A Shooting at FSU: Tragedy Strikes Close to Home

This afternoon, a gunman shot opened fire at FSU's student Union and 6 people have been taken to the hospital. A place that was one of peace, laughter, and study has now been stained by violence. Thankfully, as far as I know at this point, all of these individuals are still alive (let's pray for the medical teams working to keep it that way). This has not been the case with other shootings in the US or with attacks in different parts of the globe. Even though the FSU shooting could have been worse, the "close to home" aspect of it has no doubt shaken many in our community (as it should).

How are we to think about this event?

We Live in a Dangerous World

First, we should recognize that Christianity provides us with the proper worldview to interpret the world. We live in a dangerous world, and it seems to get more dangerous by the minute. 

Why is this? It is because we live in a world that is in rebellion against the Creator. As Romans 1 says, men and women suppress the truth in unrighteousness, and from that flows all sorts of sin, including murder (and attempted murder). While the media asks the why questions and people speculate on the reasons, we know that, while each individual's reasons for such violence may differ, it is all a symptom of the fact that we live in a world that is in rebellion against God.

What Are We to Do About It?

Second, we should recognize that Christianity tells us what we should do, knowing that we live in a dangerous world. In Jesus' day, a tower fell on some individuals, killing them. About the same time, a ruler of the day had many Jews slaughtered. Why did this happen to them? Were they worse sinners than others? Well, they were sinners (we all are), but we do not know why a tower falls on that sinner and not me or you. If the tower fell on me, I could not complain against God, for I deserve nothing but his just wrath against my sin. So, how should we process the bad things that happen to those around us? How should we think about a close call? Jesus said that we should repent (Luke 13:2-5).

A close call is a reminder to us that death is coming for us all, and we must be right with our Maker. We must repent or turn away from our rejection of God and the disobedience to God's law and turn to Jesus as our only hope of forgiveness and salvation. He lived the life of obedience to God that we should have. He died on the cross to take the punishment sinners deserve. He was buried, but rose again, having conquered sin and death for all who will trust in him. He is the only way to God (John 14:6). We will all die one day, whether it is at the hands of a gunman, behind the wheel of a car, or quietly in our sleep. A tragedy close to home is a call to repentance and everlasting life. 

For those of us who have repented, we are to go about our daily lives knowing that physical death is a reality for us too but that it does not have the final word. God has not guaranteed us a life of ease. We still live in a sin-cursed world, but we are not like those who have no hope. We have a Savior who has defeated the power of sin and eternal death. This frees us to serve God without fear for all the days of life he gives us knowing that when we die we will be in the presence of the Lord (Phil. 1:21-24, 1 Cor. 15:58).  

Let's carry on, not just because it's the only thing we can do but because Jesus is our hope. This is not a "keep calm and carry on" slogan.  Keeping calm makes no sense if you still have to fear death and God's judgment. But as those who know we serve a living Savior who has removed the sting of death, we have an imperishable hope. Let's live as those who have real hope, and let's call others to repentance so that they too may have this hope.

Let's pray. Pray for those affected by this tragedy and for all who have been called on to respond to it (for the first responders, school administrators, medical staff, professors, and campus ministries). Pray for God's mercy and healing on the wounded. Moments like this call us to cast our burdens on the Lord. 

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Note, this is an adapted republication of an article on this blog from November 20, 2014 entitled "Shooting at FSU: What Are We to Make of "A Close Call?"

Choosing a College Major - Advice from John Piper

Choosing what to major in (or even whether or not to go to college) is a daunting task for many. Others give it little thought. I found this podcast episode (14 minutes) from Ask Pastor John to be wise and helpful. 

His main considerations are

1. Aim at God's glory

2. Pursue Personal Holiness

3. Consider Your Gifts

4. Ponder Your Desires

5. Pay Attention to Needs

There is more in the podcast, so I encourage you to listen to it.

