"Bringing Dr. Bell to chapel because he usually doesn't come."
(Dr. Bell's name used without permission)
"Bringing Dr. Bell to chapel because he usually doesn't come."
(Dr. Bell's name used without permission)
MONDAY, APRIL 10
Megan RouthThis was the third in a series of four chapels meant to lead up to Easter, which feature a slightly different format than regular chapels. This particular one was dedicated to Palm Sunday. I think it’s good that we’re branching out and trying different things, personally. Actually, we’re trying a few things that have been around for centuries of Christian history, but are new to DBU chapels. It’s good to give ourselves an opportunity not to get caught in the monotony of routine by doing this.
Jay Harley spoke, citing Mark 11:1-11 first. He mentioned something we don’t often think about when we read the Palm Sunday story: Jesus was probably the only person there who really knew all of what was going on. Most people most likely didn’t understand exactly why Jesus was so great, or why He rode in on a donkey, and they probably had NO IDEA what was going to happen at the end of the week. Harley then moved on to Mark 15:11-15, and pointed out that the crowd urging Pilate to crucify Jesus probably contained many of the same people who had praised Him only days before when He entered Jerusalem. He related this to modern life by showing that many Christians have a tendency to do this today. When around other Christians, it’s easy to worship Jesus and follow Him and give Him honor. When we leave the Christian bubble, however, it becomes inconvenient (not even necessarily difficult, just inconvenient) for us to do this, and so we stop.
Many preachers might have taken this in the direction of telling us not to interact with non-Christians to avoid this urge to turn our backs on Christ, but I think Harley’s take on it is closer to what God would have us do. He advised us to change ourselves rather than stop talking to all nonsaved friends; instead of cutting them off to remain with the Palm Sunday crowd, we should simply stop treating obeying Christ as an inconvenience and be Palm Sunday worshipers (albeit more sincere ones than the ones in Mark) no matter who we are around. In fact, he encouraged us to reach out to those we know who desperately need Jesus; this is what they need. Most non-churchgoers are convinced to go by their friends who faithfully live out their beliefs, not big advertising campaigns on the part of churches. People need to see in us that Christianity is relevant and not outdated or useless as a system of dealing with life’s problems.
Harley made the following statement of which I am fond: “The purpose of solitude is to go where the agenda is God.” He contrasted this against the normal habit of going to God with an agenda. It’s true that God should be our plan, our focus, not someone to whom we go only when we need a plan or purpose fulfilled. To end with a slight subject change, there has been alot of Scripture used throughout these chapels and I like it.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3
Megan RouthApril 3 marked the beginning of four Lenten chapels planned, which lead up to Easter and include many traditional elements now forgotten in many Protestant services. I would encourage attendance at these, as they will probably introduce you to rituals that have been in practice throughout years of Christian history but are not often used in typical Baptist (or Methodist, or Presbyterian, etc.) services. Even the observation of Lent is not a common thing, although as we learned in chapel, it is the oldest Christian season. Some people complain that these chapels are "too Catholic." These people may not realize that these chapels do not feature merely "Catholic" elements, but rather Christian elements which have largely been preserved through the Catholic church. Another reason to go to these chapels is that they tend to have more content than normal DBU chapels and are some of the best ones we have all year.
In one of the reflections, it was said that sin often inspires us to guilt that leads us to introspection instead of turning toward God. When this happens, guilt becomes an idol. How many times have we all fallen into this trap without even realizing it? Sin should cause us to look to God for help, but instead, we often seem to look inward when we realize our sin. Why we continue to think the solution lies within ourselves, I don't know.
DBU students aren't very good at responsive reading. On a closing note, people generally need to be more respectful during chapel, especially chapels like this where a solemn, more serious mood is appropriate. Every time the singing or speaking stopped for a second (and even sometimes during it), all I could hear were voices of people chattering without ceasing around me. Not only is this intensely disrespectful to those of us who were trying to focus in chapel, it's even more disrespectful to those who planned the chapel, those performing or speaking as part of the service, and to the traditions, observances, and holidays to which these chapels are dedicated.
