"Where is Martin Luther when you need him?"

indulgences returning to cincinnati

my saturday

I had such a great day yesterday. I awoke at 7:15 a.m., unable to go back to sleep, so I put gas in my car down on 8th Street and then headed across the river into Covington. There is an excellent diner off 12th Street, The Anchor Grill. Some of the best food I’ve ever had. I ordered a cup of coffee and some dry toast, and I sat and worked on my Greek for a while. Afterwards I went to Mariemont, Ohio, a quaint little town set along the river with the backdrop of the Indian hills. I went to the small chapel there and worked on my speaking message for Tuesday night—“The Christian Hope”—and then went to the Starbucks there in town. I returned to campus and spent some good time with my friend Kyle, and then Amanda and I went to Loveland to go to an art show. Such fantastic artwork. My friend Sarah (not to be confused with Faikham, my Thai friend, who is named Sa-Rah) came along with us, because she has a friend with a studio there. Afterwards, I went to my friend Isaac’s apartment. He was throwing a party, and a lot of people from work were there. We hung out, sat around, talked, laughed, told stories. Pulled pranks. It was great. I spent the night at my friend Justin’s condo, which is downtown and overlooking the Ohio River and Newport, Kentucky. Sa-Rah, Jessie, and Amanda came along, and Sa-Rah fixed us some Thai food. It was delicious. Here is a picture of Sa-Rah after shouting at me, “Do you know how to use a knife?!” in her precious Thai accent:

a quote

Because genuine faith is focused on the cross, one’s faithfulness to Christ is not measured by spiritual gifts or by wisdom or by knowledge, but, rather, one’s faithfulness to Christ is measured by degrees of sacrifice and suffering.

the enslaving nature of sin

I have been working on an exegesis of Romans for several months ago. Earlier this week I finally finished the rough draft—247 pages—and I have been going through it, editing and revising, searching for errors, rewording and such of that nature. As I was going through what I wrote regarding Romans 1.18-32, something stuck out to me: The Enslaving Nature of Sin. It is my belief that the church has an anemic and even dangerous view of Sin, which I’ll write about tomorrow. But I just want to examine what Romans 1.18-32 says about the enslaving nature of Sin (note: I deal with this extensively in my Romans exegesis, several pages worth, so this is just a summary).

It begins with idolatry (Rom 1.18-23). Mankind suppresses the truth of God for a lie and turns to worshipping idols. The essence of an idol is that it is created after the created thing. It is in the image of something God has created. The idols worshipped in St. Paul’s day were the gods of the Greco-Roman pantheon (in Romans 1.18-32, the list of idols he gives are Egyptian and Canaanite in characteristic, not Greco-Roman). Today’s idols include sex, wealth, fame, success, etc. The idol is enjoyable to serve because the idol in fact serves the self. As they were originally intended, the person begins worshipping an idol to indulge him or herself (it is ironic that the idol soon enslaves the person; yet, it is not the idol doing the enslavement but the power/force of Sin). The result of turning to idols and forsaking God is that mankind becomes foolish, and our hearts are darkened to the truth.

Because of idolatry, God displays His wrath by “giving them up…” (1.24-25) God honors mankind’s decision, and He allows Sin to enslave and bond and overcome the person. The result is that people are under the whips of Sin, and Sin is driving them to and fro, pushing them deeper and deeper into immorality. Sin takes hold completely and warps the Body, Mind, and Soul (Rom 1.26-32; also 3.10-18). Sin turns the person into an unnatural creature, warping even a person’s sexual activities. Sin fills the person and leads them forward into even more vices and wickedness. All the while, mankind is enslaved but laughing and gloating in glee, even encouraging others to do the same things they are doing. Sin takes total control, and the person, though able to make decisions, is under that control; although a person may even genuinely want to do good, that person is unable to quit sinning because of Sin’s domineering power over them. And thus mankind is enslaved to Sin.

I know these thoughts are discombobulated, and for that I apologize.
It is 11:53 p.m. and I am tired.

some words of Thomas a' Kempis

Christ exhorts us to imitate His life and His ways, if we truly desire to be enlightened and free of all blindness of heart. Let it be our main concern to meditate on the life of Jesus Christ.

If you want to understand Christ’s words and relish them fully, you must strive to conform your life to His.

This is the highest wisdom: to despise the world and [to] seek the kingdom of heaven.

