Yes = No?

**Let me preface this with some context: I attend a university with a moderately strict code of conduct/hair & dress code. I am a member of student leadership (although not an RA) at said school.**

Some things irritate me. Some things puzzle me. Some things do both.


As prefaced, my school has a hair/dress code attached to its code of conduct. At my school, I see students, every day, in direct contravention to the codes (more the former than the latter - violators of the latter know better than to be seen). This irritates me. This angers me and yet, I feel nothing but pity for these fellow students.

"Why?"

Because I cannot trust them.

"Hold on, what?"

I cannot trust them. Let me explain. When prospective students enter my school and accept its offered acceptance, they are required to read and sign that they have read and will follow the codes (hair/dress and conduct). Additionally, the students are reminded of these codes in every syllabus of every class they will take.

"Okay, how does breaking hair code mean they are untrustworthy?"

When they signed acceptance of the codes, they gave their word that they would follow and abide by the codes. Their word was and is their bond.

Bond. That's an interesting concept. have you ever given someone your credit card, ID, watch, etc as collateral that you would honor your word and perform a specific task? As a waiter, I've held many people's driver's licenses as they went to go draw money from the bank to pay for the meal.

When someone's word is their bond, it means that they nave nothing riding on their promise that they will lose except their name/word/honor. The esteem to which one holds one's name/word/honor says a lot about a person. I for one, hold my honor, my word as a valuable commodity; after all, if I do not have my word, what have I that may be trusted?

In Matthew 5, Jesus talks about taking oaths. He advises that we not swear upon the earth, the sky or on God himself as we are de facto making these our bond, but rather, we should let our yes mean yes and our no, no. Basically, we should be holding our word as bond. We should not need to be making promises or oaths to reassure others that what we say we will do, we will do.

So, to you few students walking around out of code, you men with too-long hair, t-shirts with no jacket/sweater, earrings, and you women who wear overly revealing tops or too-short skirts, I apologize. I do not mean to judge. I do not mean to belittle, but I must inform you that I cannot trust you. Do you hold your word, your name to such little esteem that you do not even hold yourself to something as easy to follow as a hair/dress code?

That is what I see. If you do not value your own word, how can I trust it?

Post-Christmas Lesson

When I was younger, I used to watch Sesame Street.
Let me rephrase that.
When I was younger, I wanted to live on Sesame Street.

I watched that show multiple times a day, almost every day; I never got tired of it. One reason I loved it was the songs. I remember one in particular song around this time of year (well, two, but, for the sake of this post, one) from one of the Christmas Specials (I can't remember which one, but I'm pretty sure it's not Big Bird Searches for Santa):

"Keep Christmas with you| All through the year.| When Christmas is over| Save some Christmas cheer.| These precious moments,| Hold them very dear.| So keep Christmas with you| All through the year."

Pretty profound for a kids' show.

Now, I know the song is talking about saving the love, joy, and general "Christmas-y" concepts to enjoy throughout the year, but I cannot help but draw all of this back to God.

You see, Christmas is truly about love, joy, peace, hope, etc., but the reason for that is not because of the people, the gifts, or even the "Christmas Spirit". The reason for Christmas and all its associated marvels lies in its name - Christ.

Christ, or Messiah in Hebrew, is a title meaning "Anointed One".

Okay, well, what does that mean?

In Jewish society (the Jews were the ones awaiting the Messiah, after all), anointing was a physical demonstration of the appointing of one by God to a specific calling, notably the high priest, prophet, or king.

So, we have this Anointed One, Jesus, who is appointed by God for a specific task - namely the rescue and redemption of mankind from sin to God. Which means that He had to have been free from sin as well. (Think about it: can one mired in sin rescue all others from their sin? No, only one who is already free from sin can bring others to freedom.) Because mankind is inherently sinful (thank Adam and Eve for that), to be born free from sin, the Messiah must have been conceived sinlessly, i.e. from the seed of a sinless being - God.

Enter the "Immaculate Conception". As was prophesied (Isaiah 7:14), God begat a child with a virgin woman, Mary. Why a virgin? Two reasons: 1) To prevent any doubt as to whether the child was really the son of God and 2) to be miraculous - normally, to conceive, a virgin must lose her virginity; therefore conception without a loss of virginity is miraculous. (no, IVF hadn't been devised and I'm pretty sure that would constitute a loss of virginity anyways)

So, we have a sinless Anointed One, born of a virgin, who is supposed to free mankind from sin, which is separation from God. God is holy, perfect, and just. As such, God cannot stand sin as it is less than perfection and neither can he ignore it as to do so would not be perfectly just. So, to save mankind from sin, someone had to pay the punishment and the only one able to pay the punishment for another is one who has not committed the crime. (otherwise he's merely doing his own punishment) It is for this reason, redemption, that Jesus the Christ came into this world as a sinless, Anointed One.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him might not perish, but have eternal life" - John 3:16

Oh, I forgot to mention, the punishment for sin: death, and by death I mean a final, total, spiritual death following one's corporeal death, while the end of those redeemed by Christ is life eternally in the presence of God.