MONDAY, MARCH 27
Megan RouthRevival chapel. Nice music, but extremely loud.Curtis Jones, the college minister (?) of First Baptist Church in Irving, did a splendid job speaking on 2 Corinthians 4:1. According to him, God has given every person a job that belongs solely to them; it is for no one else. By not fulfilling this job, we are giving up the gifts and requirements God has given us and no one else. We also all have at least one person in our lives with whom we really need to share, maybe even people in our classes at DBU. I was glad he mentioned this; many people assume that all DBU students are Christians but this is not the case.
Generally, we have this bad habit of trying to fit our ministry into our lives; we should fit every other aspect of our lives into our ministry. Paul did this quite effectively. If most people today were to attempt to write an epistle, it would probably not turn out very well; it would have to do more with pop culture than with spirituality.
The subject of apathy was approached; Jones said that anyone apathetic about the gifts and mercy of God is simply ungrateful. I'm inclined to agree. If we are excited about what God has done in our own lives, we should be excited that He wants to use us to do the same in someone else's life.
One of the obstacles we face in doing what is right is relying on our own strength instead of God's mercy. Often, we make commitments that have no logic behind them in an effort to get close to God, but these almost always fail.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22
Megan RouthBruce Schmidt, the pastor of Lamar Baptist Chruch in Arlington, former missionary to Kenya and Uganda, and a former paratrooper in the U.S. Army, gave today’s chapel sermon. From the beginning, he used Scripture, citing Habakkuk 1:5 only moments into his sermon. He focused on the fact that God is amazing throughout time and gives us several amazing things: opportunities, difficulties, securities, activities, and urgency. He mentioned how when he was a missionary he lived among the people to whom he ministered, and how his son had trained with Masai warriors, and how the Masai considered his family one of their own; this is great. People are often afraid to become part of another culture, or consider that culture beneath them; both these attitudes must be diminished if those people ever want to reach a certain people group.
While listening to a tape of his pastor speaking, his pastor made the comment that God is more likely to bless a missionary who will probably be martyred than a megachurch pastor. I don’t think this is necessarily true; I think God will be happy with whoever is doing His will. If God has called someone to be a megachurch pastor, why would He later look down on them for following that calling? If He calls someone to a vocation that’s completely unrelated to ministry, why would he be less happy with that person for following His will than with the person who is a missionary?
He also said that God can deliver us both from and through trials, something many of us would probably rather ignore. We generally only want to be delivered from them, not through them. Schmidt had many other great points and used Psalm 56:13, Psalm 34:7, Proverbs 16:19, and 1 Kings 22:48 in his sermon. Praise the Lord for alot of Scripture. He finished off with a nice reminder not to procrastinate doing God’s work, whatever it is that He tells us to do, because that is sin and can have bad consequences, and we all need to watch for God and pray in order to get in on what He’s doing.
MONDAY, MARCH 20
Megan RouthToday was the graduate program chapel. Anyone who remembers last year's atrocity of a graduate program chapel will likely appreciate yesterday's more. Thank you, DBU administration, for treating us like young adults in this chapel and for taking education more seriously than you did in this same chapel last year. It is very much appreciated. All the graduate programs were listed, along with some of the criteria for acceptance into the programs and options available for those seeking a degree. After this, a message was delivered on what is apparently the second greates question in life: How does one find God's direction for one's life? Scriptures referenced throughout the message include Ecclesiastes 3:1, Jeremiah 29:11, Jeremiah 33:3, and a verse in James for which a reference was not given, but it's James 1:5-6 for those of you who are interested. The rather long acronym "Hear Me" was introduced, and the audience was asked to say it aloud before being told what it meant. In general, this is not a good idea; you should always know what it is you're saying before you say it and not say it just because someone else encourages you to do so. Also, trying to find God's will by proxy (through a chapel service, perhaps? Not that it's wrong to make decisions based on chapels, just don't let chapels make big decisions, like where to go to grad school, for you) was mentioned; often we try to find His will in things that aren't Him. The speaker advocated not doing this and I agree; although we can receive signs from unusual things sometimes, God's will can always be confirmed by going straight to the source (the Bible and prayer, for example).
