Today, while I was having my weekly vent to my mom on the phone, I realized something. So, I live in the Bible belt of the south. Most people around here are hardcore Protestants, and more specifically Baptist. Now, I’ve lived my whole life with people saying I’m not saved and that I’m not Christian due to my Lutheran beliefs. I’m not going to lie; sometimes I purposely hang out with Catholics because I don’t feel like I’m constantly being attacked for what I believe. Anyways, I recently realized through observations of the on campus missions and the churches around the school, that the Protestants, Catholics, and even Lutherans have something in common and horribly messed up around here.

It’s a well known fact that most students stop going to church when they hit college age. It’s mostly attributed to the fact that either the parents no longer making them go or that the kids just get caught up in the “college life.” I truly think that this mentality is wrong. The number one reason why kids in college no longer attend church is because of the churches themselves. Here on campus almost every single denomination has some type of “mission.” I’ve been to a few of them, and I have to tell you that I was totally and utterly appalled. The crud their shoving down the throats of our youth today is neither nourishing nor is it sustaining.

I look at every single one of the missions here and all I see is what looks like a horrible VBS gathering that does nothing but entertain the kids, and make them feel good about themselves. There is no actual teaching of the Bible and Sacraments (i.e. Baptism & Holy Communion).

See, the churches of today have fallen into the trap of trying to do anything and everything to draw the kids in. They make the kids feel good about themselves and teach them falsities that barely scratch the surface of what being a Christian really is. They buy into this feel good Joel Olsteen stuff that is not sustaining and does no one any good.

I’ve seen it happen to so many different people around here, the people who attend church and then stop going as soon as things don’t work out. They’ve been taught that what they believe is all about feelings. Basically everything the local churches teach is feeling based. They have to open their hearts and feel saved. They have to feel like it’s the work of God that their doing. Anyways, I hope you get my drift.

Now, what happens when these feelings aren’t so positive? I’m in my third year as a college student; I know you’re not always going to feel perfect. Right now we’re in the middle of finals, my grades have been horrible this year, my job sucks at times, I have a ticket I’m trying to pay for, guy problems, girl problems, I’m trying to pack up all of my belongings, and did I mention finals? This is how I feel right now, and I know it’s what almost everyone else is feeling on campus right now too. Do I feel happy and saved right now? No. I don’t “feel” saved…I feel frustrated, angry, annoyed, ticked off at the world, and overwhelmed. If what I believed was solely based on feelings, I would have to say that I would be questioning my salvation. Why does it seem like everything in my life is going horribly wrong? What did I do wrong? Why me, and why now? Why is God not helping me? Why it is just my life that seems totally and utterly screwed up? I’ll tell you why, it’s because that’s the way life is because of a little something called sin. Praise the Lord my faith is not built upon the sand.

Yes, I’ll come straight out and say it. All of the churches today seem to build faith upon the sand. They have not taught their youth anything. They’ve taught them how to feel good about themselves for a time…but there is no solid foundation there. There is no rock in feelings. This is why people stop going to church, because they no longer feel like Christ is real or that their Faith is real. They are easily dragged into each and every passing trend.

This is why I drive approximately 45 minutes to go to a good church, a church that has established itself on the rock, while all other ground is sinking sand. It’s as simple as that! And we wonder why the kids no longer attend church in their college years…it’s because they have no rock. So, I challenge every church goer to start questioning what their faith is built upon. Do you stand on the Word and Sacraments or do you stand on the guitar and drum set at the front of the church? Do you only go to church every Sunday because it makes you feel good, or because you know that’s where you can receive the Word and Sacraments instituted by Christ himself? Seriously, it may not be the coolest thing since sliced bread, but it’s the truth. Maybe you won’t have as much fun professing that you are a sinful being who has fallen short of the glory of God…but trust me, it beats making little butterflies with one line, feel good Bible verses on it. When times get tough, what’s going to help you more…true faith or butterflies? I may not always feel good or like I’m saved, but I don’t need to. I have something else, I have the knowledge that no matter what, Christ was still born of a virgin, He lived a perfect sinless life, He still died on a cross, He still rose from the dead, and that through Him my salvation does not need to be felt…because it’s always there. No matter what sin, or how messed up my life becomes, salvation is mine, through Christ, and it will not be taken away.

