Conversation

February 24th, 2010 by Jamie Knowles

I just got out of my Theology IV class and it was a blast.  A discussion started at the end of class – about the different roles between genders, in the home and in the church that got several people involved. It was quite interesting and the conversation took a little longer than Dr. Cragoe had expected, but he would rather have us get involved than to just sit and listen.

It never ceases to amaze me the conversations that pop up in the classrooms at BBC.  When I came here I expected to be sitting in lectures all day long.  I am so glad I was wrong.  As people we learn so much more through discussion, don’t we?  A lot of times during lectures we “tune out” what is being said, or we just take in the information without really thinking about it.  It’s through discussions that real life situations come up and real life solutions are given in a practical understandable way. 

It’s also encouraging to hear the discussions continuing even after classes are over. We as students can talk to each other without the feeling of being attacked by our fellow students for our views even with those that do not hold the same position.  A lot of times, through talking we learn even more than what was taught in the classroom and more about each other.

I encourage you to find people that you can talk to about life and the Bible.  And I would encourage you to talk to people that might not agree with you on every position.  You might learn something new or it might affirm what you already believe.  

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Loving As We Have Been Loved

February 23rd, 2010 by Jamie Knowles

If I had to list the godly women who have influenced me, and pushed me forward in my walk with Christ, I have no doubt that Faye Moore would  be on that list! Faye is a great woman of God, and she brings all the passion possible to her role as a counseling professor on campus. I am taking her class Women Counseling Women, and it is transforming how I view myself and my role in ministry in an incredible way.

Until I began to learn from Faye, I never realized how important understanding ourselves would be in order for us to minister to others. I guess I always thought that ministry was simply helping others. I never made the connection that our advice to others is so intimately tied to our personal walk with God. It should have been a no brainer, but for some reason, I missed it…

I am beginning to learn that how I view God (and how I-think-He-thinks-of-me) determines how I view others, and that I can only love others to the extent that I understand His love. The more I understand just how much God loves me, the more I will love others. Maybe these things seem simple, but it’s the simple things that make us who we are.

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OCD in the Dorm?

February 23rd, 2010 by Dan Nichols

According to dictionary.com, obsessive-compulsive disorder is “a psychoneurotic disorder in which the patient is beset with obsessions or compulsions…” I’ve never been clinically diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, but I know I have it.

I discovered this in the dorm.

At Baptist Bible College, we have the daily routine of “room-checks.” One of the resident assistants (RAs) of each section of dorm rooms will check every room for certain levels of order and cleanliness. Guys’ dorms are less strict about this daily routine than girls’ dorms (go-figure), but the daily room checks still take place.

If you fail to meet the specific criteria for cleanliness, you receive a “check” for that category – the most minute form of discipline imaginable. Eventually you can wind up getting a “point,” and then you can wind up getting a financial fine for multiple “points.” Without describing the more intricate details of the disciplinary system here at BBC, let’s just say there are multiple levels for room checks – the pinnacle of which is a financial fine,  then moving down to multiple points, then moving down to a point, then moving down to multiple checks in one week’s time, then moving down to one check – the smallest thing you could imagine.

In three and a half years in the dorm, I only received 2 checks.

This is basically unheard of and should merit some kind of financial reward (which I’m still waiting for). And – keep in mind – I did this with roommates too. (We won’t mention that my one roommate for 3 semesters was OCD just like I am). Regardless, I discovered my OCD problem in the dorm. My books always had to be stacked in order from shortest to tallest. Everything on my desk had to be arranged perfectly. On top of all this, I also discovered how incredibly minimalistic I am (but that is for another blog).

So, when you get to college, do you think you’ll be OCD? It’s something to think about…

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The Unlikely Disciple: An Interview with Kevin Roose

February 16th, 2010 by Dan Nichols

This summer I read one of those books you simply can’t stop reading. The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose is a journey through Kevin’s “undercover” semester at Liberty University. Kevin was a student at Brown University when he decided to enroll at Liberty University for one semester and write a book about his experiences as a liberal non-evangelical at a conservative evangelical university. Kevin’s perspective was very engaging and very objective (especially when his liberal background collided with Liberty’s conservative environment). You can learn more about Kevin and the book at www.kevinroose.com.

I had the chance to ask Kevin a grand total of 5 questions through e-mail last summer. Here are some of Kevin’s thoughts on my questions specific to Bible college:

1) What are the biggest assumptions that Bible college administrators make regarding their students?

