Wuddup, Chumps?

So it's been a while.  Oops.

The end.

Not really.

Here we go:

Semester numero dos of Samuel's adventures in college (also known as the endless roller coaster of the best and worst days of my life).  It's not too bad.  School it kinda rough...but that's school.  It has shown me that I need to rely on God in all things though.  We'll talk about that more later.  Still living on campus, still loving rolling out of bed 20 minutes before class.  Still hating trying to choke down University Dining's poor excuse for "food".

As some of you know, I am involved in RUF (Reformed University Fellowship) which is a campus ministry here at Texas A&M.  I am getting involved in their ministry team in the upcoming fall semester.

What has this semester really taught me so far?  Well lemme tell ya;

Besides things like NaCl is a balanced compound, Moliere wrote a lot of plays, Thomas Jefferson wanted us all to be farmers, and welding is terrifying, I have learned a lot about myself and about God.

First, I went to the Relentless Men's Conference early in February.  The big message of this whole conference was in order to be a man of God, you have to be in the Word.  Wow.  I was not in the Word.  Since then I have been getting more in the Bible as much as possible (not perfectly, I'm human).  It has made so much of a difference though, I've grown closer to God personally and been so much less stressed.

Another thing I've had to learn is sometimes you just have to let go.  Sometimes there are things in life you can't control and you just have to sit back and let God take you where He will.  you can't control it so you have to trust that it's His plan.  It's rough at first, but in the end it makes everything in life easier.

As always, I am very thankful for my friends who have really become a family to me over my time here.  I can't imagine living college without them and summer is going to suck at times.  I'm so thankful that God gave me friends to build me up and hold me close to Him.  Without them I would not have made it this far and I would not be where I am.  I also would not be where I am without my family.  As I grow up and start to take on more on my own I don't drift away from my family, but I rather grow closer to them in a different way.  Distance makes the time together sweeter and age makes all that advice from earlier in life make a lot more sense.

If I...If I what?

So first, a little background on me as I realize unless you know me personally this may not make as much sense.

I am a 2nd semester freshman (class of 2016) at Texas A&M University.  I am majoring in Industrial Distribution and really loving my major and the people in it.  I also live on campus so I'm very well connected with campus.

I am a Christian, by which I mean that I believe I am a sinner, but God sent his son, Jesus Christ, who is also a person of the one true God, to live on earth as a man.  He lived a perfect life and was crucified as a sacrifice for the sins of all who have called on the name of Jesus for their salvation.  I proclaim Christ's name and rely on him for salvation.

I also did Boy Scouts from age 7 to age 18 and earned my eagle scout award.

Alright, that's enough I think.

I recently watch Demetri Martin's "If I" routine on YouTube.  I highly recommend it as it was both very funny, but also very thought provoking.  Through the course of his "stand-up" he talks about all the different turns his life had taken and how it had shaped him as a person.  It was summed up in a "formula" he created which stated that I = (if + if + if + if...) / time.  In English  who you are is shaped by the choices you make over time.

I thought this to be very interesting.  Later that same evening I was talking with a friend who was asking for prayer on a future decision that would have a very large impact on the course of her life.  How about that for a coincidence?

But then I realized that we really do make choices that will have a huge impact on our lives every day.  For instance, let's say you are deciding whether or not to go to the store, simple enough right?  Well what if it is raining outside?  Traffic could be bad, drivers could be impaired and the simple decision to go to the store could result in you being involved in an automobile accident.  Big impact from a small decision.

So why don't we just stay cooped up inside all day long to avoid any decisions and therefore any change?  Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living."  Demetri used this quote to start off his show.  By examining our life we see our needs, we see how we can improve, and we want to expand our sphere of influence.  We examine our options and make choices.  Yes it is raining, but I am a safe driver and I need bread from the store to feed my children.  The risk is still there isn't it?  Of course it is.  How do you know you are safe?

God.

Three letters arranged to form the word we use to define a being greater than ourselves.  Defined as "the one Supreme Being, the creator and ruler of the universe."

