I go to a Baptist seminary.
That means that the majority of the people around me on campus are Christians, or at least call themselves Christians.
Not only are these people who call themselves Christians, but they are Christians with the intention of going into ministry. So in theory, they're pretty serious about living out their faith.
Christians should exhibit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.
BUT...
Sometimes we're too nice.
Both of my readers are shocked that I would say such a thing. So let me explain, and I am quite sure you will agree.
The government institutes laws, and those laws are meant to preserve order.
Some of those laws tell us we can't steal things, we can't kill anybody, we can't lie to a judge, etc. Those are all good things. Some of those laws govern the way we drive and tell us we have to stop at stop signs, cross at a crosswalk, give right-of-way at certain times and places, etc. Those laws keep people from getting in car accidents, and that too, is a good thing.
And that's why Christians shouldn't be too nice.
On a seminary campus, everybody wants to be so nice and friendly to those around them that sometimes they forget that we have laws that tell us how to drive.
For example, pedestrians should cross at a cross walk. In the normal world, you could get at ticket for jaywalking if you cross outside of a crosswalk, especially if it interrupts the flow of traffic (however I would like to meet somebody who's ever been ticketed for jaywalking!).
But in seminary world, if a car sees somebody standing on the curb about to cross, they stop and let the jaywalker cross. How very nice of them, right? Except that then the pedestrians become accustomed to nice drivers allowing them to cross at any time and start to cross the street all the time, without looking or waiting for the cars to stop. Before you know it, there's people crossing the street everywhere, and cars are piling up behind them. Or, mothers are crossing the streets with their toddlers without looking, because they assume the cars will stop. Danger danger!!
But our seminary doesn't have enough crosswalks, so let's blame that problem on the people who forgot to paint stripes on our streets.
Let's take another example: at a stop-sign intersection, the first car to arrive is supposed to go first. This is to avoid accidents. But at a seminary intersection, the first car to arrive wants to be considerate and motions for the second car to go first. But maybe the second car also wants to be a kind Christian, so they motion for the first car to go first. But the first car wants to be kinder than the second car, so they motion for the second car to go first. But the second car arrived last and wants to, in all kindness, follow the law, so they motion for the first car to go first. But the first car is still motioning for the second car to go first, so the second car starts to inch forward, but by that time the first car begins to think that the second car outdid him in kindness, so he starts to inch forward. The second car stops when he sees the first car inch forward, but the first car has already seen the second car inching so he stops. Then the second car inches forward again because the first car stopped, but by that time the first car has begun to inch forward again upon seeing that the second car stopped.
Make that a three-way intersection and we've got some real confusion on our hands!
Almost every day I witness a traffic violation due to a nice Christian forgetting the law, or a nice Christian pedestrian assuming that the nice Christian in the car will be so nice as to let them pass.
So far, I am unaware of traffic accidents due to nice Christians being too nice, but it is only a matter of time.
And that, my friends, is why Christians shouldn't be too nice.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
2 Timothy 2:11-13
It is a trustworthy statement: for if we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
2 Timothy 1:7-13
For God
has not given us
a spirit of
timidity,
but of
POWER
and
love
and
discipline.
Therefore
do not be ashamed
of the testimony
of our Lord
or
of me His prisoner,
but
join with me
in
suffering
for
the GOSPEL
according to the
POWER of GOD,
who has saved us
and
called us
with a holy calling,
NOT
according to our works,
but
according to His
own
purpose
and
grace
which was
granted us
in
Christ Jesus
from
all eternity,
but
now
has been revealed
by the appearing
of our
Savior
Christ
Jesus,
who
ABOLISHED death
and
brought LIFE
and
immortality
to light
through
the GOSPEL,
for which
I was appointed
a preacher
and
an apostle
and
a teacher.
For this reason
I also suffer these things,
but
I AM NOT ASHAMED;
for
I know
whom I have believed
and
I am convinced
that
He is able
to guard
what I have entrusted
to Him
until that day.
Retain
the standard
of sound words
which
you have heard from me,
in
the faith
and
love
which
are in
Christ Jesus.
has not given us
a spirit of
timidity,
but of
POWER
and
love
and
discipline.
Therefore
do not be ashamed
of the testimony
of our Lord
or
of me His prisoner,
but
join with me
in
suffering
for
the GOSPEL
according to the
POWER of GOD,
who has saved us
and
called us
with a holy calling,
NOT
according to our works,
but
according to His
own
purpose
and
grace
which was
granted us
in
Christ Jesus
from
all eternity,
but
now
has been revealed
by the appearing
of our
Savior
Christ
Jesus,
who
ABOLISHED death
and
brought LIFE
and
immortality
to light
through
the GOSPEL,
for which
I was appointed
a preacher
and
an apostle
and
a teacher.
For this reason
I also suffer these things,
but
I AM NOT ASHAMED;
for
I know
whom I have believed
and
I am convinced
that
He is able
to guard
what I have entrusted
to Him
until that day.
Retain
the standard
of sound words
which
you have heard from me,
in
the faith
and
love
which
are in
Christ Jesus.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
http://www.swbts.edu/chapel/chapel_archive.cfm
Click on "Justin Peters"
"Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
For in him, all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority..."