Well, I can’t speak about all bible college administrators, but at Liberty, the administration’s tendency is to make rules about social conduct (i.e. no drinking, no smoking, no R-rated movies) and expect students to follow them more or less effortlessly.  Which doesn’t seem realistic.  I was living with 18- and 19-year-old guys, all of whom had hormones and rebellious urges, and if you’re a Liberty administrator, asking them to follow this strict neo-Victorian social code without giving them any sort of institutional support is either cruel or naive or both.
 
2) In your book you talk about your interactions with and impressions of various pastors. From your experience with pastors at Liberty, what characterizes an effective pastor vs. a non-effective pastor?

The pastors who made the best impressions on me were the ones who celebrated doubt and skepticism as central parts of the Christian faith, and the worst were the ones who treated those emotions as weaknesses.  Also not a big fan of the pastors who try to connect with college kids by using teenage slang.  You know who I’m talking about – the guys who describe their morning devotions as “dope” and call Jesus “J.C.” 

3) What is the biggest cause of hypocrisy among Bible college students?

I’m not sure if I’d call it hypocrisy, but it always struck me as odd on the few occasions when my Liberty friends would spend hours and hours talking about the need to do Christ-like good deeds to impress non-believers, and then proceed to treat each other with disrespect.  It’s understandable – college kids, religious or not, can be pretty cruel at times – but “love thy neighbor” doesn’t just refer to people you’re trying to convert, you know?

4) Do Bible college students understand unbelievers at all? Why or why not?

I think it depends.  I met Liberty students who grew up in secular schools and communities and had just as accurate a view of non-evangelical culture as I did.  I also met students who thought all secular schools were filled with amoral, binge-drinking Satanists.  There’s a tendency to assume the worst about a foreign culture until you’re actually exposed to it firsthand, and I think a lot of these misconceptions will work themselves out when Liberty students head into the real world and meet happy, moral people of all faiths, or no faith at all.
 
5) Name the top 3 actions Bible college students, professors, and administration can demonstrate to a student like yourself.

Love (with no strings attached – in other words, not “hate the sin, love the sinner”), intellectual honesty, and a sense of humor.

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Books, Borders, and Barnes and Noble

February 16th, 2010 by Dan Nichols

Books, Borders, and Barnes and Noble

I wonder how much of the world’s population actually enjoys reading. According to the United Nations Development Program, 99% of the United States is literate while some nations’ literacy rates are less than 25%. Even though America’s literacy rate is sky-high, I’d venture to say most of us don’t enjoy reading. I know I don’t.

My problem is that I love books, but I hate reading. I love knowledge, but I hate the work it takes to obtain it. This past weekend I was in Borders and Barnes & Noble on separate occasions. Both of these retail stores have piles upon piles of books, information, and knowledge. Every time I go to these stores, or even go into a library, I always want to know more. I always feel increasingly stupid because I realize how little I actually know.

Over my high school and college years I’ve been able to amass a nice little library – over 260 at this point in physical books and almost 500 electronic books in my Scholar’s Library on my laptop. I love books, but I hate reading. I even wrote a book this past summer! (Feel free to check it out at http://tinyurl.com/viginti).

Learning is hard work, and it requires the discipline of reading. If you’re like me, it’s a struggle to pay attention long enough to pass my eyes over every single word in a book and comprehend the flow of thought for page upon page.

Even though its difficult, it’s worth it.

If you’re not a reader, don’t give up on it just because it’s hard. Success in college requires reading. Leadership requires reading. Spiritual formation requires reading. Don’t give up – keep reading even if you don’t like it.

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Morning Classes…Part of Discipline

February 15th, 2010 by Jamie Knowles

In the beginning of the semester, I wrote about my goal of Personal Discipline. Well, that’s being tested more than I had anticipated. For the class The Church’s Ministry, a group of individuals are selected to be small group leaders, they call us facilitators. I was happy to be chosen to be a facilitator, but less than happy to know that Friday mornings I had to be in class at 7am!

When the alarm blares in my face at 6:30, I keep reminding myself “It’s part of discipline, part of discipline…” The problem is – at 6:30 am on a Friday morning, the last thing I care about is discipline!!

Thankfully I have made it to both of the 7 am classes, and hopefully, that will continue to be the case. But, as our professor Dwight Peterson reminds us during that 7am class, “BBC is a ministry leadership training school.” Of all places to learn to develop discipline, this is it!

