Pleased

  I am pleased to say that I am very happy with my decision in taking this class. Not only have I completely changed the way I view school, but I also have learned to have empathy for those who had the same problems I did with learning and school. I think my favorite part about this class was the fact that we all, at least most of us, understood the importance to what Dr.Borders was trying to reach out to us. Not only was this class a load off our shoulders, it taught us to appreciate what valuable education is being served to us on a silver platter. I mean how many other professors care about so much they are willing to do literally whatever it takes for us to just get what he's trying to say? I'm here to say that I get it. It took me a little while but I finally got it. Literally my whole way of looking at school is completely different and it has improved my grades tremendously. 

   I know some may not be as please with the progress this class made, but I try and look at the good side of things which in my opinion out weighs the bad. It's better to just be happy with what you have instead of complaining about the negative. Especially when the good outweighed the bad. What's the point in being completely negative anyways? I understand trying to correct something, but there are ways of going about it... in a positive way. 

   So yeah, excellent class. Wish I could take it again. Peace =)

You Make Beautiful Things

You Make Beautiful Things

 By: Gungor

All this pain

I wonder if I’ll even find my way

I wonder if my life could really change at all

All this earth

Could all that is lost ever be found

Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of the dust

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of us

All around

Hope is springing up from this old ground

Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of the dust

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of us

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of the dust

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me new

You make me new, You are making me new

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of the dust

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of us

For the Seniors in the Class

This one is for all the seniors that are graduating soon in class:

How are you guys handling all of this? I. Am. Terrified. 

This past summer it hit me that I will be graduating in 2 years. This made my anxiety level sky rocket. More than it's ever been. And it's even gotten to the point where it's hurting me physically. I've never had back pain like this. I feel like an old old old worn out woman everyday.

I try and live by the advice I give to other people who come to me with anxiety and stress issues, but it's much harder this time. 

I'm so scared that I'm not going to get into any graduate schools because I screwed up my grades the last 2 years. And I need to go to graduate school so I can get the job that I want. Otherwise, I, and every other Psychology major, can say that I have no hope in finding a job with just a BA in Psych.

And if I don't find a job then where am I going to live? With my parents?! This is just the main issues. I'm not even going to talk about everything else that weighs me down.

The point of this project and mainly this class, is to forget about grades and focus on learning. That's been so hard for me because of all this weighing me down. I have been focusing on learning a little bit more in my other classes and especially this one. I've learned a lot, but I'm still scared to death.

I mean I'm a Psychology major for crying out loud! I should know ways to ease this myself!  

So seniors, how are you making it? Have any ways to calm me down? Advice? Anyone? Please?!

The Project So Far...

   I just have to say how impressed I am with my group's progress so far. Or at least the results for it. I interviewed one of my favorite professors on Thursday and the results show why he is one of my fav's. His answers to the questions literally made me feel warm and fuzzy inside because I could see his passion in teaching and his care for us! I can't wait to show you guys what he said! Maybe I can post his answers later.Get excited.

   Because of professors like this, I find a true appreciation for my college and education. I hope that we only gain more professors like this!

Oh My Confusing!

This week's classes really left me with a lot of questions to ask.

Like the fact that there is no author named in any of the gospels. So the only reason we know it was Luke who wrote Luke was by the way it was written? What?! This bothers me because I like to be very definite with my answers to questions. I know that is all doesn't really matter in the long run, but shouldn't it matter a little?

I like the idea that the gospels weren't written for us to know the events but instead know what it all means. But that just opens the gate for eisegesis. Not that that gate hasn't already been opened. There is no birth story in John or Mark. So what does that mean? Luke says nothing about Jesus dying for our sins. Why not and what does that mean? 

And the crazy discussion about spirituality. Ugh.... So if our languages effect the way we think then how do we know what to think? Does this mean the English Bible is false? There are so many translations that say different things and some even change the meaning of things. So what are we suppose to do with that? How are we to know the truth if we've messed it up from the very beginning? And that very beginning is the fact that our language makes us think differently! Maybe we have to learn Greek and Hebrew. And be super good at it too. 

