Rob Bell, a very popular pastor/book-writer/theologian, recently published a book entitled, Love Wins: A book about Heaven, Hell, and the fate of every person. I have not read this book. However, I intend too...If anyone has a copy, may I borrow it so I don't have to spend the money?
I have no shame in going on the record and saying I believe Rob Bell takes away from the gospel by watering it down and presenting it in a pluralistic fashion. In a recent interview, Rob Bell got asked some questions that I feel a "theologian", especially one who is responsible for as many people as he is, should be able to answer fairly easily (or at least attempt to answer). But he struggled to find a good answer, and avoided the questions throughout. Let me know what you think:
I'd really appreciate some feedback on this one. Honestly, I blatantly disagree with what I've heard him say, but I'd like to hear from others who either agree or disagree as well. Specifically on the question, "Is God all-powerful, but does not care for His people, or is it that He cares, but is not all-powerful?" I'll tell you right now that I think the answer is, "Neither."
Thanks,
-Matt
Monday, March 21, 2011
Summation of a Week
Hey guys, sorry I haven't posted in awhile, life has kept me very busy. This has been a very good couple of weeks for me. I've been learning a lot about myself and my relationship with God, and I've been learning so much more about His nature and character. I found out this past week that I am in fact the valedictorian of my college class. Also, I think I may finally be getting an apartment soon.
As we go through life we are constantly changing and being molded. Sometimes we don't even recognize that changes are taking place. Lately, I have been examining myself and I realized I allowed some circumstances in my life to change who I am. Like a soft ball of clay, I placed myself into the hands of my surroundings, and I submitted to the will of my wicked and bitter heart. I came to the conclusion that by letting my past define who I am, I'm just denying myself the possibility of the future God has for me. So, from now on, I'm living in the present with an optimistic outlook on the future.
So, I found out this week that I am officially the Valedictorian of my college class. This didn't come as a great surprise to me because I worked in the academics office at the school and knew my GPA was the highest in my class. However, while I am proud of this achievement, I feel the need to say I feel a little bit dirty for being Valedictorian with a GPA less than 3.9 (or 4.0 for that matter). I worked very hard my last two years of school, and during that time I think I was the kind of student a Valedictorian should be. However, during my freshman and sophomore years of school, I was lazy. I still made good grades, but I didn't apply myself at all. I wish now that I had put forth some effort and used the mind God has given me, but as I said above, I'm not dwelling on the past. I am honored to be Ecclesia College's 2011 Valedictorian, and I am thankful for all of my classmates who will be graduating alongside me. I cannot thank my professors enough for instilling in me the desire to be a life-long learner, and for challenging me above and beyond the normal expectations of the classroom.
The last thing I wanted to say is that I think I may be moving soon...finally. I'm praying that it'll happen and trusting God with the result.
-Matt
As we go through life we are constantly changing and being molded. Sometimes we don't even recognize that changes are taking place. Lately, I have been examining myself and I realized I allowed some circumstances in my life to change who I am. Like a soft ball of clay, I placed myself into the hands of my surroundings, and I submitted to the will of my wicked and bitter heart. I came to the conclusion that by letting my past define who I am, I'm just denying myself the possibility of the future God has for me. So, from now on, I'm living in the present with an optimistic outlook on the future.
So, I found out this week that I am officially the Valedictorian of my college class. This didn't come as a great surprise to me because I worked in the academics office at the school and knew my GPA was the highest in my class. However, while I am proud of this achievement, I feel the need to say I feel a little bit dirty for being Valedictorian with a GPA less than 3.9 (or 4.0 for that matter). I worked very hard my last two years of school, and during that time I think I was the kind of student a Valedictorian should be. However, during my freshman and sophomore years of school, I was lazy. I still made good grades, but I didn't apply myself at all. I wish now that I had put forth some effort and used the mind God has given me, but as I said above, I'm not dwelling on the past. I am honored to be Ecclesia College's 2011 Valedictorian, and I am thankful for all of my classmates who will be graduating alongside me. I cannot thank my professors enough for instilling in me the desire to be a life-long learner, and for challenging me above and beyond the normal expectations of the classroom.
