Finding the Good Life

“This is the good life I've lost everything I could ever want and ever dream of…” (Stuart 4). Audio Adrenaline, a Christian rock band, believes that the good life is losing everything a person could desire; Aristotle and Kant have alternate opinions as to what constitutes as a good life. Aristotle believes that virtues, especially the highest virtue of reason, and the end goal lead one to the good life. Living in a way that would make cooperation and harmony possible if all man kind lived the same way is Kant’s idea of a good life. It is under my personal contemplation that I wonder if the good life is actually a compilation of Audio Adrenaline, Aristotle, and Kant’s visions.

“Happiness, therefore, does not lie in amusement; it would, indeed, be strange if the end were amusement, and one were to take trouble and suffer hardship all one’s life in order to amuse oneself.” (Aristotle 1). Aristotle is stating that entertainment is not happiness, or the good life, if it were one would always take the easy way out of situations in order to reach a situation that would entertain him or her sooner. Any person can give in to his or her bodily pleasures, yet he or she will not find the good life and happiness within these pleasure “For happiness does not lie in such occupations, but, as we have said before, in virtuous activities” (Aristotle 1). He take virtues a step farther when he writes “That which is proper to each thing is by nature best and most pleasant for each thing; for man, therefore, the life according to reason is best and pleasantest, since reason more that anything else is man. This life there for is also the happiest” (Aristotle 1). Aristotle is saying that reason, or studying and contemplation, is the most desirable virtue; reason leads all rational people to the good life. Contemplation will lead a person to focus on the bigger picture, or the goal of his or her life, thus the person will see that happiness is not found in amusement but in the end goal. When a person comprehends that the good life is much more than the moment by moment experience he or she will be willing to take the harder road with hardships and suffering in order to reach the most desirable end. For he or she is acting with the highest virtue Aristotle believes there is, the virtue of reason.

“If everyone in the world would just live by X, Y, and Z everyone would live the good life.” This thought process could be said to reflect Kant’s Categorical Imperative which is “Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it would become a universal law (Hauerwas 30). Kant is stating that if a person believes something should be followed by everyone he or she must follow that rule himself or herself. For example, if Bill believes that everyone would be closer to the good life if he or she assists the elderly in crossing the street, then he must help the elderly cross the street himself. Likewise is Jane believes that everyone would be happier if visited with his or her parents at least once a week, she must visit with her own parents at least once a week. While these may be petty examples they display Kant’s belief; a person’s actions should reflect what he or she believes is the way everyone should act. Kant believes that if all people lived ethically all people would live the good life because “ethics has characteristics that make cooperation possible between people with different “beliefs” or “backgrounds” (Hauerwas 30).

Combine Aristotle’s theory that virtues and reason lead to the good life with Kant’s theory that a person must live the way he or she believes others should live and my opinion will emerge. A person should live in accordance to the good and just virtues he or she believes all people should posses. Like Aristotle’s theory, not everything can be considered a virtue. A person obtains virtues by interacting with the right people in the right way and then practicing what he or she learns. Not all activities are virtuous, lying, for example, is not virtuous because it does not lead to happiness as its final end for human action as Aristotle states that the good life does. If one takes these virtues and applies them to Kant’s idea that one must act how he or she desires other to act and I believe the good life is even closer. If a person has virtuous but does not live in accordance to those virtues, what good are the virtues? Still, if a person practices his or her virtues in everyday life he or she will be closer to living the good life. It is my belief that one is not capable of living such a virtuous life without a reason. This reason, like Aristotle, is one that leads to happiness as the complete end of human action; a belief in God and God’s son Jesus leads one to desire a virtuous life. A virtuous life, which is a life lived in accordance to God’s desire, God’s desires are recorded in the bible and through Godly revelations, will end as it reads in John 3: 15-16 “That whoever believes in him [the Son of Man] may have eternal life. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” Audio Adrenaline says it this way in their song Good Life, “This is the good life, I've lost everything I could ever want and ever dream of. This is the good life I found everything I could ever need here in Your arms.” All that a person could desire outside of a virtuous life does not lead to happiness; instead the good life is found when one lives a virtuous life in accordance to God.

The good life, it is what most people desire, but how does one obtain the good life? Live a virtuous life of reason, focused on the final end of human action according to Aristotle. Kant believes that one should let his or her actions reveal the way that all people should live. Compile the two approaches to the good life adding the most important ingredient, God, and my approach is found. A person should live the virtuous life that God desires and allow his or her actions reveal the good life for all who desire the good life to witness and follow.



Bibliography
Aristotle. "From Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book Ten." Anabaptist Convictions after Marpeck. 26 Nov. 2008 .
Bechtel, Trevor. “Christian Ethics”. Bluffton, OH. November 2008.
Hauerwas, Stanley & Wells, Samuel. “Why Christian Ethics Was Invented”. The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2006. 28-38.
Pinckaers, Servais. “Excerpts from the Nichomachean Ethics”. Sources of Christian Ethics. Washington: Catholic University of America, 1995. 106-109.
Stuart, Mark. "Good Life." By Mark Stuart, Will McGinniss, Bob Herdman and Charlie Peacock. Rec. 1999. By Audio Adrenaline. Underdog. Rec. 1999. ForeFront Records, 1999.
The HarperCollins Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version: With the Apocryphal/Deutercanonical Books. Ed. Wayne A. Meeks. Rev. ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2006.

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Writen for Biblical World View: Ethics: Professor Trevor Bechtel

The Good Life: Community

People strive in countless ways to achieve what seems to them to be the ideal good life. Some strive after cash and riches, others strive to become famous, and still others drowned themselves in drugs and sex. Overall these people have the same concept of what the good life is; they all believe that the good life is achieved when they feel fulfilled. Personally, I have never known a person to find fulfillment in cash, cures, sex, or drugs; after one accomplishment has been fulfilled the person is left longing for something more. I pose that fulfillment can be found through relationships. First and foremost a relationship with God will teach a person how to have positive and healthy relationships with other people.

“There is always someone you can count on, and there are a million special moments that can chase the shadows from your face in an instant and will cost you nothing but a few spare minutes” (Greive, 40). A relationship with God teaches one to be content with the blessings that one has been given. Having a constant presence one can rely on and confide in gives a person a sense of community and belonging. One way God fills this need is by having people interact and create community with each other. When a community is built people trust each other, depend on each other, and assist each other with all of their needs, both emotional and physical. The community is build on trust, which we learn by following God’s teachings, and each member of the community supports the others causing each member to be essential. When each person is essential the good life is not a goal or point, it is a way of life.

A community builds precious moments that make each member feel needed and loved. The community is trustworthy and dependable; all it takes is time to build relationships. The good life is a way of life built on God, interdependence, and community, not wealth, fame, sex, or drugs.

Bibliography
Greive, Bradley T. Tomorrow: Adventures in an Uncerain World. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel. 40-41.

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Writen for Biblical World View: Ethics: Professor Trevor Bechtel

Who Art in Heaven

“Who art in Heaven,” take another look; it is deeper than it first appears. It is the second phrase of The Lord’s Prayer found in both Matthew 6:9-13, and Luke 11: 1-4. Still, the line lends itself to deeper truths than just ‘God is in heaven.’ What does it mean that God is in heaven? If God is in heaven, how can he be on earth? Is God contradicting Godself? Heaven is not like earth because God created heaven separate from the universe. God is transcendent making God always present. God may seem to contradict Godself, but God is truth and can be both words that create an antonym. God is outside of God's creation making God outside of creation's boundaries.

Heaven, where is it, what is it, and how do I get there? Genesis 1:1 reads “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the earth,” so heaven is separate from earth. The bible mentions numerous times in history when The Lord, or angels, choose to make themselves known to those on earth through a voice, vision, dream, or another phenomenon (Genesis 22:11, 15; Exodus 20:22; Deuteronomy 4:36; Matthew 3:16; Luke 2:15). Heaven is usually thought of as above earth, and as the place where God and the place where Christians’ will live an eternal life (The Miller, 248). John 14:6 reads “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the light. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Since this is true, and God lives in heaven, the way to heaven is to believe the Jesus is the Son of God and to follow his teachings.

