'Ignorance is bliss,' as the saying goes, and it seems as though state institutions of higher learning leave college students closer to that euphoric condition every year. In my ministry to students at Indiana University I am daily shocked at the ill-conceived and unbiblical worldviews held even by the evangelicals on campus. Christians taught in public universities are experiencing the systematic erosion of their faith, and worse, they seem numb to it. Like a frog in a kettle they don't realize the danger they're in until they've lost that which they once claimed dear. Daily their faith is undermined by well-meaning professors and graduate assistants using the bully pulpit of the university classroom to teach art, science and values from secularist, or worse, deistic perspectives. (Deism is the Novocain of the university culture. Christian students are soothed by the 'presence' of God it offers even as they are spitted on the moral fork of tolerance intolerant of their faith and diversity exclusive of Jesus Christ.)
The vast majority of college graduates attended state universities. That is not likely to change. And there are campus ministers at virtually all of those schools dedicated to offering spiritual shelter in the hurricane of unbiblical dogma foisted off as moral virtue. Yet we, the Body of Christ, are failing miserably to feed the flock at their hour of greatest intellectual need.
That is why I enjoy World Magazine so much. I sincerely hope that the students to whom I minister realize the value of a news source willing to demonstrate Christian values across the broad spectrum of issues that comprise modern life. My only criticism of your publication is that it isn't often read by those who need it most: collegians.
Monday, June 27, 2005
Letters to the Editor: World Magazine
The following is a letter to the editor of World Magazine submitted June 27 and in response to several recent articles therein...
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
The Honeymoon Shell
So, we have this shell. It sits out on display at our home, usually in a prominent space, and people often wonder where it came from. Its a nice shell, I don't know what kind exactly, but its a soft peach-colored spiral about the size of a baseball. Mandi and I found it on our honeymoon...
After our engagement as Mandi and I made preparations for the wedding and subsequent honeymoon, we made the decision to let Mandi focus on the first while I focused on the latter. Now, it should be mentioned that we had a little money saved up and I determined to use it to give my bride a real first-class trip to somewhere exotic. I looked at brochures about tours of Asia and Africa and Caribbean Cruises, etc., until my eyes were tired of looking. Then as I was strolling through the Valley River Mall (Eugene, OR) on my way home from some inane errand I saw it...
It was a kiosk run by a travel agency that had a video playing over a TV that you could eyeball on your way past. They showed videos of various tropical locales to which they catered., and the video I saw was of the Cook Islands. IT WAS AMAZING! I knew at once that that was where I wanted to go.
Of course, in 1996 everyone still pretty much booked their trips through an agent, not the 'Net like we do today, so I rushed over to the travel agency I normally used and harried the agent into telling me all she could about the Cooks. Amid the brochures she gave me was one with a picture of a bikini-clad woman lounging on a spit of sand under the tropical sun. There was a shallow beach that ran back aways and faded into a line of palm trees. It was beautiful, and I told the agent, "That is where I want to go. Exactly to the spot where that woman is sitting in this picture. Find the resort, that's where we'll stay."
Well, we couldn't locate the exact spot, but we did book a nice trip to Rarotonga and Aitutaki. And we had F-U-N. We were married on Februaly 1, 1997 in Grove, Oklahoma. It was cold. The Cooks, however, were brilliant; warm, beautiful, full of great food, great snorkelling and no commercialism whatsoever. We couldn't even find any really good souvenir stores.
Then one day, near the end of the trip, we took a day cruise around the lagoon at Aitutaki. It included a BBQ on a motu at the edge of the lagoon, snorkelling, and a generally great time. The day began perfectly with a cruise around the lagoon in a motor boat, then as we cruised back to the motu (a small island at the edge of a lagoon) for lunch I noticed a great looking spot about a hundred yards off the channel we were in and pointed it out to the skipper. It was a sand bar that dropped off at the edge, but stayed just inches above water most of the way to the motu. The skipper's response was, "Yeah, that's where they take the pictures for all our promotional brochures." He was pretty laid back about it, but Mandi and I about jumped out of our skin. I told the rest of the people on the boat and as the excitement spread the skipper decided (at our behest) to drop us off right there and let us walk along the spit to the motu where he'd meet us for lunch. Mandi and I were the first ones off the boat, and that shell was just laying there in the sand, like a wedding gift from the Lord.
I've been on a lot of beaches in my time, but I've never found a shell that even comes close to this one for size and beauty. Oh, sure, you can buy nicer ones at tourist shops and you might even get a local conch diver to give you one for free if you catch them at the right time, but to just step off the boat onto the sand and find that thing was truy glorious. It was the only shell on the beach. Big as a baseball. I can't look at it without remember the story of how we came to be at that place. And now, more than eight years later, it is still in perfect condition; not a scratch, not a chip. It is one of our most treasured belongings. It is our honeymoon shell.
