He Said: Halloween Costumes

I’m not a huge fan of Halloween. Ever since I grew too tall and neighborhood adults started making cynical comments and being misers with their candy, some of the magic of this scary day has worn off. However after a few years of college, I see that I am in a small and shrinking minority. College students treat Halloween with awe-inspiring reverence normally reserved for religious events and Hokie football. Weeks are spent before hand picking the best costume, arranging plans for which parties to attend and contemplating how much skin you can show before being charged with public indecency. Last year when temperatures dropped below freezing, the bitterness was almost palpable. At least until around 11 o’clock, when no one really seemed to care anymore.

                This year the weather is promising to be far better and folks on campus and beyond are in full swing of costume preparation. Chatter concerning the subject can be heard all over. Should I be a witch again? Are bunny costumes cliché? Pants: how necessary are they? These are the concerns of our generation.

                Although I claim to be no expert on the subject, I have been considering different fun costumes ideas for the past few days, jotting down notes and creepily giggling to myself in public. These are the few I came up with, so if you’re currently about to breakdown in an anxiety attack because you can’t choose between being Petey the Pirate and Scuba Steve; take heart, because you now have fallbacks.

Logan Thomas: Go invest in a number 3 jersey, acquire some stilts and you’re good to go. White pants are fine but if you go full pads more power to you.

Kanye West: You can dress up in shades and a leather jacket if you want, but this one is more about attitude. Compliment yourself constantly, refer to yourself as “Mr. West” in the third person, and interrupt people whenever possible.

Ke$ha: This one isn’t that creative and is probably verging on the point of overdone, but the concept of a major music artist spelling their name with a money sign is hilarious. To get this costume down, just don’t sleep or shower for a few days. Or do some meth. Your choice.

G.E.R.M.A.N. Club Program Salesman: Super easy. Dress Business Casual and rock some free VT shades. Carry around a week old program saying “5 dollars,” over and over.

Hipster: Go to any vintage clothing store (aka Goodwill) or just wear stuff that was popular in the 70’s. Ride a fixie, listen to some vinyls (it just sounds so much more authentic, you know?), and write a blog filled with self-angst. Be warned however, if you choose to dress too cool for school, you probably shouldn’t attend any Halloween bashes, way too mainstream.

So, if you are struggling to decide on your All Hallows Eve wardrobe, found my ideas ridiculously clever, or are Logan Thomas, you should consider trying out one of these. Or use one as a last resort. Either or. 

#Carrindiewedding Part 2

As time goes on, my recollection of this glorious weekend seems to be getting phoggy. I will try to quickly follow this blog with #Carrindiewedding Part 3.

JOHN 1:46

"Kansas! Can anything good come from there?" Nacho asked. "Come and see," said JohnxCarr.  
(The Message: Midwest Remix)

My eyes shot open as I felt the bus slowly jar to a halt. Aisle lights lazily flickered on, and the bus' inhabitants started to stir and mumble. I looked out the window. We were in a desolate wasteland, with only one freestanding building in sight over to our right. Denny's. I looked at my watch and saw it was 5:45 in the morning. I growled low beneath my breath, and stretched my arms. Most of the girls had somehow managed to stay asleep through this change of momentum and lighting, and were just now awaking. I sat back down intending to go back to sleep when the bus' doors opened up and Willie the bus driver climbed inside after his quick smoke break. "Ya'llwantbreakfastdon'tcha?" He yelled in his peculiar drawl to us all. Across the aisle, Dan Griffin nodded his head in agreement and said something to the effect of, yes, he did want breakfast except with more expletives. Lester silently arose and lumbered off the bus and the rest of us soon followed, in various forms of consciousness.

Once inside, we overwhelmed the understaffed Denny's with orders of Grandslamwhiches, coffee and other laxatives. They bravely rose to the challenge, quickly and courteously bringing us mounds of processed food to the numerous tables. We plunged into heartily  and then much like cattle were herded to the cashier and then back to the bus.*

The next ten hours or so passed in a flurry of sleep, Friday Night Lights, dirty truck stops and the reek of the gag-inducing on bus restroom. Next thing we knew, we were pulling into the Best Western of Lawrence.

