religion. Rather, he was fulfilling a centuries-old legend that God had placed in the Santal culture.

The legend of Thakur Jiu is what is called a redemptive analogy. George Anderson defines a redemptive analogy as: “[An] aspect or area existing in every culture studied so far, which foreshadows redemption … a vehicle of communication built into that society to make the relevance of the Gospel clear to that particular people.” God has placed in every culture around the world keys that will unlock doors of understanding. It is our responsibility to contextualize the Gospel to fit with these keys. If Christians understood the extent of God’s workings in the cultures of men, and the effects of contextualizing the Gospel, they would be motivated to move beyond their comfort zone and reach the world.

Contextualization refers to the process of effectively relating the Gospel to people of another culture by placing the Gospel in context with their culture. To do so, the missionary must learn the language and culture of the people he intends to reach. He must be aware that such keys exist, and he must be open to use what God has prepared for him.

Sometimes these redemptive analogies appear as legends passed down from generation to generation. Such was the case for the Gedeo of Ethiopia. The Gedeo worshiped in fear a deity they called Sheit’an, but they also believed in a benevolent but distant God they called Magano. They explained, “We sacrifice to Sheit’an, not because we love him, but because we do not enjoy close enough ties with Magano to be done with Sheit’an!”

In 1940, a man named Warrasa grew weary of living in bondage and besought Magano to show Himself to the Gedeo people. That day, Warrasa saw a vision of two white men building houses with shiny roofs under a sycamore tree near Warrasa’s home. The vision also showed Warrasa identifying himself with these strangers. Warrasa and other Gedeo seers began prophesying that soon Magano would send messengers to teach them how to worship Him.

Eight years later, Albert Brant and Glen Cain arrived in Dilla, Warrasa’s hometown, seeking to establish a mission station there. They wanted to build their homes in a shady place, and they found the perfect location under a nearby sycamore tree. As the missionaries preached the Gospel, thousands of Gedeo believed. After all, this was not a new, foreign religion. This was the satisfaction of a centuries-old legend and the fulfillment of a specific vision. In just forty years, there were over four thousand believers in two hundred churches across Gedeo territory.

The Karen of Burma were another people who had a God-given legend. For centuries, they worshiped demons. They lived in complete darkness, except for one ray of hope kept alive by a handful of prophets. That hope was that someday they would be freed from their bondage to the demons and would be able to worship Y’wa, the One True God.

The Karen believed that their ancestor was a brother to the Europeans’ ancestor, and that both had been given a copy of Y’wa’s Book. The Karen brother lost his Book, but the European brother kept his. The legend continued that someday a “white foreigner” would come from the West on “white wings [sails],” and he would restore Y’wa’s Book to the Karen.

George and Sarah Boardman labored for several years in Rangoon, Burma, without seeing many converts. They had a houseboy named Ko-Thah-Byu, who happened to be a Karen. Ko-Thay-Byu got saved, and then he realized that Boardman was the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy! The two went to a nearby Karen village in Tavoy, and hundreds of tribesmen flocked to meet the “white foreigner” and hear his message.

Boardman and Ko-Thah-Byu spent hours reading and preaching the Book, for the Karen had hungered after it for centuries. From that one village, the message spread faster than the preachers could travel. They often arrived at villages where a group of Karen had already believed and was ready for someone to come baptize them! By 1858, tens of thousands of Karen had been saved, hundreds of churches had been formed, and Karen missionaries were being sent out to other tribes of Burma. The legend of Y’wa’s Book was the key God placed in the Karen culture.

In other cases, God places within a culture a custom that pictures salvation. For the Sawi people of Irian Jaya, this custom was that of the tarop tim. Don Richardson took his wife and baby to the Sawi village of Haenam in July 1962. After spending weeks in language study, Richardson began teaching the Sawi men about God: Who He is, what He can do, and His purpose for creating mankind. While Richardson explained Christ’s ministry, the Sawi seemed uninterested, until he told of Judas’ betrayal. Then, they whistled, chuckled, and tapped their chests in awe and admiration as they heard how a close companion of Jesus had betrayed Him.

In Sawi culture, betrayal and treachery were idealized as great virtues. The ultimate betrayal they called tuwi asonai man, which means “to fatten up with friendship for an unexpected slaughter.” The Sawi idolized Judas for pulling off the ultimate tuwi asonai man. They saw Jesus as simply “the object of Judas’ treachery.” How could these cannibals ever understand salvation?

During the time period when Richardson was teaching, the villages of Haenam and Kamur had been at war. However, they decided to make peace after Richardson announced his intentions of moving upriver. The morning the villages were to “sprinkle cool water [make peace],” they met together, with much emotion, music, and drama. A father from each village brought his infant son to the center of the activity.