This is the message of Christmas. This message of God's love, redemption, and forgiveness and our subsequent peace, hope, and joy is the reason we celebrate Christmas. This is what we must keep with us, carrying it all through the year, reminding ourselves and telling others this very same message of the Anointed One, Christ Jesus.

Seeking the King

So, with my family in the US and all, my dad, of course has done and will be doing some speaking engagements. Today was one such day. One thing he said (which was also touched upon by the Sunday School teacher) struck a bit of a chord.

Looking at the magi which traveled to honour the (at the time) newborn Messiah (Matt 2:1-12), he illustrated, amongst other ideas, the dedication and drive possessed by the magi to finding this newborn king.

These men saw a star, traveled for ~2 years, found that their initial idea of the child's location was wrong, found correct information and went to the child. They brought with them gifts; some might say they were symbolic, but all will agree they were expensive gifts, gifts deemed the best to give to honour the now-come Messiah.

Conversely, the Jews in Herod's court (and Herod himself) knew about the coming arrival of the Messiah and where He would be born. They were a very short distance away from Him, yet when they heard that He was born, they couldn't be bothered to take a measly day's travel to seek Him out.

The question my dad asked [well, either that or implied] which caught my ear, and I hope it catches yours, was "What is your reaction to the newborn King?" Is it "I must follow after and seek out the King" or merely "Meh"?

Ooh, and add to that the shepherds' reaction - they were rejoicing and ecstatic about the birth of the Messiah, while, once again, the Jewish advisers and scholars reacted indifferently, a distinction of "THE MESSIAH IS BORN! WE MUST GO AND SEE; TELL THE OTHERS!" versus "The Messiah? He's supposed to be over there."

So, I ask myself as I ask you, the reader, "What is your reaction to Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the saviour of the world?"

Finals Week

Once again, it is that time, the time of year when millions of students across the land lose sleep, sanity, and sociability. It is the time of year when hours spent toiling under the forbearing glare of paper taskmasters breed new colourful epithets describing the derisive tortures of the soul

Fear not, my people, for an end is nigh! Though your strength might fall, your courage falter, and your determination faint, there is an end and soon, very soon, that end shall be upon us; on some it had indeed already fallen. So, gather yourselves! There shall come a day when the grip of your hand may fail, when the words trail off the edge of the paper in a senseless line, but it is not this day.

So you can give up and roll back in bed, yes, or you can study, get up and take the final. You may fail, yes, but years from now, as you walk into that interview, do you desire to look back into the past at these finals and regale your prospective employer or graduate school provost with tales of your cowardice or tales of your fight, your struggle, of hours spent slaving away under harsh light, staring at the manifold scribings of ink on pages? Simply remember this: they may take our time, they may take our sanity, but they will never take Winter break!

The Thanksgiving Challenge

So, here's what I've challenged myself and my Prayer Group to do:

1. Each day leading up to Thanksgiving, write at least 10 things for which you are thankful.
2. On Thanksgiving, take time to read over the list, thanking God in the process.

So, here goes.

Wed 14 Nov. 2012

• My school - Its Christian morals, faculty, and emphasis
• My RAs and SLDs
• My Family - Their safety and their willingness to sacrifice all for Christ
• That the Gospel may still be shared within the USA
• That the USA is still "One nation under God," despite what others may say
• All the Godly men and women in my life (Uncle Alan, Kelvin, Dad, Mom, to name a few)
• My girlfriend - Both who she is and that she seeks God before me
• That South Africa has maintained democracy and a relatively low level of corruption
• That I'll be seeing my sister in a few days
• The message that Clayton King preached this evening at Campus Church
• That I'll be seeing my family in less than a month
• That I'm passing my classes well
• God's illumination of the Bible, allowing me to more greatly understand His word and His direction
• My prayer group members

Thurs 15 Nov. 2012

• Classes are almost finished
• Thanksgiving for the community at work went well
• I was able to stay focused/awake through classes
• I got to talk to Dad today
• My roommate managed to change his major successfully
• My girlfriend & I were able to spend some time together before break starts
• My girlfriend enjoys Lord of the Rings
• I'm on top of my work
• Home-cooked meals start in a few days
• God has kept me safe through the day and the day's travels
• I'm healthy

Fri 16 Nov. 2012

• I'm now on Thanksgiving break
• I'll be driving down towards my sister soon
• My classes' grades are good
• Work this week went well
• I now have time to really dive into God's word
• I have time to finish papers
• I'm not driving alone tomorrow
• I have enough money to pay for the gas for the drive
• Almost everyone on my hall has had the chance to go home
• My girlfriend arrived safely at her destination (as far as I know)

