Just Eatin' Up Time

What a long Christmas. Christmas Eve with the Farr's, Christmas morning with my immediatel family, Christmas night with the Willhite's, and then today with the Wheeler's....exhausting.

The Wheeler's are at my house right now...about ready to leave actually. We played like 4 rounds of this DVD game called SceneIt. Well, they played it....I didn't do much; I'm just really worn our I guess.

As much as it has been relaxing hanging out at home, I need to find stuff to do. I'm looking into getting some reffing work at the indoor soccer. Not only because I need money, but because I just need to find something to do, haha.

I find my thoughts returning to Biola a lot. I love my family, yes. I really enjoy spending time with them. It's just that I have a life down in Los Angeles now....new people....my age, heh...opportunities in all sorts of forms....I don't know, I just miss it.

For some reason when I am home with my family I feel less motivated...less driven to do things. When I'm by myself--like I was for 4 months down at Biola--I really feel driven and motivated to do things. I think this is pretty easy to explain: when I have parental units over me and no obligation housing and food it is easy to get lazy....I just feel like it's about time I start really taking care of myself--I hate feeling so incapacitated.

What I really need now is a job...heh. I'm going to try a lot harder this semester to get a job...not going to be as picky either. It's about time I start earning some income. I think next year I'll be able to get a job as an editor at The Chimes, but for next semester I just need to work on getting some nice on-campus job to get a bit of cash.

I also have to start looking for internships this semester. I want to be set up with something before I hit next summer. I'm going to look at internships in both Oregon and California....I'll just see where God takes me.

That's all for tonight folks,

Just shootin' them down

That's right...two down, two to go. Finals I mean. I took math yesterday and Anthropology today. The Anth didn't feel as good as I'd of hoped, but I'm not too worried; I have a pretty solid A in that class. The math one was about normal I guess...whether I get an A or a B in that class is resting on the result of that test, so it's pretty important.

So tomorrow I got my journalism final bright and early in the morning at 7:30. The next day is my art final which I am not worried about at all. I have like a 95 in that class and the tests aren't that hard.

In case anyone hasn't seen this yet, here's a link to a funny little thing I made in celebration of Christmas and me coming home:
http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=033ce7b679a3ff99d351573G20061209





Toodles!

Finals Stretch

So here we are folks. Just finished up the last class of the semester. Currently am enjoying the last weekend of my first semester at Biola. One last thing to do....finals!

I'm not too worried about any particular final right now. I think I pretty much know what my grades are going to be. I'll likely get 4 or 5 As, and 1 or 2 Bs. Probably the most important finals are in my Convergent Journalism and Math classes...I have a low A in Convergence and a high B in math....so the result of the final will be pretty important.

Nevertheless, I'm not stressed right now. As long as I get some good studying this weekend and next week I should be good. I'll probably have to study the most in my Anthropology class, just because there's always a lot of information to know.

So anyways, I'm excited to come home. Can't wait to get all wet and soggy again in the rain.......cuz.., you know, this 80 degree weather in the middle of December is just...just...so horrible...*snicker*

Well, talk to you all later.

I Finally Did It

That's right, I know what you're thinking..."Michael, you're crazy...." But hey, you know, it had to happen sometime.

Yep, finally went to the library and pulled a college cram session. 4 hours baby! 4 hours! Just sitting there, listening to music, occasionally chatting to a few friends next to me. Finished 2 essays and a Chimes article! Wow! You know what that means? That means I have no more assignments left this semester! That's right! Bring it on finals, I'm ready for ya!

Lol, I have know idea what you guys were thinking when you began this article...I just wanted to get reactions. Really I'm just in a good mood. There is nothing left for me to do other than study for tests. Such a relief.

And the funny thing is, I can totally see God in all this. Last night I prayed that He'd give me the motivation to get the rest of my work done. In God-like fashion, He made it so: My computer turned out to not be working today, so couldn't sit in my room and play computer games like I usually do when avoiding work. Furthermore, my interview for the article went so well that I just felt inspired to get that thing written.

All that led up to me doing what I bragged about not doing before: heading to the library to work. While I was there, friends showed up (including a pretty nice girl :) ), and as it turns out, having company around you really motivates you. No wonder people have study parties! It really works!

So yeah, totally worked out today in the most coincidental-it-must-be-God kind of ways. Excellent!

Almost home ya'll , almost home!

Christmas Party

Had a lot of fun at my Church's college group Christmas party. We had food, a white elephant gift exchange and we watched Charlie Brown's Christmas. I brought my friend Mike along too...he seemed to have a good time. Anyhow, here are some pictures of the event.
















Mike and I in front of the "fire" .Mike and I, as well as some girls from the
college group that happen to live in our dorm
building. Plastic tree...