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8
Megan RouthDr. Wayne Allen said he was going to speak on freedom. The only time freedom was mentioned, however, was at the very beginning and very end of his sermon. Seven truths that Dr. Allen believes were the real focal point of the message; these seven truths were actually the Roman roads and a few other verses. As important as the message of salvation is, most of the people in the room this morning were ready for something deeper than an elementary explanation of the process of salvation.
According to Dr. Allen, not many of the international students were ready for this. Twice he mentioned international students and implied that the majority of them sorely need Jesus. The first time, he said that many of the international students come from countries that follow the traditions of Buddha or Confucious or Mohammed, but these men are all dead. Christ, on the other hand, is alive. It is true that Jesus has risen while the other three leaders mentioned are all very much dead, but Dr. Allen implied that Jesus is the God of the Americans and that many of the internationals are lost and need to convert to our way of thinking. I know many international students who are Christians and I also know that more than likely there are American students who are not. Some of the international students I asked about this said that they did feel singled out and belittled by the way he spoke.
Dr. Allen said that seven is a very important biblical number, which is true, and that it’s amazing that there are seven points of truth he wanted to present, which isn’t entirely true. He picked out seven things which are all true and presented them, but he just as easily could have picked out six things or eight things. He also said that Enoch was the only man not to die physically, but 2 Kings 2:11 tells us that Elijah also did not experience death: he was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire. One thing that several women pointed out after chapel was his statement that rape is motivated by sexual desire. This is not the case at all. Rape is an act based on the want of power; if the rapist only wanted sex, he would pick somebody who didn’t fight back. Ephesians 2:10 was used to support his idea that we were saved to serve, but the verse actually tells us that we were created to serve rather than saved for it. The verse is part of a letter written to believers, it is true, but it states that doing good works is the point of our creation, not our salvation.
The message was concluded with an invitation directed at the international students “to come to grips with the resurrection”; little if any mention was made of Americans needing to do so as well. He said that the education of the international students will not be complete until they do this.
Why do we need to separate the international students from the rest of the university? Why is it OK to assume that they need Jesus the most out of all the various types of groups represented in chapel this morning? Why did it seem as though the assumption was made that most of the Americans in the room were saved and good to go?
MONDAY, MARCH 6
Megan RouthFirst Baptist Church Duncanville’s pastor, Keith Brister, was today’s chapel speaker. He said he was going to preach on discipleship using Matthew 11. He seemed to emphasize alot of the verses in which Jesus said that He was not here to bring peace, verses which portray Him as a pretty harsh person. These verses are important and certainly true, but they are not the only verses which describe the character of Christ. Brister seemed to overlook the more peaceful and loving traits of Jesus’ nature in his sermon.
He did shed some light on John the Baptist’s sending messengers to ask Jesus if He was the Christ.
Discipleship has been turned into something synonymous with “the American dream” by us and has lost all value, according to Brister. He said that we tend to think discipleship will be easy and we will have alot of nice things if we are disciples, and we need to lose this mindset. I doubt that many people equate discipleship with “the American dream” in reality. It is true that many people have a false idea of what it is to be a disciple, however, and many people do seem to have the mistaken belief that being one will entail a life free of suffering or hardship.
Brister exhorted us to rediscover our original genes, the DNA of the first disciples in order to correct the modern concept of discipleship. Unfortunately, most of us don’t actually share DNA with the first disciples. I know he meant this to be an analogy of some sort, probably for how we should see the first disciples as parents or something like that, but he never fully explained it. He also spent quite a bit of time describing a Levi’s commercial which ruined the Tour de France for him, then seemed upset about a Commodores song that was played in the background of it. He said the commercial encouraged being fake, just like most of our culture. Popular opinion says that he thought a bit too deeply into it. Lastly, he encouraged us to find religious significance in the cloning of the first animal, since it was a sheep. He didn’t even know the sheep’s name.