After our engagement as Mandi and I made preparations for the wedding and subsequent honeymoon, we made the decision to let Mandi focus on the first while I focused on the latter. Now, it should be mentioned that we had a little money saved up and I determined to use it to give my bride a real first-class trip to somewhere exotic. I looked at brochures about tours of Asia and Africa and Caribbean Cruises, etc., until my eyes were tired of looking. Then as I was strolling through the Valley River Mall (Eugene, OR) on my way home from some inane errand I saw it...
It was a kiosk run by a travel agency that had a video playing over a TV that you could eyeball on your way past. They showed videos of various tropical locales to which they catered., and the video I saw was of the Cook Islands. IT WAS AMAZING! I knew at once that that was where I wanted to go.
Of course, in 1996 everyone still pretty much booked their trips through an agent, not the 'Net like we do today, so I rushed over to the travel agency I normally used and harried the agent into telling me all she could about the Cooks. Amid the brochures she gave me was one with a picture of a bikini-clad woman lounging on a spit of sand under the tropical sun. There was a shallow beach that ran back aways and faded into a line of palm trees. It was beautiful, and I told the agent, "That is where I want to go. Exactly to the spot where that woman is sitting in this picture. Find the resort, that's where we'll stay."
Well, we couldn't locate the exact spot, but we did book a nice trip to Rarotonga and Aitutaki. And we had F-U-N. We were married on Februaly 1, 1997 in Grove, Oklahoma. It was cold. The Cooks, however, were brilliant; warm, beautiful, full of great food, great snorkelling and no commercialism whatsoever. We couldn't even find any really good souvenir stores.
Then one day, near the end of the trip, we took a day cruise around the lagoon at Aitutaki. It included a BBQ on a motu at the edge of the lagoon, snorkelling, and a generally great time. The day began perfectly with a cruise around the lagoon in a motor boat, then as we cruised back to the motu (a small island at the edge of a lagoon) for lunch I noticed a great looking spot about a hundred yards off the channel we were in and pointed it out to the skipper. It was a sand bar that dropped off at the edge, but stayed just inches above water most of the way to the motu. The skipper's response was, "Yeah, that's where they take the pictures for all our promotional brochures." He was pretty laid back about it, but Mandi and I about jumped out of our skin. I told the rest of the people on the boat and as the excitement spread the skipper decided (at our behest) to drop us off right there and let us walk along the spit to the motu where he'd meet us for lunch. Mandi and I were the first ones off the boat, and that shell was just laying there in the sand, like a wedding gift from the Lord.
I've been on a lot of beaches in my time, but I've never found a shell that even comes close to this one for size and beauty. Oh, sure, you can buy nicer ones at tourist shops and you might even get a local conch diver to give you one for free if you catch them at the right time, but to just step off the boat onto the sand and find that thing was truy glorious. It was the only shell on the beach. Big as a baseball. I can't look at it without remember the story of how we came to be at that place. And now, more than eight years later, it is still in perfect condition; not a scratch, not a chip. It is one of our most treasured belongings. It is our honeymoon shell.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
1159 West Twin Oaks Ridge
The moment we decided to stay in Bloomington, Mandi and I determined to live as if we would be here forever. It is for that reason that we decided to build our dream house, 1159 West Twin Oaks Ridge. It is a beautiful home and was an amazing confirmation from God that we were moving in the right direction. The builder, James Baird, was new to the area and trying to get his name out, so he undercut the market on pricing. Then, throughout construction he offered us free upgrades on items like the jetted tub (Jacuzzi), the water heater (ex-large capacity), the paint (8 colors), and etc. Every time there was a mistake in the plan or a sub messed up, we came out ahead. That's just the way James does business, and why I'd use him again in a heartbeat. When it was finished the house was beautiful. It had a complete wrap-around porch, grand entry, four bedrooms, a formal library, 2 1/2 baths, a sweet master suite, recirculating hot water, instant hot water, great views, a laundry room, a bonus room-unfinished-, a formal dining room and an open floor plan. Mandi actually cried when she saw the colors on the walls for the first time; they were that good. More than a year after it was built James would still occassionally call us to ask if he could show it to prospective clients. Everyone who saw it was amazed. It is a thing of great beauty, and we got it cheap.
When we decided to take the position in Joplin, we knew it meant selling our dream home. We may never find one quite as nice. The realtor talked to James about it and he told her it was the best house on the block. He's right. Maybe that's why it sold so fast. It went onto the Multiple Listing Service on Friday the 17th, and we had an offer on Saturday night. Did we price it too low? Not really. Given that we have to move in less than a month, we priced it at the high-middle of the market and hoped we wouldn't have to wait for it to sit empty like our house in Eugene (2708 Frogs Leap Lane) did six years ago. Clearly we benefitted from a red-hot market, but still, two days? We countered the offer, which was low with one that was fair, and the deal was done by Monday night, even though the buyer had flown back to California. We close on August 12.
All I can say is that its a total GOD thing. What a great God we serve, and how well does He care for those who are His completely. Our God is an awesome God.
Now our hope is to find an even better home in Joplin. It won't be easy. We will be tentative at first, living in a rental until we know for certain that we are meant to stay for a while. Then we will build again whatever dream we are led to claim our own in the land that God calls us to serve.
