All good things must end

Well, Wednesday morning, I am supposed to leave for Cobeac. So, that means for all my avid readers, there will be a great dearth of reading material. What a shame. But it was fun while it lasted. Therefore, a couple of final thoughts.

- A tropical climate (Suriname) is better than a temperate climate (Northland) becaue the temperature variation is only about 50 degrees in a given year, as opposed to about 130 degrees (it's been over 80 degrees and humid here at NBBC these days).
- The Braves are on track to win another championship this year. Hurrah!
- This summer is a grand time to continue learning in all areas of life.
Have a good, profitable, growing summer.
Jn. 15:5

Freedom from Quiet Time Guilt

This is an amazing article. You have time to read, so just do; indeed, you have time to read all of it. It will be a blessing, even if you do not struggle with exactly what he says, it will be relevant.

http://gregscouch.homestead.com/files/Quiet_Time_Guilt.htm

Advice on Ramen

As I was advising a friend this evening on the details of making Ramen properly, he suggested that I publish a post on it. Therefore, my dear readers, you are the beneficent recipients of my sage wisdom on the culinary delicacies of extracting the most luscious and delectables savors from that package of "stuff."

There are a variety of ways to cook Ramen; you must however, experiment with all of them in order to find out which best suits your ideal. First, do you like your noodles limp or sturdy? I like mine sturdier; thus, it is necessary that I not allow them to be boiled with the water, but rather I place mine in the water after it has been sufficiently heated. If however, you prefer a limp, lifeless noodle, then by all means, subject your Ramen to the heating process as well as the heat.
Second, decide upon the appropriate method of heating your Ramen. When the options are a hot pot or the microwave, I recommend the hot pot. This is due to the fact that the water will boil faster. However, if you want limp noodles, use the microwave and cook the noodles in the water. (Note: when microwaving the water, remember the time constraints that you are under. If you are in a hurry, don't boil it for more than 1:10. The water gets too hot for immediate consumption. If you have time, do it for 1:30 or more; the resulting Ramen is better, but you have to wait a few minutes to eat it - unless you want to burn your tasting organism.) During the time the water is heating, make the noodles whatever size you prefer to eat; I have grown to prefer my noodles well broken, but that is an acquired taste. Experiment.
Third, once your water has been heated, decide upon a proper receptacle in which to mingle it and the "stuff." (If you microwaved it, you probably already made this choice, but read this anyway.) The container into which you pour your scalding hot water needs to be big enough so that you don't slosh on yourself, yet practical for eating out of. I prefer an average bowl or cup. However, especially when done in plastic, boiling water or microwaving can have detrimental effects upon the plastic. Finally, remember CONTENTS ARE HOT; don't burn yourself being messy.
Fourth, decide how much of the seasoning you want to use. If you are having Chicken or Beef, I recommend the whole package. For the rest, I recommend part of the package, but that's because I don't like their flavors. However, I highly recommend Chicken, and Beef makes a good alternate.
Fifth, eat. Friends make the best Ramen better, so have two packages and mock them for making theirs wrong.
Sixth, rinse your container. But not too thoroughly, if you leave some Ramen grease in there, you'll be reminded of the delicious meal again, whenever you use the container. I am frequently reminded of my Ramen during a drink of water... (I know that's gross.)
Anyways, have fun. If you read the whole thing you are either bored or amused.
Matthew

Surrrender

I was listening to a sermon by Opa, and this quote really struck me.

"The solution to our being yielded, crushed, and committed to the God of heaven is simply to know Him. For if we know Him, yielding to Him comes naturally."

Why do I not surrender to God's will, because I do not know His Person?

A Year-end Summary

It seems to be a good time to post a summary of the year. So, here goes.

It was a good year with some rough spots every now and again.

But if Jeremy and Joe hadn't stayed under control, we wouldn't have made it

There were some rather unusual spots during the year...

Is that Josh and Chris, or Hitler and Castro?

And some slightly odd moments...

6 Senior guys who can't even stay sitting on a log?

But, there were a lot of fun moments, too....