This was our first interaction with the mysterious man known as Dr. Stuever. A hush passed through the bus as his powerful voice asserted itself. Willie, cowering in fear and awe, huddled in his bus seat gazing up at the Father himself. The good doctor then explained what the evening would consist of (checking into the Best Western, Rehearsal Dinner, home etc.) With a flourish, he officially welcomed us to the Midwest, encouraged us to take a shower before the rehearsal (the bus was pretty pungent at this point), and told us that we had 45 minutes before we had to be at the bus, or it would leave us.

After quickly changing, the whole crew loaded up and embarked to the Garden of Stuever, where we were greeted with BBQ, Free-State Drinks, and the Colonel. The hours passed quickly with laughter, tears, and two old dogs who loved to be pet.

Later on, the females all headed back to the hotel, and the fellas hung out having a semi-bachelor party for John Carr. For hours we sat around a few fires sharing stories, recounting events and encouraging John in his soon to be marriage. Everyone then hopped in some cars and were driven back to the hotel.

Most people went to sleep at this point, but James Thomas Tetsuo Lopaka Tworek and myself both decided to explore Kansas a bit more. Two hours later, we headed back to the hotel, and joined our comrades in blissful sleep. Tomorrow was wedding day, and was sure to be filled with surprises.

*side note: Throughout the 40 combined hours of being on a bus to and from VA, there were no sightings of Willie or his partner in crime ever consuming any food. As far as I could tell, they were running purely off tobacco and their passion for driving.

Happily Hidden in the Wide Open of Christ's Glory

This was written by Byron Yawn at thetrajectory.org

“If one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” – 1 Corinthians 12:26

The implication here stings. “The more attention my ministry receives the less people should notice me.” How’s that even possible? It takes God to pull this off. Only God can gift a man, raise his ministry to a prominent position and simultaneously distract attention away from the man. Only the glory of Jesus is big enough to hide the pride of a human instrument. Only the grace of God is great enough to cause a very gifted man to want to be hidden.

Normally, the personal effect of an elevated platform is anything but invisibility. Our bottom feeding flesh naturally trolls for the praise of men. We love it. But it belongs to another. The glory is God’s, but we’re glory bootleggers who smuggle it out in compliments and acclaim. But, this is not all. From the other side, our typical response to the honor of another is anything but rejoicing. We’re suspicious. We’re jealous. We’re critical. We’re discontent. Or, we’re groupies. For some it’s their duty to diminish another by pointing out their flaws. For others it is their aim to ruin them by praising their gifts. Rarely, do we estimate the man appropriately. Rarely, does the man appreciate it when we do.

What’s in view here is a disposition which shuts the mouths of critics and devotees alike. Pure servants are rare. (Like a unicorn running through your back yard kind of rare.) It’s like when a bond-servant steps forward to announces his master’s presence. The sooner he steps back the sooner his role is fulfilled. (No one recalls the name or skill of the park ranger who led them out on to the Sky Walk at the Grand Canyon. Which means… he performed flawlessly.) The more gifted he is at his role the more people look past him. When a gifted man esteems himself a slave of Christ and lives in view of his grandness – he can easily remain in the shadows even when he is the center of attention. The more attention he receives the more his life announces someone greater.

All this makes little sense in our economy of things. But, true humility has the capacity to hide the most gifted person in the wide open. Seriously, who cares about the slave when the Master is present? Before God, real giftedness is measured in how inclined the observer is to overlook you when you are done. It’s counter intuitive I know, but such is the way of God Almighty. It’s all in reverse. It’s analogous to the humility of Christ. His condescension is the reason we exalt him. His obscurity is the reason we proclaim him. His death is the reason we live. Similarly, honor is a love for obscurity. That is… if we view ourselves as slaves first.

Ministry is a bizarre turn of events. The servants of the risen Lord receive more honor on a given Sunday than their Lord did the entire time he was upon earth (of course, this won’t last.) Yet, the obscurity of our Lord is the reason we have platforms at all. And, we – in our moments of weakness – feel slighted when people rush past us to him. We’re insane. Yet, his righteous life saved me from the consequence of such stupidity. The praise Jesus deserves is a result of his selflessness. The praise we covet is a result of our selfishness. One saved us from the other. This is our message.

