Crazy Christmas Numbers

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Defined

So I spent a majority of my day today preparing to apply for internships.  Specifically with Compassion International .  I felt during the day like I had accomplished nothing.  This lead to a succession of thoughts for the rest of the evening.  (Just so you know once I finally submitted three applications, I felt that I had accomplished something).

What we do defines us.  We have heard it a thousand times (or at least I have).  I know that I am a person who enjoys ministry, the outdoors and being with people.  So when I am doing things that are the opposite of that, I feel like I am accomplishing nothing.  I feel this way because it's not who I am.  If we allow busy work (school, jobs, ect) to be all that we focus on and do, then that is what we become; Students, workers ect.

So what does this mean.  Well first as Christians, this should mean that we are Christ like; in everything. However, a majority of the time we settle, at least that's what I do.  We do what is convenient for us, (based on the worlds standards of course).  If we were followers of Christ first in our lives (which is what should be our first definer)  then the rest of our life will follow suit, in accordance to what God wants.

I think this is why I enjoy ministry so much (for as much as it frustrates me).  I believe that if I wasn't so excited about ministry, I would not be excited about Christ, and vise versa.  This would in turn cause me to be the work and school focused person, that is no longer defined as anything.

Ringing in the Bucket List

So today I rang bells for the Salvation Army.  Only for an hour so far, however I may end up going back at some point this afternoon or next week.  Anyway while I was standing there, I was like "This is something I can mark off of my list"  and then I realized that I didn't have a list.  I think you know what kind of list I'm talking about, the list of things you want to do with your life.  Crazily enough ringing bells for the Salvation Army was definitely on that list.  Doing so is one of those things that our country views as the ultimate humanitarian sacrifice (well unless you are one of the ones that are getting paid to do it, then I suppose they are happy to be paying your salary in a time of high employment rates!).  So I began to think in my head, "What else should be on my list, what do I really wish to accomplish in my life."

Here's the deal, if you don't know what you want to accomplish in your life, then technically you don't have any accomplishments.  You just have things that you have done.  Because when you accomplish something, that is something that you fulfill (coming from http://dictionary.com).  This is an interesting thought.  I believe that a person knows inside of them what they were meant to do.  They just have to search that out (obviously for Christians this entails prayer and seeking God's will in the matter).

I used to think that "Bucket Lists" were silly, however through what I have learned this semester I am beginning to see the benefit of having one.  Especially if you line out ones not only for recreational things, but accomplishments that you want to make in your career as well.  Look for a list coming from me later today as well!  I have some great things in mind, as well as some cool things that I am already able to mark off of the list.

12 Days of Conchmas

Me singing; for 12 free shirts, any day! So yeah, Conch Tees is giving away 12 free shirts to two lucky people. I decided to rewrite the twelve days of Christmas with twelve of their shirts mentioned. It was a lot of fun to write and make, hope you guys enjoy it!

Hidden Camera Resume Review

So during the application process I won a free shirt from Pongo Resume. As a way of saying thanks I made a video for them. It covers things on resumes that keep people from getting hired. The people at Pongo loved it, I hope you guys find it beneficial as well!

Coke Zero Debate

So recently I haven't been writing so much (in case you haven't noticed). I have been putting a lot of time into my application for I Wear Your Shirt. I was asked to make a video for Coke Zero, and I did it in form of a debate for several reasons. 1. If you watch their ads you see that they are questioning the legitimacy of Coca-Cola infringing on Coke Zero, so why not debate it out? 2. Coke Zero has several persuasive reasons as to why to drink it, so it makes sense. 3. Debate comes natural to me..

It's been a fun ride with this application process, thanks for everyones support!

T is for Tenacity

Thoughts on Black Friday and how it relates to the I Wear Your Shirt job responsibilities.

Consumerism, Black Friday, and Christ

How does our relationship with Christ tie into all of this though?  This is where we should be bringing everything back to.   

I believe that if we miss Christ in all of this then we shouldn't be doing it.  If we are able to be consumers and still keep our focus on Christ then right on.  

The moment that we lose sight of Christ though is the moment that consumerism has become just another idol.  

Some people would take it to the extreme (and rightly so) saying that if you are not willing to stay up all night sharing Christ's love, doing his work.  Then why should you stay up all night shopping?  

To which could be countered, well He wants us to be good stewards of our money doesn't he?  This however could be something that Jon Acuff likes to refer to as a "Jesus Juke."  

So I think at this point in my walk, I can't confirm either side, because I'm been on both sides.  Right now I don't have a definitive answer and I don't want to Jesus Juke you.

I Bought a Wii: Part 2

It just amazes me though the amount of money that people spend on things that they don't really need.  Do I need a Wii? No, not particularly.  But it's going to be fun right? That's what it's all about right, is enjoying yourself?

