God's blessings

The weeks are ticking by already. It seems like just yesterday that everyone was coming back to school. The weather was bitter cold, but the reunions warm and friendly. Well.... since then the warmth has been more tangible. We have been blessed with a wonderful bout of warm weather here in Purcellville, Virginia. It was warm enough for short sleeves and t-shirts! In January! I have been enjoying it thoroughly. The closer the temperature gets to that of Zambia, the happier I become. :)

I have had a little bit of a mix up with the Registrar's office here. It was an unfortunate miscommunication between the office, my professor, and myself. The professor graciously tried to straighten the situation up but was unable to do so without appealing the Registrar's decision to a higher authority. After much prayer and consideration, I decided that it was not prudent to appeal the decision. I am no longer taking Rhetoric this semester, which is rather disappointing. However, I do see the hand of God in the situation. This semester the class is full to capacity and there will be little time for the professor to do involved personalized instruction (which a course such as Rhetoric needs). However, the Fall semester class size is typically much smaller and therefore enables greater input on the part of the professor. I am eagerly awaiting it next semester.

Our Lord has been kind to me this semester. In spite of disappointments, I have been encouraged by my friends, my church, and opportunities that have opened up. This last week I auditioned to become a member of the worship team for the chapel services here at school and was accepted. I have long had the desire to help lead worship, and I feel so blessed that God has opened the door to it. What an intimate Sustainer we serve! He knows the desires of our hearts, and his timing is perfect.

Several have asked about the health of my ankle. I am happy to report that I am up and walking around. I can even jog in straight lines, which makes for an interesting sight for those around me. I am trying to be gentle to it, but I am hoping to be healed enough to play basketball for PHC (Patrick Henry College) in an upcoming tournament. The swelling has subsided, and the bruising is fading- all good signs I think.

I have recently been considering the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1: 20-21.

"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

The admonition of Paul is frightening to the comfortable Christian. The complete subjugation of the heart, mind, and BODY to Christ renders one to be a billboard for Christ. (Its a poor example I know) It is a billboard that is not ashamed to stand up to the storms of peer pressure, and the battling winds of a relativist society. It is not afraid of damage nor destruction. It is a life whose value is not found in itself. It is a rare thing for a man to truly live for something... It is rarer still to find a man willing to die for something... and rarest of all is to find a man who is willing to die for something and count it as gain! Paul "eagerly expects and hopes" that he will not be ashamed, but that he will have courage so "that now as always Christ will be exalted..." There is nothing that attests to the work of Christ more than a heart like Paul's.... a heart that truly believes that "to live is Christ and to die is gain."

Praise & Prayer

-Mom and Dad's continued safety and ministry in Kenya. Praise the Lord for technology that allows for us to video chat. I talk with them as often as I can; I cannot say how thankful I am to have such wonderful parents.

-Praise the Lord for my loving sister, who just turned 20 on Jan 28th. She was recently in a car accident in Indiana. The Lord preserved her life because she was traveling on a highway, hit black ice, and slid into a telephone pole. She was able to walk away from the crash.

-Continued healing for my ankle.

-Growth in the knowledge of and desire for my Lord and Savior.

-For my professors, that they would continue to instruct us faithfully and in accordance with the Word of God.

-Thank the Lord for allowing me to attend Patrick Henry College. While no institution is perfect, God has used the faculty, staff, and students of PHC to work on my heart.

-For a close friend of mine, who has to return to Korea, probably in the summer, to fulfill an obligation to the armed forces of Korea. He is not encouraged by this. Please pray that God will guide him, sustain him and watch over him.

I will close with an excerpt from 1 John. 1 John 4: 7-12 reads: "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."

In Christ,

Martyn

Theology class

Technically, we have just completed the first full week of class here at Patrick Henry College. Class began on Wednesday of last week, with the professors taking the first class period to explain course requirements and upcoming assignments. We have now started receiving actual lectures this week, which is always a real joy... after all, that is the reason why I am going to school.

Today in particular, the lecture in Theology class stood out. Dr. Cox began class with the usual barrage of of jokes and witty comments, which I and my classmates enjoy. We went over the upcoming assignments and then dove right into the lecture. Currently, we are examining the life of Christ, and we lingered over the purification of Jesus as found in Luke's account. It is Luke 2: 25-35, and it reads:

^" Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel."

The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

I was particularly struck by the figure of Simeon, of whom we have no prior or further record of in Scriptures. It stands out in this passage that he was a man of God, who was walking with the Spirit daily. In fact he was so in touch with the Spirit that "it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ."

Partly, what stood out to me was just how specific his direction was from the Holy Spirit. Here was a man whose life was so thoroughly devoted to God, that his life's final major occurrence had been revealed to him. He does not appear to be a priest or someone of significance, but rather a humble man who was in awesome devotion to God. Bear in mind as well, this was prior to the day of Pentecost. Simeon was walking with the Spirit, under the direction of the Law, and yet he had an incredibly strong relationship with his God!

Many have spoken of the Bible as a storybook, that when properly read and understood paints the most vivid portrayals of life and truth. I find that to be the case here as I can so easily picture Simeon in the temple courts, holding the young baby Jesus in his feeble arms, with tears splashing down his upturned face, proclaiming peace in his life and rejoicing in his God! The reverence and joy of Simeon in the story is inspiring.

Simeon provides a demonstration for Christians, who daily ought to be rejoicing in their God and the revelation of Christ to us. Consider this: how many people walked past Joseph and Mary, who held the Lord of Creation in her arms. How many people marvelled at how cute the new born baby was.... and never saw Him as who He truly was? Yet Simeon, who was led by the Spirit, knew exactly who Jesus was. He says that his "eyes have seen your salvation." He recognized that this baby was salvation! That is only one of the many times in the life of Christ, that those around him, under the guidance of the Spirit, proclaim him to be the Savior of the world, the Son of Man, God Himself. The wondrous and equally frightening reality of this story is that God reveals Himself to those that he chooses. It was no act of Simeon that led him to the temple, nor was it his own insight into the Torah that convinced him that the coming of the Lord was near. What a testament to the mercy and love of God, who allowed this man to see the Son of God for who He was!

I will cease and desist now as I have other homework to attend to, but I desired to share those thoughts. They have already begun to work on me, and create in me a deeper craving for the Spirit of God. May God in his grace, grant to us all the privilege of seeing Jesus Christ for who He truly is today.

Prayer Requests:

-I sprained my left ankle severely last night in basketball practice. For those of you that don't know, I blew out my ankle in March of last year. This injury is the exact same; it is just refreshed. I am following RICE religiously, am on crutches, and will hopefully see a doctor later this week. I want to wait for the swelling to go down before I go whining to a doc. :) Please pray for healing and patience. I sincerely do not enjoy being in a state of relative helplessness. Pray that I may grow in my faith in God and that I will glorify Him, despite the pain.

-My brother is taking the SAT this Saturday in Kenya. Please pray for any anxiousness to be calmed and clarity of mind to be given to Daniel as he is tested. Also a high score wouldn't be a bad thing to pray for too! :)

-Pray for continued growth in Christ. He is working on my heart, and I desire and need His grace.

Feel free to post any comments or prayer requests. Unfortunately, comments left on my parents blog don't necessarily reach me. :( Mom and I are working on joining the two in a more visible way.

In Christ,

Martyn