Overall, his sermon was scattered and hard to follow, with many analogies which were never fully explained or which were ineffective. The points he did make were mostly elementary ones.
FRIDAY, MARCH 3
Megan RouthThis semester’s spring convocation chapel featured Dr. David Coffey, the president of the Baptist World Alliance. Double credit was awarded for attendance, although hearing the sermon preached was reward enough. Dr. Coffey began by pointing out that most of us would actually like to see the world changed before we encounter heaven, and rightly so. It reminded me of Paul’s decision in Philippians 1:22-26. In support of his desire to change the world, Dr. Coffey recalled several things around the world he has seen that make him strive for change; his having traveled very far in order to help others gives his testimony validity, since he seems to have followed through on his own words. Telling the story of a Christian woman from Mozambique who has AIDS, he reflected that he would like to give her happiness although he knows she already has hope and is at peace with her future. This is often something rather looked down upon in the Christian community, but I believe it has value. The prevalent attitude within the church is that one should be content with having that hope and that desiring plain, simple happiness is an indicator of focusing more on earthly things than spiritual ones. However, why shouldn’t one want one’s pain taken away? And shouldn’t we desire that our brothers and sisters obtain an immediate end to suffering while on earth instead of receiving release from pain only when in heaven?
Dr. Coffey used Isaiah 6 to encourage students to attempt to change the world actively. He said that servant leadership can be dangerous in that many great servant leaders choose to ignore the world’s problems in the hopes that they will simply disappear or be solved by someone else, but this is not an acceptable response to the world’s problems by Christians. Often, we only want to follow God into a peaceful world, but He wants us to follow Him into a tumultuous one where we empathize with the helplessness of others.
He cited Acts 4 and Exodus 1 as passages where worship causes us to act subversively by making us unhappy with the unfairness we see around us. The characters in these verses were moved to action, not passivity. Preaching on morals will not do the trick; changing imaginations will, which is why books such as Daniel and Revelation are especially instrumental in this.
The symbolism of the coal that touched Isaiah’s lips was expounded upon; the coal made him holy again after he had been tainted, and represented the mercy God would show to Israel. Isaiah loved Israel and desired very much to see it changed; similarly, unless we love a country deeply, we can do nothing to help it. Finally, Dr. Coffey reminded us that reading the Bible is not the same as “telling stories”; we need to read and teach the Bible as the author intended, resisting the temptation to change the Bible to fit us.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1
Megan RouthSpiritual responsibility was the main point in chapel today; it was based on Luke 12:48. How wonderful to have a speaker who makes his message conform to a verse, not the other way around. We’ve all heard more than enough sermons where pastors make up their own point then use biblical references taken completely out of context to support it. Dr. Mike Miller announced the verse about which he preached before even announcing his chosen topic, placing our emphasis on the Bible right away.
In addition to preaching on one particular topic from one particular verse, he pointed out a few other topics found in the chapter that he encouraged us to study on our own time. The fact that Dr. Miller trusts us not only to study the Bible on our own time but also to be intelligent enough to do so successfully is very encouraging. Many things Dr. Miller did showed his view of us, a view which I have hoped for some time now that all chapel speakers would adopt: we are young adults (many of whom have been Christians for quite some time) and are mature enough to warrant speakers approaching us as though we are adults rather than children. Dr. Miller spoke with the same tone of voice and manner which he most likely employs when preaching in his own church. For this, many of us are appreciative. We’ve suffered through too many chapels where speakers try to entertain us more than teach us because they don’t believe we will be able to handle a real lesson.
Spiritual responsibility includes living life “in anticipation that Jesus will come back”. In light of this, we need to use the gifts He gives us, so that He will not find us wasting anything He has provided when He returns (Luke 12:42-43). We don’t always live using all of the knowledge that we have; this leads to bad choices and wasted gifts. One of the biggest crimes one can commit against God is to reject that which He has given, especially because He holds accountable for getting a return on everything He’s given us, as seen in verse 48.