Time for a Schedule and Priorities Check Up

 We are part of the way through a new semester (for our students). With each new semester (or season of life) comes unexpected changes in terms of schedules. Sure, you know when you have class and work, but there are unanticipated changes, too. The danger in a new semester (or a new season of life - like going into college, graduating, moving to a new place, etc.) is that our priorities don't get in the new schedule.

I encourage you to take about 30 minutes to an hour to prayerfully consider your priorities and compare them to your actual schedule. 

• Write out your top 3-5 priorities for the semester (ideally, these will be somewhat unchanging. Example: faithfully worship the Lord privately and with his people, be a diligent worker/student, etc.).
• Look at your planner or calendar. Are these priorities coming out in the rhythms and habits of your daily/weekly life? If not, what changes must be made to keep your priorities in place? Are there priorities that need to shift or change? 

Each season calls for a fresh consideration of what is most important and how we practically pursue those goals. You might think that you are too busy to do this. However, I have found that this exercise often yields greater peace and less anxiety because I have greater assurance that what I invest in is essential. Also, it helps us see things that we can or should start saying "no" to. 

This Summer: Learn to Apply Your Christian Worldview

 This is part of the series "Summer is a Stewardship." 

Introductory post, 

Focus on the Glory of God

Pick a Fight with Your Sin

Learn to Apply Your Christian Worldview

We all have a lens through which we see the world. This doesn't mean that reality is subjective. It means that we have a way we interpret reality and answer life's big questions. Whether we know it or not and whether we are consistent or not, we apply our worldview to help us understand the world, ourselves, and questions of meaning. Thus, we must get a better handle on the biblical outlook on life and work to apply that worldview consistently to news, entertainment, ethical issues, and our goals. 

Work on thinking biblically about all of life this summer. When the Fall semester flurry of activity begins, you will be hit with all sorts of news, information, ethical claims, and temptations towards folly. Now, not in the midst of the storm, is the time to prepare. 

Let me encourage you to consider a few "daily" resources to assist you in that.

Christian music that focuses your mind on truth. 

Music (and arts) can profoundly shape how we view the world. This is good when they align with truth and not good when they align with worldly philosophies. So, find some good Christian music to tune your heart to see the world and God's kingdom as it is. A few suggested artists: Sovereign Grace Music, Gray Havens (for those who like folksy music), City Alight, Shane and Shane, Matt Boswell, and many more. 

News from a Christian worldview. 

Mainstream media seems like propaganda for the respective sides in the cultural war. I found the World News Group, specifically their podcast "The World and Everything in It," to offer meaningful news from a biblical worldview and absent all the hysterics. Al Mohler's podcast "The Briefing" also covers news from a Christian worldview (but he generally covers a few topics from the headlines rather than being a complete news service). 

And the most essential resource - The Bible. 

Read your Bible daily and let its truth renew your thinking, priorities, and interpretations of life. Think about how what you read applies to your life, explains the world around you, and directs your ethics, goals, and priorities. The Bible shapes how a citizen of God's Kingdom sees the world. 

This Summer: Pick a Fight with Your Sinful Tendencies

This is part of the series "Summer is a Stewardship." 

1. Introductory post, 
2. First post. 

Pick a Fight with Your Sinful Tendencies

Our ultimate goal is to love God more and look more like our Savior. Unfortunately, our sin gets in the way of these desires by clouding our vision of God and causing us to not live in line with our new identity. Thus, every Christian wants to put his or her sin to death (John 14:21). We sin, but we hate it and repent of it. 

So, pick a fight with at least one of your sinful tendencies this summer. 

Confession and Repentance

The first step in initiating the fight is to call the sin out and side with God against it. This is confessing (that is, agreeing with God that it is wrong, foolish, and terrible). The second step is to ask God to help you fight the sin. The third step is to repent of it. This is to actively turn away from the sin and what tempts you towards it. It involves not just changes in action but in your heart. To help you do this, you might listen to this sermon by Bruce Ware on how a renewed affection for God pushes out old affections for sin. Or you could read Thomas Chalmer's sermon "The Expulsive Power of a New Affection" (click here for a pdf version for free, or buy a book version from the bookcase in the fellowship hall). Finally, part of repentance involves finding biblical truth that replaces the wrong thinking and desires and memorizing it. If you need help with this, enlist the help of a Christian friend. 