My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less
By: Edward Mote

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteous;
No merit of my own I claim
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils his lovely face,
I ret on his unchanging grace;
In every high and story gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, his covenant, his blood
Sustain me in the raging flood;
When all supports are washed away,
He then is all my hope and stay.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When he shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in him be found,
Clothed in his righteousness alone,
Redeemed to stand before the throne!
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

Hymn # 368 from Lutheran Worship
Author: John Stainer
Tune: Magdalen
1^st Published in: 1836

So, I’m not usually into this shameless promotions thing…well I take that back…It’s more like I don’t like to admit that I do shameless promotions. But, I have to for this one bad and I’ll even admit to it. So, hopefully y’all know that I wouldn’t post something supporting a band if I didn’t actually like them and think they were worth it…so here goes nothin’. ;-p

“The Family Business” is a local Dallas, Texas band that was started by some college students from University of Texas @ Dallas. I found out about them because I happen to know the Bass player. (We where both homeschooled in Weatherford and took some classes together.) Anyways, it’s not only that I know a member of the band; I actually, truly enjoy their music! I’m kind of addicted to this one song, “And It Will Rise Again.” (Listen to it here)

Well, to get down to business. Feel free to click on the provided link and let me know your thoughts about them. If you like them, props to you…if you don’t, at least you heard something new! Now, if you did like them, please go here and vote for them in the Battle of the Bands for the Vans Warp Tour for the Texas area. Doesn’t matter if you live in Texas, just please vote for them! Oh, and if you live in Texas, they are going to be performing at The Door on April 24 in Dallas, so feel free to go watch!

Well, now that my promotion is coming to an end, I hope that I’ve grabbed your interest, at least just a little bit! Like I said, I wouldn’t promote them if I didn’t think they were worth it, so check “The Family Business” out, you may just like them!

So, it’s been FOREVER since I last updated, so I figured I better write something up. Life in general has been pretty busy and hectic for me so far this school year. From dealing with some of the most bizarre stuff I’ve ever heard of happening in the dorm, to finally making it into a performance piece for the dance department, there has barely been a dull moment. Right now, as I sit here in my office listening to Collective Soul and eating a bowl of ice cream, I’m contemplating what I could write that could possibly captivate you, my reader. My more recent escapades as an RA at Parkhill are out of the question because some of the more interesting ones are quite confidential. So, I’m thinking you are just going to be stuck with some recent facts I’ve learned.

Fact # 1:

Did you know that if you mix Mentos with Diet Coke you get a massive explosion! We recently experimented with this theory with a friend of mine, Camo, and his handy little tube that created about an 8 foot geyser across the street from the dorm. It was sweet!

Fact # 2:

Sam Houston State University is the about the only state college in Texas that has our Spring break a week earlier than everyone else’s. So, South Padre Island and other such vacation spots are going to be rocking with purely Sam students…because we’re the only people off that week. Doesn’t that kind of take the fun out of Spring Break? I mean, I see half of these people everyday in passing, so I sure as heck don’t want to see them on vacation!

Fact # 3:

I have officially survived my first, and hopefully only, hurricane. Ike was quite an experience! Due to the wonderful fact that I’m an RA, I had to stay on campus through the storm. Let me tell you, it was interesting. I was going stir crazy by the time it was over said and done with. Oh, and the school we missed was so not worth it! You just had to have crash courses in everything and you learn absolutely nothing. So, fact # 3 would have to be that hurricanes are bad and canceled classes are soooo over rated!

Fact # 4:

So, you’re in college, and you’ve just realized that it’s okay to revert back to your childhood. Recently I’ve discovered that a great stress reliever is to sit back and enjoy some of the things you loved as a kid. Here lately I’ve been watching the first season of “The Animaniacs” that I got for Christmas on DVD. Dude, cartoons are awesome! I’ve also been watching Roger and Hammerstein's Cinderella from 1965 (with Ginger Rodgers!), reading “The Outsiders” (when I have a chance), and coloring with crayons. Life is good when you can do a few of these simpler things and relax.