Since God created the heavens and the earth and God is omnipotent; God is in heaven and earth. God is transcendent by living in heaven yet watching over earth and providing for it. Although we may not understand how this works, it is okay because we recognize that many of God’s works are beyond our comprehension. “Let him be content to say ‘What is this?’ (Exodus 16:15) So too let him rejoice and delight in finding you who are beyond discovery rather than fail to find you by supposing you to be discoverable.” (Saint Augustine, 8). God is far beyond any human comprehension; God is not a thing because God created all things. God is unlimited therefore God is transcendent.

God is transcendent not only in relationship to place, but also in action. Clashing words that are antonyms seem to fit well together when God is described. Take for instance Saint Augustine’s words “deeply hidden, yet intimately present…immutable yet changing all things.” (Saint Augustine 4). God never leaves us and is always present with us, yet the closer we are to God, the less we feel we know about God, and the more we desire to be in God’s presence (Hebrews 13:5). God changes the things God made, still God remains constant and unchanging. Hebrews 13:6 reads that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever,” while creation may change the designer does not.

God is beyond the limits of God’s creation. Heaven and earth are separate creations; therefore, God is sovereign of both places. God is transcendent and capable of doing all that God desires without changing Godself. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus meant for his disciples to learn to know God at a deeper level than first glance allows. Jesus desired his disciples to know more than God’s location when he said “who art in heaven,” so to Jesus meant more than surface level glance allows one to see in each line of The Lord’s prayer.


Bibliography
The HarperCollins Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version: With the Apocryphal/Deutercanonical Books. Ed. Wayne A. Meeks. Rev. ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2006.
Hauerwas, Stanley andWilliam H. Willlimon. Lord, Teach us: The Lord’s Prayer and the Christian Life. Nashville: Abingdon Press 1996.
Lash, Nicholas. Believing Three Ways in One God: A Reading of the Apostles’ Creed. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1993.
Miller, Madeleine S., and J. L. Miller. The New Harper's Bible Dictionary. Eighth ed. New York, NY: Harper and Row, 1973. 248-49.
Saint Augustine. Confessions. Trans. Henry Chadwick. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991.





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Writen for Biblical World View: Theology: Professor Alex Sider

Lex Orandi Lex Credendi

The Latin phrase Lex Orandi Lex Credendi directly translates to mean law is prayer law is belief. In other words, we pray what we believe. If a person believes that one must die in battle to enter heaven he or she will pray that he or she dies in battle. Likewise if a person believes that their god is a protector he or she will pray for their god’s protection. While a child’s, or a person young in faith, prayers may start out basic and recited, the concepts behind the basic prayers are learned. Alex Sider pointed out that often times as a person matures in his or her faith the concepts stay a part of his or her prayers, even though he or she may or may not recite the same prayers he or she recited as a child or as a person young in his or her faith.

Prayer is a work of Christ, and as “Martin Luther said wherever the work of Christ occurs, demons move into action…” (Hauerwas and Willimon 14). This may be one reason basic ritualistic prayers, such as the prayer of blessing over food that many are taught known as “God is great and God is good,” may be taught is so that a person has prayers to rely on while the demons move. While young in faith a person may not have enough background to know what else to say besides a previously learned prayer. If the person is able to remember “God is great, God is good,” he or she can hold onto that concept. Later in that prayer the line is “by His hands we all are fed, give us Lord our daily bread,” the concept here is that God is a provider who will supply the peoples’ needs. Some religions teach the people to pray other more “personalized” prayers, still the basic concepts can often be pulled out of the prayers. If a person prays a prayer of thanksgiving for his or her new job, car, family member, or peace of mind, that person believes that God cares about his or her situations in life such as the person’s new job, car, family member, or peace of mind. If a person prays a prayer in frustration asking God to help him or her overcome an obstacle that is before him or her in life, this person believes that God is a god who will bring justice into his or her life, and that God is a god who guides his or her footsteps in life helping him or her make the correct choices.

Most prayers I hear begin with a call out to God in some form and end with “amen.” What does this mean? First the call out to God can also be considered as an introduction to who we are calling out to. If a person begins a prayer with “Father” he or she believes that God is like a heavenly father who cares, listens, and protects. “Dear Jesus” is an introduction that suggests that the person believes that Jesus is the son of God, and now dwells with God in heaven, or as part of the trinity. When a person begins a prayer by simply saying “God,” he or she is recognizing that God is higher and holds authority and deserves respect. When a prayer is ended the word most often used is “amen.” I was taught by my parents that amen means “Let it be,” or “and so it is.” Thus by ending a prayer with amen a person is handing their prayer to God almost as a sacrifice, as a way of saying “take this prayer.”

We pray what we believe. When taught to pray a person learns concepts that stick with him or her, as he or she matures in his or her faith. The difference may lie in the exact words spoken, some may retain the exact prayers taught, while others may form individualized prayers. Still, the concepts of the beginning prayers will remain. As a person begins a prayer he or she addresses the party with whom he or she is praying to as a way of recognizing and honoring the party. At the end of a prayer a person offers the prayer as a sacrifice saying “amen,” offering the prayer that he or she just spoke as a sacrifice to his or her god. The Latin phrase holds true “Lex Orandi Lex Credendi, the prayers spoken give voice to the beliefs held within the soul.



Bibliography
Hauerwas, Stanley and William H. Willimon. Lord, Teach Us: The Lord’s Prayer and the Christian Life. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996. Pages 13-33.
Lash, Nicholas. Believing Three Ways in One God: A Reading of the Apostles’ Creed. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1993. Pages 42-49.
Saint Augustine. Confessions. Trans. Henry Chadwick. Oxford: Oxford Univeristy Press, 1991. Pages 3-23.
The HarperCollins Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version: With the Apocryphal/Deutercanonical Books. Ed. Wayne A. Meeks. Rev. ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2006.





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Writen for Biblical World View: Theology: Professor Alex Sider

Created to be pumped for Jesus

this convo was edited for clarity
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…

11:37pmBrooke
by the way you're talking, it had to be a God feeling you're having you're pumped for Jesus!

11:38pmJonathon
I'm pretty sure we were created to be pumped for Jesus a lot more often than we tend to be

11:39pmBrooke
oh my, you have just hit a train of thought I've been riding for a while now


11:39pmJonathon
ooo

11:40pmJonathon
Like, even when we are focusing on something that isn't Jesus (like for example, talking to a friend, working on some mundane project, anything), we still should have this underlying intensity in our soul... it is called joy And I think that is the difference between joy and happiness, Jesus is at the center of Joy, happiness is on the outside of anything it accompanies and Joy is at the center of us (is supposed to be anyways)

11:42pmBrooke
(different angle then what I was thinking, but I enjoy this take)


11:42pmJonathon
what is your angle?

11:42pmBrooke
I have a slightly different definition of joy and happiness
no no, let's talk about yours first!!!!

11:43pmJonathon
I probably do too, but I am tired and typing fast lol
but what I said has something to do with my definitions

11:43pmBrooke
I like it! To me joy is something that come from the Holy Spirit and because of this we can be filled with joy even when our emotions do not reflect joy emotions or life situations*for example I may be having a bad day and feel blue; however, I still can be filled with the joy of Christ

11:46pmJonathon
I agree, actually, that fits very much with my train of thought, Holy Spirit/Jesus (God basically, but if we get down to it I suppose we could define it by specific parts of God's trinity) and your example is sorta what I'm thinking when I talk about Jesus Intensity underlying everything (including the bad times) well... it sounds like it fits my train of thought anyways

11:47pmBrooke
however happiness is just the emotion, it can be a part of joy; however it can never fully exist outside of the presence of joy.

11:47pmJonathon
hmm, interesting


11:48pmBrooke
so down and out Joy can exists without happiness, yet happiness cannot fully exists without joy


11:48pmJonathon
what about unholy happiness? for example, happiness because someone else got hurt (emotionally or physically)it seems there has to be a term for that sick and twisted feeling that people get from sin


11:50pmBrooke
this is true, but this is not a feeling of true happiness it fades


11:50pmJonathon
ah, the word true

11:50pmBrooke
right
…

11:52pmJonathon
does only true happiness come with joy or does both happiness and true happiness come with joy according to your definitions?