So if it's our bodies that go to heaven instead of our spirit, then I better take care of myself since I really will be stuck with this body forever ;)

"Crows & Locusts" by Brooke Fraser

It was the year
The crows and the locusts came
The fields drained dry the rain
The fields are bleeding

"Daddy don't cry, it'll be alright"
She puts some water on the wound
And hums a little tune
While her courage puddles on the ground
Pooling, pooling

See the murder and the swarm descend
And the night is getting thick
The moon telling her tricks
She'd betray her every time

It was the year
The crows and the locusts came
The fields drained dry the rain
The fields are bleeding

It was the age
The foxes came for the fields
We were bleeding as we bowed to kneel
And prayed for mercy, prayed for mercy

The rumble is low and the heat is high
Got a feeling that there's rain out in the oil black sky
Gonna chase away the devil when that sun does rise
Gonna plead the blood
Gonna plead the blood

It was the year
The crows and the locusts came
The fields drained dry the rain
The fields are bleeding

It was the age
The foxes came for the fields
We were bleeding as we bowed to kneel
And prayed for mercy, prayed for mercy

She limps on up to the top of a mount
Looks at the faltered harvest
Feels her sweat in the ground and the burn in her nose
And the knowing in her guts
Something's still gonna grow
She ain't leaving 'till it does.

What can wash away my sin
Nothing but the blood...
What can make me whole again
Nothing but the blood...

Matthew 5:13

"You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless." 

   

   This really hit home for me. The gospels assume that we are a certain kind of person. We are who the Lord has made us to be, but we chose to be someone else. If we try and change who we are (who the Lord made us to be) then we lose our salty flavor. And if we lose our flavor, then we will be  thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 

   Lately I've been in a rough battle. Dealing with things I never thought I'd ever have to deal with after I decided to pick up my cross and follow Christ. I (my flesh) wants me to be a completely different person that the Lord has called me to be. I want to give up and stop caring about everything. But then the Lord always finds ways to show me who I really am. Who he made me to be. Like the last time He did this, he used one of my friends to show me this scripture. My friend was completely oblivious to what was going on my life.

"Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don't participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don't let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires." Romans 13:13-14

   Who I am is who the Lord wants me to be. I'm tired of trying to change myself. I want to be the salt of the earth.

Social Salvation

   This class has absolutely blown my mind. I believe it's safe to say that this is my favorite class this semester. I always seem to find out something new about Christianity. I think I believe in something because it's what scripture says and it's because what I've known to believe, but then Dr. Boarders informs me it's not what I think. I love finding out the actual meaning of things! For instance: I was always led to believe that salvation is a personal thing between you and the Lord, but really it's suppose to be a social thing! At least that is how they portray it in the gospels. It's about coming together with others. It's one of our responsibilities as a Christian to be engaged with our faith, with what we declare. Which goes well with what I said in my previous blog about us all coming together in unity if we want to see the Lord do something big. 

   I've heard so many people who say that they are Christian but their faith is very personal to them. It's okay if we keep somethings to ourselves about our faith until we are called to voice it, but we can't be too reserved with our faith. How else are we to shine our light into the darkness? I think probably the worst thing someone (that I've never met before) could say to me is "Oh I didn't know you were a Christian" or "I had no idea you were a Christian". I know i don't always give off the best first impressions to people, and yes I've been working on that, but I hope I can give off some sort of holy vibe about myself! I guess I just have to remember: salvation = social.

Impressive!

   Our classes this week have really impressed me. First was the fact that we went to observe honey bees to make a really good point in class. We have to change ourselves if we ever want to get close to changing the world around us. It goes the same with Christianity. If we as Christians want the Lord to move and change something huge, then we have to come together in unity. Instead of being irritable because we may not all believe in the same thing. We have to change ourselves first by humbling ourselves so that we can come in unity and allow the Lord to move in big ways. And it doesn't even have to be in big ways. Little stuff counts too.

   I never payed attention to the genealogy part in Matthew before. It blew my mind hearing what all of that really meant. I also thought it was interesting the way the Romans viewed children back then. Kind of similar to my view since I was one of the only ones to choose adoption as as being classified as someones son or daughter. To me, it doesn't even have to be legal adoption with paperwork and such. Like if an old lady I meet at a nursing home wants to be my grandmother and I want to be her granddaughter then I'm just going to call her my grandmother and visa-versa. We claim each other! Leaning solely on genetics can sometimes get you into trouble. Like having that random cousin/uncle that spontaneously shows up at your house and expects you to give them money just because he's your blood relative. Yeah, that happens quite a bit. Not saying that I think it's a bad thing to give to the poor... I think you guys know what I mean though.  

    

Caring Teachers

   One of the issues that was mentioned in class was the fact that some of the teachers here don't really care about the students. That we are viewed as a number. They could care less if we passed or not. Although I have met some faculty members that are absolutely amazing in every way, I have had some that lean on the careless side.

