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Posted At: 9:42am by AgentDelta
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So, last summer my college asked me to read Perelandra, by C.S. Lewis before coming to campus. Most of the content of this post is the result of that book stewing in the back of my subconscious for the past year.
What if the temporary, short-lived nature of things is the main/only reason we enjoy them? After all, why should I take the time to enjoy my college years if I'm going to be in college forever? Our human nature finds it so much easier to gripe and complain about things, and if we have something forever, why not put off the hard work of enjoying it until later? But if we know that things are temporary, we have the incentive to take the time and effort to enjoy them. The only reason we like cake is because we only get one piece at a time. If we got an infinite amount, we would simply make ourselves sick (repeatedly) and eventually start hating it with a passion, no matter how good it actually is (or was).
The Bible repeatedly tells us that the kingdom of heaven turns things upside down. So maybe one of the main reasons that heaven is heaven is because we will have it forever. I'm not sure that I or any other fallen human can comprehend such a thing, but maybe that's how it is. Maybe heaven would become hellish if, while there, we knew that at some point in the future we would be torn from the presence of God. Instead, perhaps the forever part of heaven plays a bigger role than we would, at first glance, think it does.
Sorry for the disjointed nature of this post. This stuff has been floating around in my head for awhile, and I haven't polished it at all.
-AD
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Posted At: 10:56am by AgentDelta
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Time for another post. This one is even going to be vaguely theological!
Anyway, the other day somebody asked me “what is truth?” Men have pondered this question for centuries, and people often rank it among the most profound philosophical questions. However, I Corinthians 3:19 says “For the wisdom of this world is folly with God” (ESV). Does this verse apply to the question of what is truth? I think so. In John 14:6, Jesus says “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (ESV). So, according to the Bible, truth is not a what, it’s a who. Imagine the look you’d get from most people if you told them that!
What is the point of this post, you ask? Well, I guess there really isn’t one. I just wanted to share a thought that came to me the other night. Make of it what you will.
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Posted At: 6:45am by AgentDelta
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And as the days drag on, I continue my trend of not updating my blog. Now that I am updating, I am continuing my trend of not putting anything meaningful or thought-provoking on here. :P
So, what's going on at college, you ask? The usual. Papers, reading, and other homework make their constant demands on my time. Somewhere in all that I usually manage to do enough fun stuff to prevent myself from ceasing to function. Some people try to tell me that I work too hard. However, none of these people actually go here, so I'm not altering my habits. Sorry guys. :P
In other news, the President's Ball is tonight. It starts in roughly an hour and twenty minutes, but already the student union is almost empty, except for the people playing pool and video games in one corner. Am I going? No, I don't plan on it at the moment (what? You expected me to say something else?) Since I don't plan on going, I'm not sure what I'll end up doing with my evening. Perhaps I'll continue working on papers, as I've been doing for most of the day. Or perhaps I'll use the 110 inch TV and associated sound system to...listen to Pink Floyd. Yes indeed. It should be fun times.
Also, I've been having a lot of fun debating a Catholic friend of mine. Friendly debates are always fun, and usually educational, and this one has been no exception.
I suppose I have rambled on enough for now, so I'll wrap up this post. Maybe I'll be able to get myself back into the habit of updating this blog more frequently. I doubt it, but stranger things have happened, so keep your eyes peeled.
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Posted At: 6:46am by AgentDelta
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I'm sure there are quite a few outstanding tags that I have to respond to, but for the moment, I'm going to respond to this one (courtesy of Kelsey):
1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.
My book is Essays by Michel De Montaigne.
Page 123 has part of his essay entitled "On the Custom of Wearing Clothes."
"On the subject of clothes, the King of Mexico used to change his garments four times a day, and never wore them a second time, but used them for his continual charities and as rewards. In the same way, no pot or dish, or kitchen or table utensil was ever put before him twice.
Book One: Chapter 47, On the Uncertainty of our Judgement."
I tag: RachelE, RachelD, Aaron, Paul, and Ethan.
