The View From Here

(I know everyone is used to my more-serious posts so I thought I would shake it up a bit)

Ok, they have proven that learning by osmosis does not work. I can’t sleep on my books at night and expect to wake up with any more knowledge than I had the evening before. So I started thinking that there must be some easier way to absorb knowledge besides reading my college books at a slow enough pace that I actually absorb some tidbit of information. That is when I thought of it. I bet that if I ate my books that I could absorb the information through my stomach. How could I have not thought of this before? It is so clear now. I could just take my reading assignments for the day, tear them out of my book, put some Bar-B-Q sauce on them and chow down. As my stomach is digesting it I will be getting more knowledge. Not only would this solve the study time issue it would also solve the eating budget issue. I would be happy to do my reading every night. The only down side to this is that I won’t have any books to sell back at the end of the semester for some extra spending cash.

As most intelligent thinking does, this line of thinking brought me to another equally as interesting. If I can eat my books to study for class why should I have to put Bar-B-Q sauce on it? Why don’t they just invent flavored paper? I know they could do it. Just think about it. When you are buying your text books you could select the flavor you want as well. “Do you want sour cream and onion or butterscotch?” Maybe they could even make different pages in the book taste like different things. Then a 20 page reading assignment could be a full course meal. Oh, the possibilities!!

Well, that is about enough of that. Until next time.

Brian

It is amazing to me the things God uses to draw our attention to Him. My dog had to be put to sleep this morning. Lacy was 13 years old and that is pretty old for a collie. She was a great friend, always loyal, always there even when you didn’t want her to be. She lived a long and great life but as it does time took its toll on her and her body wore out. I am so thankful that we had the ability to keep her from suffering too much. I got to sit with her this morning for a bit before my parents took her to the vet. I was sad. But it was more for me than it was for her. I was happy to let her go because she was hurting. I was sad for me and my family because she would never be there where she was expected to be anymore. I won’t have to lock her up for barking too much. She won’t sit patiently wait for some steak while we cook on the grill. She won’t look in the back door at us while we are watching a movie. I won’t accidentally wake her up late at night when I go out to the freezer to get ice cream. The list could go on and on.

As I was walking through the house this afternoon I kept encountering things that reminded me of her and thinking that I would never see her again. I began to think how much I would miss her and tears began to come. And then another thought crossed my mind. I began to thank God for the times we had shared. I thanked Him for what she meant to my family. I thanked Him for loving us so much that He put this dog in our lives. I know that almost sounds silly but when you think about it you see the plan He has in the smallest detail of our lives. She was there to draw us closer to Him. What a blessing she was and those good things come from Him. He created her. He created my emotions that I was feeling. I started thinking that if I loved her so much how much more should I love her Creator? My Creator. The tears flowed even more.

This event also reminded me of something else. The life we live is so fragile. No matter how old or young we are our life could be snatched from us in the next instant. If I feel this way for a dog how will I feel for my friends or family if their life is removed from this earth? The difference here is beyond words. The difference is eternal. Am I living my life as to make an eternal impact on those around me who need Jesus? And not just my friends, even my enemies.

Lacy, I love you. I am so thankful that God put you in my life for these last 13 years. I know that my life was a much better because of you. I will miss you. Lord, thank you for placing her in our lives. May her life and death only serve to remind us how much you love us and to draw us closer to you.

Brian

This is something I have been thinking about recently. The more a word is used in every day life the less meaning it has. It becomes a word that we just say without thinking of the meaning of the word. This is especially true in the world of Christianity. So I am going to attempt to define some of these words in a way that when we we sing or say them that we might think of the weight they carry.

The first word I will attempt to better define in our minds is sin. I know that I say or sing this word all the time, and many times I really don’t understand what I am saying when I do. Or maybe I do and I just don’t think of the impact of the meaning.

I believe that in our humanness it is impossible for us to fathom just how sinful sin really is. Just as we cannot grasp how holy God is we cannot comprehend the extent of what we do when we sin against Him. So hopefully this will give us a better understanding.

Sin is a transgression or a violation or absolute disregard of a law, command, or duty. It is the loss of the fear and respect for who God is. Sin in greek literally means “to miss the mark” and so not share in the prize. It is the failure to reach the standard set up by a holy God. Sin makes us guilty, culpable, and blameworthy. As JC Ryle said it: “Sin is the slightest ourward or inward departure from absolute mathematical parallelism with God’s revealed will and character.”

It is my prayer that when I sin, ask forgiveness for a sin, or sing about my forgiven sin that I would truly comprehend what it is in comparison to who God is. I would also encourage you to read some of the quotes from Spurgeon on sin below.

Brian

I am reminded of this truth over and over again. Something that I have been wanting and praying about for sometime He has brought about. He is faithful to His children! Thank you Father, for your provision in my life. You know what is best for me and when a thing should and will happen. Thank you.

Brian

I just recently read a sermon that Charles Spurgeon preached on sin. Here are some quotes from it:

“Sin is a want of conformity to the will of God; sin is disobedience to God’s command; sin is a forgetfulness of the obligations of the relation which exist between the creature and the Creator. This is the very essence of sin. Injustice to my fellow creature is truly sin, but its essence lies in the fact that it is sin against God, who constituted the relation which I have violated.”

“As soon expect a stream to flow up hill as look for a natural heart seeking after God.”

Brian