There are notable men among us whose gifts and ingenuity can’t be denied. They are uniquely gifted. Then there are those men (being clearly gifted above others) who announce Jesus from the shadow of their privileged position. The former you admire. With the latter you admire his admiration for Christ. It is a self-evident quality. We “rejoice” in their honor because they bring honor to Christ. We can’t quite see them and see them nonetheless. We’re grateful for them, but realize rocks are in a queue waiting to step in. Besides, Jesus needs no introduction. He is all. Our opportunities are merely an infinite redundancy built into a universe designed to praise him whether we ever exist or not.

Thank you Community Bible Church for letting me lead you out into the abyss of Christ’s glory every Sunday.

Thinking Like Jesus by R.C. Sproul

Thinking Like Jesus

by R.C. Sproul

Several years ago, I was asked to give a convocation address at a major theological seminary in America. In that address, I spoke about the critical role of logic in biblical interpretation, and I pleaded for seminaries to include courses on logic in their required curricula. In almost any seminary’s course of study, students are required to learn something of the original biblical languages, Hebrew and Greek. They are taught to look at the historical background of the text, and they learn basic principles of interpretation. These are all important and valuable skills for being good stewards of the Word of God. However, the main reason why errors in biblical interpretation occur is not because the reader lacks a knowledge of Hebrew or of the situation in which the biblical book was written. The number one cause for misunderstanding the Scriptures is making illegitimate inferences from the text. It is my firm belief that these faulty inferences would be less likely if biblical interpreters were more skilled in basic principles of logic.

Let me give an example of the kind of faulty inferences I have in mind. I doubt I have ever had a discussion on the question of God’s sovereign election without someone quoting John 3:16 and saying, “But doesn’t the Bible say that ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life’”? I immediately agree that the Bible says that. If we were to translate that truth into logical propositions, we would say that all who believe will have eternal life, and no one who has eternal life will perish, because perishing and eternal life are polar opposites in terms of the consequences of belief. However, this text says absolutely nothing about human ability to believe in Jesus Christ. It tells us nothing about who will believe. Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). Here we have a universal negative that describes ability. No person has the ability to come to Jesus unless a particular condition is met by God. Yet this is forgotten in light of John 3:16, which says nothing about a prerequisite for faith. So, John 3:16, one of the most famous texts in all of the Bible, is routinely, regularly, and systematically butchered with faulty inferences and implications.

Why do such illegitimate inferences happen? Classical Christian theology, particularly Reformed theology, talks about the noetic effects of sin. The English word noetic derives from the Greek wordnous, which is often translated as “mind.” So, the noetic effects of sin are those consequences of the fall of man on the human intellect. The entire human person, including all of our faculties, was ravaged by the corruption of human nature. Our bodies die because of sin. The human will is in a state of moral bondage, in captivity to the evil desires and impulses of the heart. Our minds, likewise, are fallen, and our very ability to think has been severely weakened by the fall. I would guess that Adam’s IQ before the fall was off the charts. I doubt that he was given to making illegitimate inferences in his time of tending the garden. Rather, his mind was sharp and acute. But he lost that when he fell, and we lost it with him.

However, the fact that we are fallen does not mean that we no longer have the ability to think. We are all prone to error, but we also can learn to reason in an orderly, logical, and cogent fashion. It is my desire to see Christians think with the utmost cogency and clarity. So, as a matter of discipline, it is much to our benefit to study and master the elementary principles of reasoning so that we can, by the help of God the Holy Spirit, overcome to a certain degree the ravages of sin upon our thinking.

I do not think for a moment that any of us, as long as sin is in us, will ever become perfect in our reasoning. Sin prejudices us against the law of God for as long as we live, and we have to fight to overcome these basic distortions of the truth of God. But if we love God, not only with all of our hearts, our souls, and our strength, but also with our minds (Mark 12:30), we will be rigorous in our attempts to train our minds.

Yes, Adam had a keen mind before the fall. But I believe the world has never experienced such sound thinking as was manifested in the mind of Christ. I think that part of the perfect humanity of our Lord was that He never made an illegitimate inference. He never jumped to a conclusion that was unwarranted by the premises. His thinking was crystal clear and coherent. We are called to imitate our Lord in all things, including His thinking. Therefore, make it a matter of chief and earnest business in your life to love Him with all of your mind.

