Thoughts...

It's been a strange, strange weekend. My brother, 24 years old, went into seizures on Friday night and was rushed to the Hospital. After a wide range of tests and probing, it was determined that he had a mini stroke, of all things... It's been a really scary time for us. I love my brother dearly even when he drives me crazy, and there was something fundamentally wrong with seeing him laying in a hospital bed hooked up to various machines. It wasn't a sight I was ready for, but these things don't ever wait for us to be ready for them... The good news is that God has been good to our family, and He is doing much better. There isn't going to be any lasting damage and he will make a full recovery. Praise God for He is good.

God bless ya'll,

The Journey in Christ

Hey all,

I think I'm going to start up a new blog for posts like these, and them out from my book postings (Which have only happened once, I know). I'll be sure to let you know what the new blog is called if you're interested in following it...

Anyways...

Sometimes I wonder if the analogy of life being a journey is overused. But I suppose it is used so much because it describes life so very well. This journey I’ve been on has been incredible so far. Not only in the life that God has given me with a family that I do not deserve, which deserves countless thoughts and posts of thankfulness, but in my journey to be ever expanding in the knowledge, and more importantly wisdom, of my Lord Jesus Christ.

What is frustrating about this journey is that the end (There really is no end to seeking God’s knowledge and wisdom, I just use the word for the sake of the thought) seems to propel itself farther away everyday.  A professor, Doctor, and overall brilliant man at LCU once told a class that I was in that “The higher the level of a degree I obtained, the more I realized that I didn’t know anything about my subject matter”.   I can’t say that I fully understand what he meant, simply because I have not obtained a doctorate degree yet, (though it is my intention to do so), however I believe that I can see the beginning glimpses of what he meant by it.

Over the course of pursuing my undergraduate degree, I have been challenged to consider many different opinions and theological ideas that have challenged many of my presuppositions.  Some I have accepted as truth, others I have rejected. That isn’t necessarily the point though; the point is that I was given the chance to be exposed to them in the first place! If I were given the opportunity to compare my thought processes of how I processed scripture and concepts of God from when I was freshly graduated from High-school, and then now, just about to graduate from College, There would most likely be a Grand Canyon sized gap between the two, and so there should be! If there wasn’t, than it would be to my shame…

The point is that I reflect on the me fresh out of high-school and realize that yes; I really didn’t know much of anything… And that makes me thankful for the education I’m blessed with receiving. Looking between then and now, and what lies ahead, it is very easy to see the truth in that professors words. I really don’t know much of anything. The ending mark (which doesn’t actually exist as I mentioned) of being fully educated or prepared in knowledge continuously sprints away from me faster than I could ever keep up. Every so often there will be a period of time where I can get a great feeling of accomplishment in the things that I know, especially when I can see them coming out of me in a practical way. Not in an attempt to be boastful, but it’s very gratifying to know that you are growing. But, every time these plateaus seem to come, it’s not long before something happens to cause you to realize yet again that you don’t have every answer, and there are things that you have never even considered that now demand your attention.

I mentioned that this is a frustration, and it is. However, it is a double edged weapon in the sense that while it can be frustrating, maddening, or disheartening that there is so much I don’t know, it is also the driving force that pushes me on to learn all the more. I don’t think that we’re allowed as Christians to look at our current knowledge of scripture, God, and His message and say “that’s enough, I know enough now”. We should be constantly pushing forward in the quest to know more…

However, this I fully believe: it is not only about acquiring knowledge. What is the point of being knowledgeable and having no wisdom in which to implement the knowledge? Going to God for His wisdom is perhaps one of the most noble things we can do in my opinion, and God can take what little knowledge we have and then show us how to implement it into our lives and use it practically. We cannot know it all! But with God we can use what we know, which is eternally more important.

So where is this going, you might ask? I don’t know…Perhaps it was just a need to express a feeling and put it on paper….er…screen, I should say. However, it brings me to this last little analogy I suppose.

If you had a steak the size of 747 aircraft, perfectly cooked and seasoned with just the right spices to satisfy your craving appetite, and you’ve been given the task of eating as much of this steak as possible, what would you do? You’d probably get together with a whole bunch of people who’ve been given the same task and start going at that beast of a steak, one bite at a time. There is no way that you could finish it on your own, and maybe even with your group of friends you won’t get it all finished. But you’ll surely be able to make your mark on it, and in the process you are being fed and nourished by that steak as you work on it. And you can compare what you taste with others, discussing how you like the flavor, spices, doneness, and any other aspect of the steak that you want. Some will disagree with others, but that’s just how it is. At the end of the day you’ve done everything you can on it, and though you surely haven’t finished it you have done everything that you could with the task you were given.

