And Here We Go...

I'll Take It

2012-01-07T20:05:00.004-06:00

Cool: (Click to make it bigger)

God is Good :)

I Made It!

2011-12-16T14:57:00.004-06:00

Hello friends!

I know what you're thinking...

"Whoa! Sam! You're alive!!!"

Yes, it's been some time since my last post. I apologize. As the semester progressed my classes demanded more of me, and I ceased blogging. Over the break I will try and re-establish the habit and carry it into the new year.

But for now...

CELEBRATE! I MADE IT TO THE END OF THE SEMESTER!

6 classes, 14 credit hours, thousands of pages of reading, 10 papers, lots of little assignments, and one all-nighter. Whew.

Highlights of the semester...

-The Kern Scholars. I cannot express how thankful I am for the guys (and their wives) in my scholarship group. As the semester progressed we began to open up more, hang out outside of class, study together, and realize we were all having the same struggles. We learned to celebrate together, look out for one another, and most importantly, share actual parts of our life together. They've prayed for my mom, helped me with Greek, offered wedding and engagement advice, and helped make Alison feel welcome. It's quite possible that when I look back over my years at seminary, the best takeaway will not be the knowledge I gained, but the relationships I forged with these men. Thanks, fellas.

- Paper Grades. There are few things quite like the feeling of getting back a good grade on a paper you spent 30+ hours on writing. I had to write a 20-page paper for "Understanding Gospels and Acts," and was elated when it was returned to me with a 94%. Solid A, more than likely helping me achieve an A in the class, something I really wanted to do. Apologetics papers have been solid, my Biblical Interpretation paper was great...in the end, I have to thank the English Department at Shawnee Mission South. I had some of the greatest teachers during my time at South, who might as well have had the motto "Our students will NOT write bad papers."

- Greek Grade. Just found out I got an A- in Greek. Freaking yes.

- The Old Mill. They have $1 in-house drafts. Yes, this is a highlight. No, it's not academic...but it is delightful.

- The Challenge. I have learned so much about God, mission, the Gospels, faith, and a million other things over such a short amount of time. I've had beliefs shattered, convictions confirmed, paradigms blasted, and been humbled by my peers. 3 more years of this? I AM SO EXCITED.

What I've learned this semester....

Is that my greatest struggle over the next few years will be not to let the academic eclipse or silence the spiritual. EVERYONE I talked to who had been to seminary warned me about this. I believed them. And they were right. It is really tough to write so many papers, read so many books, and have a GPA you must maintain, and still remember that every pen stroke, every test, every page written should be for the Glory of God. Did I succeed in this? Not entirely. There were definitely days I pushed hard and fast just to get done, regardless of what I might need to be learning. But God is gracious, faithful, and will keep working on my heart to handle the academic rigors in the future. Next semester I drop from 14 to 11 credit hours. That should help alot.

But I'm also going to be far more intentional about establishing and protecting some non-academic time with God. Gotta have it. Missed that this semester.

So now, a break. I get to go home. I get to spend time with my amazingly wonderful fiancee, Alison, who has been absolutely terrific this semester. Yes, I am about to brag about the woman I love. If you think that's gross, just skip down a bit. Alison made so many sacrifices this semester. We live 500 miles apart. We skype every night. On multiple occasions she's left after work to drive 7 hours to Colorado, arriving at midnight or later, just to see me for the weekend. She's put up with me being locked away paper writing during our brief visits. She's trying to plan a wedding with minimal help from me, because there's little I can do from out here. She's met total strangers with a smile on her face and the gracious, loving attitude that makes me love her all the more. She's edited papers. She's let me rant about all the new theology I'm learning, which is fascinating to me, but usually pretty boring to those outside of seminary (pastor's are notorious for assuming everyone wants to know this stuff). She's been nothing short of wonderful. Thanks, my love.

(If you skipped all that, this is where you can come in again)

I'll be headed back to Kansas soon. If you live there, be sure and track me down, we can hang out. And I'll make an effort to get back into blogging. I've had a few people tell me they enjoy keeping up with my life (crazy, huh?), and I want to share what I'm learning with everyone!

Love you all,

-Sam

In Response To A Friend

2011-11-04T22:13:00.005-05:00

This post is in response to a post made by my friend, Brian Moore. Most everyone reading this blog probably knows who Brian is, but just a quick intro: I met Brian in college, he loves the Lord, is a great Bible-studier, an engineer, and someone who lovingly has put up with my mindless rants and incessant debates over the years. Great guy.

At the beginning of Brian's post, he added a disclaimer saying that if you chose to read it, he wanted a response. I will add a disclaimer to mine: what I write here is my best interpretation and understanding of the text. You're more than welcome to disagree with me. (But if you do disagree, I challenge and encourage you to flesh out your disagreement from the text)

And we begin...

The basic question is this: Christ, in his "Sermon on the Mount" (or Plain, in Luke) declares:

"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matt 6:14-15)

"Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day, many will say to me "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of the lawlessness." (Matt 7:21-23)

How do these two verses not contradict statements such as:

"All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved," and "whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (Brian Moore, referencing the Bible).

We'll examine these passages by setting them in their context.

The Sermon on the Mount begins in Matthew 5, with Christ describing the "Kingdom Life." It's the series of beatitudes most of us know quite well, and probably skim over without much thought, unless we're looking for some quick inspiration or insight from Jesus. The statements would have caught the attention of the crowd, because of their somewhat curious nature, and the authority Jesus was preaching with. He did not say "You've read in the scriptures that the meek will inherit the earth," as a regular teacher of the day would have (they dare not give a command or law without backing it up.) Jesus simply told it how it is. Why? "Do not think I have come to abolish the Law of the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them." (Matt 5:17)

If you hadn't really been listening to this point, you'd certainly be listening now. This man, this Galilean, is declaring in a public setting that he's fulfilling the Law of the Prophets. This is unparalleled action. But it's about to get better!

Jesus sets the stage for the text that follows with this statement: "For I tell you the truth, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matt 5:20)

Consider the gauntlet tossed. Jesus is not only directly defying the top Jewish religious and political authorities of the day; he's also just said they aren't getting into heaven. He brings this home by going through a series of corrections and reinterpretations of Old Testament Law. When Jesus says "You have heard it said," you can pretty much insert "The Pharisee's and teachers have told you," which is then followed by an expansion of moral code or a clarification of the intent of the Law. In short, Jesus giving the people something new to follow, something more holy, more righteous.

Chapter 6 begins with Jesus providing some behavior correction. He warns against extravagent displays of righteousness (6:1-4), overly loud and ongoing prayers in order to be seen and heard (6:5-6), a model prayer (6:7-13), and the warning we are concerned with: forgive others, or you won't be forgiven (6:14-15).

How are we to interpret this? Is this some sort of legalistic requirement for forgiveness?

In Matthew 5:21-26, Jesus instructs the crowd that if they were to approach the alter to make a sacrifice to God, but then remember that they are holding something against another person, they must leave, be reconciled, then come back to make their offering.

In Matthew 7:2, Jesus says "For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you."

In Matthew 18:23-35, Jesus tells the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, who was forgiven an unbelievable amount (Jesus goes to the extreme; the amount mentioned was a wealth attainable by maybe the top 2 or 3 people in the world), but is unforgiving of someone's debt to him. He is thus punished by the forgiving master. Jesus here says "So also my Heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."

What do these three passages have in common? They reflect that which is the core, the intent of the matter: the condition of your heart. The command to forgive so the Lord will for forgive you is not so much a prerequisite as it is a statement concerning the heart of one who has truly embraced what Christ was saying. If you truly believe in Christ, if you're truly seeking after righteousness, then you will be the kind of person who does forgive. Leading up to this verse, Jesus has just finished as series of behavior-correcting statements; but for what purpose? He had already said he was fulfilling the Law, so why the need for this new interpretation?

Because Jesus, as the fulfillment of the Law, must now be followed. (Not to say aspects of the Law are not to be followed...but that's another subject entirely) Following is not a matter of do's and do not's. It's a matter of the heart. Are you rightly oriented with God? Are you becoming the sort of person that forgives? Does this mean we can never forget, never sin? Of course not. If you have not forgiven someone...go be reconciled! If you don't want to...well, you'd better examine why not. You're called to do so. What if you can't? (Such as, the person will have nothing to do with you) Forgive them in your heart, ACTUALLY MEAN IT, and hope and pray God open an opportunity for you to be reconciled in the future.