Oh yeah, Charlie Brown's Christmas and people hanging out

December 1st

Wow, just winding down here. I have a few more short papers, and then finals. Then that is it. That's it...I will have finished my first semester in college! That is two weeks folks, from this day.

Today a pretty nice day. 75 degrees, clear skies...no wonder I forgot it was the first day of December today.

I got all my classes scheduled for next semester yesterday. I'll be taking 17 credits, which is one more than I took this year. 4 of the classes are Mass Communication ones (for my major), 1 is Spanish, taking a PE class (soccer of course, heh), and the other one is a general ed Communication class.

The Christmas tree lighting at Biola is tonight. Our biggest Christmas tree-like tree in front of the music hall is all decorated. Should be a good hot chocolate sipping event.

So yeah, a lot of random thoughts there. But yeah, hope you're all doing fine. Going to be great to come back home.

Grey Sky

Just want to let you all know that it rained today in LA.

That'll be all

Family

So, just back from my little journey to San Diego and back. I had a really good, relaxing time with the family down there. Was especially good to just be back in a house instead of a dorm. What I really appreciated was being able to go to sleep in absolute silence--no people playing guitar outside my door, no yelling from people playing Halo, and no roommate bursting through our very squeaky door at obscene hours of the night....just silence.

Judy and Gary took real good care of me while I was there. We ate at Kono's twice (yum yum), went to see the latest James Bond movie (awesome), and they always offered their hospitality. Was really good to see so many people that I haven't seen in such a long time (e.g. Heather and Bree). It's kind of funny how different the family is down here compared to up in Oregon. I'm used to always having a disproportionate amount of children running around, but down here the family is all grown up (besides Nicole and Jeremy). I always appreciate, though, how much interest they show in my life even though I don't see them that much.

Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. I know I am thankful for everyone reading this, because it means that they care about me and have probably made a significant contribution in my life. Don't ever worry that your contribution is for nothing...I'm am trying really hard to do well in college--and I know that my life is more than my own, so you shouldn't worry about me making poor choices. When these 4 years are done and over with, it's going to be the people reading this right now who are going to be the ones I thank for wherever I am...thank you in advance.

I hope you all recognize what a great country we live in. Sure, it's sinful, self-obsessed, and plenty of other negative things...but do remember that you got to pray with your family around the dinner table on Thursday without fear of reprisal. Remember that you make more money in a day than most people in the world make in a month. Remember that you were able to drive to your destination in a running vehicle this past Thanksgiving...and that you were able to eat until you were way passed full. Not too bad.

Also remember, that to whom much is given, much is expected. I hope we can remember that when we see those in need. It's not enough to give when it is convenient...giving (and loving for that matter) is about sacrifice, which is never convenient.

My little children let us not love in words alone, but in deeds and truth

1 John 3:18

Good News

Just talked to my Art Appreciation teacher today, and she said I currently have a 95% in the class!! Whoo Hoo. Praise the the Lord. As long as I can keep breathing I should be fine :)

Keep praying for me, though. Got two sizable projects that I have due after Thanksgiving...want to make sure I do well on both of them. One of the projects is in Convergent Journalism where I have a 89%...so a good project would give me an A.

Have a good Thanksgiving everyone. I am heading down to San Diego on Thursday to see the the family down there, and will stay till Saturday.

Please Pray for me

The end of the semester is upon me. The end of my first semester at Biola...wow.

Anyways, for the first time in my life I am actually worried about my grades.

It is not that I am doing bad or anything....it's just that I got $4,700/yr on the line if I don't make a 3.3 GPA...that basically means I need 3 As out of my 6 classes.

Now, I for certain I will get an A in two of my classes, but the other 4 are causing me my worry. The teachers never seem to tell what your grades are, so even though I know I have been doing pretty well in those classes, I have no clue as to where I am at--which would be beneficial to know beacause if I am borderline then I need to work extra hard studing for the final.

Anyways, I am just anxious....I guess I was feeling fine until I found out that I did worse on the last math test than I expected....I'm going to have to nail the last test in that class in order to get an A.

But just pray for me. Pray that I'd have endurance to push through all this. I mean, in reality I probably should be feeling just fine--there has definitely got to be at least one A in those remaining 4 classes--however the amount of money at stake is causing me a bit of stress. So just also pray that I'd feel the peace of God upon me as I finish out the year.

Thank You

How the....?

How did Jesus do it?

How did Jesus remain absolutely morally perfect but yet reach all facets of society? Maybe the answer is just that He is God...but think about it...

...It seems that in our times, in order to reach a certain group of people, you have to be or at least act like that group of people. You want to bring the Gospel to a bunch of punk, street kids? Then you have to become a punk, street kid. I mean think about it, how effective would your typical white-colar, middle-class Christian guy be at a ministry like that?