Tying the music into his sermon, Dr. Miller reminded us that we had only minutes ago sung a song about living for God and following Him everywhere (“Everyday”). He also cautioned us to be careful of everything we do and take every action into consideration to make sure we are not wasting our gifts.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27
Megan RouthToday's chapel speakers were Roc and Beverly Bottomly, the key speakers at this week's LivePure conference. This chapel served to kick off the event, I believe. Roc Bottomly began by reading a verse which I believe he said was from Proverbs 3, but never provided the verse number I couldn't find it, but maybe I heard him wrong or just missed it). It was about wonderful things, one of which he promised would be shown us during chapel: love between husband and wife.
At one point in the story, Mrs. Bottomly related telling God that if He did not want her to marry, she was fine with that, because even though she wanted it she knew that His way was ultimately better and her life would be no less satisfying without a husband if that was how God wanted it. This message should not be ignored, it should be emulated. LivePure is a good idea in theory, but in many cases its only effect is to rile up the already marriage-obsessed young women running around this campus even more. However, her encouragement to accept all that God has planned for you regardless of whether or not His plan includes marriage should sober them up a bit (if they believe what she says is true).
I don't agree with their statement that every healthy person longs for marriage. Look at Paul.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22
Megan RouthToday's speaker was Dr. Paul Fiddes, who spoke on how to relate the story of Christianity to modern culture. This chapel was more like Friday Symposium than a normal service, which was a nice change. As soon as he reached the podium, he expressed gratitude on behalf of his wife and himself to DBU for hospitality. Maybe chapel speakers do this all the time and today was just the first day I've noticed, but it's really a nice gesture.
He defined culture as the meaning that people give to everything they do, and how this meaning is conveyed in stories. Every culture has certain stories associated with it, as does Christianity. The problem is that in a postmodern world, most people refuse to accept that the Christian story is the judge of all other stories and Christ is the judge of culture. Three main questions arise concerning this story: How can our story act as a critique of other stories? What is the story all about (Postmodernists would likely answer that the story is only about itself and has no connection to the real world)? How can we tell a universal story in a postmodern world?
The answer to the first question is by telling and living the story constantly, and pointing out that it involves Shalom rather than redemption through violence. The second question's answer has to do with the way words can never fully express all that God is, and although the story does refer to something beyond itself, there is no necessary connection between our words and what they represent. Finally, the last question is answered by showing that Christianity does not advocate a tyrant God, but rather one who gave up His power for us.
One thing that did bother me a bit was the lack of Scripture in this message. Genesis 1 was referenced during his answer to the first question; this was the only mention of a verse I heard.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20
Megan RouthJim Denison once again spoke in chapel this morning. He began the sermon with a joke and a story about when he was the age of many of the Patriot Preview kids that were in attendance. While relating to one's audience is important, I've noticed that alot of speakers (not necessarily Denison, but chapel speakers in general) begin by trying to relate to the student body and end up talking down to us inadvertantly. So, a word of caution to any future speakers out there in the Snipe audience: it's ok to treat us like mature young adults; most of us are old enough to handle and appreciate that.
Denison managed to hit an astounding amount of topics in his sermon. He began by dismantling the common view that Christianity is sort of like a job; God gave us a chance by extending His grace, and now we must earn our keep. He used Colossians 2:8-15 to develop his sermon. He spoke of four gifts God has for us, the first being Himself (v. 9), the second being God's nature (v.11), the third being Christ's power (v. 12), and the last being Christ's victory (v. 13). He challenged the audience, asking if the people we know really see Christ's nature through us, or if we really experience the victory of Jesus over temptation. Valid questions, ones worth thinking about.
Denison, after providing a brief definition of deism, also attacked the popular misconception that the U.S.A. was founded by group of wholly Bible-believing Christians by explaining that Thomas Jefferson was a deist who discounted the miraculous in the Bible. He said that many modern Christians are actually practical deists; I don't think this is untrue.
