Not Just Any Other Day

From the start, today was destined to be a good day. I got to start the day by spending some time talking and praying with a few wingmates, and the day eventually reached its climax in being able to go to Generations for the first time this semester. But as the day started my memory was unexpectedly prompted to think about something that happened on this day eight years ago.

This morning, I was reading a blog about Revival at www.godsongmusic.com. In this post, my brother reflects on a series of awesome events that occured his senior year in high school. Revival rocked our tiny school, especially the senior class. And one Monday afternoon, Bobby and his friend, Matt Ferris, came to visit my fifth and sixth grade class. Matt told our class his testimony and how he had recently truly repented and given his life to the Lord. I remember sitting in the classroom, terrified by my own sin and need for repentance. I went to the my Dad's office after that and prayed with him, seeking to repent of my sins before the Lord. I am still not sure if this is when I truly became a Christian or if I had been before, but I know that the events of that day, January 26, 1998, had a definite impact on my life. I did learn a valuable lesson about repentance, I learned that living the Christian life was a daily undertaking, and I really started to have a desire to read the Bible for my own. I know that that day was part of God's faithfulness to complete the work he had started in me. I thank God for his pursuit of me; I am grateful that he saved me, that he is sanctifying me, and that I will spend eternity in heaven, praising the One who lives, and was dead, and is alive forevermore.

Giddy as a Schoolboy

Today is one of those days when I am more aware of my nerdiness. It is the first day of classes for the Spring Semester here at The Master's College. And instead of filling me with dread, thoughts of papers, reading, and rousing class dialogue excite me. On top of my usual propensity towards being a nerd, I am particularly looking forward to my classes this semester. The class load should not be too intense, and I'm interested in all the classes I'm taking! I'm also diving into two upper division political studies classes this semester, and it is exciting to get started on my major classes.

I'm also excited to get back into the routine of school. Last week I attended two Bible conferences. Both were stellar, but now I feel the need to simply think and digest the things I learned there and apply them. Hopefully now I will have time to do just that.

At Resolved: I was blessed to hear some of the best preaching that I've ever heard from C.J. Mahaney, Steve Lawson, John MacArthur, and Rick Holland. The messages actually covered a variety of topics, but I was able to take away a couple of main themes from the conference. One was the need to remain cross-centered in my thinking. In order to accurately apply the things I learned, I must remember what Jesus did on the cross. He cried, "It is finished;" I can know that my salvation is complete. And as MacArthur pointed out in his sermon on the Prodigal Son, the Father has completely forgiven me--I am reconciled to him. The conference definitely brought an increase in my awareness of my own sin, so it is essential to know that I am forgiven. The conference also brought a renewed enjoyment of life. Rick Holland preached a great opening message on Ecclesiastes. God wants us to enjoy life! And how can we do this? By enjoying God because he is most desirable!

The next conference was the Truth and Life Conference here at TMC. The theme this year was "Created Male & Female." The speakers were John MacArthur, Wayne Grudem, and R. Kent Hughes. I loved this conference because it painted a beautiful picture of marriage and the biblical roles of men and women. Grudem was my favorite speaker there. He is unapologetically nerdy, yet hysterically funny. And he is not afraid to test the standard of the Bible against that of the world because he knows that the Bible is right.

But now it's back to classes. Back to the homework and business of school. And here comes the test of applying the things I learned at the conferences. Although it is easy to lose sight of those things in the midst of the day, I am encouraged by the Bible when it says. "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on things of the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you will appear with Him in glory." (Col 3:1-4)

So until next time. Keep pressing on, focus on the cross, enjoy life, keep your mind on things above, and let His word dwell in you richly. And if you have time, play some Civ IV.

Yeah, so the Trojans lost in pretty much one of the best college football games ever. This year's championship game was everything last year's wasn't. It was close. It was exciting. The Trojans lost.

Throughout most of the game I had little doubts about the Trojans ability to win the game. They had been down before. They're a great second-half team. They had two Heisman winners in the backfield. It wasn't until near the end when my deep confidence turned into a sick doubt. After the Trojans failed on a fourth down conversion, UT got the ball with about two minutes left, and Vince Young again proved to be unstoppable and scored the winning touchdown for the Longhorns. The Trojans' streak was over.

The Trojans have been a fun team to root for over the past few years. No matter what the score, I always had a confidence that they would win...and they did. This is in contrast to the other teams I root for. For example, each October I get this sick feeling that the Braves will lose in the first round of the playoffs...and they do. But the Trojans have been different. They have been unstoppable...until last night.

As human beings, we like this feeling of confidence. We like it in sports teams, and we also like it in fictional characters. We feel safe whenever Gandalf or Aslan are on the screen because we know that the good guys can't lost when they're around. We enjoy reading Sherlock Holmes because we know that he will solve the crime no matter how baffling it may seem to be. And somehow we remain sure that Jack Bauer will always find a way to keep Los Angeles and America safe. However, as fun as these characters may be to watch or read about, they are fictional.

Sports teams let you down. Superman and Peter Pan don't exist. So the end of the matter is this: Make sure your hope is in the Lord because he gives real confidence. Recently I have been reading Revelation, and near the beginning Jesus says to John, "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore." We can be truly confident in the Lord. He doesn't have any Heisman trophies, but he does have the keys to Death and Hades in his hands, and he has never failed to keep any of his promises. So until next time, Fight On!