Develop New Habits

One more thing that will help in this fight. Begin new habits that will help you. Our habits are the things we do without much thought because it is what we've always done. This can be good when the habit helps you pursue Christ (for example, daily Bible reading). But, when it is something that often opens the door for sin (like laziness, overindulgence in entertainment, or checking social media incessantly), that habit hinders godliness. What habits are not helping you put on Christlike thinking and living? What habits are making provision for your enemy? "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires" (Romans 13:14). Developing habits takes time and consistency. Ask a friend to keep you accountable and find a way to track how you are doing in developing the new habit. 

Fight While You Have Time

So, you should fight sin vigorously this summer. Don't struggle through the summer and come back expecting to not struggle when school starts. The reality is you will likely still struggle and be pressed for time when the semester begins. And you need time to think and develop godly plans and habits. So, pick a fight with one of your sinful tendencies this summer. 

This Summer: Focus on the Glory of God

This is the second part in the series "Summer is a Stewardship." Click here for the first post.

As we seek to steward our summer, the first thing you must do is aim to glorify God in all that you do. This begins by meditating on God's greatness: His attributes and acts. 

This is not something distinct from growing in your faith. Romans 4:20-21 says of Abraham, 

No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 

Notice the way he grew strong in his faith. It was "as he gave glory to God." Glorifying God grows your faith in him. Why? Because in glorifying God, you are exercising the muscle of faith. That is, you believe his promises (which glorifies him). And this exercise of faith does what physical exercise does for the body: it produces greater strength.  

And to know God's promises and character (for what are promises if you don't know the character of the one making the promises?), you must be in God's Word. Read Psalm 103 or Isaiah this summer. Perhaps you could pick up a book on the attributes of God (like AW Pink's little book on the attributes of God) that will pull out various passages of Scripture to meditate on. (Here is a link to a post on methods for meditating).

One more thing to help you with this. Take time to curate the kindness of God. Write down or mentally recall things to thank God for: his sustaining grace in a trial, strength to overcome temptation, an enjoyable experience, etc. This is a means of glorifying God and will cause you to grow strong in the faith (which will glorify God). 

 

Summer is a Stewardship

 Many of you have a unique opportunity. You have a summer break that might allow more freedom with your time. This is likely a limited-time offer, though. After you graduate and begin a career, it probably won't happen again. 

Summer break is more than an opportunity. It is a stewardship. Every gift (and trial) we receive is from God and carries a responsibility to use it to the glory of God. You should enjoy some rest, good times with friends, and fun times that you can thank God for. But plan to use this gift well. Use it for the glory of God and the long-term good of your soul and life. Plan to use it to make you more fruitful in building up the church and ministering to others. 

My hope is to provide you some concrete ideas over the next few weeks on how you might do that. You have much Christian freedom here. So, you don't have to do what I suggest, but you are commanded to "redeem the time" and to "glorify God" in all that you do. If my ideas won't work for you, just come up with ones that do. Feel free to share your ideas in the comments. In fact, between now and the next post, take some time to think about ways you could steward your summer well. 

Avoiding Worldly Thinking in Your Studies

Thinking through how to glorify God in your studies is essential. I found this short (13 minute) episode of "Ask Pastor John" to be helpful. He deals mainly with the area of studying philosophy, but the principles are helpful for all academic pursuits. 

"How Can I Avoid Worldly Thinking in My Studies?"

"Laziness Ruins Happiness"

Here is a link to a helpful article by Jon Bloom, over at Desiring God, called "Laziness Ruins Happiness." Don't be lazy. Take some time to listen to it or read it.

