Great Expectations

April 21st, 2010 by Catie Prinzing

Summer is fast approaching. What are the possibilities besides endless?  I hope to visit a beach, take a hiking trip, and hit up Blockbuster every weekend with my friends (right before we raid the Taco Bell). It’s easy for me to want to take a break over the summer; to let my mind rest from the stress of daily classes and such. Aren’t we all this way? We feel as though we deserve a little time to ourselves.  Usually this also translates into relaxed expectations for my devotional life. Without the structure of a daily routine, Bible reading and prayer gets pushed aside and fit in “whenever.” Is this the kind of approach I should be taking? Not really.

This summer it’s my goal to use the abundant free time (apart from the stereotypical yet necessary “summer job”) and the beautiful weather to walk closer with God. I have the benefit of learning vast amounts about Him and His Word at BBC, and what better time is there to process that information and apply it?  Since BBC is preparing me for ministry, why not employ my new-found skills by getting involved in a summer kids’ program or young girls’ Bible study? After taking my theology classes, I can go to my pastors and Sunday school teachers with question I have about what I have been learning.  Summer is God’s gift to college students, but that doesn’t mean our spiritual lives have to take the back seat, that’s reserved for a guitar and a long-board anyway…

 

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.