8-29-07 Video of the Day - Red Skelton Recites the Pledge of Allegiance

We're no longer under the law...right?

Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.[11] But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.[12] And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.[13] Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:[14] That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

It's easy to look at this passage and wonder why we still follow some of the old testament laws like tithing. My understanding of this passage is that we are no longer under the curse of having to pay the price for not measuring up to the law. It's true that no man is justified under the law, and having been justified by Christ we are to live by faith, but that doesn't mean we can take advantage of God's grace by ignoring God's standards of righteousness. I do not tithe, honor the sabbath, etc. to try to justify myself and prove to God I'm good enough to get into heaven. I do it because I think if God put it in the Bible, it must make Him happy.

It's kind of like the difference between an employee who does his job and one who tries to go the extra mile and do the little things he knows his boss likes (like using the new sales software the company just purchased). They both may get paid the same, but the one who does the little things does it because he wants his boss to know he appreciates having the job and doesn't take his position for granted.

I want God to know that I don't take my salvation for granted and I want to do whatever little things I can to please Him. Even though He knows my heart, I think it means more to Him when He sees me sacrifice something precious to me like my time or money.

Why Liberal Arts College?

I've had several questions about why I'm attending a secular college, so I thought they warranted a post.

The easy answer is that in my position at work I'm going to be required to understand finance, business, mergers and acquisitions, etc. and am pursuing an education which will help me with this. The more difficult answer goes with the question of why a secular college instead of a Christian one. Allow me to explain...

I am wholeheartedly a proponent of Bible colleges and think their value is enormous for young people whether or not they are going to be in a full time ministry position. Bible colleges offer a solid framework of Biblical teaching to help the young person understand the reasons behind what he or she has been taught growing up. It also gives them the opportunity to experience ministry at a larger level than they may have seen at their home church. I think even if a young person wants to be a doctor or an accountant, Bible college should come before their secular education.

Because I'm in a different position in life (married with two kids and a full time job) is would be impractical for me to move to a bible college to pursue an education. I also believe that Christians should be the best they can be in their profession and workplace, and many times this may mean obtaining an education from a secular school where the quality of training is higher (Bible colleges don't typically specialize in areas like business). Having a solid Bible background, I don't consider myself at risk for being indoctrinated with worldly philosophies and can therefore glean the knowledge I need like how to analyze spreadsheets and financial statements without changing my believe system or losing my faith in God. Again, I think Christian young people must be VERY careful when going to a secular school, and should make sure they have solid Bible training before they undertake an endeavor like this. The worlds philosophies can sound very intriguing if you don't know God's Word well enough to see the error in their logic. Please feel free to comment with further questions.

8-28-07 Video of the Day- Bill Cosby as Himself Part 1

My new car

I figured if I'm going to be attending a liberal college with a bunch of hippies, I might as well fit in. This is my new 1967 bug.

08-23-07 Video of the Day - Christmas Bird

Back in Liberal Arts College

I've always been inspired by Jack Schaap's statement that "Hyles Anderson College WILL NOT BE a liberal arts college!!!" Unfortunately I'm going for a business degree and therefore must attend a liberal arts college. I think my professors this year are as liberal as they come. I'm in a political science class where they guy spent the entire first class session bashing the organization of the American Government and trying to make us all disgruntled. I'm in an Art History class where we sit there trying to analyze why some idiot decided to use a thick black line instead of a thin one in his drawing (probably because his pencil got dull), and I'm in a computer course that's full of reprobates. This should be a fun semester...

Back to Reality

We made it home yesterday and are recovering from the long drive (we flew from Cabo to San Diego to get the kids, then drove from there home). I will post more later.