11:54pmBrooke
Id say both can be experienced with or without joy...but i suppose I'd have to think on that...try this situation…

11:55pmBrooke
you receive a toy that you really wanted for Christmas whether you have joy or not you will still be happy
…

11:55pmBrooke
but since happiness is just an emotion it will fade in time


11:55pmJonathon
right.
…

11:56pmJonathon
and joy doesn't fade (or isn't meant to anyways, it could if fade by not being connected to God)
...

11:57pmBrooke
right, that is what I am thinking happiness = and emotion, and emotions come and go
joy= something much deeper than an emotion

11:58pmJonathon
oh yes, I think our slightly different angles revolve around the question "Does happiness always stem from joy?"but then again, what if we had different angles concerning our angles? (ooo... that is complicated)

12:00amBrooke
and good, i love hearing all different angles. they help me develop/alter/or abandon my own angles


12:00amJonathon
same here!they make me figure out what I really think


12:01amBrooke
mmhmm! so, how would you answer the ? "Does happiness always stem from joy?"


12:01amJonathon
I would say it doesn't, but happiness as God would have it felt always stems from joy emotions, like everything else in this world, are corrupted by sin in a perfect world, happiness would always connect to joy somehow that would be "true" happiness (to borrow the term)


12:03amBrooke
(borrowing terms makes it easier to follow)


12:03amJonathon
emotions can be felt in ways and in situations which aren't natural according to God's plan for how everything (creation) works


12:04amBrooke
JONATHAN YOU ARE AMAZING!this is what i was trying to say, but couldn't figure out how to say it....

12:04amJonathon
(conversations are awesome!)

12:04amBrooke
our views on this are the same you simply worded it better, thanks

12:04amJonathon
I had a funny feeling they were
welcome :):)

12:05amBrooke
yeah Jesus!
…

12:13amBrooke
oh going way back to how the convo got started

12:13amJonathon
lol
way way back

12:14amBrooke
when you said "I'm pretty sure we were created to be pumped for Jesus a lot more often than we tend to be"

…

12:14amBrooke
i started thinking about skin deep commitment
…
and about how so many people are half baked Christians (Lukewarm like it reads in Revelations)
I like to think that it is simply because people do not realize that they do not understand
..but I do not know

…

12:17amJonathon
yeah, I see what you're saying
(I think)

12:20amJonathon
to make a statement that might take the thought on a slightly different path, I think the more a person understands Jesus, the more committed they want to be, and the more committed a person is, the more they understand Jesus
(it is co-dependent)
ooo!!!!!!!

12:20amBrooke
I believe this to be true as well

12:21amJonathon
I've been thinking about how people come to understand Jesus and want Jesus more, specifically about the role of others in the "growee
“growee's" life
life/process anyways
now, this is kinda simple, but it is easy to just think of it and say "duh, yeah of course" and then not change
anyways

12:23amBrooke
i agree, if those with a "deeper" understanding would do all that they could to help others understand more
..then more would grow

12:24amJonathon
example. When people are exposed to understanding Jesus lived out in another persons life, that life being shared with the "growee", it is like getting a little taste of what could be had
basically, I'm just getting fired up about the whole idea of mentoring others through just having a close relationship
(lol, I get fired up about the simplest things)

12:25amBrooke
I agree, which leads me to something I strongly believe the church has lost
community

12:25amJonathon
YES!
And, there lies a whole other conversation lol

…

What is wrong with the church?

My friend Jonathan Hersberger posted this note on his facebook and I asked if I could repost it here.

"So what is wrong with the church when it looks no different then the rest of the world? What happened to this radical new kind of kingdom that Jesus came to proclaim? I see so many people proclaim to be Christians, and somehow their life appears to be no different than any one elses'. They still get drunk on the weekends. They still sleep around. They still make jokes that alienate homosexuals, people from different races, and mentally disabled people.

When are we going to wake up and see how much we are damaging the body of Christ?

Why is it that people who are Christians can still drive gas-guzzling cars, waste the world's resources, and spend millions on expensive little gadgets....when they are children who are starving? How can we treat this beautiful Earth God has given us so poorly? How can we keep living so freaking comfortably when beautiful children of God are dying? How can we keep separating ourselves from what is really going on in the world?

How is it that I am typing this from my 5 month old Macbook, sitting in my dorm room which I am paying thousands of dollars to live in to go to my Christian college? Thousands of dollars that could have been used to do so many different things?

Jesus did not live a "normal," socially-acceptable, comfortable, middle-class life! So when are we going to get up and follow his freaking example? We are called to be different....but we are not.

Sorry if I stepped on anyone's toes. Believe me...I'm stepping on my own as well. It's something that needs to be said though..."


COMMENTS:


Brooke Gugel wrote at 2:00am on December 7th, 2008
Thank you so much. I've been contemplating this very thing all semester and am so glad someone else seems to be caring. I'm sick of this, which is one reason i'm only going to collegefor 2 years-- but i digress not the forum,-- why do so many people claim to havea relationship with God and then slam the Truth. This note has refreshed me and given me hope. Thank you for standing up and stepping on toes. Christianity isn't about being comfortable with life as it is. Remember this note and do your best to make your actions line up with your statements. I will do the same.


Shannon Nichole Neuenschwander (Central Christian Schools) wrote at 8:13am on December 7th, 2008
Jon, you're SO right... and i've been thinking a lot about this lately, too... it especially hit me when everyone in English was arguing about how movies should be rated... some of them were actually angry... and it made me feel so dumb and stupid for caring so much about something that doesn't matter, when there are so many other things in the world that need our attention!! anyways... thanks for this... i guess i don't exactally know what to do about it yet... but i'll be thinking about it...


Kayla Byler (Pickerington North) wrote at 9:05am on December 7th, 2008
amen!


Ellie Martin (Central Christian Schools) wrote at 9:33am on December 7th, 2008
stepping on toes is what Jesus did most His life. But He did it because He loved people that were lost. Even though we proclaim that we are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; that we have salvation thought Jesus Christ; that we are "giving it all for the Lord" .. we can still be so lost. That is why God's mercies are new every morning! Hallelujah! That is why there is forgiveness. That is why He MUST have unconditional Love.These are not justification. This is GRACE.You are so right, Jon. Praise the Lord for such a cry for holiness! I pray that we begin to live a Born-again Life, living by the Son, abandoned to HIM who deserves all the Glory and Praise and Honor of our lives! He is High and Lifted Up! He shall be glorified!Thanks for stepping on my toes too, my friend :) Lets not just say "ouch" and forget about it. Lets be a generation that turns hearts to the Lord; that lives a life that reflects the realization of what redemption of sin really means! Lets live in FREEDOM to Praise Him :D


Danae King (Bluffton) wrote at 10:49am on December 7th, 2008
mmm, yes. This is something I've been wrestling with a lot ever since I got to Bluffton 3 and a half years ago. Everybody here is a "Christian," but I see very little that convinces me as such. It becomes so easy to blend in, then, that I get frustrated at myself for doing so! And being a "Mennonite" school with a large Catholic population, religious life activities often tend to embrace one group and alienate the other. And any time I see any of it happening, I can't help but thinking that this is not what Jesus had in mind.


Matthew Ryan Lehman (Hesston) wrote at 1:09pm on December 7th, 2008
Not to step on any toes, or anything...actually, I am going to deliberately step on some toes here, but why is it that there are so many notes on Facebook like this, and yet...nothing has changed?


Aislinn Joy Dunster (Central Christian Schools) wrote at 1:33pm on December 7th, 2008
i agree. it's actually part of why i'm taking time off of school for the rest of the year. i feel like i need to give back somehow whether it's helping god's animals, his people, or his earth. a lot of this i have learned through my parents about how important it is to recycle, give at least 10% of earnings to charity, share our home with whoever needs a bed or a meal, and most importantly accepting people. i think the most valuable lesson i have learned from my parents is to accept people whether they are straight, homosexual, purple, brown, white, short, fat, tall, or skinny. jon- it also frustrates me a lot on the whole aspect of how some christians think they can decide who gets into heaven or not. i believe that my homosexual and athiest friends as just as awesome people if not MORE awesome than some of my "christian" friends. that is why i hesitate to call myself a christian sometimes, i don't know what i am, i believe in something, but i don't know what it is, and right now i am perfectly happy knowing that i don't have to define my god, i just live by what i know it means to be a good person.

Danae King (Bluffton) wrote at 2:11pm on December 7th, 2008
Good question, Matt!