Some people would say yes, "Seth you need to lighten up and live alittle."  Others would say "What a waste, you could spend that money elsewhere for greater things"  

I can't decide which line I land on.  A majority of the time I try to live my life as a minimalist (until something catches my eye).  

This is something that I think our country has caught a glimpse of with the recession, but I don't believe they have completely grasped it.  At least not from the shopping crowds that I have seen.  

But my generation in particular have taken grasp of this idea of less is more.  They almost run towards it, which is something I enjoy (but creates a marketing nightmare).  

I bought a Wii: Part 1

I find consumerism a very interesting thing.  Especially as it relates to Black Friday.  

I mean this is consumerism at its best right?  Literally people purchasing things that they normally wouldn't otherwise purchase, because they can get it for a good deal.  

I myself try and maximize my opportunity.  Maybe that is what everyone else is doing.  Sitting here maximizing their opportunities.   

But take what I have done for instance.  I purchased four dvd's at walmart tonight that are going to make great gifts (well three of them will, one of them is for me).  

I am then purchasing a Nitendo Wii.  Given this is a ridiculous way to purchase it, but it is a phenomenal deal.  This is actually a deal that is listed on most Black Friday sites as a top twenty deal.  That's pretty sweet I think.  

But what does this say about us as a nation?  We are sitting out here, spending our break, running essentially to get the "next best deal."  

Sure people say they are "thankful for good deals" but they aren't getting to spend quality time with their family like this holiday was meant for. 

  I myself have used the opportunity, since I am doing it alone, to get a majority of my homework for the next week done, in order to spend the next two days completely devoted to family.  I believe I am maximizing my time spent awake.  

The Contest

So I have been warning of a contest.
Sorry I was unable to post this before midnight.

So I have put in a Video Resume for I Wear Your Shirt, thus this entire contest will be revolving around my I Wear Your Shirt Video Resume.

The Contest that I speak of will net some pretty sweet prizes, however, every contest has to have rules.

The Contest is meant to gain views, comments, and viral sharing of this link --> http://iwearyourshirt.com/hiring/application/7865/seth-alan-fendley

You will see the link numerous times throughout this post.

Rules for the contest
1. No Spamming (multiple comments) on the video
2. The comment must have some body to it, saying "cool" won't cut it..
3. You must have ten individuals (directly related to you) to be officially entered.
4.  These ten individuals must leave a comment on the video.  They can then share the video and try to gain their own ten people as well, if not more.
5.  If the video reaches 1,000 comments there will be more than just one prize (probably some pretty sweet t-shirts, since that's what this is about).
6. You must send me a message with each person's name.  *Please wait and send a message with ten names at a time, to save us both time and messages.

That's all it takes, share, comment, gain comments.  There will be an event created on Facebook tomorrow lining out what I will be giving away as a grand prize.


*contest is subject to change at anytime.  Prizes will be awarded depending on if I actually get the job.  That's the whole point of this, is to help me get the job.  So if you want to win some really sweet free prizes then share, tweet, and post this sucker up.  Anything you do will help move me towards the job!  Thanks!

Time Management and Social Media

So something I have learned recently from my I Wear Your Shirt Video Resume process is that time management is key. As I have engrossed myself within this social media campaign, I have realized how much time can be spent online again.

I joked on http://www.iwearyourshirt.com today that I haven't gotten angry birds yet because I would become addicted to it.  I think that it's easily to be distracted from life right now.  Between what we have outside of the computer as well as what you are expected to keep up with online as well.

I have become somewhat addicted to growing my twitter recently.  This has come because of the video resume and I feel that this is a great way to reach people to share my resume.  However it's easy to lose grip with life with all of the sharing and watching the video.  You instead become to immortalize yourself.  So you have to step back and take some time off.

I have found that I actually do a better job with classes.  I think this is the case because I want both things so bad I don't want to mess anything up.  I need to keep my scholarship but I would love the http://iwearyourshirt.com/hiring/application/7865/seth-alan-fendley job as well.

Back in the days when I was a Teenager...

So another birthday.  I obviously didn't get the job yesterday. Sadness.  However there is still the December hiring.  This is something to look forward to.  So what do I have to say about my birthday? Obviously I am no longer a teenager, a plus for me? Maybe.

I was talking with a coworker last night and it makes me wonder about whether or not I have truly maximized my potential in the twenty years I have been alive on this earth.

As I reflect back there is a past riddle with mistakes, however there are almost as many successes as well.  This is what has made my life exciting I suppose.  The amount of times that successes have come through in phenomenal ways that can only point to a magnificent Creator.

I have began to live for those days.  The days when you can feel a success coming upon you.  That is my addiction almost.  When a plan falls into place, it is like art to me.