Finally, he talked about the prevalence of dualism without referring to it as dualism; he referenced the sacred/secular divide and the faultiness of this view. We only want so much of God; we still want to have some of ourselves left over for, well, us. However, in doing that we miss out on things like listening to God and expressing simple adoration for Him.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15
Megan RouthAs soon as I walked in and saw that the songs for this day were written in 1997, 1993, 1975, and one so long ago it's now public domain, I knew it was a trustee chapel.
Abraham Sarker, a graduate of both DBU and CFNI, spoke today. He usually speaks about once a year and generally delivers the same message. This isn't bad, but be prepared to hear his sermon more than once if you have more than a year left at DBU.
The sermon started with Sarker giving brief definitions if Islam, Muslims, and Mohammed. This clarification was probably handy for alot of people. He applied Galatians 1:8 to Mohammed's explanation of the source of his religious decisions. Also, he pointed out that the terrorists the United States is currently fighting are not typical Muslims. In light of the racism against all Arabs and Muslims which sprang up quickly after 9/11, this is an important message to hear.
Most of the sermon was Sarker's testimony about growing up in a strictly Islamic home in the 3rd largest Muslim country in the world, Bangladesh, and how he found Christ after a series of dreams about him. Although his family at first rejected his conversion, many of them have now come to believe in Christ, thank God.
One of his main points was letting the gospel change people; it has power all its own that we need to trust to change people's lives. I think we forget that sometimes.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8
Megan RouthWas it just me, or did the introductions take alot longer than usual today?
Bill Glass focused on the subject of family in chapel and the necessity of showing love to your children. While his point was correct, it was also irrelevant to most people in chapel. Few of us have children right now or are planning on having them soon, which means there is little in the sermon which has potential for immediate application. He encouraged those who have not been shown constant, unconditional love by their parents to find other adults to serve as substitutes for their parents. This may help satisfy one's need to be loved and encouraged, but an outright rejection of one's own parents is not, in most cases, a good idea. He encouraged us to forgive our (future) children when they have done wrong rather than to disown them or reject them. This principle can be applied to other relationships in life as well. He also said that we should try to be around people who bless us, and to make sure we are blessing other people in turn. A word of caution about this: do not only surround yourself with those who bless you. Make sure that you are reaching out to others who need you regardless of whether or not they are fulfilling any of your needs.
I'm not sure if any Scripture was used in Glass's sermon; I certainly don't remember him referencing any. This is a problem, as one should always be able to support one's sermon with biblical references. If he did use the Bible and I'm just remembering wrong, email me at dbusnipe@yahoo.com and let me know.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6
Megan RouthHoumphanh Vongsurith started his sermon off with a few remarks about denominations and how glad he is to be Baptist. There is nothing wrong with enjoying one's denomination, but it seems a bit counterproductive to me to emphasize one's differences with other Christians. He preached over Mark 2:1-12, which records the account of a paralytic lowered through a roof to Jesus by four of his friends. Some of the points he made were quite new to me; a chapel speaker who brings in new concepts and ideas and causes us to learn is cause for rejoicing. The only person named in that passage of Mark is Jesus; Vongsurith suggested that this was done on purpose. He also reminded us that sometimes, other people need to meet Jesus more than we need to meet him; that is to say, we should help other people get to Him instead of selfishly ignoring their need. The paralytic's four friends went to alot of trouble to get him into the house; this is the kind of devotion and dedication we should practice when we see a friend who needs to be healed. How desperate would you have to be to cut a hole in someone else's roof just to enter their house? We should all be willing to exercise this kind of radicalness, perseverance, and creativity when it comes to bringing others to Jesus.
Vongsurith summarized with three main points, the first of which is that our church needs people like these four men who will work in harmony and do whatever is necessary to assist their friends in meeting Christ. Second, paraplegics need Jesus, but they can't come to Him by themselves. They require us to carry them there. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus saw the faith of the man's four friends and decided to forgive the paralyzed man's sins (Mark 2:5). Last, Jesus is waiting to heal people. At the sight of a paralytic coming through the rooftop, He stopped preaching and gave the man what he needed.