It seems that the people who are the most effective and evangelizing are the people who struggle the most. I mean, the people who bring others to Christ are the ones who have fought through the most raunchy of lives, experienced the most painful of things, and who have made the worst choices. By their stories of finding new life in Christ, others are inspired to seek after God.

In our post-modern, nihilistic world, you're often labeled "fake" if you are not going through some extrutiating trial or if you're generally joyful in life. No one likes a "faker"...no, this culture wants "honesty"...don't give them none of that suburban happy-life stuff--they like it raw.

Thus...many of us who have not undergone that dramatic 180 conversion in life often have a hard time relating to secularized culture.

Again I ask, how did Jesus do it? Nowadays it seems like you have to be going through some serious sin struggle to reach people. Jesus was morally perfect....He reached thousands in His time on Earth--hundreds of millions in His time in heaven.

What was it about Jesus that drew people? Was it simply because He was God...or was there something in His actions and words that drew people?

Jesus dwelt among the sinners....yet He Himself did not sin. He rebuked sin, but not once did anyone call Him "judgmental" or label Him as "up-tight" and "conservative."

How did He do it?.....I really don't know.

Pics from Movie Night

A bunch of people from Sigma went to the ArcLight theater in Hollywood. It is a nice theater!! ($14 a ticket)--there are leather seats! We all wanted to dress up for it, so here we are. This was last Friday. We saw The Prestige, which was extremely good!

Today's Chapel

This morning in chapel we had a guy from our School of Intercultural Studies speak. He has been a missioary in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He brought with him quite the stories. He spent time with people in these countries that regularly went on "jihad," and yet they accepted him with them because he showed love and care. The speaker's message kind of revolved around that. He was able to witness to these people not because he pushed his message, but because he just showed them basic human care.

I suppose that is a good message for us all to hear. Sometimes wae become so concerned with audibly spreading the Gospel that we forget to show people the care that Jesus showed others. People are going to be much more open and susceptible to the Gospel if we at first acknowledge their human needs--if we just take them as they are and care for them without passing harsh judgments. This guy could have condemned these people he was staying with, but then he would not have gotten the opportunities he did to share Christ's love--in fact he probably would have been dead.

These things aren't easy. It is too easy to pass judgments. And you know what, it's not that some things aren't wrong--some things are. This guy that spoke to us didn't like that these people were going on jihad, and he even said today that he really isn't that interested in Islam. But you know what, despite his disagreements, he still just took these people for what they were, and was a friend to them. Having personal judgments is inevitable--sin is sin, is sin, right---but we have to decide whether we're going to let these things get in the way of God's ministry.

Refering to the post below this one, I am definitely having to learn this message with some of my Christian brothers.

Curious Indeed

Just a note....I am going to start using this blog for more than just talking to people back home...I kind of want to use it for a forum of my general thoughts as well...I still will give you all updates, though, just like always.

_______________________________________

It really is quite curious how much my faith has been challenged since I have gotten to Biola. I knew that I would grow in my faith here, but I never thought I'd have so many people in opposition to the finer points of Christian living that I believe and practice.

Biola really draws a diverse range of people...maybe it doesn't appear that way on the outside (all Christian, 70% white), but being in the culture I can really see the differences of people. There are people here who have been Christians all their lives, and their are people here (like my roommate) who have only been Christians for a few years. That in itself causes a lot of mixed beliefs. Furthermore, Biola attracts people from around the world, many of them missionary kids--you can imagine the diversity that brings.

It just has been a very (insert any adjective here) experience for me. I mean, growing up in the same church all my life, I never really heard too many things that I outright disagreed with. I never really engaged in any heated theological debate with fellow Christians.

So being here at Biola, where there really is no official denomination (except for the very broad "evangelical" Christian), I have run into a lot of weird things. One day I'm hearing people behind me talk about speaking in tongues, the next day I got my roommate trying to tell me that he doesn't think cussing is wrong, and still another person is suggesting that calling God "father" is just as wrong as refering to Him in feminine terms. Wow! Just remember these are students, not professors.

Now, all this is good for me, you guys don't have to remind me. I am very confident that I am experiencing exactly what God wants me to experience. If my faith is never challenged, how strong can it be, right? I just feel trapped often times because where I used to be so confident in making a theological statement, now I kind of hesitate...fearing that I'll aggravate an argument.

But yeah, Grace people back home, don't think that Biola is a bad school or anything--it isn't. Biola is an awesome school and I am so glad I am here. I have already learned a lot about defending my faith and am constantly being forced to think about my faith--especially in my cultural anthropology class where my professor likes to just throw purposefully controversial things at the class.

One of the most important things that I have taken out of this whole belief shock is that even if a fellow Christian disagress with me, as long as he believes the Gospel, he is still my Christian brother....seems a simple concept, but I have experientially learned it down here.