Final Fact # 5:

Are you ready for it? Well here it is <insert drum role here>…I’ve learned that Cash Cab is the coolest show on TV. Dude, I could watch that show for hours on end! Let me tell you the Discovery channel is awesome to have this show! I’m addicted! I watch it almost everyday after school.

So, those are my random facts that I’ve learned so far for this school year. Now, I’m going to go turn in and get ready to do some major studying this weekend for my Historiography class. Come to think of it, that should be what I write about next time, my class over “the History of History.” It’s quite fascinating! We’re learning how to do “academic judo” accord to my Prof.. Anywho, till next time, I shall leave you in suspense!

Ok, so now that the disclaimer is over, said, and done with…I hope y’all read and enjoy this article by Andrew Klavan!

First off, if y’all don’t already know, I’m going into my junior year of college for a major in History, and I hope to someday obtain my doctorate in Ancient History. As cheesy as this is going to sound, Indiana Jones was one of the reasons I first started to get interested in history…I mean, who wouldn’t want to be just like him. I’m now older and understand it is just fiction, but I love history and I even research it for fun during my free time. Anywho, I was excited about the film when I just heard the title, because it was about the “Crystal Skulls.” For those of you who don’t know what the Crystal Skulls are, here’s an article written for FOX news about the subject and also an article written for “Archaeology (a publication of the Archaeological Institute of America).” So, if you read the articles, this is actually an idea that comes from possibly the biggest archaeological hoax that has fooled and continues to fool people to this very day. How cool is that!

When the skulls were first discovered, it was believed that they came from the pre-Columbian Mesoamerica culture. At the time, it had some backing because human skulls were used in the natives’ worship of their gods, through sacrifice. I mean, the Aztecs liked to rip the beating heart out of their victim for the god Huitzilopochtli. So, the people in the 19th century probably had no problem believing that the crystal skulls were part of some pagan practice, especially when it was prevalent in the Mesoamerican drawings. Later, theories developed about the skulls being made by Aliens or coming from another galaxy, and this crazy idea does make for a great movie. What’s cooler than a bloody pagan religion and aliens? Sounds like a blockbuster hit to me.

I think one of the coolest parts in the movie was the pagan beliefs that were presented. Like I said, I want to get a doctorate in Ancient History, and one of the most important parts of studying them is understanding what their pagan beliefs were. Let me tell you some of them are so far out there, the idea of Aliens teaching the Mayans how to farm sounds pretty sane. Anyways, the Mayans did have a religion that was centered on the movements of planets and stars, and some people out there do believe that the aliens taught the ancient cultures, including the Mayans, how to do things. Oh, and this belief does not solely belong to the atheists, I know plenty of people who proclaim to be Christian and they actually believe in stuff such as this. Surf the web about aliens, and I bet you’ll find some people out there, just like the ones I’m talking about.

Actually, one of my favorite TV shows puts a spin on this idea and it became the longest running sci-fi TV show, because of it. I’m talking about Stargate SG-1, of course. Now that I think about it, the whole movie was basically Indiana Jones meets Stargate in the middle of the Amazon. In fact, now I know why I loved it so much…it reminds me of Stargate…it’s all just good clean sci-fi fun.

Personally, I think you should just take it for what it is. It’s a fun, clean, cheesy movie just like all the other Indiana Jones films…I loved the story and found it funny, because I read about people talking about this stuff all the time. I love to study the Mesoamerican mythological beliefs and loved to see this fun little spin placed on it. Plus, the Greaser references and the fact that it takes place during the Cold War make it a good movie from yet another historical perspective. So, I have to say I give this movie 4 ½ out of 5 stars, because I really enjoyed it. I hope y’all give it the chance it deserves, and if you don’t like it, oh well…I loved it…and I hope some of you enjoy it at least as half as much as I did. Just remember to keep in mind that it is an Indiana Jones movie, so be prepared for unbelievable fight scenes and the stars living through situations where a normal human being would die. I have to say that I’m hoping they continue with the franchise…possibly starring “Mutt.” ;-)