Sat. 17 Nov. 2012

• Making it to my friend's grandparents' house (despite becoming lost)
• Being able to travel for Thanksgiving
• Home-cooked meals
• God's provision & protection over the too-long drive
• Soft beds
• The generosity of my professors in not issuing overly much homework during the break
• The ability to drive my friend to his grandparents
• The humility to stop and ask for directions
• Cell phones
• My friend's grandparents being willing to open their home
• Brotherly love and community in Christ
• Company/a navigator during 12 hrs of driving

Sun. 18 Nov. 2012

• Being able to freely attend church
• Salvation (Justification, sanctification, and glorification)
• My workload has diminished slightly
• Generosity
• Game nights
• Southern Hospitality
• Minimal damage to Jett (the car) after being bumped
• The ability to read and understand the Bible
• Professors who objectively examine evolution instead of assuming its validity
• Being well-fed (despite my hosts' disbelief at "how little" I ate)
• Having access to clean, running water

Mon. 19 Nov. 2012

• That, as a Christian, I have the Holy Spirit to counsel and guide me away from sin and to alert me when I begin to stumble (or walk) into sin
• God's forgiveness
• The generosity of my current hosts
• That I have been able to work effectively on homework during this break
• That God can still use a sinner like me to do His work - the sinner must be genuinely repentant, though. Just qualifying the doctrine here
• The sanctifying work of salvation that the Holy Spirit works in us as we draw closer to God
• The strength and comfort of our God when everything's shaken
• The constant nature of God
• Brothers in Christ on whom I can lean and rely for Godly counsel and accountability
• That God is near at all times in all places

Tues 20 Nov. 2012

• That I have finished my RA application
• My current RA's wisdom regarding the application & Sharepoint
• That I don't need loans for university
• That I was able to pick my sister up from college today
• That I have a car
• For my 2nd-cousins for taking me and my sister in
• The ability to visit with family
• Family
• Thanksgiving itself
• God's overall provision during this break
• My current homework status

Wed 21 Nov. 2012

• More homework is done
• Being able to share a meal with some of my sister's friends
• Being able to drive
• Thanksgiving is tomorrow
• Being able to be with family
• Good professors
• Having a place to stay
• Rest
• What God has done in my life in the last year
• What God has planned for me (even though I don't know what it is)

That's It, I'm Gone

I don't know if you've checked the news recently, but it appears that secession fever has hit the U.S.

For you non-Americans, this means that certain states are wanting to remove themselves from the U.S.A. and become their own independent country - a right which is given to the states in the constitution.

This isn't the first time secession has come up in popular conversation: The Hartford convention, during the Madison Administration - Northerners meeting and discussing issues with the government and, off the books, tossing up secession - or the more well-known Civil war in which, for a number of reasons, the Southern states seceded and formed their own confederacy. These are the only two of which I know, but I am no historical scholar either.

The recent secession talks were started by Louisiana and Texas within the first few days after Obama's re-election. In all honesty, I'm not particularly clued up on the reasons given for the official petitions, but I can assure you that it has to do with more than Obama's upcoming 2nd term (though it may be due to some foreseen effects thereof).

What's shocking, though, is the number of states that have joined the secession bandwagon - an astonishing 20 states including, surprisingly, some northern states that elected Obama into office, like New York.

Now, Mr. President, I think this just might be a matter which cannot be overlooked. I implore you to fairly investigate the reasons given for these secession threats, surround yourself with qualified individuals of different political perspectives and liberalities, and tackle the issues raised head-on.

Unless, of course, you want to lose 20 states and be remembered as "Not-Quite-Lincoln".

"The Most Important Election in U.S. History..."

Well, all the electoral college votes may not yet be in, but the writing's on the wall. Now, I'm not a fan of Obama or what he has and hasn't done as president so far, but, at the same time, if he is to remain president, then I will honor and respect him above my disagreements.

Why is that?

"Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God's command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves." - Romans 13:1-2

Hard enough as it is to swallow, we must remain respectful towards and obedient to the authority over us. In fact, the only time when we as Christians are not to do so is when said government's commands run counter to God.

So God has instituted Obama as POTUS for a second term?

Yes, it appears so. Why, I do not know, but I do know this: God is perfect, in wisdom, goodness, faithfulness, in everything, really. Because of this, I can trust that God has a plan to use Obama as president to ultimately glorify Himself. Beyond that, I have no fear of the future, for I know who holds the future and I know that He works all things ultimately for the good of those you love Him.

So, I implore you, Christians, conservatives, not to gripe and complain about the U.S.'s doom, Obama's shortcomings, or how you're planning to emigrate, but rather to pray. Pray that God would make an impact in Obama's life, that God's will would be done during these next 4 years, and that we, as Christians, would have an attitude of respect and support for Obama and the government, if only for the position.