A few quotes:

diligence is a “heavenly virtue” because it is a means of cultivating godliness — increased capacities to deeply delight in God and his gifts. 

how we behave, over time, reflects what we believe; what we do reflects what we desire; our labors reflect our loves. 

When Scripture commands us to “be all the more diligent” (2 Peter 1:10), God is calling us to work hard toward the right ends (growing in godliness), in the right ways (what God commands), for the right reasons (love). 

The Most Important Decision of the Semester

Kevin DeYoung has a helpful article at the Gospel Coalition about the most important decision students will face as they move into adulthood and go out on their own. He writes, "Of all the decisions you’ll face this year, the most important one may be whether you get up and go to church on the very first Sunday when no one is there to make sure that you go to church."

There will always be other things pressing for your time and attention: exams to study for, a job, friends, a campus ministry, etc. Those are all good things. However, other things may not be so good: laziness, a desire to avoid relationships that require work, or a desire to hide sinful lifestyle choices. 

But, if you belong to Jesus, you need to be gathering with the church family. You might think your personal relationship with Jesus doesn't require this, but you would be wrong. DeYoung provides a helpful quote from John Stott on this: "An unchurched Christian is a grotesque anomaly. The New Testament knows nothing of such a person. For the church lies at the very center of the eternal purpose of God. It is not a divine afterthought." God says that the church is Jesus's bride, body, family, and temple. If we ignore what God prioritizes, then we will miss out on joy, and we will easily begin to ignore other things he tells us. 

One more thing to consider. The church body needs each member if it is to grow as a healthy body (1 Cor. 12). If you choose not to prioritize it, you will also deprive other brothers and sisters of what you owe them. 

There are always other things that compete with attending the worship service and other meetings. Sometimes we might have to miss, but we should miss being there in our affections. We should take long to be with God's people. Don't fall into the temptation of saying you are too busy. We are busy with the things we think are most important. So, if we are consistently too busy, then we are saying it isn't the highest priority. But, for the sake of your own soul and the building up of the body, decide to make gathering on Sundays (and coming to a Bible study if you can) a top priority. 

How is Your Summer Going? Advice for Redeeming Your Break

 Not everyone gets a summer break. But for those on break, I wanted to check in and ask how your summer is going. Are you stewarding the gift well? Are you growing in your love for Christ, his people, and your neighbors? Are you serving your family well and with a cheerful heart? 

I wanted to offer some counsel to those who might have noticed that their summer is flying by without much progress in spiritual growth or fruitfulness. You might have started out with many big goals, but you have found that not much has happened to meet those goals. Here is some advice.

1. Realize that goals are good to have, but developing habits is the key to obtaining those goals. In other words, your goal will only be met if you set up new habits to help you travel towards the goal. 
2. Develop habits of Bible reading and prayer. If you are a Christian, you want to be more like Christ. This goal will only happen as you learn from God's word and ask him for help (communion with God). So, if your goal is growth, develop the habit of a particular time of day and location for Bible reading and prayer. The goal isn't to the routine, but the goal won't be achieved without it. 
3. Develop habits of serving others. When you find yourself tempted to veg out with a screen, first ask if there is someone you can do good to in your home or church. Meet a physical need (wash the dishes) or a spiritual one (pray for a friend or send an encouraging text). 
4. It's not too late to start! You might be thinking you've wasted your summer. It's not over! Developing habits now will help you this summer and in the Fall. 

I'm praying for you. May you labor and rest to the glory of God this summer. 

Don't Overlook Fellowship Opportunities in College

This is the third post in the series "Your College Years Will Fly By".

I am continuing my series on not wasting your opportunities. Today’s post is on fellowship. Before I exhort you not to waste your opportunity, I should mention what fellowship is.