Thanks

Thanks people for sending me all this lovely stuff. Farr Grandparents, Wihllhite Grandparents, mom, dad, Wheelers, Deborah...you all know who you are. The delivery guy knows me by name now, I think, hehe. Really I appreciate it.

Oh yeah, and happy anniversary to the Willhite Grandparents!

18 Hours of Inflatables

So this guy on my floor is associated with this company that provides inflatables and other amusement type things to people running events. This company got hired by a mega church about an hour from where I am called Mariners Church. The church was putting on a huge harvest carnival type thing--I mean huge. The company needed help, so this guy on my floor asked a bunch of us if we wanted to go--I said I would.

The event was held last Saturday and we all had to leave at 8:45 AM. Once we got there, we worked until 2:00 AM ---no that is not a typo, AM; an almost 18 hour job. The funny thing is, only 2 1/2 hours of that was the actual event. Most of our time was spent setting up and tearing down. It was really hard work, and none of us got a lot of food. However, I did get paid $200, so it was definitely worth it. I really praise God for that--I needed the money.

Perceiving a Spiritual World

So today in my Nature of Mathematics class we had a really cool discussion.

We are in a section of geometry and today were talking about dimensions.

Imagine a flat world in which there were only two dimensions (up and down, left and right); if it helps, imagine a world existing on a blackboard. Imagine how difficult it would be to describe to someone in that world that there is actually a 3rd dimension (depth--out and in). They wouldn't understand how you could go farther "into" the board, or how you could go farther "out" of the board. In fact, it may be so hard for these 2 dimensional people to understand that they completely deny the existence of this "3rd dimension"; we would think they were foolish. Because of course, we live in a 3 dimensional world. We taste, touch, see, and feel it every day.

Now take that and apply it to us. We live in a 3 dimensional world. We perceive height, width, and depth. Now, imagine someone living in a 4 dimensional world trying to explain to us what the 4th dimension was. I know, it's confusing. They would use words to describe the position of this dimension (just as we would use words like "in" or "out" to describe a 3rd dimension) that we couldn't even wrap our minds around. Yet, if we denied this 4th dimension, the people in that world would see us as foolish; just as we would see a flatlander who denies depth as foolish! You see what I am getting at?!

Now let's apply that to the spiritual world. God is bigger than our perceived universe--we know that. He tries to explain to us a spiritual world of heaven, hell, demons, and angels. As people living in this physical world we have a hard time believing in this. We can't see angels or demons. We can't see or be in heaven or hell. We read about these things in the Bible but in our physical world we just can't perceive of them.

This leads some to deny the spiritual world, does it not? People say, "I can't see it, I can't feel it, so it must not be true." Well, isn't that the same thing a flatlander might say about the 3rd dimension: "How can there be more than up, down, left, and right. I can't see this 'out' or 'in'. So it must not be true." Sounds pretty dumb, huh?

All this to say, it's okay if we can't totally conceive of God and the spiritual world. Our understanding of the whole universe is based on our perception of reality. For us to perceive of a "4th dimension" or a "spiritual world" is quite unnatural for us--and understandably so; a flatlander would have to live by "faith, not by sight" in order to believe in a 3rd dimension--because they of course could not experience it. But just because the truth is difficult to understand, doesn't mean it is invalidated.

Imagine how foolish people who deny the spiritual realm look to angles and demons who taste, touch, and feel that world every day. Imagine how foolish the same people look to a God who created both the spiritual and the physical world.

That we somehow consider ourselves to have wisdom in our own right...seems laughable now, doesn't it?

Think about it....

Better

Good news, my computer is still running, Whoo!! So was able to turn in that paper that was due on Tuesday...glad that is off my back.

Also, my laptop finally has access to the internet...haven't been able to get it on since I got here, but I had the handy IT guys fix the problem for me.

Today was a lot better. Had a really cool journalism chapel in the morning where we prayed over some of the horrible news that has been happening in the world these past few weeks. So that was cool.

Also, my third article for The Chimes got published today--front page again! There was even a graphic to go with my story this time. Woot!! The story was about a report that came out that showed Biola's economic impact on its home city of La Mirada--was interesting because I have never really done a business type story before.

Another thing that was kind of cool was that I got paid today for one of my stories....finally! Geesh it takes so long...I wrote my first story like 2 months ago and I am just now getting paid for it. It's $13 a story, not much, but at least that makes up for some of the money I had to spend on computer supplies. And to think, those checks will be coming in all year as I keep writing.

I got an updated financial aid document today that shows I actually have $5,000 more in aid set up right now than I need for the year. That's good news, because that means that's $5,000 less I'll have to pay for next year...(note that I had about $12,500 to pay this year, so $5,000 is pretty significant).

