I am working right now on a paper dealing with Ralph Waldo Emerson's The Divinity School Address and am realizing that much of what he has to say about the historical Christian church still applies today. Many of the churches around us do the tried-and-true methods that they have been doing since they incorporated. They stick strictly to the dogmas of what their parents and grandparents have done. They also have taken the humanity out of Christ and put him in a position that he becomes just a sort of eternal clockmaker God or Santa Jesus (this meaning that he gives you everything that you want when you ask for it). Christianity has become stale to these places, and they wonder why people don't come when they aren't reaching out to them.
Emerson states:
Jesus Christ belonged to the true race of prophets. He saw with open eye the mystery of the soul. Drawn by its severe harmony, ravished with its beauty, he lived in it, and had his being there. Alone in all history, he estimated the greatness of man. One man was true to what is in you and me. He saw that God incarnates himself in man, and evermore goes forth anew to take possession of his world. He said, in this jubilee of sublime emotion, `I am divine. Through me, God acts; through me, speaks. Would you see God, see me; or, see thee, when thou also thinkest as I now think.'
I think that it's important to remember that Jesus was a man and that he was perfect. He was tempted more than just in the desert, and he is the only way. I think that the last line from that quotation is the best, and it should sum up how the church should work.
Here's the online link that I'm using:
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Divinity_School_Address
Got to get back to work. I can't really put that in a paper since my teacher would probably call me a Christian kook and to keep my personal views out of my paper...grunt. More later!
9/21/08
9/18/08
A reason!
So, as many of you know, I am NOT going to be graduating this upcoming December. I haven't met the residency requirements for Kennesaw State. This would have been useful information about a month ago when I could still add another class! But I was emailed by Dr. Scott (who is my adviser and also was my Senior Seminar teacher) and he asked me to do an intership with him in the Spring. The great thing is that they will also pay me, and I'll be able to make some connections with some professors at other schools that could lead to a doctoral program. I know that a year ago I wanted to be a teacher and it looked like that I was not going to be able to, but now, it looks like my career might be guided into a collegiate teaching career. I would actually like that a good bit because it would put me into a comfortable zone, and I would also get to do research still. I knew that God had a reason for this upcoming semester!
Got to get to sleep...more later!
Got to get to sleep...more later!
9/8/08
Well, that's just great...
As you can tell from the title, that's what I said when I got my first paper back in Philosophy. I received a wonderful D+. At least I didn't fail, but it's about as close as you can get without failing at Kennesaw. I probably didn't give it my best that I could have, but I thought that it was a tight paper nonetheless. I made clear points, and also backed up my statements with things from the text. However, the teacher said that I didn't go deep enough for her in my statements, and that I seem to have given the short shrift to the work in my 3 1/2 pages that I wrote (interesting to me is that she stated in class that anything over four pages, she would grade the first four and that was it. I really hate writing when I have a certain amount of pages and then get told that I didn't write enough).
On the positive side, it seems that Tasha and I are going to be joining a Journey (aka: small) group with Oak Leaf now. We really have been hooking in with this church, and I feel that we are going to be able to serve a lot easier than we would have anywhere else. Talking to one of the Journey group leaders on Sunday, and their goal is to have more groups than they did the year before. Now, this is not a "hey, everybody needs to do it" kind of thing. They are still selective about who becomes a Journey Group leader. However, I feel that either next turn or next year when they reform that Tasha and I might be the leaders of one. Of course, this is going to have to be prayed over quite a bit, and also it might take some convincing for Tasha to give up one of her nights to teach even more. ;) (I love you Sweetie!) I just know that in my prayers that I feel very good about this church, and I feel like we might have found a home church here.
Talking about home churches, I was thinking yesterday about Bethabara. What an amazing church that was when I was growing up. It was my first exposure to how good a church could be, but also in how some programs wouldn't work and having to try different ones. I hope one day that I can serve a church like Bethabara like Dad did, and I mean that in that Tasha and I could help a church grow and set them up into something that will become even bigger and better that will glorify God.
Got to head to bed..the thunderstorms are wracking my body tonight. Again, a reminder not to hit walls, fall down a hillside, do half-splits with Sousaphones on, or to try to stop a skate by turning the skate sideways...ug. ;) More later!
On the positive side, it seems that Tasha and I are going to be joining a Journey (aka: small) group with Oak Leaf now. We really have been hooking in with this church, and I feel that we are going to be able to serve a lot easier than we would have anywhere else. Talking to one of the Journey group leaders on Sunday, and their goal is to have more groups than they did the year before. Now, this is not a "hey, everybody needs to do it" kind of thing. They are still selective about who becomes a Journey Group leader. However, I feel that either next turn or next year when they reform that Tasha and I might be the leaders of one. Of course, this is going to have to be prayed over quite a bit, and also it might take some convincing for Tasha to give up one of her nights to teach even more. ;) (I love you Sweetie!) I just know that in my prayers that I feel very good about this church, and I feel like we might have found a home church here.