Perhaps this journey of acquiring Godly knowledge and wisdom is a little like that. I’m about to graduate from College, I could probably call that bite number two. After my Masters degree is complete (If it is in God’s will), maybe that will be bites three and four. After my Doctorate (once again, God willing)? Maybe bites five, six, and seven, who knows? There will still be plenty of steak after to work on for the rest of my life, I know that much. Hmm….and I like the sound of that.

This is right up my alley. Time for dinner everyone. J

Yes...yes it's a rant.

I’ve always been a bit afraid of blogging or discussion forums online, because I never wanted to become the one who is always complaining. Countless blogs describing every minute detail that is wrong with anything, and never resting until every opinion has been voiced. I don’t believe it accomplishes anything, and ultimately people are willing to say nearly anything online. What is worst of all is when these posts hold nothing more than a volley of low blows against whomever or whatever they have a problem with. There is no class at all in doing this, and overall it just bugs me to no end. It isn’t that people are speaking about that which concerns them; rather it is the less-than-adult way that most seem to go about it.

Is this arrogant? I hope not… I would call it more of an observation.

With that being said, there certainly is a place for voicing frustrations and issues in a constructive way. And I suppose that’s what I’m about to attempt to do. But hopefully, I won’t beat it into the ground either…

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation has brought about the suspension (and most likely cancellation) of a class that was being taught in the Air Force that was designed to aid Missile launch officers in their ethical understanding of how a war can be, in certain circumstances, moral. This is a class that has been offered for the past 20 years according to the article, which you can read here.  http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/08/03/air-forces-suspends-christian-themed-ethics-training-program-over-bible/

The main complaint cited as to why this class was no longer acceptable, is that it used passages from the OT and the NT to reinforce its lesson plans. MRFF stated that this is clearly a violation of the Separation of Church and State, and that the Air Force should remove this class immediately. The same day that the complaint was filed, the AF placed the class on suspension pending their own investigation.

Sigh… I am not surprised that the world fights back against the God in whom I believe, and I am not going to turn this into a flying rant of how this is just another example of our nationalphobia, (The fear of offending anyone except Christians, who are required by national pressure to accept it and deal).  What bothers me about this the most comes in a few different points.

1^st, I am blatantly irritated with the misuse of the Separation of Church and State argument.  SOCAS was designed to protect the church from the state, not the other way around, and if I remember correctly, this actual concept is not found in our Constitution, but in letters penned by Jefferson later on in America’s history. It was early America’s attempted failsafe to avoid doing what England had done to them. Quite plainly, it was to allow a free pursuit of God with no interruption from the government, excluding the breaking of laws. Still, even if the argument is that the concept works both ways and the church should not be involved with matters of the state and country, than this group has a long ways to go before their purge is complete.  This is nitpicking at its best and ultimately it returns to the concept of “we cannot offend a minority who disagree with this particular event”.

2^nd, There is a line in the articles that states “The Air Force and Weinstein denied that political correctness had anything to do with the suspension of the class”.

Right. Of course it didn’t. There isn't anything in this whole issue that is politically correct. 

3^rd, David Smith is ultimately pushing for an ethical and moral military completely void of religious influence. He states that it’s best for people to keep their faiths to themselves, and not be put in an environment where something else could be impressed upon them. (I am paraphrasing; again, the article link is above for you).  Here are the problems that exist with this hope and expectation: Mankind is incapable of creating or designating his own ethical laws that are to be followed by all.

Why?

Let’s remove God out of the equation and see what happens. There are several reasons.  A. There are 6 + Billon of us and more being added every day, and each one possesses a different perspective on what is good and evil, right and wrong. If we as American’s value each human life as equal as we say we do, than one man or woman has no more or less right to designate what is right and wrong than does another. We are all on the same field, and therefore we cannot set a true overarching compass of morality and ethical behavior. If one would disagree, it would be completely within his rights as a human to do so, and no one could say anything against him. Supposed natural laws that “everyone agrees with” such as "Murder is a crime" would have no water to stand on. If I choose that murder is right, you have no right or reason to debate me.

AH! But what about our internal moral belief that such an action is wrong? Yes, there’s an interesting question. The problem with that is that you have to ask yourself where it came from. WHY do I believe that this is wrong? If I came up with this concept by myself, than we’re back to the argument of all men being equal, and it therefore cannot be applied to "The Common Good" or an assumed Humanity-wide morality for the reason that it is only my opinion. but if it came from somewhere else, than we are obligated to find out where. And this leads us on a pursuit of something greater than man. Something that has the power to instill morality inside of us, and the authority to designate that which is right and wrong, which man cannot dispute or change.