As Paul might say, do you "live in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:27)

What Christ is demanding is becoming the sort of person whose fruit (evidence) shows that they truly have repented, truly believe.

Later, we come on Matthew 7:21-23, the somewhat ominous "I never knew you" passage. All who cry out "Lord, Lord" will no be entering the kingdom. This seems to be in direct opposition of everyone's favorite sport-going-poster, John 3:16.

Again, this is a matter of righteousness, a matter of the heart. In the text just prior to 7:21, Jesus had declared there would be false prophets, and that they are not to be followed. They may look right, talk right, but examining the fruit of their life will not add up. "Thus you will recognize them by their fruits." (v20)

Connecting the ideas all the way from 7:15-23, it seems that Christ is declaring there will be those people who claim to be in him, claim to be of him, but actually end up living otherwise. What it comes down to is origin and intent: does all your Christ-likeness come from an authentic faith, or are you just going through the motions? Do you really seek to live as Christ, to advance the Kingdom, or are you just a user, a poser, a profiteer?

Can someone who claims to be in Christ really not be in him at all? The apostles sure thought so:

"Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God,which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them." (Acts 20:28-30)

Christ is warning that no mimic or visage of faith will do; authentic, intentional, confessed, live-proofing faith is the only way to go. You cannot be as a corrupt Pharisee. Live as Christ; live as a servant.

So when the Bible declares that anyone who believes shall find eternal life, do not skip over the word belief casually. Do not assume that all who stand up and say the prayer, stand on the stage, preach from the pulpit, or write overly-long blog posts are truly among the Body of Christ. Look to the fruit. Look into their lives. Do they serve as Christ served? Are they humble? Do they stand strong in their convictions? Do they deviate form the the Word of God?

Again, realize that none of this means you will always get it right. Peter was almost comically mistaken throughout his ministry. But he strove to be rightly oriented with Christ. Even in the midst of unmistakable betrayal (Matt 26:74), he reacted as one should: with a broken, repentant heart. There are some scholars who think Judas knew exactly who Christ was, believed every word he said...but failed to come to terms with it. Judas, like so many Jews, was awaiting the arrival of a warrior-king Messiah. Judas wanted to be delivered from the tyranny of the Roman Empire. What Christ offered was a servant King. A suffering servant. The right to hang on a cross for what you believed.

Judas was among them. But he was not one of them. What did the fruit of his life reveal?

Christian's need not lay awake at night, being terrified on whether or not their life adds up to salvation. If you have truly acknowledged Christ with your lips, truly believe in your heart, and truly seek after a Christ-like life, then you will be met with words of welcome, not "I never knew you." Perhaps you are still scared? Well, examine Peter's life. Examine King David's life. These men failed on multiple occasions. Peter managed to fail with Jesus in his very presence! David was hand-picked by God! But when these men broke, when their failure was greatest, when they totally misunderstood, or intentionally rebelled, they went back to God. Their hearts did not yearn for their own expectations of God. They desperately wanted to be in right relationship with God. Their entire lives were dedicated to being in relationship with God. Just saying so is not enough; this is a lifetime, ongoing commitment.

Christ issued many warnings. He spoke of the reality of falling short of the kingdom. He did not dodge the subject. But he also offered a promise: all those who truly know him, truly repent, truly live a life of Christ-like servitude can be comforted in the knowledge that they are saved. Note: not will be saved, are saved. You're Kingdom Life begins now.

-------------------
Brian had some follow up questions, and due to this post already being much longer than most are probably going to read, I'll sum up them up like this: (for clairification, go see his blog)

1. Christ did indeed give many commands that seem to be lost on modern Christians. I don not think this means we've somehow developed into a world where those commands do not apply. Sadly, I think it means we've developed a faith and religious habit of bending the rules and ignoring what we don't like.

2. Was Christ a "Christian?" Historically, of course, no. Make no mistake about it, Christ was a Jew. He participated in Jewish culture, celebrated Jewish holidays, and knew Jewish Law better than anyone. He intentionally sought after the Jewish nation in his ministry (although never missed an opportunity to communicate the unpopular and often misunderstood message that his work of salvation would be for all people).

Now, does modern Christianity resemble what Christ called us to? In some places, yes, and in some places, no. Would he be pleased? I think the result would be the same now as it was then: finding a few of true faith, many who are wandering, and some of flat-out reject. I don't think he could avoid being heartbroken; there is a lot we Christians fail to address. But still...I think there would be room for encouragement. Would he have considered himself a Christian? Well, avoiding the conflict with the definition (Christ as a Christ-follower, or "little Christ), I think he would certainly identify with Christians in that we are pursuing to make God known throughout the earth...but there would be definite call for correction.

For those of you who weathered through this, I thank you, and hope it was beneficial. There was much I chose to leave out (scary, I know).

Love you all.

Back to you, Brian ;)

First Snow

2011-10-26T22:32:00.004-05:00

First (Real) Snow of the Season!

Don't worry, I was at a stoplight...

Cold weather...coffee...what a pair.

Snowy Littleton!

Denver Seminary Campus

Studying in the library, snowing outside.

Yes, that is a hole in my boot. Yes, it is a bummer.

Cold weather food!

Not bad for a first snow :)

Love you all!

Gett'n Back To It

2011-10-19T23:09:00.003-05:00

Hello, faithful blog readers!

I apologize so much for leaving you! Seminary is busy. Here's a few things I've learned:

-14 credit hours of graduate classes is HARD. I've got so much reading, so many assignments, and because of my scholarship, the ever-present need to keep a 3.25. Tough stuff.

-I think the most frustrating thing I'm experiencing is that I'm learning so much, but struggle in sharing it with people. (And on tests!) I know so much more than I did a few months ago. I know how to read some Greek, know the major themes of the Gospels, the Synoptic Problem, really like Trinitarian Theology; the list goes on. But it's extremely difficult to figure out how to share it with people in a sensible manner.

-I am not a philosopher. Thus, apologetics is hard.

-The group of guys that are in my scholarship cohort are amazing. They are all married, two have kids, most of them work, and a couple have 14 hours like me. Even with all that...they get the work done, they smile, they share struggles, they encourage, they lament when things are tough, they rejoice when things are well, and they truly care about the group. I hope I'm as uplifting to them as they are to me.

-Seminary matters. I will never knock a lay pastor or a believer who has a great spirit for testimony and understanding, but this is a fact: there are things you can only learn by getting a formal theological education. When you go to church on Sunday, and see your pastor, go up and thank him (or her). Thank him (again, or her) for his time, dedication, sacrifice, and willingness to put long hours into learning. I can guarantee you, if they are good pastors, they are still learning. Seminary gets you started, lays a foundation, but also teaches you that you're always going to be reading, listening to lectures, and seeking the counsel of 80-year-old preachers that are willing to cut the B.S. and tell you to stop getting creative and start getting serious.

-Greek is vitally important. It's the language of the New Testament. Understanding it brings out the beauty in John's Gospel, the understanding of just how deep the divinity runs in the first couple verses, and how much you miss by not knowing it. Here's a tip: If you're really interested in a particular passage or idea, get to know the Greek. Find someone who knows it. You can look it up yourself, but it's a tough language to muck through. But knowing the original words changes so much, and helps you understand the original intent. Remember: the original intent was inspired...you're interpretation often isn't. :) (No, I'm not dismissing the Holy Spirit. I am dismissing the "this is what this verse means to me." Find out what it meant to Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul, etc. Then find out what it means to you!)

That's probably enough. It's not a great post, but I'll be sure to get you more interesting stuff later. Please pray for my studies, my due dates, my GPA, and most of all, my ability to remember that I'm hear to learn how to better understand and communicate God.

Love you all,

-Sam

42...Divine?

2011-10-04T23:00:00.005-05:00

In Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, some hyper-intelligent pan-dimensional beings, desiring to know the answer to The Ultimate Question to Life, The Universe, and Everything, inquire to the super-computer "Deep Thought" (specifically built for this purpose).

After 7.5 million years of computing, Deep Thought gives an answer: 42.