This chapel had alot of good points about how Christians should behave towards those in pain. It shed new light on a story most of us have probably heard countless times. If nothing else, take with you from Monday's chapel this question: Are you willing to carry someone to Jesus?
MONDAY, JANUARY 30
Megan RouthGood chapel. I wasn’t happy with seeing another formula used to try to prove a point, but the message itself was very good. Billy Beacham reminded us all that spending time with God is one of the most important activities in which we can participate and is essential to productive Christian life. He also emphasized the memorizing of Scripture, suggesting several for those who wish to take up the practice (Ephesians 6:11; Galatians 6:7, Psalm 119:37, Psalm 101:3, Job 31:1, Matthew 6:23, Proverbs 4:25, Proverbs 27:20, Judges 16:16, and Romans 16:19). He also preached about how important it is to have proper accountability (2 Timothy 2:22) and to live by sound principles (James 4:17). Many of us are used to hearing that we need to develop good principles and then receiving a list of the specific principles the speaker wishes for us to adopt. Beacham, however, took a very different route. Instead of forcing his principles upon everyone else, he encouraged each listener to formulate his or her own. This idea recognizes that not everyone is exactly the same, and that all of us have different temptations and falling points. I personally find it much more effective and relative than trying to set absolute standards on things which really may be subjective.
Another belief held by Beacham is that people can change over time; the past should stay in the past and we should not judge Christians by it. The tendency is to do the opposite, but Beacham made good sense.
He used quite a bit of Scripture in his sermon, most of which he seemed to have memorized. Lastly, he issued a challenge to students to commit themselves to reading God’s word for four weeks. The challenge seems to have gone over well, and his issuing an actual challenge is farther than many chapel speakers dare to go (though it seems that this should be their purpose).
FRIDAY, JANUARY 27
Megan RouthThe music in this all-student chapel was led by Billy and Cindy Foote, the writers of many of modern worship songs. They did very well. The music ended with their song, "You are God alone", which is about God's limitless sovereignty.
This song was followed with a sermon entitled, "Personal Effectiveness: Taking Leadership of Yourself" (I wonder if the speaker realized this irony). The speaker told us that we need to pin down the things which are obstacles to are effectiveness, but never told us exactly what effectiveness is or to what end we need to be effective. He then proceeded to list what he believes to be the three key elements of personal effectiveness (because of course, formulas are all we need). The first was passion. He never explained how we should exercise this passion, however.
The speaker referenced having to take classes he didn't like very much in high school; the example he gave was English literature. His solution to hating this class was to treat it as an obstacle, something he had to overcome so he could get his diploma, a necessary credential for success. His treatment of his class as an obstacle and of school as a means to a credential should not be imitated. I could rant for quite a while about why he presented an unbiblical point of view, but instead, I'll link this article which covers the subject.
He then informed the audience members that all of us can be the CEO of our own life. CEO, of course, stands for confront, encourage, and organize. Once again, I find it necessary to mention that clever formulas rarely do much good. I also remember the speaker saying that we can't change our attitudes; they are simply a part of who we are, but we can change our thoughts. This statement seems to be contradicted by everyday life. People's attitudes change from one day to the next; we've all witnessed this.
He used Jeremiah 17 to sy that being a bush is bad; we should all aspire to be trees. He said that trees always bear fruit according to the passage; this is not true. The type of tree in that passage always bear fruit; all trees do not. Besides, trees can bear bad fruit (Matthew 7:17-18). What about the tree Jesus cursed because it did not have fruit on it when he saw it(Matthew 21:18-20)? And, why is being a bush always bad? God appeared to Moses in a burning bush (Exodus 3). He used the mention of bushes to throw in (quite innappropriately) his political views, saying he is a Bush-suppporting Republican. Chapel generally is NOT the time to voice one's party preference or try to sway others into adopting your opinion.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25
Megan RouthToday’s chapel featured several students from Korea singing, dancing, and performing martial arts. It was very entertaining, and learning a little about the school they attend and the country from whence they came was interesting. I think making Korean children sing lines such as “God bless America, land that I love” and “God bless America, my home sweet home” may not have been the best choice; some international students agreed with me on this.