When we decided to take the position in Joplin, we knew it meant selling our dream home. We may never find one quite as nice. The realtor talked to James about it and he told her it was the best house on the block. He's right. Maybe that's why it sold so fast. It went onto the Multiple Listing Service on Friday the 17th, and we had an offer on Saturday night. Did we price it too low? Not really. Given that we have to move in less than a month, we priced it at the high-middle of the market and hoped we wouldn't have to wait for it to sit empty like our house in Eugene (2708 Frogs Leap Lane) did six years ago. Clearly we benefitted from a red-hot market, but still, two days? We countered the offer, which was low with one that was fair, and the deal was done by Monday night, even though the buyer had flown back to California. We close on August 12.
All I can say is that its a total GOD thing. What a great God we serve, and how well does He care for those who are His completely. Our God is an awesome God.
Now our hope is to find an even better home in Joplin. It won't be easy. We will be tentative at first, living in a rental until we know for certain that we are meant to stay for a while. Then we will build again whatever dream we are led to claim our own in the land that God calls us to serve.
Friday, June 17, 2005
IU to MSSU transition letter
The following is a close copy of the email sent out to students informing them of our decision to move from IU to MSSU. It greives me to have sent it, although I know the Lord is at work...
College is a great time of life, and just when you get used to it, it ends. At least that's the way it was for me. After more than 5.5 years (yeah, I slacked more than a bit) I was forced out of the warm confines of academia into the harsh reality of the post-college world. Although I had a plan, I wasn't sure where I was going or what I was doing. Where would I live? How would I feed myself? Where would I be in five years? Ten? Twenty? Like any intelligent human being faced with that kind of uncertaintly I did the most logical thing I could... EUROPEAN VACATION!!! Actually, it was a mission trip, but it served the purpose.
As it turned out for me, I was actually moving on from college to meet the love of my life, Amanda Trask (now my wife of 8 years, Mandi Smith). We began to fall in love in Romania and life has only gotten better since. Life after college, it seems, isn't so terrible after all. My point is, everyone moves on. From high school to college, from college to career, from single to married to parent; transitions are myriad, and usually they're good even if they are kinda scary at the moment.
And transition is come upon me again. After praying and seeking wise counsel and searching our souls, Mandi and I have decided that I should accept a position as the Baptist Collegiate Minister at Missouri Southern State University (MSSU). We are leaving Christian Challenge, IU and Bloomington, on July 14th.
The decision has been difficult. We like it here. You all are just AWESOME! The campus, the city, the people, the work that is not done, all weigh on our hearts. Still, MSSU is just 30 minutes down the road from Mandi's family in Oklahoma, and with three small children at home we have to consider their needs as well.
A very Godly man once told me, "The most important thing most people will ever do is raise their children." He was right. Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and tell me otherwise... The most important thing most of you will ever do is raise your children. That begins by choosing wisely whom you will marry. It continues as you consider what to name them. The name you give your child is the first gift they will receive from you. Consider it carefully. Then there are their physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs as well; needs that change as they grow. For Mandi and I, that made the difference.
Thank you for your prayers. We pray for you. Pray now for the right person to come in to this ministry to expand the Kingdom of God and His glory in B-Town.
Until July 14th you can reach us at the usual contact points.
May the Grace of God dwell in you richly,
Jon
Monday, June 13, 2005
What I did on my summer vacation
The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (the St. Louis Arch), the Oklahoma City National Memorial (Oklahoma City, OK), a wedding (Ardmore, OK), fishing at Lake Eucha (Oklahoma), fishing at Grand Lake o' the Cherokees (Oklahoma), a bass tournament (Grand Lake, OK)... Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument (Washington), fishing at Wickiup Reservoir (Oregon), fishing at South Twin Lake (Oregon), Crater Lake National Park (Oregon). AND ITS ONLY JUNE! Not bad for two weeks, eh? Somewhere in there we even squeezed in time to get a new job. Pending a vote of the Spring River Baptist Association, as of July 15th I will be the director for the Baptist Student Union at Missouri Southern State University (Joplin, MO). Now all we have to do is sell our house in Bloomington, pack everything we own, find new digs in Joplin, move our belongings and unpack...
With all that's gone on during the past few weeks, I could write forever. The highlight of the trip though might have been the time I spent with my father and Nate fishing at South Twin. Nate was the fourth generation of Smith to dip a line in the water there. It is a place of cherished memories for our family and I hope we can continue that tradition for many years into the future. Of course, at 4 years old, Nate isn't exactly a pro yet when it comes to fishing, but he was brave enough to hang out there in the boat even though he was afraid of the water it was in. I am proud of him.
With all that's gone on during the past few weeks, I could write forever. The highlight of the trip though might have been the time I spent with my father and Nate fishing at South Twin. Nate was the fourth generation of Smith to dip a line in the water there. It is a place of cherished memories for our family and I hope we can continue that tradition for many years into the future. Of course, at 4 years old, Nate isn't exactly a pro yet when it comes to fishing, but he was brave enough to hang out there in the boat even though he was afraid of the water it was in. I am proud of him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