   Ok so what I was thinking was that instead of complaining about how awful and careless those teachers are, we should try and find ways to help them out. Usually the teachers who aren't very social, well, don't really know how to be social. Or at least that's the impression they give us. In each class that we have with them we should take a little bit of time in the very beginning of class to ask the teacher how he/she is doing. But don't stop there, ask them questions such as how their weekend was, how their day is going so far, do they have any pets, favorite color maybe. Speak to them as soon as they walk into the room or as soon as you sit down in class. If the teacher decides that we don't need to be waisting time talking but instead working, ask if they could dedicate some time every class just for that reason. Even if it takes showing up to class 10-15 minutes early! And if all else fails, you can take the time after class to socialize with them! I'm serious guys, the more communication the better! If we let them know that we care about them, then they may start caring about us in return! Give love to receive it =)

   Tell me what you think!

I love Jesus.

There is never a day that goes by that Jesus doesn't find a way to tell me that He loves me. I love learning about how crazy awesome he is! Like in Tuesday we went over what exactly the gospels are and what the point of Jesus healing the sick and raising the dead. He didn't do those things to just prove that he was the Son of Man, he wanted to shake the social norms! He wanted to rock that legalistic boat that everyone was aboard! And by allowing a man to be healed just so that he would be able to associate with his people as a regular person just absolutely inspires me. I know that our society isn't as extreme as theirs was back then, but we still exclude others because they may be socially awkward or just weird (in our terms). And who are we to do that? Obviously Christ was totally against that, so why are we doing the opposite? I pray that the Lord will constantly remind us of that everyday so that we can grow closer to his heart and become more and more like his Son. Can I get an amen? =)

VERB

   So, faithing blew my mind the other day in class. I mean yeah I've always heard that Christianity is more than just saying that you believe in Jesus and checking a little box, but when Dr.Borders said that faith in Greek was a VERB instead of a NOUN, I was just blown away at how awesome that was. That just makes so much sense. It made the Bible in general look so much more legit! (not that the Bible hasn't been legit all along) I'm really growing fond of the Greek language. It seems much more personal and even hits home. I mean come on! The Word means the Life and not only just a life, the life of Jesus! That is the life they want us to faith! I wonder what the Greeks think about us and our language..... ???

Interesting...

   I'm not going to lie, I'm thoroughly enjoying The Shadow of the Galilean. I get really into books, so sometimes I feel like I'm actually there. But the one difficult thing about it is the fact that it's fiction. I have to catch myself at times because I almost end up truly believing every little detail. I'm excited to see how it's all going to play out in the end. 

   Jesus Now and Then is quite interesting as well. The authors attitude is a little different than what I'm use to in text books and I guess that's what makes it interesting. He points out some nice things like what Hollywood has done with Jesus. I had no idea that Star Wars, E.T., and The Matrix had anything to do with Jesus. But I wonder if that's what the writers of those movies intended to show. I may have to do some research to find out the "truth" ;)

   Speaking of truth, I guess I'll go ahead put my input on that whole thing. I can't help but agree with Wesley. I guess if you think about it in psychological terms, there can't always be more than one truth. There are people with very severe mental disorders who truly believe that if they step out of their house into the sunlight that they will burn alive/melt/die. But I think we all know that isn't true at all! Yes you could say that it all depends on how you grew up, and yes this is true. But there are still those morals and ethics that already exist in our society that take part in determining the truth. And the deeper we go with our morals and beliefs the hard it seems to see the solid truth. But I guess we'll all know in the end. Until then, all we can do is have faith in what we believe in and actually do something about it. 

The Good News

   The discussion on history really spoke to me the most today. I have always wondered about the gospels and the way they're written. They're all telling the same story but just in different ways. And it use to mess with me because of how different they are. Like at the end of the gospels when they talk about the resurrection of Jesus, they are all quite different. 
  In Matthew there is an earthquake because an angel comes down, rolls away the stone, and sits on it. He freaks out the guards so they pass out and then tells the two Marys the news. In Mark the two Marys walk up to the tomb and already find it open. The angel is already inside of it sitting on the right side and when it sees the women it tells them the news. In Luke the women went to the tomb to already find it open and when they looked inside it was empty. Then two angels appear them and frightened them causing them to get on their faces followed by the angels telling them the news. And in John, Mary went to the tomb, found that the stone had been rolled away so she ran away to find Simon Peter and another disciple. So all three of them go back to the tomb. Simon Peter and the other disciple look in to find nothing but the linens that Jesus was covered in. But then Mary looks in a sees two angles sitting at the place where Jesus' body had been laying. She turned around to find Jesus standing there and he tells her the good news. 
   Understand why it messed with me so much? But now I understand why they are so different. They could've cared less about the chronological order of events of history. They just cared about making sure we receive the good news! Today really answered a lot of questions for me and I even feel a little more confident about the gospels.