I also am looking into trying to get the Cal Grant. It's basically a grant that is given to college going students who live in California...they give a lot of money out--up to $9,000 per student! So, obviously I didn't get the grant this year, but I was told that if I have lived in CA for 1 year and do things to show I am becoming a CA resident (like get a CA driver's license, maybe file my taxes in CA, etc) I can qualify for this grant. So, yeah, that would be a very good thing for me to get. Pray for me there.

One last thing, today I got to talk to my Foundations of Christian Thought teacher after class. I have been getting frustrated in the class because I really like the material we're reading, but feel he is very disorganized and unclear in class. So yeah, had a good discussion with him. He was very open to what I was saying, and even asked me what I thought should be changed. Was good to finally get that off my chest...it has been bugging me for a while.

That's about it...I can't believe I am already halfway through the semester...amazing!

Later All

A Very Bad Day

So yeah, today was pretty challenging. I don't even feel like writing a lot, but I feel like my dedicated audience deserves to hear the highs and the lows of my time at Biola.

So, basically my computer decided it was going to break down yesterday....went to turn the beast on to finish a paper that was due in about 1 1/1 hrs, but for some reason I wasn't getting a visual on the monitor...i think something is wrong with the video card. Anyways, I tried all I could to fix it, but nothing worked. Luckily my teacher was merciful to me and told me I could turn it in later.

So, this problem continued into today. However, what really started the day off was the alarm clock malfunction that allowed for me to be 20 mins late to my class (not to mention that when I did wake up I thought it was Thursday so I didn't think I was in a hurry).

After I got back from class, I tried to fix my computer again. In the process (I really don't know how) I managed to damage the DVI to VGA device that attaches from my monitor to my video card (don't worry if you don't know what that is...just know it is important). So, that resulted in me having to stop at 3 stores to find a reasonable price for one of these babies.

Got back to my dorm, was so excited to open it up that I busted out my switchblade and begin cutting into it....some how or another that excitement resulted in a quite a bloody mess. Cut my finger pretty bad (don't worry mom, I am fine...stuck a nice soccer band-aid on it). Anyways, I got it open eventually, but it didn't matter, it still didn't fix my computer's problem.

So anyhow, the day ended with my keyboard plug breaking as well, due to my computer laying on it....trip to Wal-Mart at 9:30 to buy a cheapo keyboard.

But, the good side of the story, for all this blood, pain, and stress, my computer is working again. Hopefully it stays that way...I am scared to shut it off.

There was one good part of the day: I went to a Biola soccer game agaist CBU...Kelly Bass was there supporting her school so I got to talk with her. It was really cool. Haven't seen my peeps in Oregon for so long, that it was very refreshing to talk to someone really familiar.

So anyways, I'm done....I'm heading to bed. Pray that I continue to persevere through all this toil. This is God testing me I know...I want to pass.

BTW, I don't care if there are typos...I'm not even going to read it over before I publish it...so don't complain :)

Hello

Alright, it's about time I write in this thing again.

So, just got done with another round of intense homework. But I feel great now that it is all done.

Last night I got to go to a screening for a new movie called "The Nativity." As the name suggests, it is about the birth of Christ. The people involved with the movie specifically wanted people from Biola to come, because we fit the movie's target audience. So I singed up and went.

I really enjoyed the movie a lot. The way they portrayed it was biblically accurate and very personal--you could relate somewhat to the characters.

After the movie was over we got to fill out cards telling how we felt about the movie, what we didn't like, etc. I also got selected to be in a focus group that had further discussion about elements of the movie. While the movie was overall really good, there were a few things that most of us wanted to see differently....hopefully they'll make some of those changes before it comes out in December.

So yeah, just hanging in around here, enjoying myself. Still trying to fit myself in socially here, but I am sure that will all come in time. I've already made a few good friends, so that has helped a lot.

HW

Wow, this weekend has been full of homework. It's amazing how fast reading and essays can accumulate.

I pretty much spent all yesterday reading (missing out on going to the beach w/ the rest of the floor). Today I went to church, interviewed a guy for a paper in journalism class and then wrote the paper (4 pages). Luckily I was able to play soccer a bit to run of some steam, but right after that I got right back in.

On top of that I have been working on a story for The Chimes. It's a really interesting story and I am getting a lot of juice. So, in between homework I have been working on this. So, yeah, just a bit worn out right now.

Next week probably won't be much different. There are two essays I am going to have to work on (along with finishing my story for The Chimes) and I can't imagine the reading getting any lighter.

But, hey, at least now, Sunday night, I feel like I've had a productive weekend--how often can you say that?

Weather down here still feels like summer. I am loving it!! Still waiting on a job. Went to a job tour thingy for UPS, but pretty quickly relized that what they were going to want me to work was not going to work with my schedule. So, I did some other apps for on campus jobs and turned one in the other day--I think I have a good chance of getting it since it is an office job and I already have a lot of experience with that type of work. Keep your fingers crossed.