As Don Richardson watched in amazement, each baby was given his father’s name, and the fathers exchanged their sons. Each man then took his newly adopted son back to his own village, crying out, “Those who accept this child as a basis for peace, come and lay hands on him!” Each villager filed by, and by placing their hands on the adopted baby, promised to keep peace with the enemy village as long as the peace child lived.

Don Richardson had just witnessed a ritual as ancient as the Sawi themselves: the making of peace through a tarop tim, a “peace child.” The belief was this: “If a man would actually give his own son to his enemies, that man could be trusted!” This was the key Richardson had been searching for!

Richardson preached that Christ was the Peace Child God gave to us when we were at war with Him. Also, since the peace only lasted as long as the peace child was alive, the villages would eventually be freed from their treaty and begin fighting again. The Sawi began to understand that the best they could offer was not good enough to make peace forever.

The peace child was the key that was needed to open the door of understanding for the Sawi. As the Gospel spread, hundreds of tribesmen were saved, laid aside pagan practices, and made peace with warring villages. God’s Peace Child reconciled the Sawi to Himself.

To see another example, consider the Asmat people. These were cannibalistic headhunters, living deep in the swamps of southern New Guinea. One would think that such “backwards heathen” would need years of teaching before they could understand a spiritual concept such as the second birth. Would they? Perhaps they would not.

The Asmat, like the Sawi, had a strange custom of making peace. The two warring villages would meet together, and men from both villages would stretch out side by side, face down on the ground. Each wife would stand over her husband, placing one foot under his chest and another under his hip, making a long tunnel between the legs of the women and over the backs of the men. Then, children from both villages would crawl through this tunnel.

As each child came out of the tunnel, he was picked up, bathed, cuddled, and rocked like a baby. Here was the key: to the Asmat, that tunnel pictured a birth canal. Children who crawled through were “reborn” into the enemy village, thus making them part of a new family, reconciling the two warring factions.

An Asmat headhunter could understand better than the sophisticated Jewish teacher Nicodemus that peace and reconciliation only come through a second birth! A missionary could approach the Asmat with the mindset that he was the intelligent American coming to instruct the ignorant savage, and he would totally miss this key. Or, a missionary could be open minded, looking for ways to contextualize the Gospel, and he would see and use the redemptive analogy God prepared for him.

How important is it for a missionary to find and use these keys? What difference does it make if the Gospel is not contextualized? For the Indians on the Mavaca River in Venezuela, the difference was eternity in Hell. For missionary Stanley Dale, the difference may have been a premature death.

The Indians of the Mavaca River in Venezuela had lived in darkness for so many years; surely they would be happy to turn to freedom in Christ! However, when the missionaries came, they ignored many aspects of Indian culture. The square church building may have looked nice on a prayer letter, but the people who were supposed to fill it knew that round was the only proper shape for a building. A square building was weird and unacceptable.

The few natives who did receive Christ were soon rejected by their families, not because of Christ, but because of the white man’s strange customs. Every national Christian learned how to sing Western hymns and wear Western clothes. To become a Christian meant to adopt a new culture. That is not what our Savior had in mind when He commanded us to preach to every creature!

Thousands of miles from Venezuela, on the opposite side of the world, missionary Stanley Dale began his ministry in 1961. God had given Dale a heart for the Yali people of Irian Jaya. Sadly, after seven short years, Dale and a fellow missionary were killed by hostile natives.

Dale’s methods of evangelism were quite confrontational and often culturally unacceptable to the Yali. God did use him to prepare a way for later missionaries, and he did see some souls saved during his ministry. However, the greatest harvest among the Yali came after the discovery of the osuwa key.

The Yali belief system involved osuwas, places to which warriors could run in battle. The osuwa was a place of refuge. Any man inside was safe from attack. What a difference it made for the Yali to see Christ as their ultimate Osuwa, where they could find refuge for their eternal souls! If Stanley Dale had found and used the osuwa key, would his life have been taken, or would his killers have been saved before 1968? Only God knows.

God has gone to great lengths to see that every people group has a key that will unlock their door of understanding. Considering the work He has done in preparing people to be saved, what is the responsibility of Christians to those people and to the Lord? First and foremost, all Christians must be obedient to His command to go. Oswald J. Smith expressed the idea that some Christians are willing to go and ready to stay, but we ought to be ready to go and willing to stay.

Once a missionary actually reaches the field, he must work hard to learn the culture along with the language of the people he wants to reach. To be able to contextualize the Gospel, he must be able to think outside his own culture. The missionary must understand not only what the people do, but also why they do it. He cannot find the key in their culture unless he knows their culture.

