Get Real

I know its long but please read it all.

I guess being a college student screams "give me any and all advice you can give!". I am fine with this since I greatly value good advice. As I travel down the path called college though, I often get advice that starts off this way. . . ."Well, once you get into the real world. . . . " I am sure many of you have had someone tell you this while you were still a "youngin" or in high school. If not, then you probably aren't reading this blog because you can't read english. Many of the people that start their advice-giving this way do it , I think, because they know that I have been raised in a Christian home my entire life. They may also do it because I go to a "bubble" Christian university.

Note: A "bubble" Christian university is code language for Bob Jones University aka BJU. It is called a "bubble" because it a very small campus to which almost my entire life outside of church is confined. I eat, sleep, and breath BJU for 9 months out of every year. There is nothing wrong with this at all. It is exactly where God wants me (thats another story)

Anyway, back to business. I am very appreciative of the advice that tells me about this mysterious "real world" that I will soon encounter. However, this semester God has taught me a lot about this "real" world.

The "fake" world that many of my advice-givers think that I live in is a world that is seen with a Biblical world-view. This Biblical world-view allows me to see things the way God sees them. Whether joy or sorrow, hurt or happiness, even loss or gain--I can see all things the way God sees them when I view life through the lens of His perfect Word.

Now I ask myself, "Is my 'world' the fake one?" Is the "real world" really real? That may sound confusing, but let me explain. The "real" world that people tell me about is one where the world is seen however anyone wants to see it. It is the materialistic, fortune-seeking, entertainment-crazy, sex driven, tolerant society around me that is called the real world! How can that be? If that is the real world . . . .then what is mine! ?

No.

The real world is the one viewed biblically. It is the world where sin is condemned not praised, where God is real and not fake, where I am weak and not strong, where loss is gain, and where death is life. The people living in the so called "real" world wouldn't recognize "real" if fell on their head! Just ask Elisha's servant.

You remember the Bible story. II Kings 6.

¹³And he(enemy King of Syria) said, Go and spy where [Elisha] is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.

¹⁴Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

¹⁵And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

¹⁶And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

¹⁷And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

¹⁸And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

Elisha's Servant was not seeing the real world when he only saw the Syrian army. He only saw the real world when he saw THAT GOD WAS IN TOTAL CONTROL WITH A MASSIVE ARMY OF HEAVEN.

So, to my well meaning advisees, I say this:

Yes, the rest of the world does not have a Biblical world-view . . . in that sense their world is very real. But in the sense of true reality. . . .The only accurate view of this world is God's view. It is only through the perspective that He gives through His Word that we can see things the way they truly are.

I hope this post helps you to open your eyes to the real world around you that can only be seen through Scripture.

Thanksgiving!

Woo Hoo!! Back in PA with my family! I am so thankful for Thanksgiving. Wow. Now that I have some free time I can blog again.

Let me start off by saying that Thanksgiving has got to be my stomach's favorite holiday. Christmas and Easter are favorites for other reasons, but when it comes to food, Thanksgiving is King.....Emperor even. My mother happens to be the world's best cook and I am sorry that all of you reading this from somewhere other than my house will not get to taste the best food this side of heaven on Thanksgiving Day. Andrew Lee, a life long friend of mine, and Zach Sanders, my roommate at BJU are over for Thanksgiving this year and they too will attest to this truth I am sure (ok ok I know everybody says their mom is the best cook but they are wrong. Mine is.)

I am so thankful for everything that God has given me. He has blessed me so much this year in so many different ways. Too many to list here. Every little blessing in my life comes straight from God! I am overwhelmed by His goodness to me! If you are a Christian reading this then you should know what I am talking about. James says that "every good and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning". Everyone ought to be thankful to God! Even people that don't have a relationship with God owe everything to Him. As Christians we have the blessing of getting to attribute everything in our lives to Him! I cannot wait to thank Him in person some day, but I am so glad that I don't have to wait until then. I can thank Him right now.

Almost there

I know I know, Long time no see right, well I have not been
blogging for the past few months because I am at school ( not that
great of an excuse, but good enough) I have definitely had lots and
lots to blog about but Have been too busy doing things to have time to
blog about them. I am sure I will share some stories from this
semester in the future. I cannot wait for thanksgiving and will
definitely have some good posts then. . . .just hold your horses. .
err..... horsepower i guess is correct nowadays