Prayer I need right now is just for my composure. I usually thrive when on deadline, but it also wears me out and I tend to get very single-minded. I want to find a good balance between work and social activities right now. Don't want to work-horse my way through the year but then realize I didn't form too many relationships.

Also pray that I just have the patience to deal Javier. I think we're starting to get on each other's nerves, and I know there have been times when I've wanted to be smack him around a bit. But yeah, I guess living together with anyone will cause conflict...I don't want to lose my friendship over it, though.

Thanks for reading! see you all at Christmas!!

Wow

So as I have been settling into my new college life, I've begun to develop friendships that are a little closer than just the many aquaintances I have been making for 4 weeks.

One of these new friendships is with another guy named Michael that lives on my floor. We have just gotten the opportuinty to talk with one another a lot lately, and will occasionally have meals with each other.

Just today he came into my room really emotional. He told me that his mom was going to share The Gospel with a Buddhist today, and she was really scared (there were a lot more details that he shared, but that is the basic message). He was really affected by this. Almost in tears he asked me if I could pray for his mom right then and there. I did, and walked away thanking me.

I was just amazed...this guy who I am just now beginning to know, trusting me with such emotions--unusual, yes, but not in a bad way. It also just made me remember how awesome it is to be here amongst people who have no problem acknowledging God's existence in practical life. It's easy for me to get discouraged when I see so my brothers and sisters acting contrary to their faith (yes, even happens here at Biola). So this was just a good reminder that while everyone here is at different levels spiritually and can disagree on virtually every moral level, most people here are still dedicated to God.

_______________________

Anyhow, while writing this I was reminded of something else I wanted to share. It's just from a book I have been readin called Love Your God with All Your Mind. It's basically a book designed to teach Christians the importance of developing their intellect so they can adequately defend scriptures.

One of the things the author talks about is the error or believing in moral relativism (that is, believing that all beliefs have equal truth values and there really is no absolute truths--e.g. "that's great that you believe that, but what I believe is truth to me."

Anyways, he just points out that the very statement that "there is no truth", is a truth statement in and of itself. He also gives an example of sharing the Gospel with a person who was a moral relativist. When the author walked out of the conversation with the person's radio, the person objected: "You can't take that."

The author basically responded by sarcatically saying that he believed stealing it was okay. The author then went on to point out to the person that if they believed that all beliefs were equal, then he should raise no objection to him taking the radio (because of course, the author supposedly believed it was okay to take it). "You wouldn't impose your moral beliefs on me would you," the author asked the person.

So yeah, the person was contradicted. Suprisingly, the book said, he eventually became a Christian.

Interesting stuff, chew on it

Church

So I have been going to a church real close to campus called First Baptist Church of La Mirada.

The church is pretty small, but I am really like the community so far. As you can imagine there are a lot of college kids, but there also is a good mix of other ages as well.

After service we have a college group meeting in one of their rooms. Lately we have been talking about what the purpose of church is. We want to define our role in the church, and we can do that effectively by first identifying what our own personal reasons are for attending.

We have had a lot of meaningful discussions. We've talked both about biblical ideas about the church, as well as American cultural ideas about the church (ex. people going just to feel good about themselves, or just because it is a tradition). I really enjoy puting out my personal feelings in the discussion, as well as hearing others respond and bounce other ideas off each other. We eventually want to take these discussions and apply them practically through our role in the church (whether that be serving the community or church members, exhorting another, just learning, etc.)

Anyhow my closing thought of the day: Be brave enough to step outside of your traditions and habits. Evaluate them and figure out why they're there in your lives. If there's no point, why do it? We need to have meaning in our life...not blind observances of what has been passed down to us and we've been told to adhere to.

Observe the "pile"

That'd be Javier's mess. Tsk tsk.

Haha

Umm...assorted?

No real topic here...just a variety of things.

First off...today the school's local paper The Chimes was published today. The article I wrote was on the front page!!! My first article at Biola! I am enthused if you cannot tell. I am sending a bunch of copies to my mom, so I am sure you'll all get to see it sooner or later.

As far as soccer goes, things didn't go as good as I hoped, but went as I pretty much thought they would. In summary, the coach really doesn't want to bring any more people on the team (already 24 players on roster) unless they can replace starters...and quite frankly, him and I both agree that right now I can't. Still, though, I wished he would have given me more chances to perform. I mean, I know I am rusty (haven't been playing since high school season ended last fall), but he pretty much judged me in about 5 mins of playing time. He was only there for half the practice, and he just saw me play in a short-sided game once. I felt like if I was given a few more chances I could have shown a little more of my skill. I know I need some work, but these guys aren't out of my league.

