The Reason for Graduate School

I had an epiphany today.

And it only took me a year and a half, fancy that!

What is the purpose of grad school? I used to think that it was to learn more about your field in order to make you more effective in the work that you do. That's what everyone told me, at least.

You know what? It's a bunch of lies!

No, let me reveal to you, from an insider's perspective, the real reason behind the machine known as "graduate studies"... population control.

That's right. It's a filtering process, weeding out some, while leaving others in the pan.

I see only three possible outcomes for someone who is insane enough to actually go through with the masochism of grad school:

1. They survive.
2. They quit.
3. They die... some mentally, others emotionally... most literally.

Those in the first category will get jobs, those in the last two will not. And there aren't that many jobs floating around, last time I checked.

See? Population control.

Okay, enough of that... I'm off to go get less sleep than 0 hours a night... ha!


P.S. Oh, and by the way... I love it!

Give Men Time

Wow, wow, wow... wow.

This blog post is great, and was really good for me to read, I think. I'd like to share it with you only because, even though it seems the author is referring to specific doctrines within the beliefs of Christianity, I think it has a direct extension to the whole of the Gospel, and our commandment to preach it to the world:

"It is easy to be frustrated with people for not being able to see and accept the truth instantly... Instead of those realities being seen for what they are (majestic and glorious) they are often seen through a vision that has been distorted by misrepresentations, and by expectations moulded by caricatures of the real thing."

It's funny that I read this today, because I was just having a discussion on this very topic with a friend last night. The Gospel itself is, in its very nature, offensive to the rebellious hearts of men. Until the scales fall from our shrouded eyes, we won't understand it, we can't understand it. What's more, the world sees misrepresentations of it all around. It would do us good to remember this.

We should remember that it is not our job to convert unbelievers, only to preach to them of the hope, glory, and joy of Christ's atoning sacrifice on a wooden cross. We cannot possibly know what kind of soil will catch the seeds that are planted by means of our proclamation of the Gospel: that is not our work, but the Spirit's. We need only plant, plant, plant, and not be impatient with people if we do not see immediate, direct evidence of the growth of those seeds.

The growth is God's business, not ours. We need but plant, be patient, and pray that God would give growth to the seed.

Preaching Quote Quiz - he said it!

I was hoping for some more responses, but thank you, Peter, for pitching in a guess!

Nope, not Piper... think a little further back in the Church's history...

...actually, to the beginning of the Protestant movement, not to give too big of a hint.

That's right, it was Martin Luther who put such a strong emphasis on the teaching and understanding of doctrines, especially the doctrine of justification by faith alone. It was at the very core of the Gospel for those who believed in a reformation of the merit-based religion of Rome.

But why teach these doctrines, you ask? Isn't that a bit cold? a bit calculating? a bit formulaic?

I don't believe so, no.

Learning, understanding, and preaching solid, Scripturally-sound doctrines is a way of knowing about God.

"But I love God! I don't need to know about Him!"

Hmmm... try that with your spouse or significant other:

"Honey, I love you... but I don't know your birthday, or the color of your eyes, or your favorite song. But I certainly love you, don't I?"

Anyway, I thought it was interesting when I heard it, so I thought I'd throw it up here. Now back to the grind for me...

Preaching Quote Quiz - who said it?

The following quote is from a well-known minister, and I'd like to see if anyone reading this can guess as to who said it. I will reserve commentary, because I don't wish to offend anyone who reads this, but I will say that it is my opinion that these words cut to the heart of the seemingly lax preaching of the Gospel in the hands of the modern American Church:

I gladly grant the honor to those who are preferred to me as eloquent preachers, and I don’t envy them. But they are praised because the common people admire them when they hear them tell clever stories and illustrations and play with words and allegories. They sleep and cough when we preach doctrines - especially the doctrine of justification - but prick up their ears at stories.

Now, no cheating! Just try to guess who might have said this about preaching in the Church... Post your guess as a comment, and I'll give the answer in a few days.

Oh, oh, oh!! Blessings!!

Yo.

Feeling like you're not doing much good for the Kingdom if you're not a pastor/missionary/etc. ? Feeling like you can't serve God or show the love of Christ to others unless you're behind a pulpit or off in another country?


Bzzzzzzzz... wrong.


You should all take some time to read this short sermon outline.

Besides... Douglas Wilson is a theological stud-muffin.


May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you!

Blood Diamond

I just finished watching the movie "Blood Diamond" for the second time. Many people think that this movie has been too "hollywoodized" to have any artistic value, but I think it is an important movie, and appreciated it even more the second time around.

(Warning: spoiler coming up. Don't read if you haven't yet seen the film, but plan on watching it!)

There is a scene toward the end of the film which is one of the more beautifully heartbreaking moments I have experienced in cinema: an African fisherman, searching for a large diamond in the hopes of using it to free his son, who has been kidnapped by members of the Revolutionary United Front, has found the diamond, and his son.

However, the son, who has been psychologically ravished by the evils that he has been forced to both witness and perform, has a gun trained on his own father, blinded by the horrors that he has experienced, ready to pull the trigger.

The father calls to him, and reminds him of who he truly is, despite what he has done. The nearly possessive manifest evil that has invaded the child melts away upon hearing whom his father declares him to be.