When I say God I mean GOD, Yahweh, Jehovah, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit in divine trinity.

I trust that God's will for my life is for my ultimate good and therefore I am not afraid of choices.  They are difficult to make, but when made I have to trust that God's will is best for my life.  This is something that I had to learn over this semester.

During the first full month of my first semester at college, my father was diagnosed with having suffered a heart attack.  This came as a shock to myself and my family and even more so when we discovered he would need triple bypass surgery to fix the damage.  How was I able to continue with school as best as possible?  Because I trusted that God's will was what was right, even if it wasn't what I wanted.

Thankfully the surgery was very successful and my father has made a full recovery, however life is different now as a result of the choices made.  I trust God that these changes are for my good and the good of my family.  Is it easy?  No.  Is it what's right?  Yes.

"Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us." Psalm 62:8 ESV

The choices we make define who we are, but what defines us most is our choice to have faith in God.

Silver Taps (A Journal Entry)

Journal Entry from 9/4/12

Silver Taps took place tonight at 2230 hours (10:30 pm).  After Breakaway I walked to the plaza with Callie, Mandy, and Hannah.  Once we passed the MSC we fell silent.  All lights were off save a few to see by.  We were near Hart Hall.  Everyone was silent as the students assembled around the plaza.  The Ross Volunteers marched in, fired a 21 gun salute, and stood still.  The bugler(s) played Silver Taps.  Once to the North, once to the West, and once to the South.  A cadet in front of me help salute the whole time.  When it ended, everyone silently left.  Mandy and I gave Callie and and Hannah hugs and walked back to our dorms.  I walked Mandy to the front of Underwood (saw Michael Waggoner on the way) and gave her a hug and walked back to my dorm.  I still haven't spoken.  It was so solemn, yet in a good way.  It gives me a lot of comfort to know I'm part of this Aggie family that is so full of respect.  I don't know if I will call Mom and Dad tonight.  I will write them though.  I pray for the families of the lost Aggies and hope God works goodness through this tragedy.

-End of Entry

Recently, with my father undergoing triple bypass surgery, I was genuinely worried for him.  Not that I haven't experienced death in my family before, even of very close family.  It just didn't seem like it could be his time yet.  I sometimes forget that God's divine plan doesn't line up with our futile perception.  I knew I wasn't ready to lose my father, that my family wasn't.  I know the day will come when I will softly call "here"for him at Muster, but I thank God that it was not this time. 

When I prayed that he be kept safe I prayed that God would not let his work be finished.  And it didn't feel like it was finished.  God was able to give me hope because part of me knew that my father was meant to stay with us for a while longer.

Lord, thank you for preserving him.  Please watch over him as he recovers and help him to sing your praises until you call him home.  Please don't call him home soon, though.


 

Times Are Changing

This Monday, I had my Eagle scoutmaster conference in which my scoutmaster and I discussed things I learned in scouts, my experience in working towards Eagle Scouts, and living up to the Scout Law, Oath, Motto, and Slogan (printed below).  The scoutmaster conference represented the ending of a chapter in my life.  What I mean is, all requirements for Eagle Scout, except the Board of Review, must be completed before the applicant's 18th birthday.  After turning 18, one can no longer be a "Boy Scout" but can still be involved in activities by being in adult leadership.  By finishing the scoutmaster conference, I finished the last remaining requirement I needed to complete while in Boy Scouts.

I have experienced a lot of these "endings" lately.  However, it does not make me sad, but rather makes me look forward to the new tasks ahead I must complete and allows me to see how much I have learned so far.

The Scout Oath

On my honor, 

I will do my best, 

To do my duty, 

To God and my Country,

To help other people at all times,

To keep myself physically strong,

Mentally Awake,

And morally straight.

The Scout Law

A scout it:

Trustworthy,

Loyal,

Helpful,

Friendly,

Courteous,

Kind,

Obedient,

Cheerful,

Thrifty,

Brave,

Clean,

and Reverent.