The evangelism of the world is not an impossible task. God has prepared the way, and it is the responsibility of those who know Him to make Him known. Smith stated: “Christ alone can save the world, but Christ cannot save the world alone.”

“I have seen the vision and for self I cannot live.
Life is less than worthless unless my all I give!”

Wise Tongue or Foolish Tongue

2008-03-05T14:51:00.001-08:00

The foundation of godly speech is wisdom. James 3:13 says that a man who has God’s wisdom and knowledge demonstrates “a good conversation.” The contrast to this is found in the very next verse. A heart that is bitter and filled with worldly wisdom will be revealed by proud, contentious words. James 3:17 lists some specific characteristics of a wise tongue.

The words of the wise are pure, peaceable, and gentle. Do I delight in keeping my heart pure, so that my thoughts and words will be pure also? Do I ignore or enjoy off-color jokes? The problem of impure words reveals the problem of an impure heart. Do I work hard to keep peace in my dorm room, or do I make those little comments that irritate my roommates? My conversation will reveal whether or not my heart is at peace with God. Am I gentle? Do I demonstrate sensitivity and discretion, or am I thoughtless in my remarks?

“Easy to be entreated” is the next wise characteristic we see. Do people find it easy to ask me for help, or are they hesitant because they know I might grumble at them? Do my authorities find it easy to inform me of my weaknesses, or do they dread talking to me because they know I will be disrespectful? A wise man is humble and thankful in accepting reproof. A foolish man spouts sarcasm, indifference, and scorn for those who try to help him.

A wise man’s speech is “full of mercy and good fruits.” Am I the “angry countenance” or the “backbiting tongue” of Proverbs 25:23? Do I strive to think and say the best I can about every person and situation in my life? Do my words show the fruit of the Spirit or the works of the flesh?

A wise tongue is sincere and shows no partiality. Do I speak lovingly to some people and rudely to others? A foolish man speaks thoughtlessly, and often leads others to believe falsehoods. A wise man is cautious to say and imply only what is true.

Ultimately, what we say reveals the condition of our hearts. If my heart is foolish, my words will be also; if my heart is seeking God’s wisdom, my conversation will be a blessing to those around me. Proverbs 18:21 states, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” How we use the power of our words is our choice. Will you choose death, or will you choose life?

Proverbs Essay

2008-02-05T04:33:00.000-08:00

Wisdom or Foolishness

Many times when we think of a wise man, we picture a gray-headed sage peering over wire-rimmed spectacles, giving advice and making profound statements. We may think of a fool as an immature, simpering joker. But how does the Bible portray wise and foolish men?

First, I think we must consider the source of wisdom, which is God Almighty. The traits of God are not simply parts of His character, they are Who He is. Therefore, a wise man will stay close to the source of wisdom by walking with God. The first priority of a wise man will be his relationship with God. A foolish man walks in his own way, which leads to destruction. He may seek worldly wisdom, but he ignores the source of true wisdom.

The second point to contemplate is the strength of wisdom. This is one aspect of wisdom that God speaks of specifically to both men and women. When a man possesses wisdom, he has the strength to flee temptation. He has character, integrity, and a strong work ethic. The Proverbs thirty-one lady labors long hours at many tasks and strengthens her whole body. Conversely, the fool is lazy, flirts with and falls for temptation, and is content with average stamina.

Lastly, think of the spirit of wisdom. Wisdom goes much deeper than simply controlling one’s actions: wisdom governs the attitude of its possessor. A wise man’s spirit will be humble in accepting reproof, grateful for God’s blessings, and compassionate towards the lost. On the other hand, the spirit of a fool is haughty, unthankful, deceitful, and cold.

As we have seen, the fool ignores God’s offer of wisdom, enjoys living in weakness, and allows his spirit to be controlled by wickedness. God’s Word exemplifies a wise man as one who stays close to the source of wisdom, strives to have the strength of wisdom, and sustains a spirit of wisdom. May we continually shun foolishness and embrace wisdom by building character, having a right spirit, and, most importantly, by walking with God!

English Composition

2008-02-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

What My Salvation Means To Me
When I consider what my salvation means to me, many thoughts and feelings arise in my head and heart. I accepted Christ at a young age, and thus was saved from a life of drugs, alcohol, and immorality. Although I never experimented with gross sins, in God’s eyes I was just as wicked as any hardened criminal. Therefore, my salvation means much more to me than just a ticket to Heaven.

Salvation is the miracle that changed me from a servant of Satan to a child of God. Because of my salvation, I have unlimited access to Almighty God. Because I am His child, He pours out undeserved blessings and gives great and precious promises.