Talking about home churches, I was thinking yesterday about Bethabara. What an amazing church that was when I was growing up. It was my first exposure to how good a church could be, but also in how some programs wouldn't work and having to try different ones. I hope one day that I can serve a church like Bethabara like Dad did, and I mean that in that Tasha and I could help a church grow and set them up into something that will become even bigger and better that will glorify God.
Got to head to bed..the thunderstorms are wracking my body tonight. Again, a reminder not to hit walls, fall down a hillside, do half-splits with Sousaphones on, or to try to stop a skate by turning the skate sideways...ug. ;) More later!
Home
I was just reading Nathan's blog, and for the longest time, I felt that I would never find a place as good as Athens was. As time has gone by and I have ended up living in the West Georgia (which for those who don't know, it's the area that reaches from Columbus to Rome, no further east than I-75 for the most part). I have actually now lived in towns in this area for almost 8 years so far. It breaks down like this:
1 year in Rome
5 years in Carrollton
1 1/2 years in Cartersville/Emerson
At first, I didn't like the region because of the people who lived here at the time. I still don't particularly like Rome, but it probably has more to do with the kind of people I met at Shorter (who are not Romans for the most part). In Carrollton, I liked the area that I lived in. It is beautiful country in that area of Georgia with the gently sloping hills that lead up to the Chatthoochee River. However, the area that I have come to clearly love is the area around Carterville, Acworth, and Emerson. This area has two major significant things that appeal to me. For one, it was Cherokee Land before 1832. There are many places in the rivers where you can still see fish traps, and also there are many different museums that deal specifically with Native American culture. Secondly, this is almost the exact route that Sherman marched to get to Atlanta. It's amazing to read books about Sherman's march and be able to drive to them within a few minutes. Just north of where Tasha and I live are the remains of the railroad bridge over the Etowah River, and also the Cooper Iron Works, where you can still see the blow marks from Yankee hammers on the brick. On the same exit as we live is the Allatoona Pass battlefield. Just today, we visited the Pine Log United Methodist Church and Camp Meeting site. It was founded at least before 1840, probably 1834. There are nuggets of information and sites like this scattered throughout the area, and it's just wonderful.
This is a place that I thought originally that I wouldn't be happy in, but now I don't want to leave it. Once you get this soil in your system, you don't want to leave!
more later! (Got to go to bed for real this time!)
1 year in Rome
5 years in Carrollton
1 1/2 years in Cartersville/Emerson
At first, I didn't like the region because of the people who lived here at the time. I still don't particularly like Rome, but it probably has more to do with the kind of people I met at Shorter (who are not Romans for the most part). In Carrollton, I liked the area that I lived in. It is beautiful country in that area of Georgia with the gently sloping hills that lead up to the Chatthoochee River. However, the area that I have come to clearly love is the area around Carterville, Acworth, and Emerson. This area has two major significant things that appeal to me. For one, it was Cherokee Land before 1832. There are many places in the rivers where you can still see fish traps, and also there are many different museums that deal specifically with Native American culture. Secondly, this is almost the exact route that Sherman marched to get to Atlanta. It's amazing to read books about Sherman's march and be able to drive to them within a few minutes. Just north of where Tasha and I live are the remains of the railroad bridge over the Etowah River, and also the Cooper Iron Works, where you can still see the blow marks from Yankee hammers on the brick. On the same exit as we live is the Allatoona Pass battlefield. Just today, we visited the Pine Log United Methodist Church and Camp Meeting site. It was founded at least before 1840, probably 1834. There are nuggets of information and sites like this scattered throughout the area, and it's just wonderful.
This is a place that I thought originally that I wouldn't be happy in, but now I don't want to leave it. Once you get this soil in your system, you don't want to leave!
more later! (Got to go to bed for real this time!)
9/7/08
Crazy weeks...
It's been an interesting few weeks in the newest of the Jones household. I am in my final semester of college and actually sort of struggling just a bit with the readings. I have never claimed to be a philosopher, nor do I ever think that I will be. However, because of the courses that I have to take at Kennesaw State, I am forced to take at least one, and it is American Philosophy. Talking recently with another student worker in the Office of Development, she stated that it takes a while for the 'novice' student to learn how to expand their minds to accept all that is philosophy. How absolutely absurd! I feel that my experiences and the way that I have learned how to learn have gotten me to the point that I am at, and I feel that I have an extraordinarily open mind towards ideas in classes. What is hard at this point is the fact that we are reading Emerson, and much like the orators and writers of the 19th Century, they tend to be long winded and write in analogies. I do, however, tend to grasp the ideas that Emerson is stating when he speaking or writing on the soul, and of how church and pastors had become stale during that time.