Still, though, there's good news. Eight seniors are leaving this spring, and the coach was pretty insistent that I keep in touch with him...so at least he sees I have potential.

But anyways, God knows what I do and don't need. I'm involved in a lot of areas right now, so one little downfall certainly doesn't bring my entire person down. Which, by the way reminds me, I'm getting involved with the praise band at the local church I've been going to. They already have two drumers, so I'd be entering into a rotation, but when I am not drumming, they're going to be having me play some bongo type instrument...cool!!

So, yeah, a lot of random stuff there. I got to get to homework. Yo tengo mucho leer ( I have much to read ).

Laters,

Labor Day Weekend, etc.

So, went to the beach last weekend with some people from my dorm; it was a lot of fun. It always kills me, though, how industrialized the beaches are here in California. I like it here a lot, don't get me wrong, but there's just that green Oregonian inside of me that cries out when I see so much commerce around such a natural environment...hehe. But yeah, was fun. Played some soccer, went swimming.

Sunday was kind of interesting....mainly because I realized I locked my keys in my car after church got out. Doh! What made it even more dynamic is that my phone cell phone is broken. So, I had to borrow someone's cell phone to call AAA. They got my car open in minutes, so it's all good. After I got back to Biola, I played soccer...once at 2:30, another time right after at 4:00....was pretty tired.

Monday, Labor Day, was spent doing a lot of reading...well, with breaks for meals.

Tomorrow I am going to practice with the Men's Soccer Team. I talked to the coach about tryouts, and he said I could just come this week to train with them. I'm nervous and excited. Nervous because I very well know that I am not in prime game-shape, and don't want to embarass myself by puking on the field :p but I am excited because I really have been missing soccer...plus, it would be so cool if the coach at least red shirted me (in case you don't know, to "red shirt" a player is to train him with the team until he is ready and/or a spot opens up on the team).

So, everyone just pray for me. For endurance, confidence, and perseverance.

So that's about it. I just got back from Big 5 Sporting Store to buy some shinguards and soccer socks...brought with me a guy from my floor who wanted to get some cleats (he is training w/ the team this week too). He's a nice guy...actually is from Washington but lived in Korea for a while.

Oh, I didn't mention...last Saturday I played ultimate frisby--a lot of fun. I was diving everywhere and have turf scuffs all over my leg now. No prob, though, not nearly as bad as the ones I had during playoffs last soccer season.

See Ya All! Enjoy the Oregon weather as the Fall kicks in :) :) :)

Nation Ball

So, I may have had a boring day, but I just concluded the night with a ton of fun. The whole campus was invited to play a game called Nation Ball in the gym. Each dorm was assigned a color and you were supposed to wear a shirt of that color for your team uniform. Basically, Nation Ball is just dodgeball with a little twist ( the people who get out can go to the other side and throw balls at the opposing team).

It was incredible The noise in there was absolutely immense. Everyone was being as loud as they could for there dorm. Crazy.

The competition was between Upper Campus dorms and Lower Campus dorms. Teams from the Upper Campus competed against each other until there was one winner, and Lower Campus did the same. Then there was a championchip. The way the game is designed makes it pretty much impossible for any of the smaller dorms to win, so Sigma Chi (the dorm I am in) got eliminated when we went agaist one of the biggest dorms on campus. It was still really fun, though. I've never seen such massive dodgeball games before. The final, which was between the two biggest dorms on campus, probably had about 200+ people playing. Crazy.

After that, the crazy guys on my dorm decided to have a wrestling match. We all ran outside yelling wrestling match. Was hilarious. Even funnier because the guys that wrestled had to wear those funny looking masks that you see the Mexican wrestlers wearing.

Anyways, glad the whole day wasn't boring. I love Biola. Oh yeah, and I got a free shirt at the Nation Ball game...they were throwing them out to the crowd.

Tired

I don't know what it is, but today I am so tired. I mean, first I took a nap right after lunch, and now, at 8:45, I still feel like I should be sleeping! Weird. I don't know. Maybe it was just because today was kind of boring. Nothing really interesting happened, just went to classes, did a little homework, ate, and caught like 20 mins of the girls' soccer game, which I just happened to come across while perusing aimlessly about the campus.

But yeah, so I just got back from my first Foundation of Christian Thought class. Having a class at 6:00 PM is a killer! It was pretty interesting. But I think I enjoyed reading the book more than sitting in class today. Not that I disrespect the professor or anything, but he just seemed to wander through the lecture. There's no doubt that he is very intelligent, but it seemed like there wasn't any real focus. A lot of it could be, I suppose, that I'm not used to studying the Bible in a class of 70+. I'm used to the smaller more intimate groups where it is a little easier to share your thoughts openly. Hopefully it'll get better as the semester progresses.