I think this is why I have chosen the major that I am in, because I like to solve a problem, execute the plan, and then see the changes.  It's a really cool effect.

Now I just struggle with how I will use what I am learning for Christ.  That's the key.  Cause if I'm using it for personal gain then it's all for shame essentially.

It's Your Right, Exercise it!

As I considered this topic there are two sides to the issue concerning the idea of corporations infringing on the freedom of speech .  These two sides are corporations that run the media and then the rest of the corporations that are separate from the media.  I consider these two different sides of the issue because media is the watchdog of the government and the voice of the people.  The moment media is no longer the voice of the people, then there is ample opportunity for them to infringe upon rights and not allow for the freedoms of speech that a person is entitled to by the Constitution.  The second side deals with corporations outside of media.  These should be entitled to control outside content in any way they see fit.  Both of these ideas I plan on elaborating on throughout the following post.

I do not believe that corporations can infringe upon someones freedom of speech.  A corporation has every right to not endorse or drop someone based on their behaviors.  The individual in question represents the corporation to a degree.  So if that person would bring negative press to the corporation, then the corporation has every right to censor that individual in how they reflect on the corporation.  I do not think that this takes away a person’s freedom of speech in any way, corporations are required to abide by employment laws, but these don’t cover someones speech.  If a person is deemed a harm to the corporation, then the corporation has every reason to be rid of that individual.  Just like should a person be a positive voice for the corporation they may choose to hire them to endorse their products.

However I believe every person is entitled to their own opinion.  I believe that if you say something outside of your workplace, that is coming from you as an individual you should not be fired for that.  I am directing this example towards NPR’s firing of Juan Williams after he said that he felt “personal skittishness over seeing fellow air travelers dressed in Muslim garb.” Seeing as he said it was his personal feeling, and did not reflect anything on NPR, then I do not see any reason as to why he should be fired.  The only reason why he should have been fired would have been if there was something in his contract stating that he could not share his personal views with other media outlets.  That should have been the only weighing mechanism in whether or not he should have been fired over his television interview. NPR firing him may even violate the National Labor Relations Act, which allows employees to talk freely outside of work, which he was doing by being on television in the interview. This is a prime example of a group censoring someone in a way that I see as absolutely absurd and uncalled for.

NBC even noticed the error in their ways when they suspended Keith Olbermann for supporting people running for political office outside of his job.  Even though in this instance he did breach contract, NBC realized that as an individual it is his right to support who he likes, regardless of if he is a popular figure or not.  They ended up only suspending him for a day and not completely firing like Juan Williams and the NPR incident.

A person should be fired though as mentioned above if they are going to be cause the corporation a drop in sales or negative press.  But they should not be fired if their personal views do not line up with the corporation.  This is something that is trying to be covered in the employment non-discrimination act that is trying to be passed through congress at the moment.

With examples like what was presented in our book of corporations censoring people who have no direct correlation with them, I see no problem with that.  If a corporation feels that that person is going to bring a negative light to their business as I stated above then they should have the freedom to keep that person or group from doing so.  People have to know what market they are marketing themselves to (in the Crow and Dixie Chicks scenarios) if they are going to say things that might offend people, then they must realize the consequences of their actions.  Because corporations that sell their items, venues that book them, can choose to not book them if they are going to have off colour remarks about different issues.  This can lead to their loss in sales, but really they brought it upon themselves.

However, people being avoided purposefully can pose a problem within the media sector.  American media is now owned by major corporations.  With news being owned by corporations, they are the gatekeepers of what news they report and what they don’t report.  

The media is called to be a watchdog over the government.  If they choose what is the best interest of money (which they do at times) then they are in turn not doing what the founding fathers originally wanted the media to do.  They are instead doing what is in their best interest.  News could be avoided because the media sees that what the news represents could hurt their ratings because people don’t care about it. Doing so though could result in media no longer being a watchdog over the government, thus allowing things to happen in the government to happen without the public knowing about it.  Media corporations could be doing this to make money, either unknowingly because they think the news would hurt ratings or knowingly being paid to avoid the news so that things could happen without public knowledge.  

If it was just a singular person being avoided, even though they had solid news in relation to something, then this could lead to a persons First Amendment right being infringed upon. A situation like this could only happen though, in my opinion, if more than 50% of the media refused to carry that person’s message.  Of course all of this would only be relevant if what was happening was true, hard news.

So a corporation is free to do what they want, as long as it’s not discriminating against a person.  However a corporation that controls media should be held to a different standard because they are expected to work at a higher standard.  This is what we are taught as journalism majors, if that common standard is missing and a media corporation does not work as the proper watchdog because they are more concerned about money, then we miss the entire point of media.  People sometimes miss the fact that media is supposed to be a watchdog and simply view it as a convenient way to know what is going on in the world.  Media is supposed to watch after the people, be their voice.  However today they end up being the voice of the corporation.  When media becomes the voice of the corporations, this is when there is the slightest possibility of them beginning to infringe on the rights of people, as well as going against the high standards set for journalist.