Fellowship involves Christians seeking to do spiritual good to one another and sharing life’s joys and struggles with one another. It is different than socializing in that it has a spiritual aim and foundation. It aims to spur each believer on to love, good deeds, and faithfulness. Its foundation is our common unity in Christ (which is why a Christian can and should love unbelieving neighbors, but there is no Christian fellowship there). I should point out that socializing works with fellowship in that socializing (talking about general and common life experiences) usually facilitates fellowship. It isn’t a replacement for fellowship (as if talking about who won the game is the same thing as fellowship). However, socializing isn’t unimportant either.

As young, unmarried adults, you have opportunities for a greater breadth of fellowship during this season of life. You will likely have more discretionary time than the “married with kids” demographic. I don’t mean to imply that you aren’t busy or that you don’t have serious work to do which consumes time and energy. You are likely very busy. All I mean is that your “free time” (however much you have) is likely discretionary (will you join this club, will you go to the football game, etc.). Whereas, a person who is married with kids has almost all of his or her free-time allocated. You might indeed stay up late working on papers, but you won’t have young kids waking up the next morning at the first sliver of dawning light to demand your attention. Perhaps you don’t have much discretionary time, but you likely have more energy than you will have in the future.

My point is that you should evaluate your opportunities to fellowship and maximize them for your good as well as that of others. Be broad in those you fellowship with. Try to be intentional at church to speak with older and younger people and to do them spiritual good. Hang out with the young families on the playground after Sunday evening service. Go to a Bible study to learn the Word with fellow believers and to pray with one another. Make time to socialize with fellow Christians so that you can more easily and naturally have spiritual fellowship.

Every stage of life should be marked by Christian fellowship. And in every stage of life there will always appear to be good reasons why you don’t have time for it. The temptation, especially in a Bible-centered church, is to see fellowship as simply a nice add-on. In otherwords, I come and hear the Bible, but I don’t have time to socialize and fellowship. Fight against this way of thinking. Develop the habit (the discipline) of fellowship now while you have a bit more energy and (perhaps) time. And when you grow older, don’t forsake it.

Don't Waste Your Evangelism Opportunities in College

This is the second post in the series "Your College Years Will Fly By"

Here is my syllogism:

·       Every Christian must be involved in “making disciples,” which includes sharing the gospel with unbelievers.

·       Each stage of life brings some unique evangelistic opportunities. 

·       Therefore, be a good steward with your opportunities, for they will never be exactly the same in the future

Every Christian should evangelize

Jesus commanded his disciples to make disciples of all the nations. They “make disciples” (or followers of Jesus) by sharing the gospel message (Mark 1:15), exemplifying Christian love for fellow Christians (John 13:35), and letting the Lord give new life (John 3). The point is, every believer has a role to play. We know that this is true because the promise in the Great Commission is that Jesus will be with his followers until the end of the age to empower them in ministry. Therefore the ministry must endure past the original disciples to the end of the age.

Each stage of life brings some unique (and some similar) opportunities

For example, a young mom who is at home with her kids will have opportunities to evangelize her children, other moms she spends time around, her hairstylist, etc. Some of these are unique opportunities (her children) while others are more common (hairstylist).

You, as a young and single adult, will likely not have as many opportunities in the realm of evangelizing your children (but you could evangelize children through a ministry).  All I am saying is that there is usually a unique “people group” you can reach now that you will likely not have as direct access to in the future.

So, don’t waste the particular opportunities you have now. What doors are open for young adults? For those who are students, you have more direct contact with college students. These young men and women are at a phase of life in which they are trying to formulate convictions about their purpose, why the world is as it is, and where everything is going. That is a unique opportunity in terms of evangelism. 

Beyond that, young, unmarried adults often have a greater number of exchanges with people during the day. Between work and school, you are around large numbers of different folks. Being around more people, especially at a secular university, means you also have contact with a wider variety of people. Not merely in terms of numbers but in terms of worldviews and nationalities. You in a stage in life in which it takes less extra and intentional effort to break out of the silos of being around people that are mostly “just like you.”

Therefore, be a good steward

What a tremendous set of circumstances to minister in! What opportunities to make Jesus Lordship and grace known. So, don’t waste these unique opportunities. The same goes for “the rest of us.” We have unique opportunities that are unique if we open our eyes and love our neighbors.

