Mmmm, weather.

So, it snowed today. I woke up pretty upset about it. During Chapel, our chaplain subtly told us we have no right to be complaining about the weather, citing all the earthquakes, floods, nuclear accidents, and tornadoes which have been destroying people's homes and lives over the past month and are continuing. Definitely sobered me about how little my wet feet matter. Thought I would share this with anyone reading from Michigan who's also unhappy about the April snow.

Peace.

Papers, presentations, projects...oh my...

So, I just finished one of the most obnoxious papers for school I've ever written. The topic: Predestination and Election. Now, don't worry, I'm not going to rant or ramble about that stuff in this post.

I think what made this paper so hard was that it's in combination with a presentation on the same topic which I have to give in class with one other student. The problem? We're both on one side of the argument, and over 3/4 of the rest of the class is on the other...and we have to open up the presentation for discussion after we're done...basically meaning we're going to have to defend ourselves against almost a whole class. Needless to say, I'm a little nervous about that. Oh well. I've put in a ton of research for this, so I'm confident we can give adequate answers for just about anything...they just may not like our answers, that's all. haha.

I've definitely become more solid in what I believe through this. I've also realized even more how much the Body of Christ should NEVER divide over this issue. Basically (and I've told plenty of people this already), if anyone says they know exactly how God works, especially regarding salvation, they should be totally disregarded.

Ugh. Anyways. Today, my friend Adam walked into my room, looked at me, and said: "Tanktop? Beanie? You look like a tuna farmer."

I think I found my new calling in life.

Peace.

EQ

So, in my recreation class, one of my classmates recently gave a presentation on EQ, referring to emotional intelligence. She handed out questionnaires for each student to fill out on their own time to look at their personal emotional health. I just filled mine out, and the answers I came up with did not really surprise me. A quick summary:

I can have a good time, but it's hard for me to really find bliss or awe in activities.

I can accept the help and criticism of others, and am willing to be taught.

I can let go of anger quickly, but not very often.

It is very hard for me to be tender and compassionate.

I am generally very critical of myself, and easily become judgmental toward others.

I can easily express how I feel to people I trust.

That's pretty much it. This is how I see myself, at least, whether or not other people see those things as true. There was also space for a friend to answer the same questions about me; I think I will ask my roommate to fill that portion out. I also have another copy of the quiz I will be giving to someone else, assuming someone else is interested in taking it. Anyway, the point is that I recognize some of my better aspects which God has made (and built over time) in me, but I also see some areas where I need to let Him have more control. Hope this was a little insightful for others.

Peace.

Lecture Series

So, this week a man named Andrew Walls came to Spring Arbor to give a few lectures. The topic was "Global Perspectives on Christianity." I was really interested, so I decided to go check it out. He spoke about the changing worldwide demographics of Christianity, past trends, future trends, the early church, and missionary work, both past and present. Here are some interesting thoughts, quotes, and points I gleaned:

A crusader goes elsewhere and makes people live Christian lives on his terms. A missionary goes elsewhere and lives a Christian life on other people's terms.

"The altars of Mammon are as gruesome as those of Molech." (comparing past and present idolatry)

Africa has quietly taken Europe's former place in the Christian world.

Already, North American and European Christians are substantially outnumbered by Christians in the rest of the world, and if trends continue, 2/3 of Christianity will be Non-Western.

The early church was culturally, geographically, and linguistically diverse; world Christianity has always been global, even before the "missionary movement" began.

"The only way a Jew could become a Christian was by becoming a Gentile Christian: a sad reversal." (explaining the disdain much of the world had for Jewish Christians eventually)

"When Anthony goes to the desert, he is not escaping the world: he is challenging the devil on his own ground." (during his explanation of Father Anthony and the beginnings of Christian Monasticism)

He also gave a very interesting analogy explaining the Trinity which has apparently been around for hundreds of years. It's a little strange, so bear with me, but it actually works pretty well:

We drink life in Christ just as one would drink a glass of milk. The Holy Spirit is the One Who has "milked" the Father for this life and brought it to us.

That is all.

Peace.

Getting redundant...

So, I know this is starting to get old, but it looks like I'm going to be abandoning the site URL I just adopted. I just got a bunch of business cards in the mail today, and since they all have my blog's old URL stamped on them, I'm going to have to switch back...or else I would have to order a whole new batch of business cards. Sigh. I don't really want to switch back, but c'est la vie.

caseybutlerkingofthewildfrontier.blogspot.com

Peace.

Pass This Cup

So, yesterday was a hard day. Thank you for your prayers, to those who were praying for me. I ended up going to my night class a little late because of the events of the day. In this class, we always have some silent prayer time. Yesterday we had about ten minutes. Right before the silence, our professor was speaking about Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, when He was praying that if all possible, the cup would pass from Him. During the silence, I thanked God that He had passed the cup from me and had lifted the burden I was carrying from the day. Immediately, He responded with, "The cup of suffering I have for you has not been passed," and a great feeling of awe and dread came over me as I realized that these events were nothing in comparison for what I will face in the future. Thank you, God, for not letting me wallow in shame and regret.

Peace.

Fasting

So, you might notice my blog's name has been changed. I thought it was about time to name it something more appropriate to what I write about. The youtube link goes to the song "I Do Not Belong" by Kutless, which should help explain why I chose the new title.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ0i1KRY0wc

Also, for anyone who prays, I would ask that you pray for me this week. I need guidance and discernment very badly, and I'm going to be seeking it hard this week.

Peace.