While all those things are priceless treasures, they are not what I treasure the most about my salvation. To me, salvation is Jesus. Since beginning college, He has been teaching me to look to Him for everything I need. When difficulties and discouragements come, my first thought is usually to call Dad or find a friend to talk to. However, God has recently been reminding me of His sufficiency. I do not need to look to finite humans for encouragement and fellowship when I have the privilege of talking with Him.

He is my Comforter. I never have to search for words to make Him understand what I am feeling, or why I feel the way I do. He understands my sorrow, because He Himself felt it long before He allowed it to reach me. He is my best and closest Friend. When nobody else understands, and I do not “fit in” with other people, He always accepts and loves me.

Intimate fellowship with Jesus on earth and the promise of His physical presence in Heaven are to me what salvation is all about!

Back Again!

2008-01-08T14:22:00.000-08:00

Howdy from Arkansas! I got back to school on Sunday, after a great weekend with Caleb in Sherwood, AR. Mom and Dad and I went up there with him to see the church he's interning at. It was a blessing to stay with Pastor Mix and his family and be a part of Brockington Road Baptist Church for a weekend!

My class schedule this semester is FULL -

Monday, Wed, and Fri - Music Theory, Adolescent Psychology, New Testament Survey, English Composition, and Choir

Tues - Proverbs, Baptist History, and Chorale

Thurs - Methods of Mentoring, Methods of Teaching, and Chorale

Tuesday and Thursday are block class days. Today (Tuesday) was the first class day. I'm gonna LOVE Proverbs! Dr. Mitchell teaches it. Enough said.

It's been encouraging to see how God is giving me opportunities to build awesome friendships with some great girls here. "Iron sharpeneth iron" - and it is incredibly refreshing to be with people who have the same desires and ideas. I was just talking to a girl and she said something like, "I'm amazed right now at what God is doing in my heart and life, and I'm just enjoying being in love with Jesus and having a relationship with Him - I don't want to mess that up for anything!"

She was talking about being single, and I had to smile - because that is almost word-for-word what I think. It was encouraging to talk to someone who has surrendured to the Lord the "right" to marriage. There isn't an over-abundance of girls who have even considered the possibility that God's plan for them might not include marriage. I'm sure for the vast majority it will. And I don't think there's any normal girl who doesn't have a desire to be married and have a family. But I do believe that as we surrendur to the Lord our lives, we need to surrendur every area. We ought to be willing to follow the Lord's path for our life, even if it means He is our only Bridegroom.

Any you know, fellowship with Him really beats anything else.

There's my thoughts for the day!

Almost Finished

2007-12-11T15:24:00.000-08:00

One day, two finals, a church service, a six hour drive and I'll be home! The thought brings me much joy. It's hard to believe that this semester is already over.

And it's also exciting to look ahead to next semester! I pre-registered yesterday. I'll be taking Music Theory, Adolescent Psychology, New Testament Survey, English Composition, Proverbs, Baptist History, Methods of Mentoring, Methods of Teaching, and of course, Choir and Chorale. That's a class every period of every day. It should be a little more exciting than last semester. :D

I'll have one class with Caleb, actually. Proverbs will probably be our only class together ever, but hey - at least we've got one!

I also switched my major from Music to Elementary Education. This will be more practical for living and working on the mission field someday. I'm sure I'll have the opportunity (and it may even be a necessity) to teach on the field, and this also will give me a means to work a good job here in the States if I ever need to.

I also applied for a work scholarship job (that's on campus, maintenance, kitchen, coffee shop, and whatever else they need) for next semester. There aren't any openings now, so please pray that something will open up. My first choice would naturally be the coffee shop, but I'd be happy with anything. :D

Well, I need to finish reviewing for Algebra and Personal Evangelism. I hope ya'll have a wonderful day!

A Great Week

2007-12-06T12:58:00.001-08:00

Today has been quite eventful! Or maybe I should say, this week has been quite eventful!

Sunday evening the Champion Chorale went to Pine Bluff to sing in the new chapel. (Gospel Light has what's called a chapel ministry - where nearby churches who are struggling or dying and need help can call. Then, Champion assigns some college students to go to those places every weekend to sing, preach, teach, go soulwinning, and just build the church. Tennessee Temple had or has a ministry like this, and some of their chapels are today some of the strongest churches around Chattenooga.)

