Quick Update

I have been extremely busy lately. So I've had to shift some of my time around to focus on studying and other things which unfortunately has lead me to be unable to keep up with all the blog sphere happenings. Hope once school is finished with for the semester I will be able to resume reading and posting.

I do want to briefly post about my new hobby though. I am now semi-addicted to Wikipedia and have official published (or edited rather) on it. To view my latest contribution go here where I have expanded the definition of a region within the fundamental themes of geography article. It's nothing exciting. I promise

Blog Spotting & The Office

This week in the Blog sphere has been pretty good. I have mainly focused on reading just two site in particular.

Over at eatbible Justin Tubbs written an excellent article titled Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead? It examines several different theories out there that try and disprove the resurrection. I highly recommend reading this one, but be prepared to read for awhile because Justin is known for his gift of brevity...

The Pulpit has been focused on Christian parenting this month and it is has been most excellent. Last week they discussed the role of spanking in Christian families and this week they have moved more to how to evangelize to your children, which in turns raises the question on when to baptize children which of course leads to the discussion of what role baptism actually plays in salvation (which is today's current topic).

Also as a side note, if anyone interested in the correct way to wash ones hands then head on over to Renee Johnson's blog for a practical tutorial.

Lately I have been enthralled with The Office. It really is the funniest show on T.V. (even though I don't watch T.V., I tend to just watch dvds or iTunes). The show always has a short funny segment before the opening theme song is played, and as I have been slowly trying to catch up on the past 2 years of it I have missed, I came across what I believe to be the funniest opening ever... drum roll please...



... That's what she said...

Your Kingdom Come

74 days till June 23rd!

Time is flying by and standing still all at the same time. I can't believe school is almost over. This semester has gone by so fast. But at the same time June 23rd feels so far away. Too far away...

Things for the wedding are still falling into place quite nicely. On the 15th we should be going to get suits, which is going to be exciting, and we just recently worked out all the flower arrangements with our flower person... I forget what her job title actually is.

Lately I have been praying about trying to start a small bible study group in the fall. Ever since Shepherds' Conference, eschatology has been on my mind and on my heart as I realize how many Christians simply push it aside as unimportant to their daily lives and/or reserve the topic for the theologians. Despite the fact that everyone is a theologian of some sorts, I believe that a proper understanding of eschatology can and will have a drastic affect on the way Christians live their lives. Whether or not Christ is coming back or not will have some sort of impact on how His followers will act. Will they act expectantly or live mundanely without hope? If He is to come back, when? Wouldn't His followers want to know? The disciples certainly wanted to know.

"So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6)

So I have been currently reading a pretty good book by Dr. MacArthur titled, The Second Coming: Signs of Christ's Return and the End of the Age, which seems to primarily refute the claims of preterism and vicariously gives the reader a great hope in the return of Christ. After I have finished that I hope to move on to Dr. MacArthur's new book on the book of Revelation titled, Because the Time is Near, which from what I have read is an abridged version of his two volume commentary set on the book of Revelation (which would be next on the list to read). I don't have any clue of who would actually be interested in joining the study but I hope I could find at least a few peps. As I continue studying through that (and Colosians) I may periodically post some notes or even small sermonets of what I learn. So stay posted.

Blog Spotting

Blog Spotting

Today I was introduced to a new blog collaboration over at EatBible.com. You should check out Sunday's post written by a personal friend of mine.

The new subject this week over at the pulpit deals with parenting and specifically with spanking.

Dan over at teampyro has posed an excellent question that has been a recent pondering of my own.

Tim Challies has come up with an encouraging blog event known as Testimony Tuesday. If you love to hear stories about how Christ has drastically changed the lives of others head on over there.

News Flash

If you've ever wondered how to get to London from Houston, Google has it all mapped out for you (pay close attention to step 26).

-Matt-

Two nervous people trying to convert one another

Today is the first day that I have neglected to bring my bible to school with me in quite sometime. My reasoning for not bringing it? I have tons of other stuff to do today. Foolishness.

While working on a historical geography paper over the creation of Yellowstone National Park during lunch I watched a guy walk around the student center talking to different people as they ate. He managed to skip over me as he progressed throughout the area, probably because I tend to seek out the area furthest from human contact. So after a brief moment of watching him I forget about him just as fast and continue my work.

At about a good 2 minuets till class time I gather my things and head towards my next class. On my way out none other then the odd fellow I was watching stopped me. Curiosity out beat my drive to not be late, so I ceded to talk with him. He first ask me where I am from and then nervously begins to tell me about the oddest religion I have ever heard of. After a very brief and confusing explanation he shows me a textbook sized manual on his religion (complete with pictures of course) and offers it to me free of charge, in exchange for a donation. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I had no cash on me but my curiosity was fully aroused now and the urge to share Christ with this extremely lost individual was starting to tingle within my heart. So I regretfully tell him the probably apparent truth about how I am a poor college student but ask him if he would explain more to me. I then ask him about his views on God and Christ. He tells me that he (and his people) believe in one God (or truth as he put it) and from it emanates many demigods. As I again stress the question of who Christ is he admits to me that he sees him as merely a demigod and not God incarnate. I then try and tell him of the many times that Christ not equated Himself with God but referred to Himself as such. But I felt so naked without my bible, being unable to sit him down and show him that if Christ was in fact a demigod that came from the one "truth" but wasn't the actual truth, then He was a deceiving one. Being unable to actually show him scripture but merely quoting it I don' t think he believed my testimony about Christ to much and merely shrugged it off by saying, "He didn't really say that" or "that's not what He meant."

As that conversation started to fizzle I nervously tried to keep it going by asking his views on salvation and heaven. His response to this question was odder then that of the first. He first looked awkward at me (as if not really wanting to answer) and told me that it was all explained in the book he was trying to give me. I again tell him that I have no money on me and wished for him to explain briefly, if he could, to me now. He then reluctantly begins to tell me of a religion that believes heavily on reincarnation and different kinds of heavens that exist on each planet in our solar system with the ultimate one residing in an unknown area with the "truth" (God). I try and ask him how to attain this ultimate heaven but by this time he is trying to get out of the conversation. He gives me a simple universalist answer to my questions and says he must get going. I reluctantly stop pursuing the conversation but ask him his name. He doesn't tell me at first but I ask him again as he leaves and he tells me that it is Anunda (if I heard correctly). I then ask if he lives here or is staying for awhile in hopes of talking to him again later but he tells me that he is only here for the day. We again exchange pleasant goodbyes and go our separate ways.

I left the conversation with a huge burden for Anunda. My desire was to just sit down with him and tell him the wondrous truths about Christ. Ever since our conversation I have thought continuously about him, praying that God would reveal to him the truth about the preeminence of Christ and how He is the only way to obtain any kind of "ticket" into the true residing place of God. If you would, please pray for this individual this week. We may never know how God will ultimately use these prayers for Anunda but I know that we are commanded to do it. And I trust God's wisdom above my own.

What is the moral of this story? Don't leave home without your Bible!

-Matt-