April 14th, 2010 by Catie Prinzing
7:53 AM, and hitting the snooze had not been a dream. Dr. Lackey’s New Testament class waits for no man, so I try to appear presentable in seven minutes or less – it will be a new record for me. Since showers are definitely postponable: brush teeth, make ponytail, grab books, and fly down the dorm steps. The clock peals its eighth toll as I slip into my seat in the back of the packed classroom. Exam day. And I am less than prepared. Could a day begin more poorly?
Early classes, among a myriad of other responsibilities, can be grueling to the schedule of the modern college student, and sometimes I feel like I just can’t handle it all. It’s true that college life (and life in general) has its share of hardships, but God has a way of balancing them with other blessings.
I started looking for these blessings, and I was astounded by what I discovered. Like that anonymous $1,000 donation to my school bill, that friend that has been a huge encouragement, or that class that is teaching me something about God I cannot ignore. See, I can handle my routine, no matter how severe, because I have strength from the Lord. Obviously He is working, and I’m just not paying attention.
I could focus on how hard life can be for me, but then I remember: I have peace with God, and that is what matters most. Psalm 29:11.
Tags: Blessings, Donation, Exams, Friend, Hardships, Morning, Peace, Ponytail, Strength, trials
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April 8th, 2010 by Jamie Knowles
Have you ever had a class that talked about things you thought you would forget about, but you thought back on it after the class was over? It’s second semester, and today I started thinking about the American Literature class I took last semester.
We had been reading a good number of works from Nathanial Hawthorne, such as “The Blithdale Romance,” and “The Minister’s Black Veil”.
Most of Hawthorne’s writing is about sin and, more specifically, secret sin. Like in “The Minister’s Black Veil,” we all wear invisible veils that hide the sin within. We think because others do not know about this sin, no one knows. We forget there is one that will always know – one that will see beyond the veil that we put on in hopes no one will find out.
I never thought Literature would impact me as much as it did this year. The class has challenged me to think deep and more biblically than I could ever imagine. My teacher, Dr. Hicks, challenged my thought process almost to the extreme, and I loved it.
It is my hope you to will find a class that will challenge your thinking in ways you could never imagine just as I did.
Have a wonderful unveiled day,
Jamie ~ Proverbs 14:15
Tags: American Literature, BBC Classes, Classes, Professors
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March 9th, 2010 by Dan Nichols
Karissa Craft, a freshman here at BBC is working in our Admissions department. She is making her BBC Blog debut as a guest blogger this week! Here is her blog “Why Study History?”
Have you ever sat down and thought about how the world could be different if certain events never happened? What would the world be like if Hitler was never in power? What about all the wars we have suffered though? How would life be different?
All those events have created our world today. History literally means the branch of knowledge dealing with past events. Without the events in history our world would be a different place today. We do not realize that our lives are modeled around the events of the past. As President George W. Bush stated, “Our history is not a story of perfection. It’s a story of imperfect people working toward great ideals.”
Although history is made up of imperfections, we must learn from those imperfections. The only way to do that is to study the mistakes of those who have come before us. So the next time you start complaining about sitting in history class, remember your life has been changed by the events you are currently learning. History must be written so those who come later may learn from the mistakes made before.
- Karissa Craft
Tags: Class, History, Imperfections, Learning, Study
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March 9th, 2010 by Dan Nichols
Today I picked up my cap and gown for BBC’s graduation ceremony (coming up on May 7). It definitely seemed surreal to think that I’m done with my undergraduate experience. Getting your cap and gown for the second time is a unique experience.
Our 2010 world puts a big emphasis on college education and career success. To a certain extent, this emphasis is very good. Jobs are important and getting harder and harder to come by. Working hard for a college degree and financially investing in one is definitely worthwhile.
But some take this to wrong extremes. Some make the cap and gown their idol. Even on BBC’s campus some students might see the cap and gown as the measure of success in life. True success, however, is not measured by the reception of the cap and gown – symbolizing educational advancement.
More important than merely receiving the cap and gown is the process leading up to the graduation event. Was I honest in my class-work and studies? Did I work hard to learn all I could? Did I love other students like Christ loves me? Was my attitude an attitude of thankfulness? Were my motives in line with my convictions as a disciple of Christ?
The process of the college education is the measure of true success.
Not just graduation itself.
Tags: Cap, College, Gown, Graduation, Success
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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.
Tags: BBC Classes, Learning, Professors, Theology
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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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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.
Tags: Books, Knowedge, Learning, Literacy, Reading
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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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January 25th, 2010 by Dan Nichols
What typically happens when your teacher catches you goofing off in class? In most cases your teacher will either throw a very long glare from the front of the classroom or call you out in the middle of the lecture. Normally you wouldn’t expect your teacher to take you out for lunch after you’ve been goofing off during the lecture.
Mine did.
Greek III is the kind of class where you start to delve into the more minute details of language study, and during one particular class hour I started to move into “ADD” mode. I don’t usually have an attention deficit, but once we started talking about “aspect” and “aktionsart” in relation to the Greek verb – my attention plummeted. This sudden plunge of attention to Dr. Decker’s lecture eventually culminated in reaching for my iTouch during the lecture (again, not characteristic for me at all).
My Greek professor Dr. Rodney J. Decker is a genius. You can find his Greek textbooks on Amazon.com. He knows Macbooks better than anyone I know. He wrote his doctoral dissertation for D.A. Carson, one of the top theological scholars in America today. And he can also spot a student using his iTouch during his lectures.
Dr. Decker calmly said my name once. I looked up sheepishly, and put my iTouch back in my pocket. Dr. Decker said no more about the incident until a few days later. I was hanging out with a friend of mine in the dorm one night when I got a new e-mail in my inbox. The sender line said “Rod Decker,” and I thought that I was about to receive a polite but firm e-mail of positive reprimand. This was not the case.
Instead, Dr. Decker told me how uncharacteristic it was for me to not pay attention in class. He asked if there was anything wrong and offered for me to reply with any questions I might have – which I did. I was honest with him and told him that I had been struggling to understand why an M.Div. degree was considered profitable for pastors. I didn’t quite understand. His response was an invitation to lunch that following Wednesday.
Dr. Decker took me out to Quizno’s and answered my questions. He asked me what God was doing in my life and what I perceived to be my future in ministry. That was how I was rewarded for goofing off in class, something I never plan on doing again… maybe.
Tags: ADD, Classes, Forgiveness, Learning, Professors
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