Your College Years Will Fly by: Don't Waste the Opportunities

Each stage of life has unique opportunities and challenges. Our fallen human nature often leads us to always look forward or backward rather than to enjoy and use what we have in the here and now. Your college or young adult years are no exception.

Wise is the person who takes stock in each season of life. Evaluating the opportunities and adjusting things in your life to accommodate new responsibilities is essential but often overlooked. If you don't evaluate how to play to each season's opportunities and responsibilities, you will likely look back with extra regret as you get older.

These are the years in which your ability to think and reason is blooming. Your body is usually healthy and full of energy (despite how tired you often are). Your schedule is full, but you have fewer responsibilities than you will have in the future if you get married and have kids. You likely have a broader array of relationships through your connections at school, work, and social engagements. The question is, how can you maximize the opportunities you have to foster your own growth in Christ, the good of the church family, and the good of unsaved neighbors.

So, I want to spend a few posts on this topic. I specifically want to encourage you to think of the opportunities you have in the areas of (1) evangelism, (2) discipleship, and (3) spiritual growth. Take some time to think of your unique opportunities in your current stage of life (this exercise works well no matter what stage you are at).

For Your Own Soul, Plan to Join a Church in College

A LifeWay Research study showed that 66% young adults who regularly attended church in high school stopped regularly attending church for at least 1 year between the ages of 18-22.1 Many factors might contribute to that trend.  For my purpose, I want to address the issue of those who are genuine believers and heading off to college who are a bit neutral on the importance of being regularly with the church.  There are two main things I want to say to those in that category.

First, joining a church body is healthy for your soul.  

One reason is that it is how the Lord will work to keep you trusting in him.  Hebrews 3:12-14 states, 

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

What is the way we avoid being hardened by the lies of sin?  How do we recognize that the allure of the flesh and world are dead-ends when they look so promising?  By exhorting one another every day.  In other words, the means by which God sovereignly preserves us from spiritual destruction is by giving us a desire to regularly be with the family of God.  Don't resist that desire, instead cultivate it.

Another reason it is healthy for your soul is that you were made to function in the family and body of Jesus.  Think of how often the New Testament speaks of Christians as "brothers and sisters."  This is not just a verbal tick.  It is a reminder that we have a bond with fellow believers that requires family loyalty and love towards one another.  It is in this social context that we do the work of Christian love and community.  We meet needs. We encourage one another.  We correct one another. We rejoice with one another.  We weep with one another.  This all happens as we are around one another and in the body with Jesus as our head. 

All of this entails membership in the family or body of Christ.  Just as no family member or body part is only loosely connected, so, too, no believer is to remain loosely connected to the church (i.e., anonymous, uninvolved, or uncommitted).  What if your liver suddenly decided it didn't want to be connected to the rest of the body or that it was too busy to do its part?  Each member is made to function together.

Second, make a plan to attend and join a church.

This is the second main thing I want to say.  Many genuine Christians come to college with ideas of joining a church, but then life happens.  They get busy, and they establish new habits which don't include regularly gathering with the church family.  It is not unusual for me to meet a college student who is a senior, and who tells me that he had planned to join a church.  Here it is 3 years later, and he is just now following through.  He regrets the wasted time.  How many corrections, encouragements, and family meals (communion) he missed?  How many opportunities to do good to the household of faith were announced that he never heard?  I am glad these students desire to reunite with their spiritual family, even it is a bit late in the game.  So, if you are in this category, it's not too late, even if it is later than you planned. As they say, "better late than never."

A quick word on habits.  Habits are intentional and regular practices used to direct our lives to the things we value most.  They are more than good intentions.  When you move for school or find that you can set up new habits, be thoughtful.  List what God wants your life directed towards.  Then add other things that you desire.  After that, plan practices which will lead your life towards these goals.  This takes mental effort and self-discipline.  You won't coast into good habits.  If you want to be an excellent musician, you must plan and discipline yourself.  You must develop practices to direct your life towards that end.  As a Christian, you will want to be like Christ and to love and serve his church - the ones he loves.  So, make gathering with the church a regular habit!