- Colossians 2:6-10
"I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But if even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!"
- Galatians 1:6-9
"I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Jesus Christ, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and by His kingdom, preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."
- 1 Timothy 2:1-5
Click on "Justin Peters"
"Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
For in him, all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority..."
- Colossians 2:6-10
"I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But if even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!"
- Galatians 1:6-9
"I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Jesus Christ, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and by His kingdom, preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."
- 1 Timothy 2:1-5
Thursday, September 30, 2010
The Boy
I was skimming through my few posts over the past year...one was when my six year old nephew said, "you need to find someone to get married with."
Haha!
Well, as you can see from my new blog picture, I have found myself a man.
His name is Matt.
He is from Georgia.
He lived in Nepal for two years and speaks Nepali.
He is also getting an mDiv here.
We met in January, when he and his roommate helped my roommate move in. She said she would cook dinner for them as a way of saying thank you. I was super excited about meeting boys, so of course I was all for it. Then on the first day of class she introduced them to me. He was so talkative and friendly, and at the end of our first conversation, he told me that I was "very interesting."
Then we went to chapel and he sat next to me.
He sang really loudly.
It was out of key and absolutely adorable.
A week later we had them over for taco soup. After dinner, we played a game of Spades in which he and my roommate were partners and lost terribly.
Our roommates say that was when they saw the sparks begin to fly.
We started hanging out every single day - chapel, class, gym - he even came to Starbucks, despite the fact that he hates coffee, to "study" with us.
One evening the guys had "Pancake Night" at their house. After we ate, we all watched "Seven Years in Tibet." Near the end of the movie, he held my hand.
The next day we had a "discussion."
We didn't start dating right away (but I wouldn't let him hold my hand until he was ready to commit!), but a week or two later. He wanted to "take some time" to think about it and get to know me better, since it all happened so quickly (we met early January, started dating Feb 12), but just couldn't seem to wait, so we decided we either needed to make it official or stop spending so much time together.
So we made it official. :)
And now we've been official for seven and a half months.
Yikes!
I like Matthew quite a lot. :)
Any questions?
Haha!
Well, as you can see from my new blog picture, I have found myself a man.
His name is Matt.
He is from Georgia.
He lived in Nepal for two years and speaks Nepali.
He is also getting an mDiv here.
We met in January, when he and his roommate helped my roommate move in. She said she would cook dinner for them as a way of saying thank you. I was super excited about meeting boys, so of course I was all for it. Then on the first day of class she introduced them to me. He was so talkative and friendly, and at the end of our first conversation, he told me that I was "very interesting."
Then we went to chapel and he sat next to me.
He sang really loudly.
It was out of key and absolutely adorable.
A week later we had them over for taco soup. After dinner, we played a game of Spades in which he and my roommate were partners and lost terribly.
Our roommates say that was when they saw the sparks begin to fly.
We started hanging out every single day - chapel, class, gym - he even came to Starbucks, despite the fact that he hates coffee, to "study" with us.
One evening the guys had "Pancake Night" at their house. After we ate, we all watched "Seven Years in Tibet." Near the end of the movie, he held my hand.
The next day we had a "discussion."
We didn't start dating right away (but I wouldn't let him hold my hand until he was ready to commit!), but a week or two later. He wanted to "take some time" to think about it and get to know me better, since it all happened so quickly (we met early January, started dating Feb 12), but just couldn't seem to wait, so we decided we either needed to make it official or stop spending so much time together.
So we made it official. :)
And now we've been official for seven and a half months.
Yikes!
I like Matthew quite a lot. :)
Any questions?
Monday, September 27, 2010
Why Do I Always Do This?
So far this semester, I've had five quizzes in Greek, if you include the one I'm about to take tomorrow.
With the exception of one of the quizzes, I realized I had a quiz the night before, about 9 or 10pm...
Why do I always do this?
Thankfully, they're all review quizzes from what we learned last year, but still - yikes!
Back to studying participles...
With the exception of one of the quizzes, I realized I had a quiz the night before, about 9 or 10pm...
Why do I always do this?
Thankfully, they're all review quizzes from what we learned last year, but still - yikes!
Back to studying participles...
Friday, September 24, 2010
I'm Back!!
Well, sort of.
I can't promise my bi-weekly (and sometimes more) blog posts that I used to make, but I am determined to get back in the swing of blogging.
"Where have you been?" you might be asking.
Well, you're not the only one asking such a question. It's filled my email in-box, my facebook wall, and the minds and hearts of all my faithful blog readers. All two of you.
For one thing, I don't have internet. That makes blogging kind of difficult.
Also, life has been busy.
Each semester for the past 13 months I've been taking 12-13 hours of grad school, as well as working about 25-30 hours a week. Now, in college that would have been an overabundant load of work, but seminary is a different ballgame. 9 hours is considered "full time", and I understand completely why. It's quite a challenge staying on top of things!
Also, I have a boyfriend. :)
His name is Matt, he's from Georgia, he used to live in Nepal (during the same time that I was in Spain), and he likes sports and Coca-Cola a lot.