Jonathon McKenna (Akron, OH) wrote at 2:45pm on December 7th, 2008
"How is it that I am typing this from my 5 month old Macbook, sitting in my dorm room which I am paying thousands of dollars to live in to go to my Christian college? Thousands of dollars that could have been used to do so many different things"My recent thoughts over the past few days can really identify with this quote... the thing is, I'm even planning on saving up for a mac computer package more expensive than just a macbook... My personal passion is children/youth. I want to give my living life to them so bad!The church across the stree from the college I attend is going to be purchasing new carpet... CARPET!!! What difference does a carpet make to growing in Christ? My dream is to work in a church with cement floors!


Brooke Gugel wrote at 3:02pm on December 7th, 2008
Matt, i say it's because we're just finding our voices and searching for other people to help make our cry louder and heard. The change is happening to us as individuals and we're all trying to find the others who share out passion. Facebook is a place to do that...still don't let our voices be quieted or limited to facebook. Let God speak through our actions and let us be amazed at what God is forming. For God's work on this is just beginning


Deb Horst wrote at 3:56pm on December 7th, 2008
Ya'll need to read Shane Claiborne and Brian McClaren. They'll get you fired up. I agree with you Jon, and I am trying to figure out what it means for me, so don't think it is just your age group! I want to light fires under the butts of my own age group!!!


Matthew Ryan Lehman (Hesston) wrote at 5:25pm on December 7th, 2008
I don't know, Brooke...people have been crying out against this for thousands of years, starting all the way back with Jesus. I just feel like God's work on this can't be just beginning...as cynical as this may sound, I almost feel like I/we am/are stuck in cycle of not being able to break away from our worldly views. It seems like Facebook is just another vehicle for people to say "oh...there's a problem. Well, now that the problem has been spotted, we're good to go, moving on". I may be going too far here, but are any of us really going to sell our five-month old macbooks and not attend our thousand-dollar Mennonite colleges after reading this note? I know I am not going to. Part of the reason for that is I believe God is calling me to go to my Mennonite college, but all the same. Saying we have cancer is no replacement for chemotherapy.


David Lioi wrote at 5:33pm on December 7th, 2008
Perhaps we can look at this by comparing our possessions, college, cars, middle class upbringing etc. to our abilities also granted by God. Perhaps it is not that we should be appalled that we have abilities or possessions but that we should be concerned with how we use them. For example if I have an ability and I use it only for selfish reasons then it would be better if I didn't have it at all. However, if I use it for unselfish purposes then it has does have constructive meaning. The same goes for our possessions and all these things we have been granted. This laptop I am using now allows me to access so many resources and do so many things that I would have been unable to do otherwise, just as my right hand allows me do so many things I would have been unable to do before. I am not defending materialism, it is one of the things I most dislike about Western culture for numerous reasons. I just want to point out that while we often find ourselves disgusted with the way things are we must not forget to rejoice when God blesses.


Jonathon McKenna (Akron, OH) wrote at 6:14pm on December 7th, 2008
good point David Lioi, Matt, you are right. People have been crying out for many years and the problem still exists. "There will always be poor with you" (Jesus, Matthew 26:11). I'm not trying to change the world... I'm trying to change the world for those to whom God will call me. Helping one person is huge! HUGE! Helping two, three, four? I think lots of people don't think about the amazingly great value of changing the world for just one person.


Brooke Gugel wrote at 8:01pm on December 7th, 2008
tuche' Matt, God's work on this has been going on for a long time, people have been crying out for a long time. Maybe the financially poor have much to teach the rich,"In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” Mark 10:25look at Mt 26:6-13; it is the story of the finianically woman who poors expensive purfume on Jesus. The disciples thought this was wrong, she should have sold it to help the finanically poor. Jesus says that what she did was just. Why? She used what she had to honor God in the way she was compelled, or called.Not to justify our laptops/expensive purfume or other material things, but having them is not what is wrong (unless a person goes against his or her contious to purchase this obect, if the Spirit is telling one not to, he or she should not. if he or she does, the posesstion will never be enjoyed), it is how we utilize these things. For example, some peoples vocations require 4+ college for them to perform. This takes a lot of money, yet the studies/degrees are required. Paul took somewhere between 3-14 years to prepare for his missional journey.on a slightly different, yet applicable note. I recently went to the National Youth Workers convention in Pittsburgh, PA; while there a speaker (I am unable to find her name right now, but I will look for it when I return home) shared about the history of the Church. She showed how every 500 years the chuch goes through a reform, and we are in that reform right now! What an exciting time to be alive! We have a huge change to awaken church.We have the chance to reveal to people what being a Christian reall means. our society has made Christianity a Sunday morning thing (rather we've made Christianity an UnChristian lifestyle), but God is not just a Sunday god. If we want to show people what being a Christian means we must live the lifestyle. Following the bible, being good stuards of our money and actions.


Brooke Gugel wrote at 8:10pm on December 7th, 2008
The woman who spoke was Phillis Tickle


Matthew Ryan Lehman (Hesston) wrote at 8:12pm on December 7th, 2008
okay, on a totally not serious note, I really wish I could change my last name to 'tickle'

David Lioi wrote at 8:16pm on December 7th, 2008
ooh, ooh! if anybody has roughly five minutes of free time go google "the weight of glory" by c. s. lewis and read the first page or so. It's almost exactly what we are talking about.


Aislinn Joy Dunster (Central Christian Schools) wroteat 8:21pm on December 7th, 2008
i agree with matt. i would really like to change my last name to tickle.


Joy Mo (Mckinley Senior High School) wrote at 8:31pm on December 7th, 2008
Yes, Jonathon. Yes, Ellie Martin.


Glen King (Akron, OH) wrote at 9:31pm on December 7th, 2008
You go Kids!!!! You guys are a breath fresh air. What an awesome next generation. to those of you that know me...I love you guys!!


Austin D. Miller (Bangladesh) wrote at 12:27am on December 8th, 2008
I live in a developing country, see the poor every day and am actually trying to live my life trying to address that poverty. One "trap" I fall into is labeling "the poor" as "the poor" which I think dehumanizes them as individuals in my mind and is a barrier to relationship. I think one thing that a follower of Christ who is from a materially affluent society can reflect on is their poverty in other areas of life and learn some lessons from those who are less materially affluent. Materialism is just as deadly of a disease for those living in material poverty as it is for us. It is a belief that there is not much more to this world than what I can experience...it kills faith...belief in the invisible and the impossible. Being a Christian materialist is an oxymoron. The materially poor on the other hand can celebrate the riches that they do have. The wealth of interdependent relationships, sacrificial hospitality and the list goes on. Do I "feel" closer to God because I am "helping" "the poor"? No. Feelings come and go. I am learning a lot however from the friendships I have with people who are less materially affluent than me. I am trying not to categorize them. My thoughts of late have been heavily influenced by the writings and life of Henry Nouwen. This conversation is great and I believe not in vain if for even one person it is the catalyst for some small change. Thank you for your thoughts one and all.


Brooke Gugel wrote at 3:03pm on December 8th, 2008
" Materialism is just as deadly of a disease for those living in material poverty as it is for us. " Thanks Austin, I completely agree that materiaalism is a deadly disease and you bring up a good point. Ido have a question, for the sake of this discussion which encircles those with a lot of material wealth versus those without that barrier, how should one address this situation without noting a difference between the two?


Philip de Oliveira (Mckinley Senior High School) wrote at 4:02pm on December 8th, 2008
Let's be fair, God is not against comfort and wealth. Throwing out all you have is not only poor stewardship, but it won't make you any more holy as a result. You made very good, if not very widely accepted points. Try to be sure you don't go to extremes, as these counter-culture epiphanies often justify their presence by going overboard.


Jonathon McKenna (Akron, OH) wrote at 4:44pm on December 8th, 2008
"Throwing out all you have is not only poor stewardship, but it won't make you any more holy as a result." Of course nobody is suggesting giving up everything, just everything we don't need. Anything more than what we need is a waste to have. Throwing out all that you don't need, not for the sake of throwing it out, but for the sake of giving something to those who's needs are not met, that is the best sort of material stewardship there is!