B. Therefore, because of this, if we are to remove all Godly, or I will even say religious influence from our world in preference of our own ethical and moral system, we are DOOMED to either unprecedented ignorance, hypocrisy, and abuse of power, or utter anarchy within the world.  Because man CANNOT make these choices on his own even if he believes other wise, we are doomed to failure.

C. And if these are the paths we have to take by removing God from our ethical and moral system, ethics and morals become obsolete and pointless. Think of it, No one can truly decide what is moral and impress it upon someone else. Scarily enough, it is through ethics and morals that we decide that it is good to be good to others, and to help friends, care for the poor, be concerned for the elderly, to think of others before we think of ourselves! But without God in our world indicating that these things are good, we have no reason to care about anyone or anything that is alive. In fact, those who would do good to another would be a fool, because he is sqandering his life on pointless kindness that does not yield him any benefit. Without God the only thing we can rely on is ourselves and what we want. No one else’s input can or HAS to matter, it is a system built entirely on our own thoughts and feelings.

 Therefore, we become a people who are completely narcissistic, egotistical and self centered. There is no good reason to say that it is good to care for the poor because ultimately, “what have they done for me?” Instead, we should become solely concerned about self enjoyment in this life. Our obsession should be with our own selves and the pleasures of life that we desire. But what about “the common good?” The only question to ask after that is “Where did the common good come from?” Once we answer the second question, then, and only then, can we answer the first.

It is my firm belief that if people would look beyond their immediate decisions of what should be ethical and moral in our country and world, than they would begin to see an undeniable path that leads its way to God Himself, for He is the fountain of Goodness, and the only one who has ever possessed the authority to designate what is Good and Evil.

The bottom line? We need God to be ethically and morally sound. Without Him, we are hopelessly lost.

I’m sure that there is more that could be said about this, but it comes down to this bottom line: pray for our nation, not so that we can “go back” to how it was, but that we can shape how it will be. Pray that we will all start thinking again, instead of just “feeling” what we think is right. We were given both a heart and a brain, and we need to use both, not just one or the other.

God bless,

Darrell

The Fall that lies ahead

"The Road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began..."

Ahhh...life. It just keeps on rollin. I ordered my books for the fall semester at Lincoln Christian University today, as well as a lot of extra ministry tools that I'm really excited to start using, and it got me to thinking about my college adventure so far. I've been in college technically since 2003-04 pursuing my undergraduate degree. It's been a really long road to get to where I am now, and as I'm looking at FINALLY graduating in the spring of 2012, I'm amazed at the changes I've seen in me; to say nothing of the fact that I've gained my own family and ministry that I adore entirely.

I've had people ask me if I regret not completing my college in the traditional four year model, and the honest truth is that I don't regret it at all. If I had, I most likely wouldn't have met my wife, had our children, and be where we are today. I would not trade the life that I have or the family I have been blessed with for anything that this world has to offer. Yes, my college experience has been a roller coaster ride, but I believe that God has directed me throughout my lifetime, and even when I've made stupid decisions He has gotten me back on track. I believe that I am here for a purpose; a reason that is directly tied into advancing God's Kingdom.

No indeed, I regret nothing other than not trying harder in my first few years of college. Before coming to Lincoln here, I had the opportunity to learn under some incredible thinkers and Theologians. And while I loved the lectures and discussions, homework was never my strong suit. It's obviously no one's fault but my own, and I am happy to say that I've been working on that intensely. When I got into the program here at Lincoln Christian University, having my wife and children to love and care for played a huge part in my focus and drive to excel. It's amazing the resolve one can find when he is working for both himself and others... since coming here, I've made and maintained respectable grades, and I hope to graduate at least "with Honors" come next May.

Please understand, I'm not saying any of this out of arrogance, I'm just reflecting on the changes I've seen in myself over the years. I am thankful that God has worked on me so much over the years... He is the reason that I'm anything, and He has given me purpose.

What does this have to do with anything? Well...nothing other than it's just another situation to offer praise and glory to my God above. I'm incredibly excited for the next semester. One of the beautiful things that has been growing in me since I began the program in Lincoln Christian University is that I've found that I have an intense love of learning and a desire to continue learning. Like I said before, I have always enjoyed lectures and discussions and whatnot, but this has manifested itself in a much more real and tangible way. I love learning about my Savior, what can I say? :)

Anyways, The next fall and half of spring are going to be very exciting. And as I look at my beautiful wife who has fallen asleep on the couch, and as my children slumber away in their beds, I am reminded that I am the most blessed and fortunate man in the world.