Anyways, singing was great! It was exciting to get to go somewhere and be a blessing to folks. Bro. Blunkall said today that he's working on getting more "meetings" (I dunno what you'd call it) set up for Chorale next semester. :D

This new chapel is an exciting opportunity. The church used to run four hundred, and now they're down to about fifteen. They've got great facilities (the building used to be a racquetball gym - and when they renovated they left one court set up to play on!), and all the folks are excited about Champion students coming. There were about thirty of us there last Sunday. And to top off a great service, we had a fellowship afterwards! And a Baptist fellowship always means good home-cooked food. Fried chicken, banana cream pie, chicken pot pie, cornbread, and all sorts of good stuff!

Well, after church on the way home I started feeling a little something in the back of my throat, but I didn't think much of it. Monday morning I woke up with strepp. :D Monday night I was in the ER with a 103 fever and a very sore, ulcered throat. I took a picture, but I figgered ya'll wouldn't want to see it, so I'm not gonna post it. :D

After two days of sleeping and taking Tylenol, a visit to the good Dr. Gardial, and half a bottle of numbing throat spray (not literally half a bottle - I'm exaggerating), I'm feeling much better. Praise the Lord - I did NOT want to be sick through all of finals!

Finals...it's amazing! I've finished with two classes, and have six or seven more to go. Please pray for all the college students - especially the guys who work crazy hours - especially Caleb.

I'm amazed at how fast this semester has gone. I'm thankful to God for all His blessings and protection this year.

My next entry will probably be from home...that thought brings me much joy.

2007-11-16T14:17:00.000-08:00

This picture is the view from a mountaintop in Papua New Guinea. It grips me whenever I see it. See that farthest mountain in the center? Imagine hiking all the way to the top of that mountain - and guess what the view would be. It would be the same picture again. You could travel for months like that. Mountain, after mountain, after mountain, after mountain...each horizon, once reached, only reveals another. How many thousands of people are represented by those mountains? People who have never seen or heard anything outside the boundaries of their own culture, much less the Gospel. We've got alot of work to do.

Moving along...

Five days until I'm home!

The Champion Chorale sang in chapel today. We did "What Love." That song has got to be in my top 500 favorites.

We've had Spirit Days here today and yesterday. Yesterday was Sports Team Day, and I was able to borrow a Longhorns hoodie from a friend. Everywhere you looked you could see that beautiful burnt orange. We definitely had the majority, despite half the student body being from North Carolina. (Well, maybe not quite half, but it seems that way) I think Tar Heel Blue was probably second. It was nice to wear denim and tennis shoes!

Counting Down

2007-11-14T12:34:00.000-08:00

Seven days until I'll be home!!! Yes!

Chapel was good today. Bro. Damion DiMedio (an Australian missionary to China) preached about pride. His text was I Tim. 3:2, about a pastor not being a "novice, lest he be lifted up with pride and fall into the condemnation of the devil." Of all the reasons God could've given why not to make a novice a pastor, the one He pointed out was pride. It was a convicting message.

And yesterday in OTS, Bro. Blunkall got to preaching about David. I've always known he was a man after God's own heart, but I always thought that meant David's heart was like God's heart. How about this - David was AFTER God's heart. He wanted to get God's heart. That's what SO many Psalms are about - the longing David had and the time David spent seeking God. Think about that one for a while...

God is good - I am so blessed.

Little Brothers

2007-11-13T15:44:00.000-08:00

These are my adopted little brothers, Little Caleb and Joshy. I'm thoroughly enjoying them, especially when I get to work at the CDC. Little Caleb used to call me "Lee-Lee" like everybody else, but now he calls me "Sissy" or "Big Sister." I love those little guys. :D

Preacher just popped into the computer lab with a hearty, "Llllllllllllllladieeeees! Isn't that the longest 'l' sound you've ever heard? It's hard to stay on that 'l' sound!" I love his enthusiasm.

Eight days until Thanksgiving break! YAY! Caleb and Leah and I are looking forward to going home.

We don't have many more class days before finals. It's hard to believe how fast this semester is going! God has been so good.

Every day I'm amazed that I'm here. This is the third year of Champion's existence. Twenty years from now, when we look around and see the hundreds of churches started and thousands of people saved through the ministries of Champions, when we look at Hot Springs and see a school with not hundreds of students, but thousands - we'll be able to say, "Wow! And we were there in the very beginning!" We get to be a part of the beginning of a miracle.

I'm just overwhelmed I'm actually here. I still smile to myself and think, "I'm a college student. I live six hours away from home, I live in a dorm with about 125 other girls, I hear convicting/challenging preaching every day, I go to classes, I actually have homework (as opposed to all my studies being homework :D), and I eat in a cafeteria every day." Random thoughts that still baffle me...but life is good!

Have a great day!

Howdy Ya'll!

2007-11-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted...