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Posted At: 9:00am by AgentDelta
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Just a quick post to keep this place alive. School is going well, and life is pretty good, all in all. Anti-abortion fervor is running high here, as always. And it is now colder up here than it usually is in Texas. -2 degree weather does not happen often in my area of Texas. But I knew about that when I moved up here.
Other than that, not much is new. My mom has a website now: http://www.poplolliesboutique.com
Check it out if you like.
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Posted At: 10:25am by AgentDelta
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First of all, I'd like to wish all of you a happy new year!
Second of all, I was watching The X-Files tonight. Specifically, I watched an episode from season 7 called "Signs & Wonders." This was a very interesting episode, and it hinted at a few things that don't normally get said on TV shows.
The premise of the episode goes something like this: People in a small, backwoods Tennessee town are getting attacked and killed by large groups of poisonous snakes. Everybody's first suspect is the pastor of the local snake-handling church (yes, such things do actually exist). These suspicions intensify when Mulder and Scully (the stars of the show, in case you didn't already know) discover that one of the victims had recently left the snake handling church for the other church in town, a community church built on tolerance, where, in the words of its pastor "any belief is welcome." This snake-handling apostate had been persecuted in some way by his former fellow believers.
However, by the end of the episode (SPOILERS AHEAD) we discover that the murderer, a supernatural, demonic entity who is using these large groups of snakes to kill people who know the truth about him, is none other than the tolerance-preaching pastor of the community church! This discovery prompts Mulder to say "People think the devil has horns and a tail. They're not used to looking for some kindly man who tells you what you want to hear."
Isn't that the truth? Satan likes to hide in ordinary, everyday things, right where we'd never expect to find him. Thank goodness for Christ and His death on the cross. Christ has defeated Satan permanently.
If y'all ever get the chance to watch this episode, I recommend that you take it. If you dislike snakes, you'll probably be grossed-out/scared by the episode, but the overall plot and conclusion are worth it, in my opinion.
I probably could have gone into more detail here, and written a more coherent/meaningful post, but at the moment I just want to get my thoughts down before I lose them. If you want more details about the episode or anything else, get in touch with me.
-AD
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Posted At: 10:11pm by AgentDelta
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I'd like to wish all of you out there a blessed Christmas as you celebrate the birth of our Saviour.
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Posted At: 11:05am by AgentDelta
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Wow. I haven't posted on here since August. Time sure flies. So, what have I been up to since FOR YOU MN?
In a word: College. I've finished my first semester of college, and gotten my final grades back. It's been a fun time. I've made some great friends, met a lot of new people, had the privilege of interacting with some absolutely wonderful professors, and even changed my proposed major.
So, first things first: my impression of college life. Overall, college is fun. The freedom, if used responsibly, is quite nice. A lack of sleep seems to come with the territory. During orientation, one of the speakers we listened to put things quite accurately when he said that you could have any 2 of the following 3 things: sleep, grades, and a social life. Why is it that sleep is the easiest of the 3 to sacrifice? Why? Why??
As to classes: wonderful. I had some really awesome professors this semester, and I'm taking a couple of them again next semester. To all my professors: you guys are wonderful, absolutely wonderful. It has been a privilege (and a lot of fun) to be in your classes. I look forward to having y'all in future classes, and to seeing y'all around campus.
Social life: Like I said above: I've met some wonderful people and made some great friends, and I can't wait to see y'all again next semester.
Extracurricular activities: I have attended some wonderful lectures given by some excellent speakers. I'll tell y'all now: if you ever get the chance to hear Walter Williams or Ralph Wood speak, please take that opportunity. I don't think you'll be disappointed. I've also done some tech work with the College's theater department. I ran the sound board during this semester's first production, and I have learned to hang and focus lights. I've been to places in the building I never thought I'd go to, and I've loved it all.
Church life: I've started attending Seth's church fairly regularly. It's a 40 minute drive away, so I don't always make it up there. When I don't, there's a church in town I usually make it to.