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A Foolish Man Desiring Wisdom

February 11th, 2010 by Dan Nichols

I’ve been reading Proverbs this year at the rate of one chapter per day. This works well because the 31 chapters in Proverbs correspond to the 31 days in most months. Each day I try to tweet one verse that grabs my attention out of the many verses in each chapter. Today I read Proverbs 9, and I tweeted verse 9 which says…

“Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning” (NIV).

Today my fiance Lacey gave me the perfect test to see whether I listened to God’s Word or not. On my way back from a worship design meeting, Lacey and I discussed our upcoming small group time. As the small group co-leader, I’m responsible for the teaching/sharing portion of our time together on Wednesday. Lacey offered some constructive criticism, and my initial reaction in my head was not wisdom. My inner reaction smacked of hurt ego as opposed to the truth of Proverbs 9:9.

Immediately after my initial reaction sparked in my head,  I remembered this verse and felt extremely foolish. After the verse reverberated in my mind a little, I tried to take in what Lacey was saying rather than putting it off in my mind. Hopefully, that will start to become my initial reaction down the road. But that will take much more wisdom and much more openness to instruction.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/credoindeum.

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Missions Conference 2010

February 10th, 2010 by Jamie Knowles

Hey everyone,

Mission’s conference of 2010 came into swing last night and I am excited. Normally, I do not like the mission’s conference, but this year I am looking forward to it. 

This year we are using what we have learned over our time here, out on the field.  On Thursday, students from BBC are heading out into different areas to minister to people. Some students are going to New York City, Cortland, NY and Binghamton, NY for a few hours handing out food and clothing, cleaning, and street evangelism.  Other students are going to Scranton, PA to do the same thing.  The rest of the students, including myself, are staying on campus to pray for those going out.

I decided to stay on campus to pray for one reason, and that was because I need to work on my praying.  I am having a hard time getting into prayer and this is a good opportunity for me to relearn how to pray.   I have no problems helping people and participating in street evangelism, but prayer is one of the most difficult aspects of the Christian walk for me. 

I have been praying more than I normally do lately and I cannot wait to have the whole morning to just pray.  I learn more about God and myself every time I pray. 

I have found that my favorite way to pray is by using a prayer journal. I love to write my prayers and find that I am a lot more focused.  Has your mind ever wondered in your prayers, like when you are asking for help and you end up going on a rant or you just get distracted? I have found that writing also keeps me more sincere and less rushed in my prayers.  I really recommend it. 

How do you deal with being distracted in your prayers?  I would really enjoy trying out your ideas.

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Rap, Hip-Hop, and Theology

February 9th, 2010 by Dan Nichols

Rarely do you hear of the rap and hip-hop musical genres combined with theology. However, BBC experienced an awesome merger of the two this past Saturday.

On Friday afternoon I received a call from Roddy Hannah (Dorm Dad for Ketcham Hall). He asked me if I’d be willing to introduce a Christian hip-hop artist named Fundamentals in concert after the Defender basketball games. I said I’d give it a try, and I’m glad I did.

Fundamentals (a.k.a. David Robinson) graduated from BBC, played for Defender Basketball, and lived in Roddy Hannah’s former dorm (Shaffer Hall). Saturday night he introduced BBC’s campus to some incredibly skillful rhymes that wove theology together with real life. Guest star Derek James also sang a few original songs and accompanied Fundamentals on guitar. The night was full of solid beats, provoking lyrics, and a convincing live performance. Hopefully BBC can host Fundamentals after his next CD release.

Learn more about Fundamentals and record label 180 Records here:  http://www.180records.net/home.html.

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To Be or Do?

February 9th, 2010 by Dan Nichols

This past Winter Break I went to Passion 2010 – a conference in Atlanta, GA for 22,000+ college students. The theme of this conference was Isaiah 26:8 which says, “Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and your renown are the desire of our hearts.”

Pastor Andy Stanley was one of the speakers, and his message was simply this: Are you more concerned with what you do or who you are?

Honestly, most of my life has been totally consumed with what I do. I have been known by my schedule, my accomplishments and my future goals. I have not focused on being the man God wants me to be to the extent that it has defined me. I have focused more on doing what God wants me to do – which is only wrong when it’s out of place on the priority list.

I have taken many opportunities to grow here in my time at Baptist Bible College. This school has innumerable opportunities for personal growth. However, I regret that I did not take as many opportunities as I could have.

If you are a disciple of Christ, focus on being the person God wants you to be. Then He will show you what you are to do. Baptist Bible College is a great place to work on personal growth. The only wisdom I would give is to take advantage of it while you are here – FULL advantage.

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