Midterms were last week, and I think I did okay. We had to sing "All Through the Night" for Music Lessons. :D It was wonderful - I loved every minute of it! :D:D

Yesterday was my first day working at the Gospel Light Child Development Center (daycare). I'll be training in all the age groups today and next week, because I'll be a substitute. Yeah! I really enjoyed it yesterday. I get to be with Little Little Brother, Joshua West, today. :D I think he's the cutest little guy ever.

I think I'm gonna do a chalk talk on Sodom and Gomorrah next Friday night.
After telling the story, I'll draw some applications about being
faithful to the Lord, or God's judgment on sin/provision for deliverance
from judgment, or keeping bad company, or something like that. I should
be able to set the blacklights up this time - which will be awesome! The
kids won't be expecting it, because I wasn't able to use those last
time.

Well, I've gotta go for now. Have a great day!

Home and Back

2007-10-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

God is good!

I was able to go home this past weekend. Some friends from Paris were going home, so I hitched a ride with them. And my friend Anna came with me, which was great. We're not roomies, and I really enjoyed getting to spend more time with her. Actually, that was one of the best things about the trip, after getting to see Mom and Dad. :D

Anyhow, I did five loads of laundry, enjoyed Mom's good food, went for a nice long ride all over BBTI property (horses), went bus visiting, and just relaxed and enjoyed being with Mom and Dad. Nobody but my parents and the Cobbs knew I was coming, so I surprised everybody pretty good! That was fun. I don't think I've ever felt as loved as I did Friday night when I walked over to the tabernacle (they had just finished watching "The Potter's House"). With two kids clinging to my waist,
two more jumping up and down and talking a mile a minute, and between all them trying to hug everybody that's coming at me - it was fun. It's almost worth leaving BBTI, just to come back!

It was just great to see everybody. All the church family was pretty surprised too. Darla's reaction was the best! She screamed. I loved it!

It really was a nice break. And it's only five weeks now until Thanksgiving break, so my schoolwork is spaced out nicely.

I worked in the kitchen last night. It was alot of fun. I think I'd like to apply to work in there all the time next semester, maybe. It's good training for cooking for alot of people.

Tanya and I baked a cake for Alexis today, at 5:45 AM(today's her 18th b-day). Then, under cloak of darkness, Anna and Tanya and I hung streamers and balloons all over and around Lexie's bed. We had invited several other girls to come in, and at 6:40 we woke her up with the Birthday song and silly string. She loved it. :D And Tanya bought her some of her favorite snack stuff, and I got her a gift certificate for a cremice from Capachi's. It really was fun to see her wake up to all that. She's awesome.

It's neat to think about the friends I have here that are freshman, and picture us graduating together in a few years. I think college graduation will be alot more special than high school. Maybe not, but I'll find out for sure eventually! Sometimes it seems that four years will be like an eternity, but other times I marvel that midterms are next week! (You could pray for that if you think about it:)

Well, I've got some scrapbooking to do, and I get to work in the kitchen again tonight, and I think this post is too long already, so I'll sign out for now. :D

Thank you so much for your prayers!

I hope you have a great evening!

2007-10-05T14:53:00.000-07:00

We had our second test in OT Survey today. It wasn't bad. People talk about how hard Bro. Blunkall's test are, but I don't understand that. He tells you pretty much everything that's gonna be on them, and he's very gracious with his grading. OT is my favorite class. :D

Of course, Bro. Blunkall can preach in any class, even Chorale. We're working on the song, "What Love." The first verse is about Mary pouring the perfume on Jesus, and the second verse is about Calvary. Bro. Blunkall pointed out that Mary didn't just sprinkle a few drops of the perfume, she BROKE the box. There was no chance of taking back what she gave.

May our sacrifices to the Lord of Love be given out of a heart of love, with no reserve or regret.

Have a good day!

Sunday

2007-10-02T13:54:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday was amazing! I rode the bus before church, went to Sunday School, played my trumpet in the orchestra, sang in the choir, went to the nursing home after church to play there, got back for lunch, practiced with some others to sing in Gospel Light's Benton Chapel, left for Benton, enjoyed the service there, and then came home around 9:30.

At the end of the day, I looked back and wondered what happened. In the middle of a day FULL of "serving" the Lord, I think I somehow missed the whole point.

When you look at Mark 3:14-15, a passage describing when Christ called His disciples, it lists the reasons He did.

"And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:"

The first reason is that they should be with Him. It's way to easy to forget that. We can get so caught up in DOing that we neglect to just enjoy Him.

That's one reason I'm so thankful for my prayer partner, and chapel, and devos, and prayer meetings, etc. While it is easy to get busy here, there are also plenty of opportunities to refocus.