In the Gospel of Matthew, a genealogy for Jesus is recorded. This genealogy is not a direct lineage; Matthew was not concerned with the exact chronology of Jesus' familial past, but rather wanted to reflect on his connection to Abraham (father of Israel) and David (Great king of Israel), in order to show that Jesus was indeed the Son of David, the awaited King and Messiah.

Matthew begins at Abraham and progresses to David. There are 14 names from these two men. Using gematria, the Hebrew sum of the numerical equivalents of the consonants in a word, David's name adds up to 14. (D=4, V=6, D=4. Hebrew's didn't use numbers, letters served double duty). All in all, there are three sets of 14 in the genealogy, signifying a sort of royal and divine significance.

So, three sets of 14. 3x14=42.

Anyone care to guess the 42nd name* listed in the genealogy of Matthew?

Yep...Jesus.

Adams has admitted on several occasions that the number 42 held no special meaning to him. It was just a number he picked.

THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT OR SPECIAL THEOLOGICAL CONNECTION BETWEEN HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE AND MATTHEW'S GOSPEL.

But still...that is just so hilariously funny.

Love you all.

*If you go to check this out yourself, and count every name in the list, you'll come out a little long. Look out for when the wives are listed (and don't count them), as well as leave out Zerah (kinda a footnote).

Absence Explainend, and NEWLY ENGAGED!

2011-09-28T14:10:00.008-05:00

Hello faithful blog readers!

It's been a long time since my last post, and for that, I apologize. But I have a really good reason. I was kinda busy last week....

I GOT ENGAGED!
(Go ahead, take a moment to be excited. It's exciting stuff!)

The incredibly beautiful woman in the picture is my fiancee, Alison Klem. We met at K-State, through Ichthus (a student ministry, always the ultimate-matchmaking device). However, during most of our time as students, we were nothing more than friends. It wasn't until the summer after my senior year that we really began to hit it off.

And even then...I was hesitant. I avoided addressing my feelings toward Alison, knowing I'd be moving to attend seminary, knowing that distance relationships were hard, and really not being sure I was up for a serious relationship. So I wrote off Alison as a possibility, and tried to enjoy our friendship for my remaining time in Manhattan.

Clearly, that plan worked ;)

We have a great story, Alison and I, but I won't write it all here. I have written it-it's about 20 pages long (it used be be 16 pages long, then last weekend happened, haha). I'm sure if you ask her, she'd be happy to let you read all about it sometime.

So we'll fast-forward through dating, through falling in love, through me secretly meeting with her parents before I left for seminar, and pick up the story on September 15th. That was the day I walked into Shane Company, hoping to just look at rings. I walked out with a claim slip, and three days later, on September 18th, I picked up the ring:

Yes, it really does look that awesome.

All the next week I had friends back in Manhattan (a huge shout out to Brian Moore, Kale and Allie, Rachel Motley, and Genny Walker) take Alison a flower, one friend delivery one flower each day of the week, Monday-Thursday.

My friends did awesome!

On Friday, Alison's best friend (Christie Smerchek) met her in Manhattan, gave her a fifth flower, got dinner, and headed to the park to have a picnic. This, of course, was all part of the plan. While Christie and Alison ate, I hid behind a tree and waited for Christie to give Alison a more of our story that I had written for the occasion. I'll spare you the the bulk of the four pages, but the last paragraph said...

"I am in love with a woman named Alison Klem. It's a deep, piercing, blood-burning love. It makes my breath stop short, makes my heart jump into my throat. It's the kind of love that requires dedication and action. The kind of love that really can only be addressed by the asking of a simple, yet powerful question, and for that, my love, you must now turn around..."
(Yes, I really can be that romantic. You can pick your jaw up off the ground now.)

The rest, of course, is what you saw in the picture that opened this post. Alison ran into my arms, we hugged for a long time, and I gave her a flower of my own. I said,

"Alison, I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. There's going to be some time between now and then, so for right now, I just need you to answer one question for me: will you marry me?"

She said yes :) Or at least I think she said yes, I only vaguely remember. I was a little wrapped up in the moment...

So...I'm engaged! We're engaged! We're gonna get married! Exciting stuff.

I love Alison. I'm excited about my future with her. About being married, living in Colorado, doing ministry together, getting a dog, and all that good stuff.

That's the story. If you talk to her, I'm sure you'll get a much better version.

Love you all,

-Sam

Pray Please-Car Busted

2011-09-20T09:56:00.005-05:00

Sasha the Sable didn't make it as long as I'd hoped.

Sunday morning I walked out to my car, intending to go check out my first church in here Denver. I hoped in the car, turned it on...and I couldn't shift. It just wouldn't budge out of park.

Not good.

I'm hopefully getting towed this morning to a garage my new employer tipped me to (more on MasterDrive in a later post). Please pray that the damage is easily (and cheaply) fixed, and fixed soon. I use my car to get to school, will need it for work, and Denver being a big place, it's just handy to have.

Other than that, life is really great. I do have a new job, classes are going well. Alison and I are doing great (although missing each other terribly), so I have much to be thankful for, and won't for one second allow something as worldly as my busted car make me raise a complaint to God. He's knows it sucks that my car broke. But He'll also help me fix it. Not worried, just takes time and money.

Thanks for praying, everyone,

-Sam

This is Hilarious...

2011-09-17T10:15:00.001-05:00

To All My Football Friends (and those who know I love football):

A big thanks to Monty Creagar for sending this too me.

What Did You Learn At School Today, Sam?

2011-09-14T18:46:00.003-05:00

Things I learned today:

1. Everything you learn in Sunday school is wrong. You know all those cute Old Testament stories you were told while sitting in a circle, legs Indian-style (P.C. alarm), with the picture of European Jesus hanging on the wall, smiling down at you? Yeah, go ahead and forget all of them. Chances are it's a bunch of surface-observing information that only makes you miss all the cool stuff. Go back and read Genesis. With a commentary. Rock your world.

2. The Church in Corinth...they had issues. Lots of them. And Paul was nooooot happy.

3. I don't really know what a Caramel Macchiato is, but I ordered one anyway. I do know that:

-I am not a fan.

-When they ask "Do you want two shots of espresso," the proper answer should be: No.

-I am tweak'n out on espresso right now

4. You have to shake a lot of rust off when you go back to write a paper after being out of school for a year. Took me 30 minutes to isolate a thesis. Geez.

5. I have not used a library in a long time. Evidence: I went to the computer, go the tracking info I needed to find a book, walked to the other side of the library to begin looking...only to eventually work my way back to LITERALLY right behind where I had been on the computer, looking up the tracking info. Family Studies was big on journal articles, and all those could be found through the online database. Cut me a break.

I know have to go do something to get this espresso to wear off.

Love you all.

Sam The Procrastinator

2011-09-12T17:09:00.006-05:00

While a senior at Shawnee Mission South, I was fortunate enough to have Mrs. Ruggles as my AP English teacher. Mrs. Ruggles was (and no doubt still is, wherever she is now at) an incredible teacher, totally understood how to relate to her students, and expertly educated a group of rowdy, obnoxious, sarcastic young men...also known as my friends :)

It was dear Mrs. Ruggles who coined the nickname standing as title for this post. It was dear Mrs. Ruggles that put up with relentless requests to delay, push back, and sometimes ultimately suspend due dates. She even got to the point where she'd ask a question in class, and in searching for an unwilling responder, call out "Sam the Procrastinator, what do you think?" I even used the name on my scantrons.

For the most part, I keep my procrastination in healthy check. I know my limits. I know how long I can wait to begin an assignment. I know when an all-nighter will produce the results I need. My procrastination is more of an art than a character flaw (my mother, who lovingly stayed up many-a-night to proofread my work, would more than likely object to this).

THIS time, however, I almost blew it.

My Biblical interpretation class is online. Last week we did an exercise which we posted online, had to comment on other classmate's posts, and re-post a revised copy. The revision was due Saturday by midnight. No problem, plenty of time.

I was in KC over the weekend, and diligent student that I am, posted my assignment on time, made the required comments for my classmates, and decided to wait till Saturday morning to post my revision. This way, should anyone make more comments on mine, I'd have more material to make a revision with. Sensible, yes.

On Saturday I woke up, got a haircut, made a delicious sandwich for lunch, and played with my nephews. I did some studying, took a brief nap, and got dressed for Liz Johnston-now-Douthit wedding. I drove to Stilwell, enjoyed a lovely wedding and reception. Alison and I made stops at our parent's homes, then headed for Manhattan.

