The terrible thing of 'giving all'

Thoughts of 'giving your absolute best to God' continue to permeate my thoughts, even after my last blog post. And, I feel the need to clarify something important which I feel I may have left out.

I mentioned the importance of giving your very best to God, of cultivating your specific talents and abilities to the best of your capability, then using them for God's glory. I also connected my talents and my best to the continuing of higher education; I stated that this is the way I feel I can best use what God has given me. 

Hear this:

Just because higher education is my venue for cultivating my talents, doesn't mean it is the right choice for you. God blesses each of us with different gifts, so if yours is different than mine, that's actually a good thing! God is creative in distributing talents and abilities, so it is futile to compare yours to mine, or anyone else's for that matter. 

For me, it's a much bigger matter even yet. It's what C.S. Lewis calls the 'terrible thing' of giving all. Here's what Lewis explains in his book, Mere Christianity. (Which, by the way, if you haven't read, you should.) 

"Christ says, 'Give me All. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don't want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked - the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will you Myself: my own will shall become yours.'"

"The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self - all your wishes and precautions - to Christ. But it is far easier than what we are all trying to do instead. For what we are trying to do is to remain what we call 'ourselves', to keep personal happiness as our great aim in life, and yet at the same time to be 'good'. We are all trying to let mind and heart go their own way - centred on money or pleasure or ambition - and hoping, in spite of this, to behave honestly and chastely and humbly. And that is exactly what Christ warned us you could not do. As He said, a thistle cannot produce figs. If I am a field that contains nothing but grass-seed, I cannot produce wheat. Cutting the grass may keep it short: but I shall still produce grass and no wheat. If I want to produce wheat, the change must go deeper than the surface. I must be ploughed up and re-sown." 

Wow. So, essentially, it's not even an issue of higher education or not. Everything stems back to this 'terrible thing' of giving all. In giving all, there is a freeing state of captivity in which we are crucified to our own desires, and drawn to God's greater plan instead. It's the only way to achieve true contentment in life. 

Happy September Weekend!

"So, you're attending graduate school?" -My Response to Higher Education

sigh. 

If I could but have $1 for every time I've been asked, "What? You're going back to school?" that last few months, I'd have all my parking fees and books paid for completely.  no joke. :)

Seriously, what is your reaction when you hear of someone attending higher education? 

(I'm specifically thinking of public education, not Bible school.)

Can't think of what you'd say? Well, let me share a few I've heard the past few months...

"WHAT? If you were really a Christian and in-tune with God's Will, 

you would sacrifice for His work and not pursue a secular and worldly career at a public university. God doesn't bless those who reject His will."

"You should be content to serve God rather than chase after worldly careers and fame."

"Christian education is where the real contentment lies- and you're missing it."

"The public university is a dangerous place. There's...(whispered) gays everywhere, and you will

be affected! Your soul will suffer! You'd better beg God for mercy!"

etc. etc. etc. etc.  

I could go on for a while, but I'm assuming you're an intelligent individual

and thus able to read what I've written so far, and I won't bore you with more of the same.

(Note: I am not disrespecting any of the individuals who made the above comments.)

This is my third week of graduate classes, and just to report:

1) I am still a Christian

2) I feel that God is pleased with my life

3) God has worked out details for my schooling and continues to do so

and,

4) I am 'in His will' 

No way!

Here is my response to higher education from a Christian perspective, 

coming from someone who has already 

received a BA from a Bible College:

1) Christ asks, no commands us to be disciples. Right? And by definition, a disciple of Christ

is literally a 'little Christ.' In the words of C.S. Lewis, 

"Every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else."

I love that. Really, I do. As Christians, we are truly representatives of Christ to the world, and everyone really.

2) Jesus was a student. Remember, when He was 12 and sat in the synagogue to learn about the Scriptures?

What about the verse, "Study to show thyself approved?" (2 Tim. 2:15) Jesus did not condemn education.

3) It appears that some Christians view any educational institution lacking the word 'Bible' or 'Christian' in the 

name as being 'of the devil,' or 'completely worldly.' How ignorant. 

Now, for my opinion:

1) I am literally sick and tired of Christian education (in general) having a 'bad rap' and reputation as being

second-rate, unprofessional, non-academic, archaic, etc. 

I'm sure you've heard of it described as such...I know I have. 

And, sadly, I'm sure you have heard of/seen institutions bearing the name of Christ 

that demonstrate these 'qualities.' It's truly saddening, and it's a disgrace to the name of Christ.

2) By completely rejecting the idea of 'professional education,' we as Christians

have cheated students. Just a little hint: holy shoddy is still shoddy. The foundation of 

"Christian Education" is, yes, Christ, but it's still 'education,' not Sunday School.

The educational system is intended to educate and instruct in areas of academia and character building, and

when coupled with a passion for Christ, is an absolutely beautiful thing! But leave out the 

passion for excellence in academics, and it's just glorified Sunday School. 

3) As a Christian, I believe that God has given each of us certain gifts, talents, and abilities that, 

when cultivated, can be used for His glory. I also believe that God expects me to represent Him

well, and to do my absolute best with what He has given me. 

That means I want to learn as much as I can to help teach others about music/piano, 

use it as a tool to bless others, and ultimately glorify God. Without concentrated practice, 

diligence, and instruction, this won't happen. So, to do my best with what God has given me,

I am attending a graduate music school, pursuing my MM in Piano Performance/Pedagogy,

and ultimately achieving a DMA in Piano Performance. 

