To Know is to Love

I want to share with you some burning question that has been floating around my mind since starting school. The question of "why to get more education when I already know too much?" The reality is that we already know so much about how we need to apply Jesus' teachings but there is a great chasm between what we know and what we do. Application and implication of knowledge is our challenge. Why should I be in school gathering more intellect when I can't even handle the intellect I've already been entrusted with? In my Christian worldviews class we discussed this very question about education. With all our access to knowledge, are we becoming any wiser? At oxford university there can be found these words written on bookmarks and postcards. The more I study the more I know The more I know the more I forget The more I forget the less I know So why study?

In the Hebrew way of knowing could be summed up in this way: "to have knowledge of, means to have responsibility to, means to have care for. If one knows, one cares; if one does not care, one does not know. It is personal knowledge, but not private or subjective; the differences are decisive. Rather it is rooted in the deepest realities of God's nature and character, and our bearing His image, called to care for the world in imitation of Christ" Who is my Neighbor? I'm sure you remember the story of the Good Samaritan. The Priest and Levite, the people deemed to have a concern and love for the things of God walk past the man beaten up and mugged while the Samaritan comes to his need. Jesus condemns the Priest and Levite of not fulfilling the law of love to be a good neighbor. Jesus shows us that to know is to love. To know is to Love.

This is my prayer for the next few years of school and for the church. That our knowing would reach its full objective and target. Love!

First Weeks Impression

Since passing into the province of Saskatchewan I've been in a constant state of nostalgia. For those of you who don't know me as well, I grew up as a prairie boy from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan until the age of 9 when our family was relocated to beautiful British Columbia. Briercrest College is just outside of Moose Jaw in a tiny town called Caronport where, while I was young my Dad was attending College to become a Pastor. Now, 14 years later after traveling all over the map, God has brought me back to square one where my life first began to launch into the same training my old man went through to become a Pastor. It's been quite a remarkable few days as I've just stopped to remember how faithful God has been to our family since we moved from the prairies. I've settled in nicely in the 'Sundbo' dorm building on a floor full of musicians and athletes from all over Canada. It's great to be surrounded by so many gifted dudes who love Jesus and are seeking God's will for their lives. All day, everywhere you go you can hear people playing music and singing. The other night we had a big fire going at a pit they have on campus and were all singing and worshiping together. It was pretty awesome to be able to meet new people in this context. In terms of the academics part of school, (which has probably been one of the least considered parts since being here) it has been nothing short of a brilliant first impression. After hearing some of the faculty and staff here at Briercrest I was impressed by the level of spirituality and vision they possess for the school and students. There is a profound sense that Briercrest is an incubator of spiritual development where the faculty are God's heat lamps imparting growth and knowledge into us students. One thing I am particularly thankful for is the daily chapel students are expected to attend. Every day, as we prepare to engage our minds in study there will be a 45 minute window of time where we stop and give praise to our King, receive some spiritual nourishment from the Word and remember the reason why we're here. All in all it's been a great first week and looking forward to getting into the rhythm of college. Blessings from the flat lands!