The Rising Sun

I have been thinking a lot about what I am getting out of this class. Truthfully, at times, it is a lot to take in. I have been thinking about what we are doing as a class, what we are "learning" in relation to what we are being fed, the way Jesus impacted culture and why He was so successful. This is what I have come up with (and I apologize for half my I's being uppercase and half being lower case...dont judge me).

I feel we have been trying to impact changed by conforming to the same style system that Jesus used. He was Himself and He stood for what He believed in no matter the costs. This style most of the time, if not all the time, went against the norm of society and really caused conflict creating situations where choices had to be made. This is a very important thought to consider so take a second to ponder that.

(this represents the time you should be taking to ponder that)

Now, back to what we are doing as a class. I understand what we are trying to accomplish with our project.  We are trying to raise our awareness of how other people, especially those in charge of facilitating learning, measure the way we learn. I think it is also a good way for those in charge to reevaluate the learning process themselves. At the same time, we are also being ourselves and taking the yoke of learning upon ourselves. It is up to us to learn and accommodate what we are taught within a class into our lives and the way we live, especially in the case of our faith.

Now, the big point to consider, the reason i gave you time to think earlier, is to ask why Jesus was so successful. This goes back to what we were taught in class at the beginning of the semester. What is truth? I came to the conclusion that, while it is difficult to single out and define truth, it is so evident because truth is truth! Truth is something we cannot avoid and it is something that demands an answer when we hear it; when we see it. I think that is the very reason why Jesus was so successful and why the things he taught 2000+ years ago are still around today. Jesus broke away from the norms of society and taught truth. Spoke truth. Lived truth. He stood on the foundation of THE truth. Therefore, if we take a stand upon that same ultimate truth, we will not change the society and impact the world? Like a thread in a tapestry, we may not see our purpose in the pattern of the grand design, but every life matters as well as every choice that every life makes. We must be the change we want to see in the world, and if that change requires us to stand upon the foundation of truth, the world must respond to that truth. So what life are you going to live? Im done thoughting for now...

The Breaking Point

Ok, so, i have been frustrated, especially recently, with the system of learning outside of this class. Yes, i have already pointed this out in other blogs, but by thinking about the system over and over again and what it entails, it has led me to another system in which we hopelessly get caught up in and it is driving me crazy.

I will cut out the middle man (which is me telling you how I arrived to this system via another system) and just say I am soo TIRED of making myself sooo busy. In the last couple of weeks, i have reflected upon what we have been learning and how i have grown the most, and the conclusion was by just sitting down and thinking through things have i grown the most. However, it seems that instead of setting aside time to think, I am getting lost in the never ending amount tasks i keep lining up before myself. I tell myself, "Ok, i have a 400 page book to read and a paper to write on it, i will think after I finish it", or even in the midst of thinking i feel guilty because i could be spending my time trying to catch up for other classes or working on somehing more important.

What is even worse than being caught in this cycle is I apply it even to my spiritual life. I feel like i cant even take the time to study God's Word and dwell upon Him without finding worry in the midst of all that. God is the most important thing that has ever happened to me, and i feel like i am walking all over that precious gift. Who am I to tell God that i cannot set aside time for Him in the time He has given me?

I mean, even if I am the only lousy person who does this in the spiritual life, we are all guilty of doing it in general, no? Some people may have more of a grasp on it than others, but my question is why? Im tired of it...im tired of this. I dont want to let my professors down...i dont want to let my friends down and this is where everything all comes crashing together. The system of grades...worried about the marks...worried about precious time. But, i think it is time to refocus my attention and the time God has given me and see how different things will be.

The Road Less Traveled

Ok, so, the path we are taking in class is different and something most professors do not do, but does that make it wrong? I mean, it is a huge relief not to be pressured by grades; by being subjected to the pressure of succeeding on paper rather than in the mind. Of course, they can easily go hand in hand (succeeding in the mind and on paper), but I find it easy to lose focus when worrying about how my grades will come out.