All with God's approval, sanction, and my parents' blessing. :) 

So, there you have it- my philosophy of Christian Education in a nutshell. 

But, it all comes down to this: 

Don't ever give less than your very best back to God with the 

talents he has given you. Do your absolute, dead-level best

in your area, and leave the rest up to God. 

But always give your best.

Anything less is not only embarrassing,

it's also not pleasing to God.

And, since that's what life is all about- pleasing God- we should strive to please Him in education, too.
A few closing thoughts:

I am very thankful for the four years at Hobe Sound Bible College, where I learned

the 'foundations of faith,' philosophical views, and what I believe before coming to 

a secular university of 18,000 + students. Likewise, my dad and sister

did an online Biblical beliefs course together from GBS before she went to Bob Jones (a Baptist

university). That being said, it may not be wise for a Christian individual who is not solidly grounded in his/her faith to attend a secular university...take a Biblical beliefs class. Be ready to answer questions from people about your beliefs, and be a mature enough individual that you can be who you are, no matter where you are. 

I do not- and would not- live on campus at UNCG. I am a proud commuter, and 

most at the university know it by now. They've also picked up on the fact that I'm not a 

party-goer. Hmmm...wonder how that came across? :)

 Unitl next time...

Spring business...or busy-ness...

This morning when I awoke, I knew there were several things I really should accomplish. 


1. Wear green, listen to lively/fun Irish tunes, and eat great food. It's St. Patrick's Day after all! Hope yours was grand! Made the traditional Irish Soda Bread (best recipe ever, from an Irish cookbook mum bought in Ireland several years ago), and looking forward to enjoying the rest of it at lunch tomorrow with friends. Mmmm. Along with corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, etc. 

2. Iron. *Check. Nothing exciting there.


3. Practice piano. *Check. Beethoven Op. 27/1, I have conquered you (evil laughter). Good feeling. :)


4. Try a new craft I've been wanting to do for a while- make a flower pin. *Check. 
This is the second one I did today; light yellow with a small pearl ornament in the center. Pins either in your hair or on a schnazzy jacket/cardigan, or anything really. Love it, muchly! I see more of these in my future. Very easy to make- no pattern required. Just lots of hot glue. Now, that's MY kind of craft. :)

5. Exercise. *clears throat* If practicing piano counts, I did overtime. If not, well...there's always Monday...


6. Blog. Which, *check,* I am now doing! Ah-hah! There are a few reasons for my intentional sabbatical from blogging, which I will now list FYI (for your information, if you care to know. If not, skip down to next paragraph). 


a. I spend a lot of time on the computer each day, howbeit school related, email, frivolity, research, etc. and blogging was one thing that wasn't really 'necessary.' Neither is pinterest or facebook, but still...


b. Blogging was listed among my new year's goals. However, I am excited to report that the other goals for this year (extensive reading on various subjects, devotions, personal goals, etc.) are going so splendidly, that I've had little or no time to even think of blogging! Many times I've done/seen something and thought, "That would make a really great blog article." That's as far as any of them have gotten. 


c. I'm realizing that it's far too easy to share my thoughts and problems on cyberspace before I talk to the One who actually has the answers: God. I've been doing this for the past few months, and goodness, what a difference. Do I still seek council from people? Of course. But, knowing that God is personally interested in seeing me succeed and prosper helps me to take confidence in confiding in Him before blabbing to others. Do I enjoy facebook, etc.? Yes. The problem lies when ones reliance for rejuvenation, inspiration, and encouragement comes from seeing how many friends can be added in 10 minutes, versus thinking about the C.S. Lewis/Ravi Zacharias devotional thought for the day, or that 'little' matter God is working on in your life. No, I do not think about Chronicles of Narnia all day or sit in a meditative state. :) However, keeping Christ at the forefront of my thoughts, rather than an afterthought or 'emergency plan,' makes life better all around. That's what I've been attempting. God is helping me, and I am grateful. 


So. Here's the paragraph you can skip to if you found the previous comments/thoughts repulsive, weird, strange, or otherwise odd. Which, may be most of you. All 3 of you.


In all seriousness, God has been good. And, I'm finding it extremely rewarding to focus my emotions, efforts, thoughts, words and actions centered around pleasing Him 24/7. I'm even attempting to become less sarcastic. It's a work in progress. :) 


To end these 'returning' ramblings, I thought I would share a few of the books I've been reading and would recommend to you. 


1. The Resolution for Women (centered around the movie "Courageous." Phenomenal movie and book, very convicting for women in any stage of life, and very practical. Awesome read.)


2. "Hook, Line, and Sinker." New novella by one of my favorite authors, Susan May Warren. Short book, cute theme, great message, neatly portrayed. You should read it for fun.


3. "The Grand Weaver." A new book I received for my birthday by another favorite Christian apologist/author, Ravi Zacharias. An amazing book about how God weaves the events and circumstances of our lives together. God has a plan in everything.


4. "A Year with C.S. Lewis." An incredible -read-once-a-day- devotional from one of the greatest authors of all time- C.S. Lewis. I find myself re-reading the devotional each night before I go to bed. The thoughts shared within the pages are incredibly practical, deep, thought-provoking, and can be convicting. Not for the faint of heart searching for a "Now I lay me down to sleep" devotional. For those who are serious about knowing God, and discovering more about Him. 


My apologies for the many rambles shared...this happens when I return after a long blogging absence. :)


Best wishes for a terrific holiday weekend. 
Until next time...