Anyone know what's missing from that list? That's right! I failed to post my revision.

So, Alison and I are driving along at 11:30 at night (Alison, wonderful girlfriend she is, was driving because I had to drive to Denver the next day), chatting about the wedding. My demeanour at the reception was somewhat detached, and I explained the reason was I couldn't shake thinking about all the work I had to do this week. Reading, notes, write a paper, listen to more online lectures...

"No!" I abruptly shouted, grabbing my head, eyes in darting pursuit of a clock while my mind raced with the realization that I'd failed to post my revision. "What day is it; what time is it?"

"Saturday...11:30...," Alison said with a hint of knowing inflection that I'd forgotten something. "What did you not do?"

"I've got to post an assignment before midnight...I need the Internet! It's on my laptop, I wonder if I can turn my phone into a hot-spot..."

We're on I-70 at this point. While I fumbled with the idea of how to make my phone provide the grade-saving Internet signal I needed, Alison calmly took the next exit and headed for a McDonald's.

"They'll have wireless, you should be able to get on and post it from here."

Have I ever mentioned on here that I have a brilliant girlfriend? Beauty and brains, that's why I'm dating her! :)

With my procrastinating success record on the line, I quickly posted the assignment. 10 minutes to spare...not bad! (Technically, with Colorado being in Mountain Time, I may have had another hour. Better safe than sorry.)

Sam the Procrastinator is alive and well. I can see Mrs. Ruggles' head shaking now...

Love you all,

-Sam

p.s.

I got 100% on the assignment. So there. ;)

Meet Your Maker...Starting Now!

2011-09-09T17:00:00.004-05:00

Hello blog readers!

So sorry for my absence over the past week. As my last post said, Alison visited me over the weekend, and ever since then I've been extremely busy with classes. I'll try to be more consistent in the future :)

So, I'm two weeks in. I can write and speak the Greek alphabet, and do some light translating. My head is swollen with analytic knowledge on the Gospels- and we haven't even analyzed the actual books; just learning how to. My professors are 1,000x smarter and wiser than you can imagine, and do a fine job turning my worldview upside down every day. I get excited when I know things, challenged when I find what I've thought is flawed, and constantly reminded that it's often better to just hush up, listen, and learn.

And I love it.

How could I not? I spend most of each day learning about God. One of the best parts about DenSem is the teachers and professors all teach this same idea: be open to change, learn with the help of the Spirit.

This post is brief, and not as entertaining as some of my others, but what I you all to begin thinking about is learning about God. Learning- gaining knowledge, adding on factual truth to your foundation of faith. I want to challenge you all to go beyond investing only in experience and be aware that knowledge is good, even encouraged by God.

I'll try to share more of what I learn to help you with this. I'll also continue to share wacky stories about my life in Denver. Yet at the heart of it all, what I always really want to share, to have seen through all my communications: It is infinitely and eternally worth it to get to know God. Know...invest...learn...be firm in believing.

Love you all,

-Sam

Tune In On Monday

2011-09-02T17:53:00.003-05:00

Hey there, blog readers.

I'm signing off for the weekend. Why?

Alison is on her way :)

So...you know...I'm a little too distracted to blog.

Hope you all have a great weekend,

-Sam

Pray Please!

2011-09-01T17:08:00.005-05:00

Hello, faithful blog readers!

I hope some of you were able to get through yesterday's preaching-post. I was so interested in the cultural and historical depth behind the Good Samaritan parable that I wanted to share it. For those of you who couldn't bring yourselves to plow through...no worries :)

Fear not, today's post is much shorter.

As pretty much everyone reading this is a friend or family member, from time to time I am going to post a prayer request list. One of the most encouraging aspects of ministry education is that every professor, at one point or another, offers this advice: be praying for the Spirit to help you in your studies, your mission, and the pursuit of your calling.

Now I'm usually the guy who stays silent during the fielding of prayer requests. It's not that I believe I'm above prayer, or am doing just fine without the encouragement of my brothers and sisters- I just don't speak up. So I will use my digital voice...it speaks slower anyway ;)

Pray for...

1. Jobs. I have an interview next week (Wednesday) for a defensive driving school. This would be every other weekend, Saturday and Sunday for 8 hours each day. Cool job, pay is nice, but I'm not sure it's really what I need. Should I look for other jobs? Get something during the week too?
2. Studies. Let's be honest here: THIS IS THE MOST STUDYING I'VE DONE IN MY LIFE. (Brian McCandless, you can stop chuckling now) I've got required books, recommended books (which appears to be another way to say required) papers, and learning Greek. I need the Holy Spirit to kick me in the butt, help me focus, and help me to do my best. Have to keep my GPA at 3.25 or above.
3. Home away from home. As much as I love Denver, my classes, and being in such close proximity to the mountains, there are definitely things about home I miss. Bluestem, the Laramie House, The Motley's, Dick and Dee Bailey, Ichthus, The Brian's, Manhattan (it is, after all, the Promise Land), closer to KC, and of course it's really tough to be so far away from Alison. But Denver has plenty to offer, plenty to explore, and more and more each day it becomes home.
4. Transmission. Sasha the Sable (my car) has a very sick transmission. It knocks, labors, and on occasion shakes so hard the car shuts off. I need this transmission to work...for as long as the Lord sees fit. If possible, longer.

While we're at it, things I am thankful for...

1. Colorado Cousins. I have some family up here, Jeff, Cozette, and Kate, and it's a huge blessing to have family so close. Last week the fed me and let me do laundry. Awesome.
2. Kern Scholarship. This thing gets cooler every day. The guys I'm in it with are awesome, the support network is great, it's just the most outrageous blessing I could have imagined. Yay God.
3. Saint Mary's. Great people here. Father Truitt is doing his best to make sure I'm comfortable in the house.
4. Free Food!

This meal was made entirely by food given to me by the Manna Ministry, at Cherry Creek Community Church. Delicious!

That's about it for now. Thank you all for reading up on my life, it really does feel great to know I've got people around praying for me.

Love you all,

-Sam

p.s.
According to my blog stats, someone from Alaska checked me out. Who is my Alaskan reader?!

Know Your Neighbor

2011-08-31T12:22:00.010-05:00

Eventually, you knew it would happen: I'd blog about something I learned in class. I'd bore you with the monotonous droning of the seminary lecture halls. That time has come.

Even worse, today we're going to talk about the Parable of the Good Samaritan (cue the collective groan; if you'd rather go check the weather, do laundry, or mow the lawn, now is your chance).

Anyone who has grown up in Church, has a basic knowledge of Christian teachings, or knows the stories behind "due unto others as you would have done unto you" knows the story of the Good Samaritan. Dude gets jacked on the road, a couple of "religious guys" ignore him, while the heroic Samaritan swoops in, saves the poor ill-fated fellow, and even foots the bill for his recovery. Lesson to learn: love everyone. Got it? Good, that's it for the post.

...

Nooooo, don't be silly, of course that's not it! What I want to do in this post is give an example of why I'm excited to study the Word in an educational setting. This morning, in "Introduction to Ministry in Intercultural Contexts," we were walked through this passage, breaking it down verse by verse and idea by idea to truly understand what's going on. Not just in the parable, but in the surrounding context of where and when the parable is being told-why Jesus spoke and acted in the ways he did. It really makes the story quite thrilling.

Warning: This is not going to be a short post, but it'll have lots of cool stuff it in. I invite you (how preacherly of me) to jump into a little Biblical analysis of a well known passage. Don't assume you know what's going on. Read it afresh :)

Luke 10:25-37 Parable of the Good Samaritan
(I'm an ESV guy...you can switch it to whatever you like)

²⁵ And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

Alright, we're one verse in and I already have things to share! How many times have you read this story and never considered who this "lawyer" is? NIV calls him an "expert of the law," some versions list him as a "scribe." In this time and context, this man would have been an individual proficient in the knowledge, preservation, and conservation of the traditional Law. A member of the social class know as...the Pharisees. (Dun-dun-dun!) Usually portrayed as the bad-guys of the Gospels, to be a "Pharisee" was actually to be a member of a social class which held tightly to it's religious beliefs, those being the ones depicted in Torah. They were spiritual purists. God is the Almighty, Jews were the chosen ones, and the Law was paramount to righteous, with-God living. To be a Pharisee did not necessarily mean an occupation. Paul was a Pharisee and a tent maker. It has more to do with what you believe and defend.