I read this today on http://www.ligonier.org it contains great supplemental readings, devotionals and podcasts. If you're looking for something to add to your quiet times, or help structure them, I recommend to check it out!

He Said: Scary Movies

This is my article about scary movies (kind of Halloween themed I guess?) This is also the first article where I was able to state that I am a Young Life Leader. I am hoping that those familiar with Young Life and it's mission will be able to either look back at old articles or see in upcoming ones that I am implying that there is Truth and  purpose in life and that it's our duty to find out what that Truth is. It's been pretty difficult putting this in writing that would be read/printed in a secular newspaper, but I've enjoyed it very much and am hoping to see fruit from it in the future. This article in particular doesn't have much in the way of pointing readers toward greater questions, but it is an important step in letting them know who I am as a person. Enjoy!

With Halloween swiftly approaching, scary movies are slowly coming out of their crypts and forcing their acknowledgement through trailers and previews. I’ve never been a fan of scary movies, and I think this had to do with a possibly traumatizing experience I had as a child.

The last scary movie that I watched of my own accord was Anaconda when I was six. Although most wouldn’t classify it as a “horror,” or “suspenseful,” to my younger self it was the epitome of fear. Gigantic snakes, foreboding music and Ice Cube’s acting combined into a perfect storm which haunted me for weeks with nightmares. After that experience, I have avoided scary movies like the plague. I don’t know what defines a traumatizing experience exactly, but if I had to guess, this would be it.

As time went on, the nightmares ended and I started to move past this event. Unfortunately, most of my peers growing up loved scary movies. On most occasions I was able to find some excuse to not see them: walking my dog, the Matrix being shown on TBS, etc. but there were a few times in high school when the girl I liked wanted to go see some variation of a Saw movie and I was forced to attend. I vividly remember sitting in the theatre knowing how ludicrous it looked for the 6’3, 200 lb. man to be cringing and crushing the popcorn container into a wad of greasy cardboard.

Post high school it has been much easier to avoid these films. With age comes maturity, and also my friends are way too cheap to spend ten bucks at the movie theatre. The only exception is that I lead Young Life at a local high school. Sadly, this causes for me to occasionally delve once again into the high school culture of scary movie fanaticism and therefore make a fool of myself once again. I don’t know if you have ever seen “Woman in Black,” starring Harry Potter, but be warned that it caused me to yelp like a small schoolgirl in a full movie theatre.

Even though I have been able to avoid scary movies more easily in the recent years, in the world we live in it is hard to sit down and watch any television without ads for scary movies leaving me anxious and scared. Most recently, titles like “Sinister,” and “Paranormal Activity 4,” have left me curled up on the couch momentarily paralyzed with fear. It truly is amazing that in less than two minutes producers can develop an ad that convinces me there is a murderer next door and a monster in my living room.

In conclusion, as Halloween approaches and freaky flicks once again rear their ugly heads, a few decisions must be made. Are you going to buy a ticket for the next horror blockbuster? Are you going to unplug your TV till November? Whatever your decisions may be, make sure of two things: that none of these star Ice Cube, and to always check your living room before you turn out the lights.

#Carrindiewedding Part 1

Thursday, Oct. 4th, 2012

The day was stressful to say the least. All throughout the state of Virginia 19-28 year olds were gearing up for the most important weekend of John and Stef's lives. That's right, it was wedding weekend. The bus was scheduled to leave for Lawrence at 8:15 p.m. from a desolate Wal-Mart parking lot in Richmond, VA, and there was so much left to do. Packing, homework, class; I cared nothing for my daily tasks with the trip so close at hand. All day I hurriedly finished my work that was due and packed my bags to the full with cool/hipster clothing so I could fit in with the Kansas/Chesapeake crowd.

At approximately 4:13 p.m. Jeremy, Sam, Joe and myself jumped in Jackson's van and headed down to get Charlie Blakely (also known as Chud, or Sunshine) from his apartment and to the bus. We found him sitting on the curb behind the Chipotle parking lot, holding his pillow in his lap and using his lacrosse bag as a back rest. We all let out a small cheer as he gave his slow, surfer wave and approached the car. Nonchalantly throwing his gear in, he gave us a "what's up?" with shred-knucks, and we hit the well-beaten path known as I-81 to our next location: Stuart's Draft, VA.