Austin D. Miller (Bangladesh) wrote at 8:51pm on December 8th, 2008
In response to Brooke's "how should one address this situation without noting a difference between the two?" I think the difference should be noted in the same way that we note differences in gender. Honor and respect are central. On the wealthy side we have the challenge not to be condescending to those with less education, less "style"... On the flip side, we need to honor those with less and what they have to offer us. In my context it means not refusing a cup of tea or food offered me (whether or not it might give me diarrhea). It may mean kissing "my" rigid schedule goodbye. Living among the poor, I realize the stark power I have in the form of buying power and influence. I cannot take that power for granted or shrug it off. Power is a burden for those following Christ. The more power we have the more we have to surrender it to "THE Power" and use it in His Kingdom.In reply to Philip, "Try to be sure you don't go to extremes, as these counter-culture epiphanies often justify their presence by going overboard." I would disagree. Most of my heroes went to extremes and way overboard not just in what they said in their equivalent of Facebook but in their lifestyle. From Gandhi, to MLK to Mother Teresa, brother Shane, Schindler, even Jesus (ha!). Most of these people probably wouldn't like to see their name on a list like this so I'll stop, but I think you get the picture. I believe we should live in a way that is radical to our culture but normal in the Kingdom. When we pray (if we pray) Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven, what vision do we receive? How do we enter into that. We need to use our imagination. We need prophets, singers, poets and artists to stimulate that imagination, to imagine for us the possibilities of the Kingdom. As an artist myself I too often find that I am promoting myself for reasons that are far from the kingdom. I am struggling to find what using my creativity and imagination in the kingdom will look like. I stumble a lot.


Austin D. Miller (Bangladesh) wrote at 8:53pm on December 8th, 2008
Finally in response to Mr. McKenna, I would like to add that a discussion about contentment is a necessary addition to this conversation. It gives you peace from the unhealthy striving for things. It gives you restraint when you are thinking of creating yet another wishlist on Amazon ( guilty ;-( ), when you are browsing Ebay... It also frees us to be generous with what we have, to hold onto the material very lightly. Thoughts on contentment anyone?


Brooke Gugel wrote at 4:48pm yesterday
I understand, thanks for the answer Austin.As for my thoughts on contentment, i've writen several papers this semsester on 'the good life'. as a quick quick recap: In my Biblical World View Class we discussed Aristotle's view of the good life. Aristotle did not believe that happiness was in amusement, in this discussion amusement is the material stuff, rather to Aristotle Happines is found in the 'final end of human action.' Our materialistic stuff will not give us complete happiness (or contentment) we will stive for more and more stuff which causes us to stress more and more; however, if we strive to follow God we will find contentment in what we posses (and in a materialistic society we may come to desire less of what we own) because we believe God is our provider (Matthew 6:33). If we search for God, God will guide us, and the more we search for God we will learn to swtich our focus from ourselves to other, this seeing others needs as more important than our own ( look at Matthew 22:36-40). If we love our neighbors, we will care for our neighbor, and if everyone cares for everyone else...everyones need will be met. if that summery does justice, and makes sense. I will be posting my papers from this semester on my blog http://beinggugel.blogspot.com/ if anyone is interesting in reading more keep looking I will begin putting them up next week. Oh, I also wanted to copy this conversation onto the blog so that more people can see what we are discussing, if anyone wishes for me to not place his or her contribution to the discussion on the websightt please let me know by tomorrow.


Jonathon McKenna (Akron, OH) wrote at 8:10pm yesterday
Contentment is most definately the answer (or part of it anyways)! That is right in line with what I was thinking.


Brooke Gugel wrote at 8:53pm yesterday
On the note of contentment, 1 Timothy 6: 6-8"Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content."contentment is wealth because when we are content we are happy with what we have and desire no more....materially at least. Spiritually I feel we should always strive to see God more.

It's true

The rumor is true, next semester I will be at Hesston College in Kansas. Please do not miss understand, Bluffton University is a wonderful University. In a nut shell, I am transferring because I can get my associates degree at Hesston (Bluffton does not offer an associates degree program).

Why would I want to have my associates degree and not my bachelors? Well, I do not expect everyone to understand, but this is the real reason. My major is Youth Ministries; however, I do not believe that I will be in a paid position in this area. It does not mean that I believe that people who are paid youth ministers or paid by youth organizations are wrong or any such thing; I simply do not believe that is the path I am to travel down. I believe that I can do what I feel called to do with my two year associates degree just as easily as I could with a four year bachelors degree. Since I probably will not be making money in the field of youth ministry it is hard to justify spending four years in college and accumulating a lot of debt when I can finish in two years. I will then have half of the debt.

What I feel called to do right now is to work in a youth center. I will work as a waitress, secretary, or whatever I have to work as to live; however, my joy will be serving others when I am not working. Since I will have half of the debt it will be easier to serve because I wont be held back by all of the debt.

My friends here at Bluffton are sad to see me go, yet they all have listened and talked with me about it and agree that transferring out to Hesston is the right thing to do. They have helped me a lot, discussing both sides of the issue with me and agreeing that I am not dumb for not desiring to make money in my major. My family, friends, mom, and dad have also listened and discussed my transfer with me. While not everybody thinks that going to college with a major that I do not want to make money in is the smartest thing (there really is not anything else I can even imagine majoring in), most have encouraged me and supported me agreeing that life is so much more than money.

In just a few days more than a month I will pack up and leave Bluffton with only a very small chance of ever returning as a student (only about a 7% chance). In January I will head out to Kansas to make new friends, learn the rhythm of a new campus, and start classes.

Many of you will remember the time I spent praying over Bluffton and making sure that this is the place I was suppose to come; let me add that I still believe with all of my heart that I was suppose to be here for this semester. Why? I am not completely sure right now, and may never know; maybe I was suppose to take a certain class, have a certain conversation, talk to a certain professor, meet the amazing friends that I have here, have some certain adventure or something else...maybe I'll know someday, but maybe not. Either way, I am so glad that I am here at Bluffton for this semester.

God revealing Godself

Forcing God to fit inside my understanding of God is something I avoid. Instead I strive to see and hear God in new ways. God generally reveals Godself in two ways, through general revelation and through special revelation. General revelation is how God communicates to everyone, even if he or she does not have a personal relationship with God (Keeler, 1). Special revelation is more personal and enabled when a person has an intimate relationship with God (Keeler, 4). Randy Keeler categorized special revelations into seven groups which include a phenomenon plus a voice (Exodus 3:3-6), a supernatural messenger (Hebrews 13:2), dreams and visions (Acts 16:9), audible voice (1 Samuel 3), the human voice (1 Corinthians 2:1-5), the human spirit (Romans 12:1-2), and through the scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Experiencing God directly through special revelation does not make a person any better than someone who does not experience God through special revelation; in truth, one should be aware that he or she may not have correctly heard from God. In my walk with Christ, I have encountered special revelation through the human spirit, through scriptures, and through the human voice.

“God desires to speak to us; we just have to be listening.” (Keeler, 3). How true these words ring, especially when I recall about a year ago in the winter of 2007 when I was experiencing difficult times. Unhappy with life and desiring change I called out to God in desperation knowing that God was the only solution. I spent a lot of time reading the bible and praying by myself. I was weary and continuously cried out to God for help repeating the words “God, I trust you,” because I knew that God was on my side. I sat in God’s lap burying my face in his arms clinging to God for strength. Then a still small voice came, bringing peace and calm to my weary soul. Though the still small voice did not speak, the silence carried the answer. Peace, calm, trust, somehow I understood that it would be okay. Romans 12:2 reads “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is –his good, pleasing and perfect will.” It was at that time that my mind was renewed by God; it was then that I began to understand that God’s will for me was to rest in God’s lap and allow his peace and love to cover me.

It was only a few days after this while I was reading the bible that I came across Psalm 138. In this Psalm David is worshiping God and praising God for being God and helping him through the hard times. It seemed as if I had written the Psalm myself. Verse 3 reads “When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.” After I had collapsed into God’s love, God began to revive my soul and fill me with God’s joy. Psalm 138 spoke to me by putting into words all of the things I did not know how to say to God, but had desired to sing to God since God had restored my soul. For me it was true that, “Though I walk through the midst of trouble, you preserve my life.” (Psalm 138:7). All of my difficulties had not magically disappeared; however, the burden of my difficulties had been lifted from my shoulders. I knew that harder difficulties were only a few steps in front of me, yet God was leading the way making the challenges easier to bear.