This lawyer stands up to address Jesus. This is important. This story happens in a public place, a place of learning. There are may people there, and to stand and address someone is to give them a sign of honor. He furthers this honor by calling Jesus "Teacher," a highly respected position and title. However, make note of what Luke says is really going on: "a lawyer stood up to put him to the test," to try and challenge Jesus to a verbal skirmish on the finer points of the Law. He wants to find out if Jesus is a good, orthodox teacher, or the radical liberal who he's been hearing about. This kind of discourse was customary, and had it's own accepted rules: One person would ask a broad, general question, the other would answer. Then it is his turn, and they go back and forth, getting more specific with questions until a crucial question and answer are reached, then everyone goes home happy.

The question the lawyer put forward: what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
This is somewhat of a loaded question. Inheritance was a big deal for the Jews. Going all the way back to Abraham, where they were to "inherit the land," to ask how to inherit eternal life was really asking this: "How do I spend eternity with God, just as he promised us we would in the land He set aside for us. We are to be his people, and He our God." The typical answer everyone would have been waiting for would be something following the teachings of Torah.

Jesus pulled his classic counter-cultural-norms trick, bucked the system, and threw another question in the lawyer's face: ²⁶He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?" The lawyer's honor (it would have been dishonorable not to be able to defend) is now in the line of fire, so he responds: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." Jesus seems down with that: ²⁸And he said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live."

Problem: The lawyer has just openly admitted that the way to eternal existence with God- what he believed to be the right and destiny of every practicing, traditional Jew- is something that is not possible for man to accomplish. He knew it. He cannot stand there and say "good, I've done that," because even as a religious purist, there's no way for it to be true. He needs to get out of the trap he's in.

In an effort to shift the focus away from his own inequity and put Jesus back on the defense stand (and to justify himself), the lawyer challenges: ²⁹But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

Now remember, they are debating this in front of a crowd, more specifically, a crowd of Jews. Every person in the audience knew what the answer to that question was. The culturally accepted doctrine went like this: If you are a Jew, then you are bound to love every other Jew as your neighbor. You are NOT bound to love anyone who is not a Jew, for they are outside the chosen people of God. Case closed. This is what everyone was expecting Jesus to say.

Jesus, however, broke the rules of engagement again, and instead of offering an answer, told a little story: The Parable of the Good Samaritan.

^30"Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead."

"A man was going." A seemingly meaningless qualifier. However, notice what it does not tell you: you have no way of knowing if this man is a Jew, Roman, Samaritan, no details about his culture or social class. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was real, and extremely dangerous. It descends between the two cities about 3,000ft, into a desolate wasteland. People go robbed there all the time. Question time: was the man naked? Probably...not. "What?!" I hear you cry. "It says he was stripped, stop twisting the words of the Bible." Understand the context: the man was indeed stripped of his clothing, but if he's being robbed probably only stripped of what could be sold-the outer garments. Furthermore, it was one of the most extreme faux pas in the ancient world to be seen naked, or deal with nakedness. Even though they're robbers it's highly unlikely they would have shamed the man and themselves in this way. They left him there in his undies, unconscious. Again, there is a important understanding beneath the words here: if he has no clothes on and is unconscious, you cannot identify him by his wears, and cannot ask him where's he is from or what he believes. You cannot know if this man is a Jew.

³¹"Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side."

A priest, going from Jerusalem to Jerhico, on one of the most dangerous roads in the area, would have only had one assumed reason for traveling this way: he'd been to Temple to perform rituals, and was now returning home. Because he'd been to Temple, you can assume he was ritually clean. It was forbidden for him to get within six feet of a dead body, and he, apparently, was not going to chance it. He saw the man, but went on.

^32"So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side."

What is a Levite? (Cue grasshoppers) A Levite was a servant of a priest. He didn't have to follow the same rules as a priest, he was just a helper. It is pretty unlikely that anyone would have imagined, as Jesus spun this yarn, the priest traveling along the dangerous road from Jerusalem to Jerhico alone, so we can assume that the listeners would have paired the priest and the Levite. The Levite does something the priest did not: "came to the place and saw." The Levite, having no clean/unclean woes, actually approached the victim, but passed to the other side of the road.

³³But a Samaritan...

WHAT?! This would have rocked the house. My professor equated Jesus slipping a Samaritan into the story as if someone were telling a story of civil rights and all of a sudden added to the list of characters a member of the KKK. The Jews hated the Samaritans. Understand how this would have changed the mood. To this point, everyone is probably enjoying the show. A good debate, a good story, and in the end we're gonna learn something. Then Jesus had to go toss in a Samaritan.

^33"But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.'"

All three men saw the victim. Two of the men, The Levite and the Samaritan went up and looked him over. Only one man, the Samaritan, had compassion on the poor fellow, and that compassion lead to action. He treated his wounds with basic first-aid of the day (you can pretty much assume the priest and Levite would have had the same supplies). He set the man "on his own animal," possibly meaning the Samaritan had a few animals with him, maybe to haul gear, but put the wounded man on his own ride. He took him to an inn and saw he was cared for. The inn is important. Back in the day, the only people staying at inns were those who were not honorable enough to be accepted into a home. The Samaritan, being hated and despised, was not welcome- a huge bash in that culture.

In a shocking development, Jesus has just told a story of a Jew's most hated rival showing an incredible act of compassion and love.

Then Jesus drops the bomb (Jesus is the best): ³⁶"Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?"

The lawyer has no choice. He's about to confess something that challenges his whole worldview. Jesus has done an incredible thing. He took externalizing your neighbor- everyone who is just like me- flipped it, internalized it, and through the lesson of the story, taught that a neighbor is an internal, personal identifier. Are you a neighbor? Is your heart like that of who would have compassion on someone without knowing if they fit in you worldview?

³⁷"He said, "The one who showed him mercy." The learned man of the Law couldn't even bring himself to say the Samaritan, but it didn't matter. That confession did two things: It gave the Samaritan honor and qualifiers into God's eternity (remember, earlier it was established that loving God and loving your neighbor is important), and put the priest and the Levite, religious men of the lawyer's order, in the category of sin.

And Jesus said to him, "You go, and do likewise."

Jesus smoked this dude.

The point was this: If you rightly related to God, you are a neighbor to those who have need. Break your concept of mission. It's not for the brave and the few. If you are related to God, if you call him your Father, look to him as Lord, then mission is for you. There is no qualifier of a neighbor. The mission of God is for God to be known through and by his people...all people.

Go, let Him be known by being a neighbor.

Love you all,

-Sam

Darwin's Gonna Get These Two Someday...

2011-08-30T19:11:00.009-05:00

Driving in Denver is...an experience. Traffic rules are, apparently, subject to open and active interpretation while driving. For example, when turning left, it seems to be perfectly acceptable for two, three, sometimes even four cars to complete their turn, cutting across the intersection after their signal has turned red. No one seems bothered by this. Speed limits are also, at times, a a matter of interpretation. During the highly-dense Denver rush hours it's not uncommon to go 30 on a 55. Once traffic clears up, however, the general speed can launch up to 65 or 70, regardless of the clearly posted lower limitation. Sure, you may get pulled over...but that seems to be a risk everyone is willing to take. There are also those HOV lanes...but I won't get into that.

Tonight, however, I was witness to one of the most ridiculous stunts ever pulled during a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam. It was one of those things where, as it unfolds, you think to yourself "this can't be real...no one is this stupid. Oh my gosh, someone IS this stupid!"

Santa Fe is a heavily used roadway. During rush hour it is not uncommon to spend 15-2o minutes on what should be a quick, 5-minute trek (the typical speed limit is 55mph, which reduces to about 5 or less during these times at its worst). I found myself in this situation today. Bumper to bumper, inching along the road, watching the minutes tick by, less than a mile away from the seminary. I wonder how many people learn patience while stuck in traffic...(probably none. Who is patient while doing .5 mph? Jesus rode donkeys that moved faster).