The Scout Motto

Be prepared.

The Scout Slogan

Do a good turn daily.

Meaning 2-Fear

Fear is defined as: a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined;


In my opinion, fear is brought on by one key factor: uncertainty.


People are afraid of the dark because they do not know what is in it.  People are afraid of death because they do not know when they will die.  People are afraid of doing badly on tests because their preparation can only do so much good. 


People fear God for a different reason though.  In part, we can never fully fathom God, so this fear could be connected to uncertainty.  I believe the Fear of the Lord comes from our understanding of Him through faith.  We fear God, firstly because He commands it. "Now then, let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the LORD our God, or partiality or taking bribes.'" 1 Ch 19:7


The Fear of the Lord is not normal human fear though, it is a reverent awe.  The fear we experience when in a thunderstorm, that mix of fear and amazement at the power of the lightening and how it does not strike us, is a small picture of the Fear of the Lord. 


The Fear of the Lord also binds His people to Him.  It is a kind of respect of a child to their father or mother. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!" Psalm 111:10


The Fear of the Lord is caused by the fact that we understand how far we are from God, how much sin separates us, but we also understand how much He has given to save us, His chosen people, from the Hell that we so fully deserve.  The fact that he would sacrifice Himself to save murderous rebels like us should inspire reverent awe.  This is the Fear of the Lord.

Work

So this week I have been running around like a crazy person.  Between school, Eagle Scout Project, and getting ready for New Student Conference at A&M, I have felt like some kind of task-accomplishing superhero.  But then I realized...I'm just not being lazy. 

It feels really good to have goals, accomplish them, and then move on to new goals.  This whole Eagle Project process has shown me the benefits of getting things done (especially because I procrastinated up to this point.  I hope I can keep this momentum in college, I'll need it.

The task of doing good work is something man has always been given.  After the fall, the work became hard.  Work isn't evil, it's just hard.  But sometimes the hardest work is also the most fulfilling.  Every year, I go to Enchanted Rock State Park.  Enchanted Rock is not SUPER TALL, but it ain't the flats of South Texas, lemme just say.  Last time I hiked E-Rock, we took a steeper rout. 

My legs were on fire.  I hiked...and hiked......and hiked.........and...hiked...until............we finally got to the top.  The view on top is amazing.  Absolutely breathtaking.  And the breeze is a swift 20-40mph.  Once I got to the top, I looked down on the trail and thought, "Yeah, I just hiked that.  It was worth it."  That is the feeling of a job well done.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV

I Can't Feel My Finger...

So recently I got hooked on something that has numbed my fingers.  No, it isn't drugs (c'mon now, y'all know me better than that).  Recently I discovered that you can cut designs out of card stock, glue them on top of each other, and when they dry, use them as keychains or even necklace pendants.  Pretty cool, right? 

Well, in order to cut these small, intricate designs I employed the use of an X-ACTO knife.  I cut out 14 card stock shapes that night.  In order to cut them well I had to press down pretty hard.  This resulted in calloused, sore fingers the next day and numb, sensory deprived fingers the days after.

Here's the point:

Because I cannot really feel things with my right index finger at the moment, I have begone to discover all the things I actually do touch with it.  I find it ironic that until I couldn't feel what I was touching, I never noticed what I touched.  It shows that if we get used to something it is no longer obvious to us.  It no longer catches our attention.

Here's the application:

As believers we are constantly surprised by God both in every day life and in His Word.  Every time you dive into a passage, you will find something new.

Also, we cannot get used to the moral depravities of this world.  As Christians, we are called to be disgusted by sin and distance ourselves from it.  In order for this to happen, we cannot allow sin to become comfortably familiar with us.  If this happens, sin will seep into our lives unnoticed and we will allow our standards, and the standards of things (or people) around us to decrease dramatically.

We are called to be in the world, not of the world.  The evil should shock us and God's good should pleasantly surprise us and leave us searching after Him.  The more we focus on Him, the more obviously vile sin will be.