The parallel to the purging of our own evil that imprisons us, as our Father calls us from the dead, even as we look upon Him with hate in our eyes, is undeniable. His proclamation to us as being righteous and unconditionally loved, despite all that we have done, is all but explicitly asserted in this scene as the father affirms his son. Read this as a son or daughter of the Most High God, as He declares His love for you and your worth in Him:

"I am your father... who loves you... and is ready to take you back as my son again."

Predestined Pumpkins?

I hope she doesn't mind, but I snagged a quote from a post on my friend's new blog. I think it is a beautiful image of some ideas that she seems to be working through on the doctrines of grace.

I enjoy going out to the deep of the [pumpkin] patch, to the center where people have not traveled yet, and allowing my eyes to wander from pumpkin to pumpkin wondering which one will find a home with me. Is this an analogy for the Father? Does he wonder, or does he already know which of us pumpkins will find a home in Him? I believe that touches on some deeper Calivinistic tendencies that I don't have the time to dissect currently. But I like the idea of me on a vine, ripening, certainly not the perfect shaped or colored pumpkin, perhaps I'm still green. The Father comes to me and says, Yes, you are perfect for my home, and takes me back with him. That's peaceful. That's why I love the farm.

This is great. I believe, however, that the image that God has given us through Scripture is not so much one of Him already knowing which pumpkins He is going to choose when He arrives at the patch... but, rather, I believe that God has revealed to us that He, Himself, planted the entire patch of pumpkins, and had already chosen - even before tilling the soil - which ones He would take home with Him!

Beautiful, Jenn... simply beautiful. Thank you. And never stop searching for the immense joy to be found in the beauty of truth.

Parents rock...

I just got a package today from my mom for Thanksgiving. It's got a bunch of really cool stuff in it, including something that she knew I'd been looking for for awhile, but hadn't been able to find!

I can't wait until I have my own kids, and I get to send them boxes of stuff that I know they'll enjoy when they're away at grad school getting their butt kicked by work. It'll be fun to know that it's making them smile in the midst of all of their stress!

Yay for parents. Thanks, mom. ILY

The Gospel!

Let us not assume that we've ever fully understood the Gospel, and cease to teach it to ourselves and to other brethren regularly.

The Gospel Driven Blog has done a wonderful job of summing up the Gospel and its purpose with Scripture and references from books and catechisms. Read and be blessed.

Soli Deo gloria!

Justification AND assurance found in the resurrection of Christ!

Nope, still haven't finished the two-part post on God's glorification of Himself being His end goal of creation. I think that it will take a bit of time to put my thoughts together on that one... and I don't seem to have much of that lately. I mean time, by the way... not thoughts... although those seem to be quickly fading, as well.

But here's a quick one that should give blessings. It's about something that my pastor said last Sunday.

The sermon was on Romans 8:35-39, and was about the assurance we can have of our salvation. The theme of assurance is very evident in these passages, but may not be quite as evident in the text that I would like to look at now, 1 Corinthians 15:12-19:

Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

Recently, the Discovery Channel came out with a special in which they claimed to have found evidence of the lost tomb of Jesus... with His body inside. Aside from the GLARING holes in their "scientific" finding, this show raised a few eyebrows due to the reactions of some Christians to the very idea of the resurrection being a hoax. In response to the question, "What effect would this, if found to be true, have on your faith?", some Christians responded, "None. My faith is personal, and would not be changed if Jesus' body were to be found."

Hmmmm. Something's wrong with that. That's not at all what Paul believed!

Who can raise the dead? Only God. Who could have raised Christ from the dead, then? God the Father. The reason why Paul says that if Christ is not risen our faith is futile and we are still in our sins, is that if Christ did not, in reality, rise from the grave after His crucifixion... God the Father had not accepted His sacrifice for our sins!

As Christians, we need to be able to be at the point that we can accept that the basis for our beliefs can, theoretically, be proved wrong, and our whole religion shown to be a sham. It seems that there are many who are not comfortable with this, but it is this very characteristic - one which sets apart Christianity from other world religions - which gives even more strength to the Gospel! A thing can only be true if there is a possibility that it can be proven false! Our faith is rooted in an event, one which either happened or didn't happen, a fact which is either right or wrong. How can somebody disprove a mere belief? This is impossible: a mere belief cannot be disproved. I believe what I believe, and nobody can prove or disprove what is in my head. But the facts on which those beliefs are based, on the other hand, can most certainly be disproved!

But this should not be discouraging to us, but rather a great source of encouragement. Our faith is not something that we conjure up from within. No, our faith exists outside of us; it is a gift from God, and is rooted in an actual historical event. If my faith were based on my own emotions and thoughts, then it would change daily! But, thank the Lord, it is not. It is based on a truth which exists outside of my reaction to it. It is a truth which - if it is, in fact, true - is true whether or not I believe it to be true.

So if the resurrection is a true event, something which actually happened in the course of history, then we have great cause to rejoice in the assurance of our salvation, for not only is the holy life of Jesus Christ the basis for our justification, but the resurrection of that same Man is where we also can find evidence of our assurance of that justification, since the resurrection itself is proof that God was most surely, and completely, satisfied by the atoning sacrifice of His Son on the Cross.