Anyhow, I'm not quite sure what I am going to do over Labor Day weekend. I thought about maybe seeing the relatives in San Diego, but I'm not sure about that. It's either that or I got to find something entertaining to do around here for 3 days...it's hard not being around my normal friends; not being able to just go over to someone's house and hang out.

Well anyways, things are going pretty good. I am enjoying college life. Last night I pulled my first late-night essay!! I told Javier, "Yeah, this is what college is all about." Hehe. It's also cool to be able to worship together for services multiple times during the week. Last night we had an amazing service called "After Dark" at 9:15 PM. Was one of those times where you just forget about everything else and just yell praises out to God.

So, I'll talk to you all later. Hope you're not tired like I am.

Classes

Hey everyone. It's about 11:10 here, and I'm just hanging out in my dorm lobby. Just did some reading for my Convergent Journalism class...there happens to be quite of bit of reading in college :p . Anywho, I more or less just wanted an excuse to post something else, so here I am on my laptop typing away.

About 45 mins ago I got back from my first year seminar class. The class simply introduces us to Biola and associates us with the journalism major...I'm like one of two guys in the class of about 25 people. Did I pick a feminine major?? Lol. Heh, but anyways, our assignment for the week is to meet with our groups (that were assigned today), and just discuss, well, life I suppose. Sounds weird, I know, but it's just another one of those things that makes Biola so much different than anywhere else. Here they encourage you to go beyond the classroom work and make connections...saying that it is just as important as any of the school work.

In about 30 mins I have to be at my Cultural Anthropology course (I know, a mouth-full). The class is huge. We meet in an auditorium, and there are 117 people in the class! I'm not sure what I think about this class yet...seems interesting, but I also think it has potential to be a yawner. One of the things that did grab my attention, was the fact that the book we've been assigned to read, opens up talking about human evolution. You may think it's strange that I'd be reading that in a Chrisitan university, but I actually think it is a good thing. It's like the book Love Your Lord Your God with All Your Mind says, we need to educate ourselves in worldly knowledge so that we can better defend our faith. People who argue and don't know the other side, appear ignorant and uneducated--not a great position to be in when you're trying to prove a point.

Later today I have a class called Appreciation of Art--a 3 hour course. All of you out there who know me are probably cracking up with laughter right now. Hey, I got to take it. It's a general ed requirement. I'm trying to be positive about it right now...I need to expand my mind beyond the usual right...think in new ways.....We'll see how long the optimism lasts :)

Supringly my math class hasn't been so bad. It's very much not your typical math class. We don't just sit around and learn how to do problems, we actually talk about the nature and history of math. And believe it or not, we talk about God in math...and not just as a fleeting idea, but really in depth. Interesting...

My last class is Foundations of Christian Thought, but I don't have much to say about it yet, as the class has not yet been held. I am quite sure it will be excellent, though. I have begun reading the books for the class, and I am really enjoying them.

Anywho, I better start getting ready for my next class.

Have a wonderful day,

Don't mind the pics

Those pics on the last two posts need to be there because in order to put them where I wanted on the page, I had to list a URL (which I just made my page). If that doesn't make sense to you, don't worry about it...just know that I know they're there...as I post more they'll be pushed to the bottom the page.

Hello friends

Hello, if you're viewing this blog than you probably already know me. Nevertheless, I will dulge out the appropriate western introductions just in case your curious eyes simply fell upon this page by chance.

My name is Michael, and I lived all of my recollectable life in Salem, Oregon. Now, though, by God's leading and grace, I find myself a freshman at Biola University in La Mirada, California. Biola is a private Christian liberal arts college just outside of Los Angeles. I am majoring in journalism, and so far am loving my time here.

Some of my hobbies/interests include playing soccer, writing (hence the journalism major), playing computer/video games, playing the drums, and learning more about God through many facets of life.

To understand me better, you should know that I am the oldest of four brothers. My brothers are three years old, nine years old, and eleven years old. So, as you can see, there is a pretty big age gap.

The title of my blog, Beyond the Pedantic, is an expression of my desire to live beyond the shallow knowledge of books and worldly learning. My desire is not to dispel of knowledge, but rather expand upon it; looking at how I can apply the knowledge to my life in deeper ways other than tests. Jesus told us to not only love God with all your heart and soul, but also with our mind (Matthew 22:37). I wish to remember that in this college environment where it is so easy to be made docile and ineffective by the loads of school work and pressure to 'make the grade'. I'm here at Biola to develop my God given talents for His glory, not to simply get an 'A'.

Anyhow, not that you know what I'm about, I can now hereforth digress from the thick formalities that I felt must be present in this first post.

For all my friends an family out there, keep checking back; I want to use this blog a lot to communicate how I am doing, and to hear from you. Not at all that you can't email me, I just wanted to set up something cool.

Later,