God is good!

Kenny

2007-09-29T12:53:00.000-07:00

Dr. Mitchell has said several times that he believes here at Champion are some of America's finest young people. I think Kenny falls into that category.

Kenny is a freshman here at Champion. He didn't let the fact that he has cerebal palsy keep him from coming. He's been a blessing to me already - he's so quick to smile any time of day.

This past week during OT Survey, Kenny had a seizure in his legs. Later the same day, he had another one. His pain is probably far more intense than anything most of us have ever experienced.

Needless to say, he didn't make it to classes on Thursday, and I believe after resting for a day he's feeling some better. Of course, this is an ongoing thing for him, so please keep him in your prayers.

Here is what convicts me - the morning after his seizures, Kenny was singing and thanking God for his disease. Thanking God. Did ya'll catch that? THANKING God for his cerebal palsy.

"The finest young people in America..."

What a testimony.

2007-09-25T14:50:00.001-07:00

We had our first OT Survey quiz last week. I didn't think it was too bad.

Today was kind of a long day. I don't think Tuesday is my favorite class day. :D

We had a sub in OTS the last two classes, but Brother Blunkall will be back in tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it.

Pastor Capaci and his family are in Hawaii right now, preaching at his brother-in-law's church. Brother Brett Capaci preached here Sunday AM, on "Let's Get Back to the Book."

Bro. Tony Smith preached in the evening about "The Real Raiders of the Lost Ark." I never thought so much about the story when the Philistines captured the Ark and placed it next to their god Dagon, and Dagon was basically destroyed. Bro. Smith brought out how there can only be one God in our life - He will knock down and cut off all imposters.

Well, it's dinner time, and I'm hungry! Love Ya'll!

Out or In?

2007-09-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

I don't know how I forgot to mention this - at NYWC we had the awesome privilege of hearing Brother John Bishop speak. He was hospitalized the week of the conference, and from the continued results of his meningitis lost his sight. We were all praying for him, and that he would be released to come to NYWC.

Well, he was there. It was incredible. He spoke for about thirty minutes about the goodness of God, and then said, "I tired, is it ok if I done? I not want disappoint anyone." Wow.

A couple things he said that stuck with me:

"As long as you have an out, you're not in."
"God is always good, and God is always right."

What a testimony!

Prayer Meeting

2007-09-18T05:35:00.000-07:00

Last night the dorm girls had a prayer meeting at 10:30. It wasn't mandantory, and I was surprised to see that pretty much all the girls were there. We were specifically praying for two things.

Ashley Unruh was a freshman here last year. During the summer, she started to have severe headaches. They were so bad she was unable to return to Champion this fall. Well, they found out that the headaches are a result of a spot on her brain. She's having more tests run today, and we're praying that the spot is gone. Ashley's brother Craig and sister Heather are Champion students also. Please pray for all of them.

And also, a student named Amber found out last week that her mom has breast cancer. Please pray for Mrs. McDonald, and for Amber too.

"God is always good, and God is always right." - Bro. John Bishop

2007-09-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

I just have a few minutes before the computer lab closes to girls for the day. But the good news is, I'm completely caught up on typing OT Survey notes! PTL!

Brother Fredericks preached in chapel today about the Name of Jesus. His excitement about that topic reminded me of Dad, especially when he got to his lists of many names of Jesus.

His climax, after preaching for thirty minutes on the wonderful Name of Jesus, was Ps. 138:2 - "thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name."

His point was that so many college students will stand and shout about the power of Jesus' name, and go to class, and study for tests, yet neglect personal Bible study. It was a convicting message, for sure!

Well, I think I might go to the Gospel Light Lady Lions' volleyball match tonight. It would be fun. They played the #1 team in the state last week, and won. Go Lions!

See ya!

Class Schedule

2007-09-15T13:04:00.000-07:00

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday -
8:45 - English Grammar
9:40 - Old Testament Survey
10:35 - College Algebra
11:30 - Chapel
12:30(theoretically - chapel usually goes a little longer) - Lunch
1:05 - Choir

Tuesday
7:50 - Fundamentals of Music
9:35 - Semi-Private Music Lessons
11:30 - Chapel
Lunch
1:05 - Champion Chorale

Thursday
7:50 - Christian Womanhood
9:35 - Winning Life Strategies
11:30 - Chapel
Lunch
1:05 - Champion Chorale

Saturday
8:05 - Personal Evangelism

There you have it. That's how my week goes. I've been to at least one of every class, and I'm enjoying them all immensely. I think OT Survey is my favorite.