Indeed, I wouldn't change a single thing.

A Place of Rest

Today…I’ve been thinking and dreaming about a forest... It’s not just a forest however, for this land used to be inhabited by elves, and those of that race that were blessed with magic had covered this place with enchantments designed to enrich the earth and create beauty and fruitful crops. In those days, they still possessed the knowledge of long lasting enchantments, so that the magic that was placed into the land in that time is still present even today, perhaps even stronger than it was before. Sadly…this knowledge has been lost now, and even those who were able to wield that type of magic have faded away into history.

The forest I’m dreaming of is very, very green. But it’s not just any green, no, on the outskirts where the trees are sparse, it is the fresh new, bright and vivid green that reminds one of newness of life and the first outburst of spring. The branches come up well over the top of my head, but you can tell that these are new trees; Trees that are marking a new era for the forest, ever expanding and displaying its power. The bright spring sun powers through the light blue sky and casts both color and shadows on the ground as I pass by, creating an intricate pattern of leaves and branches on the ground. Walking on the soft, almost silken grass through here, the sounds of a flowing stream or river drifts through the air and catches my attention, and with a small smile, I press on.

Walking farther in, the trees begin to look larger and increasingly solemn, yet welcoming. Shrubs and bushes crop up and small animals dart in and around them as I pass by, gathering their food and building their homes in this small utopia. The colors here begin to change; the bright and vivid new green color slowly being replaced by a very deep, rich, and royal color of emerald. The trees come up very high now, and begin to close off the view to the sky above. But it does not create true darkness in the forest; instead it has the effect of the dimming of a lantern. The sun comes down and hits the leaves, piercing through just enough to be able to illuminate the forest with its own deep emerald light, and so as I press on it’s as though I am walking through living color.

This color is encapsulated as I break through the dense trees into a circular clearing. The colors are nothing short of dazzling: Deep, rich emeralds, A few miniscule beams of sunlight, and wild flowers upon the ground of all different colors and varieties that look as though they have presented themselves as subjects in honor of this clearing. As well they should, for we have reached the very center of the Forest of Haerdora, the oldest part of the forest, and the origin of the Elven enchantments. 

There is a single stone resting in the center of this clearing. It’s large, two feet in diameter and two feet high, perfectly rounded and completely polished and smooth. There are symbols carved into the stone that only a wizard can read, for they are of the ancient language of Naemaric, developed by the ancient wizard Naemara, who wrought the Great Staff of Power in the first days. The inscription on the stone reads “Let Life endure here, persevered in honor, and never undone.”

Looking to the right, there is hill that climbs up beyond the clearing. The trees follow it, but there is the evidence of sunlight father up, and so I begin to climb. The climb becomes steep, but no so much as to become unpleasant. Upon reaching the top, I know that I have reached my destination. Looking out, there is break in the trees from where I climbed, and I turn around to see the entire forest laid out before me, but not so far below that it feels distant. To my right, I can see just high enough to notice the path that the river cuts through the forest, winding around and about along it’s journey. I hear the lapping and splashing sounds of the water flowing and churning along its path, almost as though it is reminding me that when I become thirsty, it shall be there. The perfect tree awaits me just a pace or two back. I have been here often enough that my back has slowly formed the bark of the tree, or perhaps I have formed to it, and it is the perfect place to rest against. I sit down, remove my pack and take from it a large Tome. Finally, in perfect relaxation, I open the book with quill in hand, and begin.

Welcome to my sanctuary, or as best as I can describe it to you. You’re welcome to visit anytime you wish, as long as you, like I, love and respect this place. There is great good here, and it is a perfect place to gather yourself, and remember what it means to be still.

Greetings from the Land of Haldermen

"Welcome my friends, to the great Citadel of Sagecraft in the beautiful land of Haldermen, the land of green trees and rolling hills where meadows and farmland are found in abundance. My name is Tolen the Wizard, and I am the caretaker of this great tower. What knowledge might you seek today?"

So what's in a blog?

I've never really been a bloggy sort of person, but in the past few weeks or so I've been thinking having a blog might be a great place for me to flesh out some different ideas for some book ideas that I have...I have no doubt that I will use this blog for a mixed variety of reasons. There will most likely be a little bit of my book ideas here, a little bit of family there, etc. This blog will pretty much be a catch all for my thoughts, and maybe if one train of thought, be it family or book, begins to take off or requires its own space, it may get it's own separate blog page in the future. Until then:

"If you so desire, come deeper into the caverns where books and Ancient Tomes handed down through thousands of years and ages await you.What shall we discover? What knowledge waits to be converted into the most precious tool of all, wisdom? Come! Let us descend!"