Before me was a large blue and white Ford Bronco, an older model, equipped with huge off-roading tires, sitting roughly six-inches higher than a normal Bronco would. It was driven by a woman, late thirties, bleach-blond hair, and as I would soon find out, a rather confused and frazzled countenance (save that one for your Scrabble list, kids). Next to her was a large, burly man on a cruiser-style motorcycle. Bald head, mustache, dark sunglasses. I'm sure you can picture it.

Well, as we crawled along Santa Fe, I began to notice the woman from the Bronco and the man on the motorcycle were trying to talk to each other. The woman was in the left lane, just ahead of me, and leaning toward her passenger window to yell out responses to the motorcyclist, in the right lane. Now remember: during the following scene, we are moving forward. Not at a great pace, but enough of one that you should be paying attention.

All of a sudden, the woman looks down for a good 5 seconds as she searches for something (probably in a purse), then with one hand on the wheel but no eyes on the road, tosses a cigarette box to the man on the motorcycle next to her. The man, caught somewhat off guard (I think he had a different plan for getting the cigarette's from what I can only assume was a woman he knew), fumbled the box (it wasn't a great throw) and watched in frustration as it hit the asphalt. Both the woman and the man stopped their vehicles-literally stopped, blocking both lanes. The man began trying to figure out how to lean over and pick up his fallen-fix without tipping over his motorcycle. As he does this, Bronco Betty all of a sudden tries to switch over to the left lane, a decision made difficult due to the motorcycle man not really being clear of her.

She manages to get over, and traffic progresses somewhat. The motorcyclist rolls slowly forward as Bronco Betty pulls over into the shoulder-lane. "Odd," I thought to myself. "She's just stopped again. And now she's leaning out the window. What's she got in her hand? Oh my gosh...she is trying to hand off a lighter to the motorcycle guy!" As if tossing cigarettes out a window in the middle of the highway wasn't enough, it was now vital that this man have a lighter to pack in to one moment as many life-endangering activities as possible: Denver highway driving, riding on a motorcycle with no helmet, performing an unprecedented act of stupidity, and to top it all off, smoking. The woman, frustrated and clueless, fumbled with the wheel of her Bronco and somehow managed to get back in an actual lane without hitting anyone. By this time the other drivers and I all had either a look of shock, disbelief, or annoyance at what we'd just seen play out.

Moral of the story: smoking is bad for your health. On so many different levels.

Love you all,

-Sam

Little Sammy Goes (Back) To School

2011-08-29T17:09:00.009-05:00

Hello blog readers! (And after the response from my last post, I now know that is a great deal larger than I had thought. Thank you all so much for checking in!)

I returned to the academic world today, books in tow, coffee in hand, eager and ready to get started!

Nice, right? I feel like the collared shirt and sling-bag really pulls the whole "future pastor" look together.

While we're at it, let's take a moment to look at a few other photos. Warning: The adorable level of this blog is about to blow your minds:

My brother (John), sister, (Sara), and me, 1999.

My childhood best friend, Jeremy, and me. Note the awesome kicks.

I still make that face when excited! Also, note the hat and jacket. This was the first hat I became attached to, a pattern that still continues today, as I always have one hat I wear until it can no longer be worn. The jacket was an early precursor "the vest" (my high school friends will understand this), and was worn most every day until I grew out of it.

Man, I was adorable! (Let the ensuing "yeah, what happened?" jokes out of your system. Feel better? Good. Can I go on? Thanks.)

Anyway, today was the first day of classes out here at Denver Seminary, beginning with 8am Greek. This is the class I have the most apprehension towards because learning languages has never been my gifting. However, my professor (Elodie) is a really awesome gal. Bright, energetic, and has a little bit of an edge to her. Her humor is very unique, and I dig it. While Greek will still be a challenge for me, I think God hooked me up with exactly the right kind of teacher. (At some point I'll wow you with some Greek in a blog post, but not today.) We went over the alphabet, some vocab, tenses, gendered endings, and more. It will be a lot of work, but Lord willing, I will come out of it alive.

My second class, "Introduction to Spiritual Formation" is the intro class to Denver Seminary's mentoring program. DenSem (look how hip I am, using the shortened version) has the goal of not only teaching, but equipping for life after seminary. The mentoring program is designed to enrich our walk with God, deepen our convictions and personal spirituality, enhance our knowledge and awareness of our strengths and weaknesses, and provide a way for us to mature not only in academia, but in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Today was pretty much just basic info and overview, but the mentoring program is one of the things I am really excited about.

My last class of the day was "Defending the Christian Faith." It's an apologetics course. Apologetics, in basic terms, is the ability to give sound argument and reason for why I believe in the Gospel and why Jesus is the Lord and Savior of my life (technically, apologetics is not exclusive to the Christian faith. Any defense of a belief or idea is an apologetic). It's taught by Dr. Doug Groothius, who was mentioned in the "Fully Oriented" post as once of the speakers at orientation. He is a really cool guy. Sure in his convictions, passionate about defending the faith with reason and discussion, and serious about our need to learn how to as well. To be honest, I do not know a whole lot about apologetics, but I am REALLY excited to dive into this stuff. I know I believe in God, trust Jesus as my Savior, and want others to due the same...but I could use some educating on how argue (argue=rational discussion of views, not verbally attacking the opposition) for what I know as truth. The Gospel is the greatest news...something worth being excited for, and investing fully in. Why not know how to answer a skeptic when they challenge the historical reliability of the Bible? Or challenge that God cannot exist? Or proclaim that science is the only truth?

Side note: Dr.Groothius totally took Rob Bell to the woodshed in class, and I'm not sure, but Bell may have felt it from here. And he did it well. He mentioned that a tirade against Bell's views might come up now and then (or...you know...every week), which I will be very interested to hear. Bell is a new age, modernist, universalist-tendency kind of thinker*. That doesn't jive with Groothius. This should be fun.

So that was the day! I see a coffee shop and books in my future for tonight.

Love you all,

-Sam

*I have to confess here to never having read any of Rob Bell's books from beginning to end. I've read excerpts, and had people give me their feelings on it (both good and bad), and usually always arrive at this: He's a good man, a good writer, and a good communicator, very well informed, but he's begun taking some liberties with the word that sound (1) arrogant (2) dangerously close to pantheism (indeed, some of the writers in his "suggested reading" sections and bibliographies are self-proclaimed pantheists), and (3) intellectually surface-level. I always meant to read "Velvet Elvis" but had too many friends, years removed from reading it, decide that it didn't really benefit them or their faith. So, maybe I'll get to reading him, someday.

Fully Oriented

2011-08-26T17:04:00.009-05:00

Hello faithful blog readers!

Today was my second orientation, the one for all incoming seminary students. As is customary with any educational greeting get-together, there was free stuff. Check out my S.W.A.G.:

Free coffee, free Chick-fil-A, $2 off a car wash, free frozen yogurt, Subway coupons

Pretty nifty, eh? The Bible is a Holeman Christian Standard Bible, a version I've never read or even heard of. As best I can tell, it's goal is to keep their translation as informed as possible, while adapting it as best they can to the English language of the day. There's not a bunch of "slang" or anything, but it does have a slightly more laid back feel than say an ESV. I've looked up a few verses, it's still the same message. Good stuff.

Anyway, the orientation began at 8:30am. They had several faculty members give brief informative speeches about various aspects of the seminary, preparations we should take for this sort of post-grad education, and helpful services the school offers. Really top-notch stuff. Dr. Mark Young, President of D.S., gave a sermon-like welcome, stating five characteristics we should look to have to make our seminary experience successful: humility, charity (not hitting us up for money; more like intellectual charity, being open and inviting to new ideas), discipline, vitality, and keeping a clear rational for why we're here: the Glory of God. Great stuff.

Which leads me to this point: This will be hard, push me in ways I've never been pushed, present challenges I've never even thought of...but it will be awesome. Dr. Doug Groothuis (say that grow-tice), Professor of Philosophy and instructor for my apologetics course, gave an incredibly deep talk on critical thinking. Amidst the well-constructed arguments and defenses for the need of sound thinking in spiritual advancement, Dr. Groothuis made this one very important point: "You have the rest of your life to do whatever mission God calls you to. But now is probably the only time of it's kind that you'll have to study like this. You may never get another chance to think this deeply on what you believe." (Quote is probably not direct, but close).