My eldest brother Shaun passed away in a car accident on September 11, 1998. He was only sixteen years old and on his drive home from school he lost control of his car and it crashed into a tree. This year marked his ten year death anniversary, and I was stuck at college far away from the love and comfort of my family and friends who knew Shaun. As soon as I awoke on Thursday I carried grief and loneliness, people at college did not know that I had a brother who died, and if I told people most of them would undoubtedly step awkwardly back whisper an apology and change the subject. None of which would help. I slowly started to prepare for chapel and thought about going back to bed and hiding the entire day when my phone rang. It was my high school youth pastor calling to see how I was doing; she had remembered and wanted to let me know that she was praying for me and my family. God used her to reveal God’s love to me. After lunch I was feeling alone again when I mentioned to Laurin Waidelich that it was the anniversary of my brother’s death, again God’s love was revealed to me because Laurin did not back away awkwardly; instead she reached out to comfort me and wanted to hear more. Throughout the day whenever I felt alone and unloved God sent a message of love through a different person. The human voice is used when God uses humans to reveal God’s truth to one another (Keeler, 8). When I laid down that evening I expected to feel sad and reflect back on a day of sorrow; however, as I looked back I could only see love and comfort flowing from God’s people lifting me, a sad child of God, while I grieved the loss of my big brother Shaun.

Special revelations may not always miraculously solve problems or clear a path; however, they do provide support from God that enables people to continue on through struggles, or towards hard times. Moses had a speech impediment, and God told him through the phenomena of a burning bush plus a voice that he would lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Obviously not a special revelation that solved any problems for Moses; in fact, this special revelation carried Moses on a long and hard journey. Moses did not make this challenging journey alone; God went with him and led the way. When I was comforted with the peace of the still small voice my hardships did not disappear; in fact, they continued on for several months, yet I was enabled to endure the hardships and be joyful because God was with me. Scriptures enabled me to worship my Lord more fully by putting into words the song that was within my soul. My community of faith comforted me and lifted me up because they took the time to sit with me in my grief and allow God to love me through them. “We live by faith, not by sight,” 2 Corinthians 5:7, in faith we trust God which in turn enables God to reveal Godself to us through special revelations.


Bibliography
Keeler, Randy. Jenzabar handout ministry unit session 1. How Does God Call us? 20 September 2008.
NIV Archaeological Study Bible. Grand Rapids: The Zondervan Corporation. 2005.


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Writen for Biblical World View: Practical Ministry: Professor Randy Keeler

maybe i shouldn't go home

Last Wednesday evening just after 7 I got into my wonderful '91 Honda Civic to head home for a dentist appointment I had on Thursday morning. I had not been home since I came down to Bluffton and was looking forward to being home in an hour and a half.



Five hours later I arrive at home.



I was turning onto 108 when my car started acting strange. My lights dimmed, my radio turned off, and my RPMs were bouncing all around. Soon it returned to normal and I went through the town of Miller City. Of course when I re-enter the country my car starts acting up again. so I called my mom who was at church working with the Junior Highers (yes my mom, why? because my dad was on a mission trip in Mexico) and explained to her what was going on, she told me to call Caleb (my brother) in Fort Wayne.



While I was on the phone with Caleb my cars RPMs read 0, my lights dimmed more and more, and my radio quit again. In other words, my car died. I tried to pull off the road, but the ditch was steep, i tried to turn on my hazard lights, but they didn't work. On top of this, my phone is dieing, and i am in the middle of the country with no lights around.



The car that was a distance behind me slows down and pulls of the road in front of me. An older gentleman got out of the car and helped me get it off the road more. At this time another car stops behind me and two farm guys get out who luckily new the owners of the farm across the street. They helped me push the car into an old farm drive way and the older gentleman who stopped first offered to take me as far a Napoleon.



So, I got into the car with this stranger. Since my phone was dieing I used his cellphone to call my mom and let her know where I  was exactly and that I'd meet her at the Napoleon Walmart (about 1/2 hour drive from where I was). I turned off my phone so save the battery in case I'd need it again and let Caleb know what was going on. He was not happy.



Harry B was the man's name and for the next half-hour we got to know each other. He was born in Germany, he was in Vietnam for a while, lived in Holgate for 6 years (a little town that we passed through on the way to Napoleon), and now lives in Napoleon. We talked about his daughters, my siblings, politics, the economy, the radio and how the news is so slanted, and all kinds of little things.



I called my mom when we arrived at Walmart, but she wasn't there yet so I told Harry that I'd walk around Walmart until she got there, thanked him and got out of the car.



When my mom got there she informed me that Nate and Paul Andre offered to drive out, load my car on their trailer and take drop it off in my grandma's shop. So we waited for them to arrive and headed back to my car.



On the way Nate got a phone call, he had previously arranged for my youth pastor Wendell to drive his truck into Archbold and drop the keys in a drop box at a shop. So Wendell drove a truck to the shop and left it there.

Meanwhile another man named Doug back at church is wondering who stole his truck out of the parking lot. Wendell called Doug's house because he had a question about the Internet, since nobody was home he left a message that said "hey Doug, give me a call." Back at church the police are about ready to be called since nobody is claiming the stolen truck as a prank ( I am still unaware of whether the police were called or not). Somehow Wendel and Doug got a hold of each other and the mystery was solved. Now Nate and Doug had to get the right trucks in the right places.

On our end of the phone the conversation is finished and we're almost to my car. Once we found it and got it loaded we head back into Napoleon first (so we could get my moms car) and then to my grandma's shop outside of Wauseon. By the time I finally arrive home it is almost midnight, and I am tired, and hungry (I didn't eat supper on campus. I work until 7 and decided to just wait another 1.5 hours until I was home so that I could have so tasty home cooked left overs).

My mom and I, being the wonderful mechanics we are, diagnosed the car as having an alternator problem. I did the stuff I had to do around home and I drove my dad's Caviler back to Bluffton.

Some trip home. I was expecting a nice stress free 1.5 hour trip and a nice relaxing time; instead I had a nerve racking, hitch hiking, 5 hour trip home. Thank goodness for my church family for helping me get my car home, and praying for me as soon as they learned that I was riding in a car with a stranger and having a stressful night. Still, looking back, it was a great adventure and I'd so do it again!

10 years gone. 10 years loved strong.

As many of you know this past Thursday, September 11, was the anniversary of my brother Shaun's death. It had been ten years, hard to believe I've lived that long without him. One scraggly looking tree took my big brother, that's crap. Especially considering that dumb tree came down a few years later in a storm. The tree took a hit from a Chevette, but not a storm...

Anyway, I'm down here at Bluffton away from everyone who knew my brother, and anyone who'd supported and comforted in past years on this day --or any time I needed a friend to bear my heavy heart with me. I went to bed Wednesday dreading the next morning and rethinking through my memories of Shaun, and reliving the day he died.
Thursday morning arrived way to soon accompanied immediately by loneliness and dread. I dragged myself out of bed so that I could get ready for Chapel. As I got ready I again relived the last day, thinking about how pleasant and trouble free my life had been 10 years ago at this time. Sitting in my third grade class listening to Mrs. Markley and loving life. If only life could be frozen in time to protect my innocent naive look at the world which was about to cave in.
10 minutes before I had to drag myself to chapel my cellphone rang. I answered it to hear the love of God coming from my high school youth pastor Melanie Nofziger. She remembered what the day held for me and my family and called to let me know that she was thinking and praying for me and my family. I was taken aback by how amazing God was, I was debating whether or not to leave my dorm for chapel because I didn't want to face a bunch of happy people who didn't know and therefore wouldn't notice or care. I knew it would come across to me this way even though it isn't true they were all simply unaware. Still, it wouldn't make the day anymore bearable to see them. Then God steps in to remind me that I'm not alone, that people love and care. Melanie's call gave me to boost I needed to leave my dorm and head to Chapel.
On the way back from lunch I opened up to Laurin and she was there for me. She lovingly wanted to share my pain and even asked to hear the story of his death. This was the second time I got to see God's love. Just by listening Laurin helped me feel not alone, she was willing to climb into my sadness and just be.
I called my parents and talked to them for a little bit in the afternoon, it was good to talk to family and support them as they supported me.
I was headed to work feeling alone again when Jamie Hill, a girl from high school, texted me at 5:11 to let me know that she was praying for me. I was amazed that a girl who hadn't seen me in months cared enough to drop a note, another God moment.
That night I was still feeling low so I went into Findley to spend some time with my best friend Nicole. Over a fruitista from Taco Bell we caught up and listened to each other. Just being together again we helped each other... no magical cure of happiness, but just listening to each other and supporting each other helped to tare down the walls of loneliness.