Surprizing Zach for his "birthday" - (he jumped, then tried to hurt me)

Playing fooseball (lots of it)

And time with family and friends...

Friends, after Graduation
(notice Kevin's pink tassle)

And that's about it.

All good things must come to an end, and this school year did. It was fun and nice, but it's done!

Thy Rod and Thy Staff

I have been reading in the Psalms for devotions. Some of these thoughts struck me then, but they really came home as I saw some of this being played out in my own life.
Psalm 23, "Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." This speaks of the restraints of grace. God's chastening and limiting us is to be a comfort most dear to us. It is a symbol of His love. What would we be without His rod and staff to comfort us and keep us on the paths of righteousness in which He has led us? May I learn more of the comforts of restraining grace.

The Word of God

There are apparently several versions of this poem, but I am going to put the one that I was first given, from my dad.

Think of it carefully,
Study it prayerfully,
Deep in your heart let its oracles dwell;
Ponder its mystery,
Slight not its history,
For none ever loved it too fondly or well.

Family vs. Ministry - the great debate

The dichotomy drawn in this matter of family and ministry is very interesting. Does one have precedence over the other? This has been a question that has been important in overseas ministry for years. Historically, precedence has been given to the ministry to the (apparent) neglect of the family. Notice men such as David Livingstone who sent his family home to England. But this tendency also comes up in the boarding schools of more recent times.

However, the modern trend is to put the family before the ministry. Thus, if there is danger to the wife or kids, we should evacuate and go home till it blows over. Or, we will keep our kids inside so that they are not exposed to the realities of the heathen world around them.
But are either of these right?

Balance must be the key for there are true and godly believers who have been at fault in both categories. The Bible speaks of a love for God that shows "hate" for father and mother, wife and children. We understand that this speaks of our love for God being so dominant in our lives that when it is compared to our love for our family it will be said that we do not love them. The Bible also speaks of Peter who at the beginning of Christ's earthly ministry apparently had a mother-in-law, yet he followed Christ for three years. This is when Christ did not have a place to lay His head. Even in the OT, God required the firstborn son of every Hebrew family, and if the son was not to go into God's service directly, then he must be redeemed. Consider Samuel: his mother gave him to the Lord's service when he was yet a child.

Yet, on the other side, God clearly gives commands and direction for the husband/father in the home regardless of whether he was "in ministry" or not. The leaders in the church were given certain requirements regarding their family that implied direct involvement (I Tim. 3). This is the side that believers tend to err on today. So, how do we know what to do?

A couple of thoughts:
God will not give us roles that conflict. When God calls a person to ministry, he has given them a particular role. When He calls them to marriage, He gives them a different role. When He calls them to parenthood, He gives them a third role. These roles do not conflict: they are all part of God's calling. Therefore, while the individual instances of two roles may conflict, the roles themselves must never be prioritized. To explain: one does not say that his role as father and husband conflict. Consider if the wife and child both have different needs at the same time. When the father/husband fufills one of the needs to the exclusion of the other, it is not because his roles conflicted. His roles as father and husband are complementary. What happened is that the performance of the duties related to the roles conflicted; therefore, he had to make a decision between the particular duties related to the roles. In the same way, home vs. ministry do not conflict inherently; they are also complementary. When a church meeting and a birthday party conflict with each other, this does not mean that the pastor/father must now choose between the role of pastor and father. He can't stop being either one! One of the roles is not inherently more godly than the other: GOD HAS CALLED HIM TO BOTH! Therefore, the individual instances of the duty conflicts within the roles must be examined.

Conclusion: While being a proper wife/mother will limit one's ministry to a certain extent, it will enhance it in other areas (e.g. ministering to other wives/mothers). God has called his people to a task, but He has given us multiple ways of performing this task.
What do you think?

Wow! Weird! Wild!

I am done with my last major project for my undergraduate degreee. I have a grand total of 3 exams for next week; that makes me happy. I graduate next Saturday. - Who cares about walking across the platform, but being done with the next stage of my life will be nice, fun, and exciting. Then, off to camp for the summer.
Ah well, just figured I'd post something after my long silence.