The second frustration in my life right now is that I am waiting on two different jobs to come through. The first one is with Dr. Siegel's office. She is the President Emeritus at Kennesaw, and she needs researchers for her office. However, I have now been waiting nearly a month to begin there, basically treading water in the Office of Development. I also have been cut down to only 5 hours a week working my work study. I am supposed to work 20 in Dr. Siegel's office, and I'm REALLY ready to move on. The other job is with Development, but it is within a sort of sub-office within the overall structure. I think that it would be a great opportunity for me becuase I already seem to have a good raport with the person who would be my boss. It's just a waiting game for him. He's got the money for the position, but the school has to sign off on what seems like a million forms to actually approve the position. Basically all I'm waiting for is for him to email or to call me and tell me that it is open for my resume, and hopefully he'll not interview a lot of people and I'll have a chance to work at Kennesaw for a VERY long time!
The final thing that is going on in our lives right now is that we are trying to get pregnant, but we are having a few difficulties. I've had to go for a few tests (another coming up on Friday), and Tasha has as well. The doctors think that they have the problem pinpointed, and it doesn't seem that it will completely keep us from having children. However, Tasha might be going on a hormonal drug that might cause her to release multiple eggs at once, which might get REALLY interesting in the next few months. I have resigned myself to what God has in store for Tasha and myself, and I am coming to a peace about this whole situation.
I've also been working through a Beth Moore book that looks at John. I am seeing a lot of what Jesus saw in John, and I am realizing that there is a lot of the same charachteristics that we share (not all, but some!). It's amazing to me to think exactly what God can do once we give ourselves completely over. I don't exactly know what I am supposed to do after I graduate. I've been praying quite a bit lately for wisdom and understanding, as well as signs for what I should do. So far, the curtain has not been raised for me to see it, but I know that God will do so soon (a strong indication of this is every time I pray, I am told to be patient and good things will come). I am also reminded quite a few times of the old joke of the person who prayed to win the lottery for years. Finally, God said to the person, You want to win the lottery? At least meet me halfway and buy a ticket! To me, it says to be patient, but also keep up contacts with certain people, visit certain offices, and also be open to the possibilities that might be put in my way.
Well, I have to go to bed because it's 12:03 right now and I have to be up in 8 hours for school. (Boo...) I'm sure that those of you who wake up at the crack of dawn are going to hate me for that, but hey, I'm sure that it'll be all too soon when I am working those long hours as well. :)
More later!
The second frustration in my life right now is that I am waiting on two different jobs to come through. The first one is with Dr. Siegel's office. She is the President Emeritus at Kennesaw, and she needs researchers for her office. However, I have now been waiting nearly a month to begin there, basically treading water in the Office of Development. I also have been cut down to only 5 hours a week working my work study. I am supposed to work 20 in Dr. Siegel's office, and I'm REALLY ready to move on. The other job is with Development, but it is within a sort of sub-office within the overall structure. I think that it would be a great opportunity for me becuase I already seem to have a good raport with the person who would be my boss. It's just a waiting game for him. He's got the money for the position, but the school has to sign off on what seems like a million forms to actually approve the position. Basically all I'm waiting for is for him to email or to call me and tell me that it is open for my resume, and hopefully he'll not interview a lot of people and I'll have a chance to work at Kennesaw for a VERY long time!
The final thing that is going on in our lives right now is that we are trying to get pregnant, but we are having a few difficulties. I've had to go for a few tests (another coming up on Friday), and Tasha has as well. The doctors think that they have the problem pinpointed, and it doesn't seem that it will completely keep us from having children. However, Tasha might be going on a hormonal drug that might cause her to release multiple eggs at once, which might get REALLY interesting in the next few months. I have resigned myself to what God has in store for Tasha and myself, and I am coming to a peace about this whole situation.
I've also been working through a Beth Moore book that looks at John. I am seeing a lot of what Jesus saw in John, and I am realizing that there is a lot of the same charachteristics that we share (not all, but some!). It's amazing to me to think exactly what God can do once we give ourselves completely over. I don't exactly know what I am supposed to do after I graduate. I've been praying quite a bit lately for wisdom and understanding, as well as signs for what I should do. So far, the curtain has not been raised for me to see it, but I know that God will do so soon (a strong indication of this is every time I pray, I am told to be patient and good things will come). I am also reminded quite a few times of the old joke of the person who prayed to win the lottery for years. Finally, God said to the person, You want to win the lottery? At least meet me halfway and buy a ticket! To me, it says to be patient, but also keep up contacts with certain people, visit certain offices, and also be open to the possibilities that might be put in my way.
Well, I have to go to bed because it's 12:03 right now and I have to be up in 8 hours for school. (Boo...) I'm sure that those of you who wake up at the crack of dawn are going to hate me for that, but hey, I'm sure that it'll be all too soon when I am working those long hours as well. :)
More later!
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