1. The question was asked, "Did you stop attending church regularly (twice a month or more) for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22?"  (This was asked to young adults age 23-30 who attend protest church consistently for at least 1 year in high school).

Why Join a Local Church in College

Becoming a member of a local church is important. Occasionally I like to link to an article on the topic - mainly because it is such an important issue which is not often well understood. Here is an article at the Gospel Coalition site entitled "Fellow College Students, Please Join a Local Church." 

Below are his main points, but the whole thing is short and worth a read.

1. To be watched over by church leaders. “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account” (Heb. 13:17).
2. To be discipled by older church members. “Older women likewise are . . . to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled” (Titus 2:3–5).
3. To build up the church. “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:11–13).
4. To learn to love those Jesus loved. “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph. 5:25).

Advice from John Piper on Staying Close to God while in College

This short (13 minute) audio from the Ask Pastor John podcast  (episode 1081) is worth a listen. He responds to a question about how to stay close to God while in college. Here are his main points, but you really need to hear him flesh them out (or read the transcript).

1. Prepare for War
2. Love the Word
3. Invest in a Church
4. Find Good Friends
5. Ask for Help

Don't Exchange "Eulogy Virtues" for "Resume Virtues"

I recently read Ben Sasse's book, The Vanishing American Adult: Our coming-of -age crisis and how to rebuild a culture of self-reliance. In one place he writes to parents,

In our effort to develop our kids' talents, to provide them with a set of extracurricular experiences even more impressive than our own to help them stand out from the rest of the college-bound crowd, many of us might be unintentionally displacing lifelong "eulogy virtues" in favor of mere "resume virtures." 

This got me to thinking about the pressure in our culture, especially for high school and college students, to merely produce (and at times not even to produce so much as to get their names on a list or check off a box of having done something). There is a push to do a lot of things to build up our resume and make ourselves more marketable.

But what if that signifies a great loss for us and our culture.  Don't get me wrong, God did make us to produce, and He warns us against being lazy and self-indulgent. However, He made us to represent Him in all our production. This requires us growing in godly characteristics (see Titus 1 - 2 for example).

Perhaps we should still focus on building resumes (after all we will need them to find jobs), but what if we did it more with an eye of seeing how God would use us to serve others and how he would use those situations to develop a greater love in our hearts for Himself.

The usefulness of mere resume virtues will come to end one day. But "eulogy virtues" (or in biblical terms, godliness) is of lasting value.

If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come (1 Tim 4:6-8).

 If you are looking for a place to start "training yourself for godliness," why not start with the list of virtues God gives us in 1 Timothy and Titus (see below).

Five Vices to Replace

Vice	Opposite	Application
Arrogance/Self-will- Pushy and seeking one's own will instead of God's and instead of looking out for the interests of others. It is also a pride that won’t receive criticism well.	A humble servant who looks out for the interest of others instead of using power for personal gain (Matt. 20:25-28). A proper view of self (a sinner) which enables you to receive criticism.	Do you often push for your own way? How are you looking out for the interests of others? How do you handle criticism?  Do you examine it humbly to see if it is true or does it go “in one ear and out the other?”
Quick-Tempered- Having a “short fuse,” or being easily angered.	Humility, gentleness, patience, love (Eph. 4:1-2)	Are you easily provoked to anger by people and situations? If you ask someone to do something and they don’t do it the way you want or they fail, how do you respond? With patience or in anger?
Drunkard- A person whose companion is wine (or any other substance that causes a person to not be clear-headed/sober-minded).	Being self-controlled and filled with the Spirit (Eph. 4:18).	Are you free not to drink? Do you drink to the point of not being clear-headed? Do you see alcohol as a means of escaping life’s problems?
Violent- Abusiveness, meanness, or fighting to get one’s own way or to suppress opposition. Riding rough-shod over others or bullying them with physical violence or with your words.	Gentleness (1 Tim 3:3) and being a peacemaker (Rom. 12:18).	Do you like brawling to get your way (physically or striking with your words)? Are you argumentative or quick to attack those who get in your way or express a different opinion? Or, do you seek peace in situations?
Greedy for Gain- Seeking financial or material gain without integrity.  Loving money and material things. Unsatisfied with what you have.	Contentment (1 Tim. 6:6), seeking God’s Kingdom and His righteousness above all (Matt. 6). Being a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7).	Are you content financially and materially? Or do you constantly seek happiness in having newer and nicer things (phones, clothes, etc.)?