Thank God for never leaving me, and for constantly announcing his love for me all day. Each time I hit the bottom he sent love and comfort through unexpected friends. Thank you to each and every person who remembered. The prayers, calls, and notes are much appreciated and felt.

Welcome yo

Happy Friday! I've been at Bluffton for a week now and it's good. Rachel had already been here for a week since she is mega cool and runs Cross Country. Way to be Rachel!
The girls on my floor are loads of fun and filled with giggles. The floor did a little photo scavenger hunt that has produced some entertaining photos. Laurin and Rachel also got some good surprise shots of me talking on the phone and trying to "de-spot" my comforter.

Classes are going great, I really don't have much to say about them at this point...sorry. I've been working in Centennial as a housekeeper. Shannon and I clean the classrooms on the first floor before we split off. She then heads to the top of the stairs to sweep and then she cleans the ground floor bathrooms. I head to the first floor bathrooms and doors (boo finger prints).

Laurin's brother Caleb went to Hesston and roomed with my brother Caleb; go figure that she and I would end up on the same floor at Bluffton and being good friends.

Last night Rachel, Laurin, and I decided that we should head out to the Findlay Walmart to get some stuff. Since we were headed into Findlay I called Nicole and Laurin called her buddy Katie. While Laurin was on the phone with Katie and I was the phone with Nicole we got the two of them to meet up with each other some place on the Findlay campus at 8:45, so that Katie could drive the two of them to the Walmart we were meeting at. Back on our end we figured out directions to the Walmart (and double checked to make sure we were all headed to the same store). On the drive Rachel took the remote and searched for any radio station that would come in (I'd left all of my CDs in the dorm) we programed all of them into my radio...a few of them were okay. Most importantly the radio station search entertained us.

Walmart was good fun, but it was more fun to stop at the Findlay campus to see out friends dorms, and a tiny bit of the campus. We all enjoyed our short catch up time and then we parted for Bluffton. Good times.

So maybe that all sounded lame...and if you weren't with us that is just fine. I don't think any of us care what you think, but if you'd been there you would understand.

Blessings yo, and have a happy Friday night

Real Like Bob

Last weekend Hershy, Nick, and I went to Mugswigs in Canton for some amazing coffee. They'd been talking about it since staff training and we finally found the time to go. David, and I had gone to Nick's house before hand to climb the silo and watch the sunset; however, the clouds didn't cooperate and so the sunset was blocked from our view. So after watching a plane land, we went to the airport and checked out some mega cool planes. David wasn't up for coffee so we dropped in off at camp and met up with Hershy at Mugswigs around 10:30pm. The place was packed so we all went and played with the giant marble ball thing in Canton and then got our coffee. Since the place was still full, we took our drinks to go and wondered around Canton. We ended up in a random green patch with picnic tables so we sat down. Twenty minutes later a 39 year old man walked up to us and sat down at the table. Over the next two hours we talked to this man about politics, drugs and his experiences with them, sex, his job, and all kinds of things going on in his life and Canton. Before he left I asked him if we could pray with him. He looked quite surprised and said that he didn't know that we were that type of people and how he was so sorry that he'd been cussing so much, etc. We reassured him that we were not the least bit upset and after 10 more minutes of random conversations Bob brought back up the prayer and we all held hands and prayed. After we said "Amen," Bob looked at me and said "I'm going to give you a hug. Do you know why?" I replayed that I didn't and he said "Do you know why? I'll tell you after I give you a hug. I'll give you a hug first." So he gave me a hug and said "Do you know why I gave you that hug? I gave you the hug because you are the only woman who has every really listened to what I said." In my prayer I had repeated some of the things which he had told us and it proved to Bob that I was listening and actually cared. He picked at a Coach key chain that somebody had left on the picnic table and handed it to me saying that I was like a coach to him because I listened to him. All we did was welcome Bob's conversation and listen instead of pushing him away because he was a homeless stranger, and through us God was able to reveal His love to Bob.

I got back to camp at 4am and was stilled pumped about our time with Bob. What happened that night is something that I have wanted to do for a long time and would love to do for the rest of my life. I want to sit and be with people, on their level. To many people sit in their comfortable homes on their comfortable couches, not giving a rip about the people outside their door or in the streets. If they even see the people they brush right past them and ignore them. Excuse me, but we all deserve to be respected and listened to. Stop looking down on people who don't have all of the luxury's you have and look them in the eyes and get to know their hearts. Everybody is hurting in this world, the least we can do is share God's love while we walk with each other down path of life. Besides who wants to spend life walking down a road alone?

Please remember Bob in your prayers as he doesn't yet know Jesus.

God Bless,
Brooke Gugel

First Day of Summer?

oh my, life since graduation...wow
So I chilled at at my Wauseon home for a week, had my last piano recital with Mrs. Bruce on Sunday and headed for Camp Luz as soon as that was over.
For the first week I trained with Everett and Heidi for Outpost camp (Tim is doing outpost as well, but he was still doing school stuff...sad day)! On Wednesday of that week the three of us were joined by some other uber cool people and trained on the Ropes Course --Complete with a test from Mandrew-- Everett also got us all certified in Basic First Aid and CPR from the Red Cross. Woot Woot! Gotta love them there classes.
So when I graduated I was uber excited to be done with schooling and tests for a while...so much for that idea. Add Mandrew's test to all of the Red Cross tests and you come up with 5 tests in one week of summer. But it's all good, many memories compliment the week.
Most everybody else came out for regular staff training June 9. Talk about being mega excited! really missed my camp family and enjoyed the reunion and the time spent getting to know the first year staff.
I had hoped to head off to camp and leave the rest of my thoughts behind me, but God had other plans. My last Wednesday night spent with my youth group was a big thing the pulled me down. Some people came in to pray over and prophesies for us. Most of what they said settled with me, but there was one comment that slid into the mix about my college major that shook me up. God and I spent a lot of time discussing my college choice and major. So that with several other things made my time rough, but good. God has been stretching, bending, breaking, and re-shaping every part of me. With His craftsmanship, this current restoration will be amazing to look back upon in hindsight.

I was planning on leaving staff training Friday evening to be ready to leave with my youth group Saturday at 7:30AM; however, that did not happen. My mother told be to head back to camp and wait out a bad storm that I was going to have to drive in from Wooster to Norwalk (Wauseon had awful storms that whole week, some with 100mph winds. She didn't want me to be caught up in a similar storm). So I made a u-turn and headed back for camp. washed my laundry, packed a lunch, and all that jazz. --Side note, thank you to whoever folded my laundry, that meant a lot to me, and lifted my spirits.--So I left Saturday morning at 4:15am after 2 hours of sleep for a 3 hour drive that ended in the Church parking lot. I stopped for coffee, but nobody would come to the counter to take my order so I got back in my car and used good-ol' water to keep me awake. My wonderful parents came to the church to say say hello and goodbye and off I went with my youth group to Reading, PA.
We spent the week at New Hope Community Center, a church that is being refurbished. I will admit, I did not want to leave camp and go. Hindsight, even though the week was quite unorganized, God worked. We did a little work in the church, cleaned a park and some streets, and enjoyed some street ministry, but what I loved the most was just being out in the city with the people! A group of us went out to find ice cream and after asking several people for directions found the place only to discover that the store clerks only spoke Spanish, (which didn't surprise us, we lived that week in a Spanish-speaking area, and were the minority) God placed one man who spoke a tiny bit of English in the store and he translated for us. I asked him which flavor was best and he recommended the coconut...it was quite tasty! The ice cream was tasty and only $1, so several of us happily found our way back to the store for more ice cream. Our translator was there again and this time I had some cheesecake, and then a short conversation with my new friend!
God placed Melanie, my youth pastor, all around me that week and enabled her to help me process and let go of the prophetic words that were weighing heavily on my spirit. One tid-bit of wisdom that helped a great deal was "if it doesn't settle with your spirit; it isn't from God." She reminded me to test the words against the scriptures, and then my own heart. Thursday evening Ralf, the local youth pastor, shared with several other men, and a woman, adding their wisdom. At the end they had some prophetic time as well. I sat in my seat most of the time just watching and not wanting to go forward and be hurt again. I was praying to God telling Him that I did not desire to spend 3+ weeks working on clean up again. My filter of truth was in place and I just sat back praying and watching. Tessa approached me and said she was sent to comfort me. I wasn't going to stand by myself and take another hit from something that was/is suppose to be of God. Tessa and a few others offered to stand with me, and they did. The words spoken settled with my soul, as I carefully fed them through the filter God and I set up. God is good.
We woke early this morning and headed home, after 10 hours in a Van, with a 2-year old that was running a fever (God, please bring peace to Becca) we were back in Wauseon.
This weekend has sleep, laundry, graduation parties, and Libbey's benefit before I head off to Camp Luz again!
God Bless, and happy first official day of summer!