Right now, i am SOOO stressed because of school. I am constantly worried about having books read, papers written and tests taken just so i do not fail out of my last semester...and im not sure what all i have learned in the past 2 weeks. It is crazy, it is all jumbled together. I openly embrace the way we are doing this class. And if you think it is unfair regarding the grades, you get to choose the grade you feel you deserve. Do the work for class and give yourself the grade you feel you deserve.

I feel the best way to describe how the class is affecting me is, in a small part, revolutionizing my mind. I mean, what really struck me the most this past week was our conversation on the wilderness. We must find out who we are. I feel that is where i am at in life. It is scary and i do not know how i will fare...but i know it spoke right to me. This is exactly what Jesus went through...He had to find out who He was, and then He changed the world. I know some things i believe in, but i dont know if i completely know who i am, and that is what i must find out.

The Pure of Heart

So, last week we discussed what deems someone pure and polluted within a society. With that being said, let me lay the foundation for the following experiment...

Our class can be considered a small society, no? We are a group of people who meet together regularly. We have standards within the classes that we must follow. If we do not follow these standards, we are punished. Maybe not to the degree of being an outcast of the society, but there are repercussions when we do not do what is "pure" in our little society.

Bam, foundation laid. Agree or disagree if you want, but that is my position. Ok, with that being said, lets work with this foundation. As an experiment, i decided to see if by blogging late i would be considered polluted within our society. As a non-official participant in this experiment, what are your thoughts? Am i polluted for turning in the assignment late, or do i remain Pure?

Cut the chatter...im thoughting!

I really enjoyed our class discussion Tuesday about what faith is (wait, did i really just say that...take mental note). I guess it is intriguing to understand what the writers of the text actually meant, but at the same time it is so very sad we lose so much in the translation process. I have had multiple classes dealing with language (2 semesters of Spanish, 1 of Greek, and small pieces from Dr.Borders whenever he goes on a rant) and have really had the time to think about language. During that thinking process I came to 2 conclusions:

1. The English language is so simple
2. The English language stinks

I thought the English language was simple because all other languages seemed to be more complex, such as the Greek way for having 3 words to describe love, whereas the English language has only one word. I have a good one for the spanish, but i do not think there is a way i can type it without it being confusing. All the same, my thought was, "English was simple, why cant all other languages be simple?"

But that is the problem I think. In our attempt at creating a 'simple language', we lose far too much...and as new generations are born and the old pass away, these thoughts and ideas become foreign to us, but they can help us understand so much more (such as describing something as a verb instead of a noun...faith). Even though I speak English, I find the more I learn about other languages (especially ancient ones), the more I begin to dislike the simplicity of my own.

The Authority of Truth

Well, we have certainly had much debate in class on what truth is. Is it a single, underlying truth? Can truth be multiple things (or are there multiple truths)? Maybe you have come to your own conclusion on what truth is, or maybe you haven't. But, could truth possibly tell us itself that it is truth? This idea comes to me from a phrase i have heard many times, "you know truth when you hear it". Is truth something so tangible, so powerful, so real and so TRUE that is it something we cannot miss...something we cannot possibly mistake for anything but the truth? What about when the scriptures say, "When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law." (Matt 7:28-29) What is this authority? Is it indeed truth? But just because it may be truth does not mean everyone recognizes it or accepts it. What are your thoughts on it? Is truth something so true we know it when we hear it? Or is truth something we know based off personal experience and culture?

THE Truth

Pondering the discussion we had in class, i have had some thoughts regarding truth. One thought in particular I keep coming back to is a reflection on CS Lewis's work, "Mere Christianity", in which he speaks of a moral code we all have hardwired in us. It is not something we are taught, but it is something that is just there. This moral code is a standard by which we all judge what is fair, what is right, and what is good. Could this not be considered a singular truth? Sure, it covers a vast multitude of different situations, but it is still a moral code, a singular truth...no? Let me hear your thoughts....especially if you are familiar with Mere Christianity.