The last thing I wanted to say is that I think I may be moving soon...finally. I'm praying that it'll happen and trusting God with the result.
-Matt
Monday, March 7, 2011
Happy Monday!
There's not really much of a point to this post except to say I hope all of you have a wonderful Monday. I urge you all to consider what God would have you do today before jumping into your routine. Get in the Word, let the joy of the Lord be your strength, and let's make a difference today by having a countenance that is warm and welcoming. Be the reflection of Christ wherever you are...
Love you guys!
-Matt
Love you guys!
-Matt
Friday, March 4, 2011
Community
Something that has been weighing heavy on my heart lately is the concept of community. No, not that wonderful television show about Community College Study Groups. I'm talking about real fellowship with believers of Christ. How often do you spend time with your Christian brothers & sisters worshiping, praying, or discussing God's word? How often do we set aside our hang out time to get serious and talk about what God is doing in our lives? When nonbelievers look at us, what are they seeing?
Last Sunday, I went to church at The Grove Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. If you are currently without a church, and you're looking for a place full of believers who are sold out for God. The Grove is for you. After a really good set of worship, the pastor got up and started teaching. He had been teaching out of Nehemiah and finished Chapter Six the week before. At the end of Chapter Six, Nehemiah and his people finished building their wall. The massive project was completed in 52 days, and the people were relieved to have it finished. It is absolutely incredible how God used Nehemiah to unite a group of people to complete such an enormous task, but I think the more important part is what happened next.
In Chapter seven, we read that Nehemiah gathered all of the people together and brought them inside the city walls. The beginning of chapter eight says that Nehemiah had Ezra read the law to the people who gathered together every morning from sun-up to midday to listen. When he began reading, the people were overwhelmed and began to worship the Lord together because it had been so long since they had heard God's word spoken to them. Nehemiah understood the importance of the people's spiritual needs, and placed them above other daily activities. This passage of scripture is a great example of how people are greater than projects, and is a great reminder of how important it is for us to be in community with fellow believers so that we can experience the joy of others as they receive great and new revelations from God. In this case, just the simplicity of reading God's words to His people was enough to reduce the crowds to tears of joy as they worshiped God together.
In the end, Nehemiah says, "Do not mourn or weep - for all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law - Go eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared" (Neh. 8:9-10). They threw a party! Spirituality and studying the word don't have to only be somber and serious things; in fact, quite the opposite. Nehemiah knew this and exhibited a wonderful model of how we can have seriousness in a time of celebration. We should be celebrating with each other over the great things God is doing in our lives. However, in order to have celebration, we need to have community & fellowship with each other first.
Something to think about:
When you go to church, are you just alone in a large group? Your immediate answer will most likely be no, but are you really being honest with yourself? Even if you ride to church with someone else, or sit with a group of your best friends, are you there by yourself? Do you feel like you're connected? Or are you trying to walk out your spiritual life on your own? The fact of the matter is we cannot do this on our own. We need to have people in our lives. . .We need community. We need to get serious about our faith and about God's word, and we need to start sharing our lives with one another so we can, in turn, share our lives with the world. The world is in need of hope, life, light, peace, and joy. We can be those things to the world, but we need to be united with each other first.
-Matt
Last Sunday, I went to church at The Grove Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. If you are currently without a church, and you're looking for a place full of believers who are sold out for God. The Grove is for you. After a really good set of worship, the pastor got up and started teaching. He had been teaching out of Nehemiah and finished Chapter Six the week before. At the end of Chapter Six, Nehemiah and his people finished building their wall. The massive project was completed in 52 days, and the people were relieved to have it finished. It is absolutely incredible how God used Nehemiah to unite a group of people to complete such an enormous task, but I think the more important part is what happened next.