'08 Graduation

Guess who finally graduated!! Woot Woot! Nicole and I carpooled in my amazing '91 Civic with some amazing music pounding out of my system. We found that the song "Whatcha gonna do with it" by Family Force 5 sounds mega amazing coming out of my speakers; it sounds almost like it was created for my car. ;-)

Saturday night I was running a fever and felt like crap, the later it got, the worse I felt. I went to bed praying that God would help me make it through the graduation ceremony and my party. In the morning I still did not feel to hot, but I couldn't skip church because I was being commissioned for Camp Luz. I got up, took some medicine and got ready for church. I had a headache most of the day, but I was at least better enough to smile and pretend to be healthy! Nicole showed up to my party with 9 herbal pills she got from her mom that were suppose to help me get better. I definitely felt like a giant pill popper when I took them, but they did seem to help! Yeah herbs!

My family and I estimate that over 200 people came to my grandma's for my party. I felt loved and honored. I am also quite thankful to my Iowa cousins Lisa and Tasha who served that tasty soup and delicious ice cream roll. Thanks ladies!

Ethan showed up in his promised yellow shorts that had believe written on the butt. They were mega amazing! After he, Jeni, Nicole and I saw Juno Ethan told us that he had shorts like the runners, which had made me burst out in laughter every time they came on the screen, and he promised to wear them to my party! I think what made them even better were his tall argyle socks. hehe, way to be Ethan!

Senior Prom

1. Yeah, so prom was May 3, it was super amazing!
   I took Rachel (my fall roommate)! Nicole took Taylor, who fit into our group like beef on a cattle farm! The four of us went to the Barn restaurant to eat before hand and had plenty of people staring and complimenting. One lady actually came up to our table and asked Taylor how he managed to get 3 ladies to dress up for him....I'm not gonna lie, we all thought it was a bit awkward, especially since none of us actually understood what she said for about 30 seconds. Rachel hid my purse while I was in the restroom..darn woman, what kind of date is she ;-) just kidding, I am SO GLAD SHE came with me! haha, her off the wall stuff really cracked us all up. For example, While we were eating Rachel stops and stairs at the wall, which is covered with antique tools, and after a bit declares "I have a random question.." Taylor and I looked at the wall, then at each other wondering what kind of question she had. Then she stated "Why did we choose to eat at the Barn instead of some place closer?" Haha, well, maybe you had to be there Taylor and I were quite confused for a second. Then I realized what was going on and pointed out that if we wanted to eat at a place between our house and prom we'd have to eat at the Country Dip, which is a small ice cream shop with picnic tables.
   Prom was at the Valleywood Country Club in Swanton. A very nice place, except someone felt compelled to make sure that there were enough chairs around tables so that everybody could sit down at the same time. Which was silly because, well, we did not eat at prom therefore the table and chairs were basically irrelevant. Wait, they did hold our party favor gift bags (which could have just as easily been put somwhere else). This year one person at every table received a garder in their gift bag, if you look at the picture with Josh you can see he was the lucky winner at his table. I really thought it was a weird thing to give out a prom....but whatever. : ) Our DJ was great! While he did play a lot of rap songs; however, he was the most diverse DJ I have heard at an Evergreen dance. He played some rock, country, and of corse Techno! Nicole, Taylor, Rachel, and I squeezed onto the super small dance floor (which was made bigger after the first song because several people decided to push some of the tables away from the floor) and partied all night! The small dance floor filled with thousands of crazy dance moves that made the place crazy hot! Every 4-5 songs we would squeeze our way off the floor and head for the porch to get some cool and refreshing air. Man, I do not think I have ever danced that much, or that crazy, before! None of us are fans of the grose "all over eachother" dancing, so we started our own crew, and dropped our own moves with the rythm! Haha, we all busted some great moves!
   Rachel had to get to work at Subway by 11 the next day, so she and I got up for 1st service which starts at 9:00am. That was brutal! After prom we all headed to the high school for after prom (imagine that). After doing their inflatable obstacle course, money machine, and a few other games we headed to the media center and played Would You Rather for.....a long time. By 2:30am none of us had enough energy (all that dancing) to remember our first option so each card had to be read 3-4 times before we all could make a choice. I became slap happy and was unable to stop laughing for more that 45seconds. We tried to play Battle of the Sexes, but none of us wanted to read the directions. Whatever we did kinda worked because we had a grand time. A few other people dropped in to find out what the excitement was (there was a hypnotist in the gym and 2 other people were not interested, so they joined us and had WAY MORE FUN), still the boys were unable to tell the girls what a colander was...According to the guys a colander is some article of clothing/accessory that girls wear. After after prom was over (at 3:30am), we went got into Taylor's spiffy BMW (okay, so he borrowed the car) only to discover that the battery was dead! We did not leave the lights on, or do anything that would cause the battery to die, Taylor was later informed that the car just didn't have a good battery (Hey, thanks for the heads up)! I got out of the car and headed back into the school to find someone with jumper cables who could jump us (it may have had cables in it, but none of us knew where). Bethal jumped us and we got back home sometime after 4...morning came too soon! But it was an awesome sermon by Ron about the simplicity of being saved, seriously it was good. Sunday I got home picked up a blanket and went for a walk., my destination was my favorite place and a good nap! Haha, what I wanted--and needed--was sleep, but I could NOT waste the beautiful day God made, so I enjoyed them both! I only slept an hour though, I was awakened by a cold that my date gave me (thanks Rachel)! Haha, I should have known better than to take a sip of her mountain Dew when she said that it tasted a little weird....oh well, I am pretty much over the cold now. Basically, prom was great, and I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT!

change?

Looking back a year, I've changed so much.

First it was finishing my Jr year and moving on Camp Luz. Here I re-discovered my faith and God. Devotions everyday, fellowship, loving campers, deep conversations that stirred my theology, and learning how to be me. Everything was amazing, and I loved where I was in life.

Then I headed back from camp and began my senior year of school. That was rough, I've had senioritus since late august, and it has been getting worse and worse since late October. Yeah, honors English last semester taught me a nice work ethic and all that, but this semester is so worthless. I do not need any of the classes I am taking to graduate, if i would have know back at Christmas how much I was going to cringe this semester I probably would have graduated early. I do my best to focus on the tops, you know the amazing Musical, My Favorite Year, and track (the best decisions I've made all year). My view of life has changed I don't really care about much at all. It is not that I am losing faith or doubting God; in fact, he and I have been quite imitate for the past year, it is amazing.

Doc, a good friend of mine who keeps tabs on me just as I keep tabs on her, told me recently that I've changed a lot. It really didn't sink into me then, but now that I look back at who I used to be I guess I have. Wednesday on the way to swing dance lessons Schafer brought up the fact the he and Doc had been talking about me earlier that day and I guess I've changed enough that it is worrying them. My bad, sorry guys, I don't mean to worry you.

I've gone through a lot this school year, stuff doesn't get to me the way it did. I also have a kind of "bring it on" view of life.

This spring too many people around me have passed away, and I learned today that yet another car accident happened around here taking the life of another person I know, he graduated in '05. I quit going to my school's FCA meetings Thursday mornings because it was so spiritually dead and it seemed that nobody cared or wanted to change. Psych class is so frustrating; I really enjoy the stuff I'm learning; however, some things have happened which make it difficult for me to respect the teacher and being in his classroom for 90minutes a day is not a fun way to start out everyday.