At first, I wondered if this type of presentation was acceptable to have during a chapel service, as I hold to the belief that it should be a sacred service. Upon pondering this further, I realized that by inviting the representatives of a Korean school to perform in our chapel and teach us about their country, we are showing that we appreciate their nation and culture and are building a unity between the Christians of both countries. Also, Dr. Joseph Kim presented DBU students with the opportunity to help raise money for the school, which is one of the only ones in the entire country that accepts students with special needs and which strives to provide missionary kids throughout Korea with a sound education.
Watching them kick an apple with a knife through it was a little scary.
MONDAY, JANUARY 23
Megan RouthDr. Joseph Kim shared many experiences from his life to demonstrate a few key points about Christianity and life in general. He began by insisting that freedom and choice are the things which many believe make the U.S.A. great, but the fact that we have choices doesn’t matter; it’s what we do with those choices that has importance. He mentioned that Starbucks does not merely sell coffee; they sell a lifestyle. Profound point. Dr. Kim attacked the label “pro-choice” which those in favor of abortion have adopted as well as abortion itself. Although he had a valid point about this, it really didn’t fit in with the rest of his sermon.
He emphasized that each individual carries the imago Dei (image of God) and we should view ourselves and each other as such. Hebrews 11:23-26 was used to demonstrate this point, as well as his very valid point about the decisions we make being more important than the number of choices presented to us. Dr. Kim’s story about the teacher who saw his strengths and the things he could bring to the class was a great reminder that Christians should do the same for every single individual we encounter. He described her actions as “[allowing] him to be who God had created him to be”. Wonderful way to express what happened in that classroom.
Overall, a great speaker who expressed practical, biblical ideas we would do well to practice.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18
Megan Routh
To no one’s surprise, the Scripture reading during the first chapel of the semester was, of course, Jeremiah 29:11. However, this time something new happened, something I have never seen before at DBU: Dr. Blackburn spoke a bit about the verse in its context. Finally, an admittance that during Jeremiah’s time Israel was undergoing destruction and war due to its sin; although God promised redemption and promised that He was still in charge, Israel had to endure hard times. Thank you, Dr. Blackburn. So often this one verse is recited without a thought towards the context in which it was spoken, a habit often that leads to serious misinterpretation. Dr. Henry Blackaby spoke over living within the presence of God, something he called a “practical experience” which is necessary for any Christian. From the start of his sermon, he began to preach by using Scripture, reading Colossians 3 as soon as he reached the podium. Already, this placed him miles ahead of other chapel speakers I’ve seen in the past year and a half at DBU, some of whom never once reference a Bible during their sermon.
In addition to using Scripture frequently, Dr. Blackaby chose to focus on Jeremiah 29:11. He emphasized, mainly, that any thoughts God has toward you will happen. As such, what He does in your life indicates His thoughts. He also spoke on the way people treat one another, reminding us that each Christian carries within himself or herself the fullness of Christ (1 Corinthans 6). How different would our day-to-day interactions be if we kept this thought close, reminding ourselves constantly that for every Christian we address, we are addressing God; every time we speak with others they have the opportunity to see the fullness of Christ within us? How much more carefully would we behave if we reflected constantly on the fact that anywhere we go becomes holy because Christ is within us?
Finally, Dr. Blackaby exhorted us to take our role as a child of and image of God very seriously. Too much, the importance of this is forgotten.
This chapel was better than alot of the chapels I’ve attended at DBU, and a nice way to start the semester. (The chapel service this time last year was a rather odd, jolting way to start that semester-I truly hope that not as many DBU students as that man suspected are “caught up in the orgasmic zing of cocaine”.)