Six Virtues to Put on

Virtue	Application
Hospitable- One who gives practical help to new comers.	Are you welcoming new people at church instead of just talking to your group of friends? Do you try to meet the needs of other Christians that you do not know that well? Or are you quick to make excuses and slow to inconvenience yourself for others?
Loving what is good- Loves what is good as opposed to sinful, worthless, and not God-glorifying.	Our close friendships should be with those who love good things. The ultimate “good” is Christ. So you should love those who love Christ. Do the TV shows you watch make light of that which is evil according to God?  The problem is not that you would go do the things you see, but that you are mentally delighting in what is not good.
Sensible- Being wise and thoughtful. Not being driven by emotion, but cool-headed.	Are you controlled in your thinking, not given to a lack of control and being “feelings” driven?
Upright- Living righteously and justly.	Do you seek to practice righteousness in your everyday life? Do you want to be just in your dealings with others?
Holy/Devout- Living a life that is pleasing to God.	Do you regularly confess and repent of your sin before the Lord (even if others don’t know about it)? Do you seek to find out what pleases the Lord from His Word? Do you seek to do what is pleasing to the Lord?
Disciplined/ Self-controlled- Having one’s desires in check and under control.	Are you ruled by your desires for money, sleep (laziness), food (overeating), and/or material things? Do you lack control with your use of time (wasting much time on TV or the Internet) or money? Or do you rule over your desires so that you might be focused on pursuing the one prize- namely, Jesus (1 Cor. 9:24-27)?

"6 Ways to Avoid Delayed Adulthood"

Here is a helpful article at The Gospel Coalition by 'Gunner' Gundersen. He offers some good challenges to college age men and women (though it can apply to all of us). The whole thing is worth a read. Here is a quote to get entice you

"You can’t lead if you’re not around. You can’t serve if you don’t come. You can’t help if you’re not here. So if you want to mature, start by making wise commitments, and then follow through on those commitments." 

Below is his outline:

1. Desire
2. Commitment 
3. Faithfulness
4. Humility
5. Courage
6. Resilience 

Read his article to find out more... 

Use Your Summer Well

Tim Challies has a good article by Peter Krol  entitled "3 Ways College Students Can Do More Better Through Finals Week and Into the Summer." I really enjoy reading what Tim has to say about productivity (he has a book on it which I have not read, but I have read many of his blog posts that formed the backbone of that book).

In this article, Krol applies his wisdom in this area to college students and young adults. Here are his three main points:

1. Make a List and Stick to It
2. Set Goals for the Summer
3. Create a Productivity System for Next School Year

My favorite part is in the set goals for the summer. His list several questions to ask yourself as you set goals:

• What parts of the Bible do you want to read for the first time or study more deeply?
• What books would you like to read? [Ben's note: Desiring God by John Piper. See you Thursday at our house for book club]
• What people would you like to meet with for outreach, encouragement, or discipleship?
• What would you like to learn, and from whom? How can you get yourself around people who live the kind of life you would like to live before Christ, so they can rub off on you?
• Where can you volunteer your time?
• How can you get more involved in your church?
• What other projects would encourage you?

I pray this summer would be one that serves to make you more like Christ. It won't happen without effort on your part though.