The Days Roll By.

Oh bebother and confusticate all this stuff I'm doing. I almost forgot to post!

The sunrise was beautiful this morning, as was the weather. I guess it's cool to be running in, but just walking to class or driving in, or heading to the showers? It's great. It was just perfect.

This morning a cell phone went off in Statics, it's a large class and everyone packs close to the front to hear the teacher. He glared into the audience and growled "I have been authorized by the university to destroy any cell phones that go off during my lectures. Turn them OFF!" There was a stunned silence and then a quiet rustle all around me as everyone made sure their phone was off ;)

I got more homework, turned more in. Worked on problems, read a bit, walked around, went through my Physics lab. I've got solid class time from 7:30 until 2:30, except for an hour break at 9:30. Then I went home for a couple of hours (and found eleven e-mails in my inbox since that morning. Yikes!) and came back to campus for a help session in Physics, the same guy (Chuck) is doing it as last year. I really enjoy him, I'm not sure if he makes the problems easier to solve but he helps get them organized and is very entertaining to listen to. After spending two hours there, I came home, finished up a few things I needed to do, and now I plan on getting a little reading done before I turn in for the night. I'll just save those Circuits problems for tomorrow when I have a large chunk of time (from about 7:30 to 12:30) when I'm not doing anything really. I'll attempt to lug my books to campus.

While I listening to Jeff's lectures on church history today, he mentioned a guy in relation to Alexander Henderson, the Earl of something, I wouldn't know how to spell it but I think it began with a P. Anyway, he showed a picture and made the comment that he looked like Gilligan. I'd really like to see that picture but all I could find was one of Alexander Henderson.

There was also a baby murmuring in the background. I know there were people back in 2001 that I wouldn't know now, but this one sounded remarkably like Calvin. I don't know if he was born yet though. All he said was "Muh-muh-muh" "eh" and "mmmuh".

Let me see, one quote before I shut this thing down.

Spurgeon didn't use methods in the ordinary worship service, but knew that some of his "underlings" used things like the inquiry room in their prayer meetings (they were something like the modern day altar call, only people would go to these special rooms to talk to someone about it after they were "called up.") He says:

'In our revival services, it might be as well to vary our procedure. Sometimes shut up that inquiry-room. I have my fears about that institution if it be used in permanence, and as an inevitable part of the services.
It is a fact that thousands of persons live close to our notable sanctuaries and never dream of entering them. Even curiousity seems to be dulled.
Why is this? Whence this distaste for the ordinary services of the sanctuary? I believe that the answer, in some measure, lies in a direction little suspected. There has been a growing pandering to sensationalism; and, as this wretched appetite increases in fury the more it is gratified, it is at last found to be impossible to meet its demands. Those who have introduced all sorts of attractions into their services have themselves to blame if people forsake their more sober teachings, and demand more and more of the noisy and the singular. Like dram-drinking, the thirst for excitement grows. At first, the fiery spirit may be watered down; but the next draught of it must be stronger, and soon it is required to be overproof. The customary gin-drinker wants something stronger than the pure spirit, deadly though that draught may be. One said, as she tossed off her glass, "Do you call /that/ gin? Why, I know of a place where, for threepence, I can get a drink that will burn your very soul out!" Yes, gin leads on to vitriol; and the sensational leads to the outrageous, if not to the blasphemous. I would condemn no one, but I confess that I feel deeply grieved at some of the inventions of modern mission work.'

I felt those were very good fears to have, especially as I see the fruits of a hundred years of this type of work! Music, for example, is so relied upon that some people say the instrumental piece before the service was more stirring than the sermon, or that "we are waiting to sing those because our pianist doesn't know the piece yet." Truly, people want more and more, especially in our society where the common desire seems to be "feed my eyes, my ears, my senses." Once all of these "exciting new things" become old though, they go on to search for the next biggest thing, the next "purpose-driven church" or something like that. I'm grieved too, to see the results of this mentality that tries to serve people what they want, rather than what they need. To be anxious for "immediate results" when the long-lasting results are absent. It was sad to read of sixty conversions in one night, yet six months from then, not a single one would confess Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Your theology does shape how you act, and that is certain. The fruits of these labours was to sow much seed (and it wasn't even pure seed, it was moldy, rotten seed) on the rocky soil. People spring up quickly and then just as quickly fall away.

Well, now I'm planning on finishing an article online and a pamphlet that was sent to me a long time ago on Bible Versions. It's been interesting so far.