Spring

I was kindly reminded that it is May now, so perhaps an update is in order.

The truth is I don't like updating this. I have an e-mail address if anyone wants to know what's going on with me, and most of the time I would post something only because I had been motivated by a specific something that would get me justifiably angered; once angry enough, I would write about what was on my heart in terms of what an accurate Biblical perspective would be. I have not in the past few months been justifiably angered by a specific something partially because it's in God's hands, and also because when I picture the type of man of God I want to become—the even-tempered, wise, reasonable man from the book of Proverbs and Paul's epistles—I do not want to be easily riled by circumstances.

With that said, it has been some days since I last posted, and I was just reading an article about Mr. Obama’s pretentious, willfully ignorant, anti-historically accurate, and impractical (my words, not the article) speech at the State Department about the Middle East; so it felt like posting.

I have studied solidly for the LSAT these past months. Time has flown-by now that I actually think about it. My days were relatively the same routine over and over. I would get out of bed, maybe exercise or do personal computer stuff, eat lunch, study the entire afternoon, eat dinner, and then after dinner either study more or personal entertainment. But, in two weeks I finally get to put my 20% nervousness 80% excitement to good use. My test is around 1 p.m. June 6, and I would very much appreciate if you prayed for me. Specifically pray that God would bring to my mind the information that I have been working to put in there for eight months and also that I would have a clear mind and focused energy.

I used to tell myself and tell others that I would take the LSAT and if I completely bomb I would take it as God closing the door on me pursuing a law career. Well, I'm glad I never truly believe that, because hundreds of dollars and optimism about my practice test scores have confirmed: this is for real. And since this is for real, I know there is the next stage to complete immediately after the test is done, and I want to jump right into it.

Well, I don't know when I will post next. There isn't any point to saying something right after June 6, because I won't know my test results until the end of June, and I'm not going to just advertise what my test result is, so maybe towards the beginning of July I'll say if I am happy with the way the test turned out.

One more reason I don't like to post is because I really don't like straight up talking about myself—I’m not President Obama… Hey-O!!!... No, but seriously God places all leaders in charge for a reason. Maybe the reason is to make us more patient or maybe to bring about the downfall of America. I don't know, it could be both.

Peace

I haven't really felt like writing for a while. Obviously feelings should not necessarily dictate reality or necessity, but they do play a huge role in desire, inspiration, and motivation.

I'll just share a little bit about what I've been up to. I plan to go to law school, but before actually attending I need to apply, and before I apply I need to take the LSAT. So for these past few months I've been studying for the LSAT – which I will take in June. Some days and weeks are better for studying, but overall it's been going pretty well.

During my final year at Cedarville, and even as recently as the summer, I had wavered a bit whether to continue on to law school – as has been my goal since high school to be a lawyer. Probably around the month of July, I 100% mentally recommitted to pursue the law track, and since then I have had a renewed peace about the decision. God has opened a lot of doors these past few months and allowed me to get connected to various people and organizations.

God is good and life is moving on!

My brother Matt and his family are adopting again. I believe Emily will be updating her blog regularly . onehopeoneheart.blogspot.com

I went to a memorial service for Rich Ferrell today. He was 52 years old when he died. I always knew him as Mr. Ferrell. As I get older, more and more adults I have known since when I was younger requests I call them by their first name, but I think Mr. Ferrell would have always been Mr. Ferrell to me. Not because he thought he deserved it, but because I know he deserved my respect. Mr. Ferrell was the type of person who made you feel special when you talked him, and welcome when you were in his home (and there was always a group of us from the youth group over at the Ferrell house.)

Over the years I have read various quotes or philosophic arguments about the length of one's life. Most are trite sayings such as, “It's not how long you live, but how you live that matters.” “The depth of life is more important than the length of life.” Or I guess God wanted them more.” Even St. Augustine was able to reason that man's life is exactly how long it was supposed to be, or something like that. Today, all those quotes are next to worthless.

There sure is a difference between knowing about loss in your head, and to experience it. Only a fool would show up to a memorial service and comfort the family by assuring them that St. Augustine's formula for the length of one's life was a compelling read. I don't think death is supposed to be easy. It is the most glaring evidence that sin exists, and that earth is not our final destination. Death is part of life and it sucks. But God is good, and we know that nothing escapes his overall will.

Take comfort, for life is possible because death has already taken place:

"’Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15)

It only takes one more death—from this earth—for us to be in the presence of our Savior's transcendent love!

Mr. Ferrell will be missed.

Check out this video in light of the abortion topic. Well done.

Thank you Connie Lukacs for posting this video on Facebook.

Very good!

I want to say a huge thank you to Mary Alice's comment posted on Oct. 10th, in response to my 'pa-thetic...' post. When I read her comment recently, I agreed with everything she said, because what I wrote did not reflect what I intended.

Mary called me out on my generalization of Beatles haters, Koran burning wackos, and those who oppose abortion. It was wrong of me to simply say, "and those who picket abortion clinics."

An explanation of what I wish I initially said is that those who could be included in the same category as Beatles haters, Koran burning wackos, are individuals who fire bomb abortion clinics, murder doctors, and brutally harass the women who can unfortunately obtain a legal abortion. All three could be considered extreme religiousness and missing the point of true Christianity. What Mary Alice expressed in her comment is exactly what I was trying to get across in my post, "We lovingly offer alternatives to moms." BAM! Nailed it.

Jesus said, "whatever you have done unto the least of these, you have done unto me." I would submit that prenatal infants are some of, if not, the most 'least of these' in our world.

I clearly misspoke in my post, and I hope my past statements -- including my senior research project -- reflect where I stand on such issues. I too want to love what Jesus loves, and hate what he hates.

Mary Alice thank you for being kind enough to point all this out.

When we stop thinking; they win. (I understand obviously a better way to state that is 'when we stop trusting in the LORD; they win', but I'd like to hope these two statements can go together.)

God's love is ineffable except that it has been expressed in His Words to us -- the Bible -- and manifested in His Son.

Jeremy Mohr

Pray for Jeremy Mohr and his family. It is my understanding that Jeremy has suffered a significant spinal cord injury similar to one I have. Jeremy goes to Grace College. We know that the Lord is never inactive in the lives of His children, but believe me that sometimes circumstances do not appear as if God is in control. Maybe someone reading this knows the Mohr family. I certainly pray that Jeremy will come out of this in the best physical condition possible. It's time to be sensitive and reassuring that there are those who love the Mohr family and will be there to support them. And most important is that God loves the Mohrs.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7