For some reason that morning, Evan "Bug" Underwood had left for his hometown. Though none of us at the time knew what he was doing, we steadily gleaned information throughout the day through tweets and instagrams. In a classic Evan maneuver, he was snackin' on a lady from Charlotttesville. They did classic Evan activities together (walking, apple picking) before Evan went to say farewell to his family in the late afternoon. No matter what he did throughout his day however, we knew the plan was to meet at the Chic-Fil-A, drive through for some dinner and put Bug in our car so we would know where he was.

The entire way to Stuart's Draft we remained in contact with Bug, texting, calling, etc. etc. Yet when we arrived at the Chic-Fil-A, we discovered Bug had yet to leave his house (another classic Bug move) so we went inside and stood in a huge line. Luckily, I was standing by Sam, because when we got to his front, we found that his former Young Life Leader Bruce, who is now a regional manager of Chic-Fil-A, was working the cash register. Bruce heard about our trip, and hooked us up with free meals. They were glorious.

After the long wait, Bug arrived and hopped into the backseat with Joe, happily munching on an apple and sipping on a soda (or 3). We were then off to the parking lot in Richmond. The rest of the drive went smoothly, with Sunshine working the iPod. We arrived relatively early to the parking lot, met up with old friends and new friends, and loitered in the aisles of the megastore for a while.

Around 8:30, the bus rolled into town. We launched our belongings in it's vast undercarriage and looked for seating arrangements which would be prime for sleeping. The Chesapeake boys were gettin' rowdy in the back, Joe was cuddling with Claire, and J.T. and I swapped stories about our lives. As the trip went on, Jake Fleming told a fabulous wives tale about Jim "Snackman" Pullizzi, and we were later moved to tears by the smell of the bathroom.

Soon midnight came, and people began to drift off to sleep. As I closed my eyes, I  could only imagine what the rest of the weekend would hold.

My Favorite Season

The leaves are changing colors, yoga pants are coming out in full force and freshmen are celebrating the completion of their first round of college examinations. That’s right, fall is in the air.

Remember in kindergarten how your teacher would make you draw a picture of your “favorite” season?  I, unable to decide, anxiety forcing my bladder almost to the bursting point, would sit frozen in my seat staring at my paper until she would come around to inspect them. Then I would grab a black crayon, squiggle a line and a snowman and resign myself to being a liar. I hate winter.

As the years passed, I would throw out different seasons as my favorite: summer because of the sun and the beach, spring because of the flowers and fall because of the ever so gentle chilly weather. But as a senior in college, I am firm in the fact that fall is the reigning champion of seasons. What is there not to love about it? Football, pretty leaves, multiple holidays and lots of pumpkin pie — it has something for everyone.

This is my last fall in Blacksburg, a time I have dreaded since first stepping on campus. I had never lived in the mountains before, yet I absolutely love the season here in the New River Valley. As I sit and contemplate this final hoorah, two things come to mind that I can eagerly await and that guarantee to be glorious occasions.

First off is Hallowillard. What is Hallowillard? Every year the house I live in and the apartments behind us throw a Halloween party of sorts for friends, family and the confused passersby. We turn our parking lot into an oasis of good old fashioned fun: carnival games, live music (Jimmy Fitch, check him out on Facebook) and possibly a petting zoo. We end the night with about 100 people square dancing, hoedown style. It’s tons of fun and you’re invited. Just head on down Willard Drive on Halloween night — you’ll know where to find us.

Second is Homecoming. Now, in years past, I have been one of the thousands who consider Homecoming as nothing more than a week filled with paper being shoved in your hands as you shuffle to class and a brief announcement at halftime. This year however, I have a personal stake in the race as my lovely girlfriend, Allie Golden, is on the court. She is kind, beautiful and almost unrealistically optimistic about everything. I have been busy helping her put up signs, wearing her T-shirt and changing my Facebook cover photo to the creepy face of Willy Wonka. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say vote for Al… but vote for Al.

No matter what you’re doing on Halloween or whether you dread Homecoming like the plague, make sure to take advantage of what fall has to offer. Hike the local trails, go to the football games, enjoy the beautiful landscape and eat pumpkin pie. You’ll only be in Blacksburg for so long: make the most of its best season.