In Chapter seven, we read that Nehemiah gathered all of the people together and brought them inside the city walls. The beginning of chapter eight says that Nehemiah had Ezra read the law to the people who gathered together every morning from sun-up to midday to listen. When he began reading, the people were overwhelmed and began to worship the Lord together because it had been so long since they had heard God's word spoken to them. Nehemiah understood the importance of the people's spiritual needs, and placed them above other daily activities. This passage of scripture is a great example of how people are greater than projects, and is a great reminder of how important it is for us to be in community with fellow believers so that we can experience the joy of others as they receive great and new revelations from God. In this case, just the simplicity of reading God's words to His people was enough to reduce the crowds to tears of joy as they worshiped God together.
In the end, Nehemiah says, "Do not mourn or weep - for all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law - Go eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared" (Neh. 8:9-10). They threw a party! Spirituality and studying the word don't have to only be somber and serious things; in fact, quite the opposite. Nehemiah knew this and exhibited a wonderful model of how we can have seriousness in a time of celebration. We should be celebrating with each other over the great things God is doing in our lives. However, in order to have celebration, we need to have community & fellowship with each other first.
Something to think about:
When you go to church, are you just alone in a large group? Your immediate answer will most likely be no, but are you really being honest with yourself? Even if you ride to church with someone else, or sit with a group of your best friends, are you there by yourself? Do you feel like you're connected? Or are you trying to walk out your spiritual life on your own? The fact of the matter is we cannot do this on our own. We need to have people in our lives. . .We need community. We need to get serious about our faith and about God's word, and we need to start sharing our lives with one another so we can, in turn, share our lives with the world. The world is in need of hope, life, light, peace, and joy. We can be those things to the world, but we need to be united with each other first.
-Matt
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Future Direction?
Tonight is just one of those nights where I feel the need to write just so that I can see my thoughts in a tangible form. I've been struggling here lately to really be honest with myself about where I see myself in five years, and not knowing really frustrates me. My biggest pet peeve (<---hate that cliche) is not knowing how things are going to turn out. I still enjoy a good suspense film, and I love books that keep me guessing, but when it comes to real life; I always have this feeling that I need to know what is going to happen.
Obviously, I am not capable of predicting the future. If I was, I'd be a billionaire, and I would not be writing a blog. So, I run into the obvious problem of worrying way too much about the outcome of unpredictable events. Also, I have a nearly impossible time making important life decisions. For example:
I graduated college in December and I have a great job that I really enjoy. It has a lot of potential to just keep getting better if I keep working hard, and I am super blessed to be in the position that I am in currently. On the flip side, I've always dreamed of going to graduate school to get a masters degree. I want to be able to work and go to school at the same time, but I know myself, and I know that in order for me to do well at both I'd have to basically kill myself and give up anything I have that resembles a social life. Essentially, the steps I would take to be an excellent student and a great representative for my boss would make me lousy at both.
So, the situation is as such...Do I commit to working in the insurance industry for the next 5, 10, 15 years and possibly do very well in a lucrative career? Or, do I apply for graduate school and see where it takes me? Can I do both even though I don't have the confidence in myself? Also, what's God's plan for me in all of this, and how will I know?
I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty confused about all of this right now, and it's really stressing me out...
-Matt
Obviously, I am not capable of predicting the future. If I was, I'd be a billionaire, and I would not be writing a blog. So, I run into the obvious problem of worrying way too much about the outcome of unpredictable events. Also, I have a nearly impossible time making important life decisions. For example:
I graduated college in December and I have a great job that I really enjoy. It has a lot of potential to just keep getting better if I keep working hard, and I am super blessed to be in the position that I am in currently. On the flip side, I've always dreamed of going to graduate school to get a masters degree. I want to be able to work and go to school at the same time, but I know myself, and I know that in order for me to do well at both I'd have to basically kill myself and give up anything I have that resembles a social life. Essentially, the steps I would take to be an excellent student and a great representative for my boss would make me lousy at both.
So, the situation is as such...Do I commit to working in the insurance industry for the next 5, 10, 15 years and possibly do very well in a lucrative career? Or, do I apply for graduate school and see where it takes me? Can I do both even though I don't have the confidence in myself? Also, what's God's plan for me in all of this, and how will I know?
I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty confused about all of this right now, and it's really stressing me out...
-Matt
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