One reason I like each class is the instructors. They make sure everyone understands the material, and gets all the notes down, and all that good stuff. :D And none of them are stuffy and serious, which is nice too. :D

Well, I need to go catch up on some letters. G'bye for now!

NYWC 2007

2007-09-14T12:20:00.001-07:00

WOW! National Youth Workers' Conference was the most amazing conference I have EVER been to. I'm a little overwhelmed by everything I heard and experienced these last three days. I don't know that I've ever been in a meeting where God's presence was more visible.

Bro. Reno Likins preached Wednesday night from the story of Jonathan and David. Only, it wasn't your typical message about friendship. It was called, "A Servant's Love for a Soon Coming King." I never thought before about the specific gifts Jonathan gave to David when their "hearts were knit."

Jonathan gave David everything. And the passage says, "even to his bow." Jonathan was the mighty archer of Israel, yet he gave to David the key of his greatest strength. What a surrendur.

I'm really enjoying Gospel Light Baptist Church. There is SO much music in every service. I mean, at the very least, three or four specials every service. And the Champion Choir is awesome! We just started working on our song for Sunday - "Here I Am." Last Sunday we sang "Empower Me." That is definitely in my top 200 favorites!

Well, I need to type some notes, so I've gotta sign off for now. I'll try to write more later. Hope ya'll have a great day!

Don't Be Afraid

2007-09-10T14:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was AWESOME! I think church is the highlight of the week, for sure. I got to visit with Bus 90 on Saturday, and ride Sunday morning too. It's great. I'm starting to get all the kids' names and faces together, and learning their stories. It's hard to be discouraged about your own circumstances when you work on a bus route.

Mrs. Carly (sp?) Likins taught the college ladies' Sunday School. She told us alot of practical things she learned and practiced when she was in college.

Preacher's message Sunday night was exactly what I needed - and from what I've heard today, it was what alot of people needed! He preached from the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath, "Do Not Fear!"

I'm volunteering in the kitchen during NYWC. We won't be having classes, so I'll be free pretty much all afternoon (no homework).

Thanks for your prayers!

Oh, and for those who were wondering, the Third Most Spiritual Event in Buddy Blunkall's Life was his commitment to read three chapters of the Bible EVERY day, no matter what. :D

Have a great day!

Sign the Book

2007-09-07T12:32:00.001-07:00

Today in Old Testament Survey, Brother Blunkall announced that someone had taken his stack of books for class - including his notes and Bible. So, our class today was about "The Three Most Spiritual Events in the Life of Buddy Blunkall."

The first was, of course, his salvation. The second was when he surrendured his life to God. He used this illustration:

During World War II, the Japanese absolutely WOULD NOT surrendur. Every Japanese soldier on Iwo Jima was killed, the Allies eventually gained control of the Pacific islands, and still mainland Japan would not give in. So instead of a battle that would've cost a million Allied soldiers and many more Japanese (soldiers and civilians), the US dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Then Japan was ready to talk! They realized that the Allies were a force they could not resist without being destroyed. When the leaders of Japan met to officially surrendur, one general reached to open the cover of the book containing the agreement. General MacArthur placed his hand on the cover and closed the book, saying these words. "It's unconditional. Sign the book."

What those Japanese men didn't realize was that General MacArthur had a great love for the Oriental people. The book containing the terms of surrendur (unconditional) was written by that man who loved them.

I could elaborate more, but I think ya'll understand from here. And I need to go drop off my books before getting on the bus to go to Little Rock for the IMAX theatre activity. God is good - I'm reminded every day.

Love Ya'll!

Howdy from Arkansas!

2007-09-06T12:55:00.001-07:00

Howdy friends! I hope this blog will be a good way to keep ya'll posted on what's going on in my life.

Champion Baptist College has begun its third year of existence, and I'm thankful God has allowed me to be here and be a part of all that He is doing. I feel like my head is spinning, and at the same time I'm delirious with excitement at all the opportunities God is giving.

Although I miss my home and parents VERY much, I'm confident that God has brought me here at this time on purpose. If I wasn't absolutely sure of that, I would never have even applied for this fall.

Shortly before I came up here, a friend reminded me of the verse in II Timothy chapter one, "For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have commited unto him against that day." Knowing that better young people than me have fallen, and that Bible college is not a place free of temptation, this verse has been a tremendous blessing. I'm reminded every day of the commitments I've made to the Lord in the last eight years of my life, since I've been saved; principally, the committment to serve Him every day of my life, all my life. I am persuaded, for sure, that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him!

Thank you so much for your prayers. My #1 desire for this year is that I will walk closer with my Saviour every day.

Have a great day!