I suppose that's a good overview of things for now. One last thing: Certain people have been pressuring me to get a Facebook account. Do those of you who will comment or otherwise contact me all agree that I should get an account (if so, why?), or are there some of you who think that an account isn't worthwhile (and why?).
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Posted At: 6:50am by AgentDelta
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I didn't leave MN until Saturday. I woke up Saturday morning and packed all my stuff, making sure I'd be ready in time for breakfast. I then proceeded down to the cafeteria, only to find out that it wouldn't be open until after I'd left. So, I went back to my room and wrote these, which I now post for your reading pleasure.
10 Signs You've Just Returned from a Higher Things Conference:
- Random parts of the liturgy pop into your head when you’re not busy thinking about something else.
- You make sure you are ready for church by 9:00AM. You are not deterred by the fact that it is Monday.
- You have to keep reminding yourself that you’ll be able to go to bed before midnight.
- You are depressed because you haven’t attended a class taught by Pr. Cwirla today.
- You look for your lanyard before you leave your room.
- Pr. Cwirla is your hero.
- You hope you’ll bump into your friends at breakfast, before remembering they live halfway across the country.
- You feel funny leaving your house without your backpack.
- You think your congregation doesn’t sing loudly enough.
- When your pastor goes up to the front of the church at the beginning of the service, you look for the ten other pastors that should be with him.
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Posted At: 9:17am by AgentDelta
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And now for my last ramble:
Friday:
We woke up and ate at our normal time, then rode the campus connector bus over to chapel. Alex joined us for breakfast, but not for the bus ride over to chapel. Instead of Matins, we had a Service of Confession and Absolution, in preparation for Divine Service later in the day.
After chapel, we proceeded to Breakaway E. Alex, Andrew, Paul, and I all chose to attend “Infant Baptism: For You,” by Rev. Brian Thorson. Rev. Thorson taught an excellent session. He began by asking us for arguments we had heard against infant baptism, then proceeded to debunk as many of them as time would allow. He gave us a ton of Bible verses in support of infant baptism and the various concepts that go along with it, such as the fact that we are sinful from conception. Rev. Thorson also pointed us to a study that says that infants can lie. Here's a link to the study; I haven't had a chance to read it yet: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/07/01/scibaby101.xml
Unfortunately, Alex had to leave the conference a few minutes before the sectional ended, due to his travel schedule. After the sectional ended, Paul, Andrew, and I went over to our fifth and final plenary session. Before the session started, Mrs. Ostapowich told us that 1191 youth and adults attended FOR YOU in MN, and that only 268 of those had ever been to a conference before. She also said that between FOR YOU MN and FOR YOU NC 34 states and 4 foreign countries (, , , & ) were represented.
After announcements, Pr. Cwirla began teaching. Today, he focused on confession and absolution. After Pr. Cwirla’s talk, we all went to lunch. We then proceeded to Divine Service. There were noticeably fewer people in attendance at this service than at previous services, because several groups had to leave early on Friday.
After listening to Rev. Klement Preus’s excellent sermon, singing several beautiful hymns, and being fed the Lord’s Supper, the conference was officially over. The MHers hung around at the front of the chapel for a few minutes for several group pictures, including a couple with Pr. Borghardt.
After taking the pictures and saying our good-byes to everybody, the Gehlbachs and I walked back to Centennial. While Mrs. Gehlbach and Mrs. Fischer went to get the Gehlbach’s car, Paul and Andrew hung out with me in my room, where we played Egyptian Rat Slap and Liar (both of those are card games, in case you don’t recognize those names).
After the Gehlbachs left, I helped load the conference supplies into a truck for the drive to North Carolina. I got to go out to dinner with the conference staff, and I also got to meet a really cool guy by the name of Ted Rosenblat (sorry if I misspelled your last name, Ted). He really likes Hillsdale College, and just might be paying me a visit up there one of these days.
After dinner, Mrs. Fischer & I went back to our rooms. My flight home was Saturday morning, so I spent Friday night in the dorms, once again sleeping the sweet sleep of the conference attendee.
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