Wow. So very true. Seminary is an incredibly blessed time to really dial in on what I believe, develop my defense for it, and make it sound. I always need to be willing to be corrected, but I also need to be firm on what I think Jesus came to do, what he accomplished, and what he is still demanding of us today. That's what makes this school so amazing. It's 100% dedicated to the advancement of the Kingdom, to turning us into effective leaders of the faith. Teachers pray for you when you come with questions and concerns. They may come down hard...but they pray for you to get better. The staff is here to help. I am a fellow member in the family of Christ. Not just a student number, not just pads on the overall enrollment report...I matter to these people.

I am in the right place. This is what I need to be doing. Sitting here, in this library, with my greek book open and the alphabet running through my head (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon...), with Groothuis' 2-inch think, 752 page-monster dauntingly sitting in the corner (pictured below), with questions as to what the heck I'm supposed to be getting done before Monday...I am right where God wants me to be.

Whoa boy.

And so...here we go :)

Love you all.

p.s.

I sometimes wonder how many people are actually reading this. I know of a few; my family, Alison, a handful of friends. But then some people surprise me, like Meg Tuttle or Liz Johnston (soon to be Douthit!), with a comment, letting me know they've read it and offering encouragement. Just want to let you know I appreciate it. I write this because it makes me feel more connected back home, and keeps anyone who is interested up-to-date. I am not a phone communicator. This is the best I can do. Thanks for reading :)

Be On Time

2011-08-25T09:57:00.011-05:00

Let's have a brief lesson on the importance of timeliness:

An example of the benefit of being on time: Tuesday, when I went to Cherry Hills for the bread basket, I showed up at 6pm, 30 minutes before they start handing out food. This was the time suggested to me by my peers to get there. Because I was there early, I got the last $50 amazon.com gift card they had. On time = +$50

An example of the penalties of being late: Yesterday, I checked out a new coffee shop, Stella's (There will be more on Stella's in another post). Great little coffee shop, very much in the same mold of my 1st coffee-shop-love, Bluestem. I pulled into a parking spot, noting that it was a 2-hour limit area. No problem, I thought. I went in, did some work, until the time came for me to pack up and go. As I was loading my bag, I remembered I wanted to put a bunch of photos of Alison and me on my iPod. "I can get this done in time," I thought. Quickly I loaded up my iPod with all manner of relationship-y photos, and headed out the door. Approaching the car, I saw the dreaded yellow-gold envelop tucked into the doorway. $25 fine for being 3 minutes late. Because I go their late, I was out $25. Late = -$25 (Real $, not amazon bucks)

There are two valuable lesson's here:
(1) Be on time. It's cost friendly.
(2) Even from 500 miles away, relationships are expensive. (I'll probably catch heat for that one later, but I couldn't resist)

I hope you all have learned something here today.

Love you all.

-Sam

p.s.

Photos like this might be worth $50...

I don't know why she's dating me either. Sucker ;)

Manna From Heaven

2011-08-24T10:47:00.005-05:00

"And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." -Deuteronomy 8:3, ESV

At the end of yesterday's post, I mentioned that I was going to check out a food pantry I heard about from one of my fellow Kern Scholars. Didn't know much about it, just figured it sounded like a good tip and was something I should look into. As I made my toward Cherry Hills Community Church, I had no idea God was about to drop a huge blessing right in my lap.

The ministry that runs the food bank is called Manna Ministry. As described on the website, "Through this ministry of Cherry Hills Community Church, we demonstrate the love of Jesus by offering a weekly food bank, clothing bank, medical clinic and haircuts to individuals and families." Pretty neat stuff, right? As a seminary student, they open this ministry to me as well as needy families in the area. I can go get free groceries every week. Such a cool program.

ALSO as a seminary student, they gave me a $50 amazon.com gift card, to help with books and such. This is an enormous blessing. Even though I already have all my required texts, I might be able to afford some of the recommended books I like, or save it for next semester.

Like a lot of food banks, you go in and fill out a sheet, checking off what food you'd like to get for the week. Then you go and sit with everyone. I met Brian (go ahead and laugh, Alison), a fellow seminary student, who moved his family to Denver to go to seminary in hopes of revitalizing discipleship back in his hometown or Little Rock. A few of my Kern friends were also there, and spent some time chatting it up with them. What I'm also excited about is the opportunity this gives me to share the Gospel. Not everyone who goes to the food bank knows the love of God, and as a seminary student, Cherry Hills and Manna Ministry expect me to use this opportunity to talk to people about Christ. I might even give the 5 minute devotional sometime!

Anyway, so you wait till they call your name, then go collect your food. I got a TON of great groceries! Mac & Cheese, spaghetti and sauce, bread, peanut butter, jelly, hot dogs, hamburger meat, frozen veggies, eggs, bananas, apples, canned fruit, and probably some more I've forgotten. AND I CAN GO EVERY WEEK. This is an incredible blessing. My food costs just plummeted. They have some volunteers walk you out and help you load your car. And even though I introduced myself, and tried to remember their names...I, of course, have forgotten. I hope to see them next week.

But how cool is all of that?! Food wasn't even something I was praying about, I just figured I'd go to the store eventually, but God threw open a door for me. Almost as amazing is that I took it. Those of you who know me know that it can be difficult to get me to get out and do something new or something I'm unfamiliar with. It's not out of fear or worry that I won't be accepted...I just am usually to lazy or indifferent to go. However, one of the benefits to moving to a new place and starting fresh is that you can challenge yourself to try new things, new ways of approaching things. So at the Kern orientation I tried to put myself out there and really get to know my classmates. I'm trying to introduce myself to people as I meet them in the neighborhood or coffee shops. I'm driving across town to check out a food bank at a church I've never heard before. And God has really been faithful in confirming me in these changes. I could just be slamming into walls, but he's opening people up to me, showing me things about myself I didn't know, and filling my pantry with free food. God is good...but you do have to reach out and take what he offers, even if you're uncomfortable with it at first.

So that was my night. This morning I had a banana and some of the bread they gave me for breakfast. It was delicious :)

Some people will read this and be excited. Some people will read it and wonder "why can't God do something like that for me?" I often wonder that question for the world, wondering why God seems to be so consistent and faithful to provide for me, but I have friends who are sick, jobless, facing family troubles, or feel aimless with nothing on the horizon. I wish I had something I could tell you, some wisdom-laden passage that would make the clouds break and heaven shine through. But I don't. All I can say is keep the faith, keep relying on God, and be open to taking what he gives. Maybe not what you wanted or are looking for...but what He brings to you. The Israelite's weren't big fans of the manna, but it sustained a nation till the time God called them to the Promise Land. Jacob was given Leah before Rachel. The disciples wandered around with Jesus, being confused much of the time, before being given the most awesome purpose and life they could have imagined. Easy? Nope. Worth it?

"Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith" Philippians 3:8-9

You bet.

Love you all.

Kerning for the Lord

2011-08-23T16:28:00.006-05:00

Hello Blog Readers! (Third day in a row of blogging...that's right, be impressed)

Remember that cool coffee shop I told you about, Fireside? Well, last night it went off the trendy-charts with all that was going on. I walk in and there is an old guy jammin out on his bass, while the cashier/barista (David) was accompanying him on piano. There was a group of art nerds talking about classes, the legitimacy of the Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and swapping personally drawn comic-book art. So many cool things going on.

But that was last night. This post is about the happenings of today!

This morning I went to my first (of two) orientation for seminary. This orientation was specifically for the incoming Kern Scholars. A quick explanation: I applied and was awarded the Kern Family Scholarship, an award given out to selected MDiv students each year. It is a FULL TUITION scholarship, with a value of somewhere around $50,000. An incredible blessing. But there's more! There are 10 Kern Scholars this year (myself included), and I will bond with the fellow students, have the same classes with them, and hopefully become good friends over the next 3-4 years. It's an awesome program, God out-did himself with this one.

This morning we all met at the seminary, had a brief meet-and-greet session, then were taken out to Roxborough State Park for a short hike. The area was beautiful. It's full of large red-rock formations, a surprising amount of wildlife, and offers many different trails to explore. We did a simple loop, hiking along and chatting with our fellow Kern scholars, switching up every now-and-then to get a chance to meet everyone. There are all different walks of life, stories, people coming form across the country. What do we all share? We want to be in vocational pastoral ministry! It was really great to have intentional conversations about what brought us to D.S., what we hope to accomplish, and learn about each others lives.

