In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! - who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied –
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine –
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand!

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Pipe Dreams

How do you truly live?


What is it that seperates those few from the rest?


Certain rare individuals live great lives. Their stories inspire us to truly live.
When they die, their legacy lives on. The life they lived was worthwhile. They took full advantage of the years they were given. How did they do it? What made them great?



I do not want to live a life of mediocrity. I want this thing to mean something to somebody. I cannot just pass through my years only to look back with regret. I want to make a difference.



But alas, these are but the fading pleas of a whisp of vapor. My dreams will soon fade and I will look back to realize how disillusioned I was with this childish fantasy. Nobody really grows up to be a cowboy. Those childhood dreams are a false hope. Someday I will have to grow up and stop living in my dreamworld. Life is not an adventure, it just seems like that until you become an adult.

Apathy

My whole life has been a struggle against apathy. This spirit of listlessness has invaded my life on more than one occasion. It comes upon me in a gradual almost indiscernable manner. But before long this virus has run its course. The infection grows exponentially out of control, ravaging my time and stripping the joy out of everything. I am left literally feeling sick and empty. I am nauseated with myself and desperate for something that will sustain.

What a Waste!

So it is 3:09 AM and I cannot fall asleep. I have not posted in quite and while and a friend of mine just reminded me of this fact. After she pointed this out I realized how whacked out my life has been recently. All the little unimportant things clammoring for my attention have distracted me from the big thing in life. It struck me that these past few weeks have been largely a disappointment. There were moments of sunshine, but for the most part I have frittered away my time and energy. The result is that I feel physically, emotionally, spiritually exhausted and yet I've accomplished nothing. Do you ever feel like you are steadily progressing down a path you've promised you'ed never follow? Well, that is a little bit of where I am right now.

Dr. Jones

We just heard a lecture from Dr. Jones....no, it wasn't Sean Connery or Harrison Ford.

It was Dr. Peter Jones from Liverpool. He spoke on Neo-Paganism and it totally gripped me. He addressed the tidal wave of gnostic thought that is looming under the radar. Sadly, most Christians are either too fearful or ignorant to respond. I confess that while I understood the gist of Dr. Jones lecture I myself am unable to engage in this debate.

After the lecture I spoke with Dr. Jones about how we can engage the world. He said our job is two-fold. First it is to point out the idea of "Monism", that all is one and one is all. Once they understand this, we can share the truth that all is not one. Rather, all is two. Our job as believers is not to be nice and preach in a way that doesn't offend anyone. Quite the contrary, we are called to boldly proclaim the Truth. The gospel is message is offensive and we must not expect to be welcomed by the world. Our job is simply to be like Christ and proclaim the gospel no matter the cost.

Scots Soccer has Started

We had our first regular season game yesterday. We played at home against Taccoa Falls which is another christian college. I was really excited and kinda nervous all morning but when the game started the atmosphere was incredible. The whole stadium was packed and the fans were all doing crazy chants and singing along to the bagpipes and drumline who played Scotland the Brave. The Ghetto guys led most of the chants and cheers, but some of my friends from Maclellan painted A L E C W A L L E R across their chests. They came in whooping and hollering and kept cheering me on the whole game. I was really embarassed when I first saw them, but it was pretty funny too.


We were leading by a goal at the end of the first half; David Stair got the first one. Then two minutes into the second half Zach Terrell scored another goal to put us up 2-0. Then in a span of ten minutes Taccoa Falls scored two goals to tie it up. We didn't give up instead we kept attacking. Our third goal was actually kinda weird. Jeremy DeWaters made a great save and then booted the ball over the defense creating a one-on-one with me and their keeper. The last time we collided their keeper got hurt and almost had to be substituted, and I guess that is why he messed up this time. Anyway, it looked like he was going to get the ball but I kept running straight at him at full speed. He got there first but he wiffed the ball and it rolled past him towards my right. I had to lunge out to get my foot on the ball, but as a fell to the ground I saw the ball rolling into the side-netting. I just sat there on the ground and enjoyed the moment. The fans were going wild and my teammates were all running towards me. It was incredible.

After that goal we had many more opportunities to score and Zach got another goal just to seal the victory. Our next game will be at Reindhart this coming Tuesday.

Then Nathan Said...

So I'm back in Tally for one week before I head back up to Nooga. Being from a family of 9 I am most comfortable when I am surrounded by confusion. And I guess when there is tons of craziness it just feels like home. I love it when everyone is at home. Usually the older kids are trying to figure out what to do, who to hang out with or where to go. Meanwhile the little kids are trying to get anyone's attention by shadowing them around the house with their neverending questions about why the sky is blue, when will they get to do big kid stuff, and how come nobody is listening. In the midst of this blur is Mom who solves all the life-and-death dilemas. And right before she reaches her wit's end Dad shows up to save the day by giving the everyone just what the need, a little attention and affirmation.
Anyway, my first meal with the family since I got back was just like old times. We just sat down down for lunch and everyone was fighting over the last bite of pizza. Naturally Nathan's pleas were drowned out by Joshua and I who where having a dibs war (which I should have won by the way). Nathan's pleas quckily turned into his trademark whine. Of course we all jumped on his case and...I forget what happens next. I sat down to type up this really funny story, but now I've forgotten the punch line. If you remember what happened, or can this of a funny ending then just post it as a comment.

What's War Worth?

Whoa! I just got an e-mail telling me that another one of my friends is joining the military. Matt has a lot of courage to join the Marines right now. I've actually thought about joining the military, but I lean more towards the Navy. Ever since I watched Black Hawk Down I've had second thoughts about being in the infantry. Not only are you in more danger, but the realities of war are staring you down face-to-face. I guess that thrill is appealing to a young man. I remember when I used to play war growing up; I'd always imagine myself as the valiant hero fighting against the forces of evil. Always vastly outnumbered I would courageously attack the neverending stream of enemies until with my last ounce of strength I would achieve victory. But things change. Now when I imagine myself in war I see the terror of death. And that same terror that leaves my mouth cotton dry is reflected in the petrified eyes of my enemy. The truthg is, I've never been in a war. In fact, I've never ever really been in a fight. But I know what happens there and I know that what happens in war changes you. And perhaps the thought of how war will change me is more terrifying than the battle itself. Both my grandfathers served in the Navy; one in a fighter jet and another in a submarine. Each returned with haunting memories. Grandpa Waller was haunted by the memories of his best friends, his fellow fighter pilots. They flew out together but only he returned. Would he survive the next mission? Would ever be the same if he did? Grandpa Miller faced the same questions and more when his sub dove past the point of no return evading torpedos. The terror of being trapped in an iron grave miles below the surface and life is not something easy to forget. They both survived the wars. But they were forever changed. Their legacy leaves me with pentrating questions. Do I have the courage to fight for what I believe? Are justice, freedom and peace worth dying for? I desprately want to answer in resounding affirmation. But the other questions haunt me: How badly will war affect me? In the end, are the changes I fight for more important than the changes in me? Surely I would risk my life for what I believe in, but would I risk my sanity? These are the questions that every warrior must face, but the answers are what haunts them.