It is vanity to seek riches that are sure to perish and to put your hope in them. It is vanity to pursue honors and to set yourself up on a pedestal. It is vanity to follow the desires of the flesh and to crave things which will eventually bring you heavy punishment. It is vanity to wish for a long life and to care little about leading a good life. It is vanity to give thought only to this present life and not to think of the one that is to come. It is vanity to love what is transitory and not to hasten to where everlasting joy abides.

a boring and mundane existence

My entries have been sporadic, and this is due the hectic lifestyle I lead.
Actually, my life is pretty mundane.
I try to make it exciting.
But when you don’t have any money or a car to get off campus…
And yet I do find time to get to know people better, and to make friends.
Here are some pictures of me and my peeps.
(I turn to pictures when I have nothing important to say)

the fifth week

Monday. The new depression meds are giving me blurred vision and an aching body. I missed my first class, worked 9:45-1:00, and then I took Faikham to WalGreens before class until 6:00. Faikham decided she wanted to go to WalGreens again, and Katie, Deshay, and Ams joined us. Katie and I had a cigarette together, and then she went off with Dylan.

Tuesday. I fell asleep while peeing in the bathroom, and my fall into the stall next to me jolted me awake. I almost fell asleep in Romans, and I was exhausted through my shift at the Hilltop. I skipped Geology to nap, and Stupid Farmer played Flight Simulator 2004 while I slept. I went to dinner with Ams & Jessie, and then I went to the Hilltop to hang out with Katie while she worked. Our friendship is growing, and I like it. Hensel did floor devos, and afterwards we went for a drive around the snow-covered hills. When we came back Rick caught us and asked us if we’d been smoking (it’s against the rules). I went to his office and confessed my ongoing struggle (if you can call it that) with tobacco and depression. It was a good talk, and he told me just to make sure I didn’t let him catch me doing it again or his hands would be tied.

Wednesday. Jobst spent the night in my dorm room last night because of 8” of snow. He, Gambill and I went to breakfast to discover that all morning classes were cancelled due to a 2-hour delay. I went to the Hilltop where I drank lots of coffee and hung out with Katie. She confessed that she and Dylan had sex last night. She said she loves him. “No,” I said. “You love the idea of him, the idea of loving and being loved. You slept with him not because you loved him but because you wanted to capture, if but for a moment, the intimacy of two lovers. But the sex was empty and hollow, because you can’t capture that.” She wept and confessed, “You’re right.”

Thursday. Gambill, Kugler, Deshay, Ashley M. and I got breakfast in the Golden Eagle before our classes. Romans  went well. I may move up a row, sit beside Mandy K. But I don’t know if she’d think I was hitting on her or something. I went to the Hilltop to hammer out a paper. I ate lunch with Jessie, went to Geology, and then Ams, Katie and I went to The Anchor. I had a goetta omelette, toast, coffee and cigarettes. I locked my keys in my car. Katie was pissed. We got them out ½ and hour later and returned to campus. I felt sad about my failures with women, and Jessie comforted me, saying, “Beast, you’re a great guy. You really love people. You’re smart, wise, and funny. Everyone who knows you calls you a great friend. You’re a popular, lovable guy, and one day a girl is going to fall in love with you, marry you, and have your children?” God, I hope so. And that is indeed a prayer.

Friday. Stupid Farmer and I ate breakfast in the Golden Eagle before our classes. I worked until 1:00 and then ate lunch with Ams, Emily, and Jessie. Karen and I hung out for a bit. She’s officially dating Brian know. She told me about their “sex-capades.” Oddly enough, it doesn’t bother me. I never really loved her. I went to Dayton at 4:30 and spent the day studying Romans. I lit a fire in the hearth and drank wine.

Saturday. I spent the morning drinking Deshay’s Christmas gift (Venezuelan coffee) and studying Romans. It’s difficult but enlightening. The weather was warmer, the snow’s beginning to melt. Ams spent a couple days in Kentucky with Aunt Teri, and after she did laundry at home, we returned to campus. Klink, Gambill, Kyle, Faikham and I hung out in the Rine lobby. Jessie and Ams joined us but left early to eat at TGIF with Justin and Dylan W. Faikham and I loaded into Gambill’s car and went to Steak & Shake for delicious milkshakes. We returned to campus and went to Student Life and played ping-pong. Jessie told me she and Justin had their first date tonight at his aunt’s condo on the river: dinner, a movie, and holding hands.

Sunday. Ams and I went to Tri-Health up I-71 to visit Sarah. She fed us, and then we went to Kenwood Mall, and when we got back I watched The Reaping with Kyle. Jobst was on campus and needed a ride home, so I hooked him up. At 6:30 Kyle, Gambill and I went to the Hilltop for dinner. Katie made me a surprise drink. I called Jessie to hang out, but she was at the condo with Justin again.