I'm rather fond of him. Tee hee.
So that's another reason for my mysterious absence from the blogging world. Too much time studying, working, and attempting to date my boyfriend.
We've been dating 7 1/2 months now. WOW! I can hardly believe it!
You may be wondering where I've been working: Pappadeaux!! Google it. It's tasty. If there's one in your area, you should go there for dinner tonight. It's a Cajun seafood restaurant, and while a little bit pricey (I may work there, but I can't quite afford to eat there...), it's definitely worth it if you can squeeze it into your budget every now and then.
You may be wondering what I'm studying: Jesus! Well, sort of. I'm getting a Master of Divinity (mDiv) at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. It's been a GREAT (but challenging) experience so far. I'm learning so much, and really enjoy my classes, professors, and classmates.
To give you an idea of what kinds of classes I take at seminary, here's what last year looked like:
Fall:
Church History 1 (33AD-crusades)
Elementary Greek 1
Old Testament 1 (Genesis-Esther)
Hermeneutics (interpretation)
Spiritual Formation (chapel, Scripture memory, Spiritual disciplines, etc)
Spring:
Church History 2 (Reformation-current)
Elementary Greek 2
Old Testament 2
Spiritual Formation
Fall (right now):
Missiology (the study of missions)
Systematic Theology 1
New Testament Greek 1 (we're translating Colossians!)
Ishmael/Arabs in Biblical History
It's been quite an experience!
I also have the greatest roommate of all time.
Her name is Emily, and she was a journeyman in Spain, also. She lived in the Canary Islands and we met in Seville, became friends in the Algarve (Portugal), and hung out lots and lots in Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Frankfurt, and Munich. Now we live together! She's been one of the greatest blessings to me. I was so lonely before she came, and having her as a friend and roommate has turned everything around. We cry together, laugh together, sing together, make crazy noises together, live, work, study, and go to church together...you would think we'd get sick of each other, but instead, it's quite the opposite! I can't get enough of her!
Surely you're getting bored now.
Now that both of my faithful readers know that I still exist, I can get back to blogging as usual.
Come back soon!
Bruner
I can't promise my bi-weekly (and sometimes more) blog posts that I used to make, but I am determined to get back in the swing of blogging.
"Where have you been?" you might be asking.
Well, you're not the only one asking such a question. It's filled my email in-box, my facebook wall, and the minds and hearts of all my faithful blog readers. All two of you.
For one thing, I don't have internet. That makes blogging kind of difficult.
Also, life has been busy.
Each semester for the past 13 months I've been taking 12-13 hours of grad school, as well as working about 25-30 hours a week. Now, in college that would have been an overabundant load of work, but seminary is a different ballgame. 9 hours is considered "full time", and I understand completely why. It's quite a challenge staying on top of things!
Also, I have a boyfriend. :)
His name is Matt, he's from Georgia, he used to live in Nepal (during the same time that I was in Spain), and he likes sports and Coca-Cola a lot.
I'm rather fond of him. Tee hee.
So that's another reason for my mysterious absence from the blogging world. Too much time studying, working, and attempting to date my boyfriend.
We've been dating 7 1/2 months now. WOW! I can hardly believe it!
You may be wondering where I've been working: Pappadeaux!! Google it. It's tasty. If there's one in your area, you should go there for dinner tonight. It's a Cajun seafood restaurant, and while a little bit pricey (I may work there, but I can't quite afford to eat there...), it's definitely worth it if you can squeeze it into your budget every now and then.
You may be wondering what I'm studying: Jesus! Well, sort of. I'm getting a Master of Divinity (mDiv) at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. It's been a GREAT (but challenging) experience so far. I'm learning so much, and really enjoy my classes, professors, and classmates.
To give you an idea of what kinds of classes I take at seminary, here's what last year looked like:
Fall:
Church History 1 (33AD-crusades)
Elementary Greek 1
Old Testament 1 (Genesis-Esther)
Hermeneutics (interpretation)
Spiritual Formation (chapel, Scripture memory, Spiritual disciplines, etc)
Spring:
Church History 2 (Reformation-current)
Elementary Greek 2
Old Testament 2
Spiritual Formation
Fall (right now):
Missiology (the study of missions)
Systematic Theology 1
New Testament Greek 1 (we're translating Colossians!)
Ishmael/Arabs in Biblical History
It's been quite an experience!
I also have the greatest roommate of all time.
Her name is Emily, and she was a journeyman in Spain, also. She lived in the Canary Islands and we met in Seville, became friends in the Algarve (Portugal), and hung out lots and lots in Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Frankfurt, and Munich. Now we live together! She's been one of the greatest blessings to me. I was so lonely before she came, and having her as a friend and roommate has turned everything around. We cry together, laugh together, sing together, make crazy noises together, live, work, study, and go to church together...you would think we'd get sick of each other, but instead, it's quite the opposite! I can't get enough of her!
Surely you're getting bored now.
Now that both of my faithful readers know that I still exist, I can get back to blogging as usual.
Come back soon!
Bruner
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