What does everyone EXCEPT ME share? The are all married. All of them. Every Kern Scholar is married, some for just two weeks, some for 2 years. There I was with my naked ring finger. Well...someone has to be the black sheep.

We also saw a mule deer while we were hiking. As in...it walked right out of the dense wooded area next to the paths, about 10ft from us, and starred at us for awhile. Then it walked over to a fence (which it could have easily just gone around), looked over at as, and then as if to put on a show, leaped over it in a single bound, and ran up a hill. Well done, little mule deer.

*This is not him...or her.

We left the park and had lunch at a faculty member's house. There were 2nd year Kern Scholars there, and they passed along what wisdom they could, which was actually really helpful. Helped lay to rest some worries, and also made taking classes seem more real. These guys (and gals) have been there before, admitted to it being tough, but totally possible. They were also all married (good grief), so they had plenty to say about spouses going through seminary together. Guess I'll just tuck that info away for later. :)

One piece of advice I came away with and have already acted on: because they will let us take 4 years to finish our MDiv (first time for this, used to be you had to do it in 3 years), everyone said to TAKE YOUR TIME and lighten the course load. Because of this, I promptly dropped my Thursday course, "Engaging Early Church History." This leaves me at 14 hours, which will be plenty enough to keep my busy. Plus, I only have three days I am in class. Now I just have to find a job!

Well, that's it for now. Tonight I'm going to try and score some free food from a church that opens its food pantry up to seminary students. Sounds like a good deal. I promise the posts will contain more fun stuff once I dive into some books.

Love you all,

-Sam

p.s.

Look, I have an ID! I'm legit!

Coffee Shop Questing

2011-08-22T10:59:00.006-05:00

There are probably 500,000 coffees shops in the Denver/Englewood/Littleton area.

And it's quite possible 499,999 of them are Starbucks.

Alright, so I am exaggerating, but Denver does seem to be the Starbucks capital of the world. I don't have anything against Starbucks (except I'm not a big fan of their coffee...but I love those little vanilla scones they have), but I do prefer the smaller, quaint coffee shop vibe. I'm a a product of Bluestem Bistro, and that is a very high standard.

That being said, last night I found a great one. Thanks to a tip from one of my new roommates, Marcus, I headed over to Fireside Books and Cafe, a 24-hour coffee shop southwest of where I live. Oh man...this place was awesome!

The photo does not do it justice. It's a used bookstore AND a coffee shop. AND IT'S OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY! I got a Chai Tea Latte, which was delicious, and spent the time going over some things for the coming week, and video chatting with my lovely girlfriend.

Which leads me to things I am thankful for...

-Video Chat. You have no idea how awesome it was to be able to see Alison last night.
-GPS. Thank you, Garmin, for making such a handy little tool. I'd be completely lost in this city without it.
-Good roommates. Marcus has the awesome coffee tip, and Bryan (there will be a post on Bryan at some point) is just a fantastic guy to chat with.
-Mountains. Every now and then I turn down a street and- BOOM- The Rockies! It's like "Oh yeah! I'm in Colorado! Sweet!"
-Internet. Being connected takes the sting out of being so far away from my friends and family.

And while we're at it, things you can being praying for!

-My car's transmission. Brian, before he left, said a prayer over the Sable, which may be the only reason it's still running. I bought it knowing the transmission was questionable, but just pray God let's it run as long as it can.
-Orientations. I have a Kern Scholarship Orientation tomorrow at 9am, and a basic Denver Seminary Orientation on Friday at 8:30am. Pray that I am open to meeting new people!
-Class. There is A TON OF WORK TO DO. I need focus and drive. I know God wants to give me both.
-Job. I really need to get a job. Have no idea where yet. Pray that I find something that works well with my hours.

That's it for now. Oh, I'm blogging from Solid Grounds Coffee house. They actually have a location at the Seminary, but this is the one in Englewood. Pretty good, you're basic coffee shop set up. The are around it seems pretty fun, and it's just a few minutes from Fireside.

Love you all,

-Sam

p.s.

Shameless Plug:
Should anyone be board enough to send me stuff, here ya go:
2258 S Clayton St
Denver, CO 80210

p.s.s

I cut my finger open with scissors. On my first night here. See, Alison, this is what happens when you're not around to take care of me:

Brave New World

2011-08-21T13:48:00.005-05:00

Well, here I am: Denver, Colorado. How best to catch everyone up...

First thing's first: Why am I here? I'm attending Denver Theological Seminary in hopes of attaining a Masters of Divinity. Sounds pretty legit, eh? It's about a three-year study, and I am really looking forward to it. Got a big stack of books, syllabus' with due dates jumping of the pages, and a whole new city to learn so I can call it home.

"Home" is now a small house that's actually one of two parsonages belonging to St Mary's Catholic Church, in Denver. I found the room opening thanks to a posting on one of DemSem's forums. It was cheap, sounded pretty good, so I jumped on it. I have a pretty basic room, a bed, a dresser, a closet. I need to track down some shelves and a desk. And get unpacked in general. On Friday, when I moved up with my parents, Brian, and Alison, I just tossed all my stuff in the room and headed for Loveland for the weekend, where I stayed with family (and Brian/Alison).

My parents, Brian, and Alison left today. You have no idea how hard that last sentence is to look at (especially the last part). I love my family. Brian has been one of my greatest friends the past few years. And Alison...watching the one you love drive away with no way to stop it just sucks. I don't recommend it. We'll be ok, she's tough and resilient and I will switch into my "go with the flow" mentality before too long, but for now...for now, it's just gonna have to hurt for a bit.

The parsonage is nestled into a wonderful little neighborhood. Small family homes line the streets, and everyone is very friendly. Not 2 hours into being at my new residence, and someone came up and introduced himself (Rob), and welcomed me in the neighborhood. How great is that?

I'm very close, a few blocks, from Denver University. Beautiful campus. I look forward to walking around there and maybe finding a place in the library I can study at. The area around the University is awesome: little shops, diners, sports bars, coffee shops and bakeries, some great looking pizza joints, really a very fun area. Heck, I've even got my very own local distributor of medical marijuana. So...there's that. I hope to spend tomorrow getting around and really finding some great places. I NEED to find a solid coffee shop. I'm at Bruegger's right now, and while they seem to have a nice bakery...their coffee is not great. I'll need to do better. (They have no tea, this will not work for me)

Another plus: I'm a 5 minute drive from the original Chipotle. Major score.

Had lunch at Pete's University Cafe. It was great. Very gritty, small-operation feel to it, but you can tell they do good business. Had myself a double cheeseburger with bacon:

I'm a fan. Look forward to seeing how the breakfast is at some point.

Am a lonely? A bit. Not so much that it's depressing or that I'm lamenting being here, but there is some sadness from being away from Alison, the Laramie House, from the Brian's (McCandless and Moore), and Manhappiness.

But there is also so much promise on thought of tomorrow: Starting classes, discovering new places, meeting new people, making new friends, and learning more about Alison through phone conversations and letters. God has been great to me. That sentence is laughable with how deeply it falls short of explaining what I'm trying to say: God has been GREAT, AWESOME, FAITHFUL, and more to me. It's unfair that I should be blessed this much.

I plan to honor those blessings with my life.

So...here we go ;)

"Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you." Genesis 12:1

"And his armor-bearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul." 1 Samuel 14:7

Get Your Danc'n Shoes!

2011-06-16T21:15:00.003-05:00

Let's face it: I'm not that multicultural.

I'm white. I hail from Johnson County. I'm a midwesterner, call Manhattan my home. The extent of my branching out is probably when I have Mexican twice in one week. Yep, I'm that well-rounded.

All that being said...you MUST check out Rodrigo y Gabriela.

Chances are pretty good that many people reading this blog (Many? Easy there, Sam, you've been out of the game for awhile. Last time your sister and some anonymous person responded to your post) have already heard of these two, because I am usually late on all things related to the music scene.

Regardless, do yourself a favor and check out some of their tunes. Here, I'll even make it easy on you: check out this video.

I am making them their own playlist on grooveshark as I write this.

Enjoy :)

Ah! A Post!

2011-06-14T11:46:00.002-05:00

Haha, you all thought there would actually be something worth reading here, didn't you?

Well sorry to disappoint, but not this time. But soon? Perhaps.

Stay tuned.