Take A Moment, Breathe, and Relax

First off, it's only fitting today to take a moment to thank a veteran around you for their service.

Really though I'm taking a moment away from the madness that has become my social media campaign for a job to put things into perspective (at least for me).

Our generation has this tendency to run with things on a whim.  I know I do for sure.  I ran with this whole job thing because it's my dream job.  Seriously.  Social media is one of the most effective tools in our society today, and harnassing that tool will take a person very far. 

However I have stepped back and quietly observed (though pushing really hard through social media avenues) how this has worked.  How everything that I have done in the goal of getting this job, is promote, promote, promote. 

This is my dream job for sure, but I have to evaluate and make sure it's what Christ wants in my life too.  This is what really caused me to step back and look, because honestly, our social media campaign for Christ, or at least our lifestyle showing Christ, should be as heavy as what I have done this past week.

I'm not saying we are supposed to be fanatics but I am saying if we are going to push something as hard as how I have pushed my resume, should we not push Christ more than that?

As Christians consider that.  Honestly guys, I'm really excited at the opportunity this job presents, and I really think I am qualified for the job.  Sometimese however I think things need to be put into perspective.

Status Update

Hey guys thanks for what you've done, we have reach 100 comments, however there are at least 400 of you who have yet to reply, if all 400 of you replied then my resume would be looking pretty fly. If the ones of you could reply as well as share the link on Facebook that would be even more cool.

Guys my dad sent out an email to his entire contacts list (somewhere around 150) and we have had a nearly 20% reply rate out of that (and they haven't stopped coming yet). We have barely reached 15% of you guys, I have faith that you guys will out do the contact list that my dad has, cause you guys are my personal contact list. 

Please Support with comments! 

Here is a thank you video as well as some idea's lining out what the weekend push is going to look like!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYuKm1ClVUo

Also for an easier way to get to my video resume here is the link to that:

http://iwearyourshirt.com/node/7865

Thanks for the continued support! This is my dream job! Everything you guys can do will help!

Remember if you have already voted you can invite your friends to the event, you can rate the video each day, post the link onto your wall ect.

Get the Word Out!

Hey guys,

So here's the deal, for the fifty or so of you who have commented on the video thanks so much, however there is more you can do!

1.  We can rate the video each day.  The more we rate it, the better it "looks".  Sorry I didn't tell you this earlier, I missed it in reading the requirements.

2.  The two guys who currently wear shirts are the ones picking, they are watching (really I've talked with Jason on twitter and live chat).  So they are watching how much everyone is promoting.  If they see you guys promoting the video, then I have more of an opportunity to get the job.

3.  If you haven't already commented, then please do!  The most comments don't win it, however it has a REALLY LARGE factor in them selecting the person.

4.  So please, comment if you haven't already.  Go to the site and click on the "recommend on Facebook" or "Retweet" buttons, this gets the resume out further!

5.  This entire job is about showing my social media reach, you guys are my social media reach.  This is literally my dream job currently, so you would have a hand in helping me get to this point then I would be overjoyed.

Thanks everyone for your help!

http://iwearyourshirt.com/hiring/application/7865/seth-alan-fendley

Debate Tournament Article

For those interested in the story about our debate tournament this weekend and haven't heard it yet from me...
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Despite fielding one of its most inexperienced parliamentary debate teams in recent years, Tech opened its season with a championship win in the novice division at the Missouri Mule Classic hosted by the University of Central Missouri.  

Tech was represented by Michael Allinson, Jasmine Balch, Megan Brown, Rowdy Douillard, Seth Fendley, Chelsea Kennedy, Julie Paladino and Braden Vaughn.  Tech finished the preliminaries with wins over opponents that included Belmont, McKendree, St. Louis and Valdosta.  The overall team winning percentage in the preliminaries was its best in two years.  

Tech placed an unprecedented three teams in the quarterfinals and two in the semifinals.  After eliminating Tech teams in the quarters and semis, Webster University was stopped by Brown and Fendley in the finals by a 3-0 decision, thus securing the championship for Arkansas Tech.  

Contact: Thomas Vaughn, Speech Theatre and Journalism

I Wear Your Shirt Application Thoughts

So I have submitted a video resume.

I have begun a social media campaign.

What now? 

Well here are a few more thoughts on my application.

It's hard to say everything you enjoy about a job in less than 3 minutes! @iwearyourshirt

I mean you can wear a shirt anywhere! At pretty much anytime!  Social media has the same effect as well.

So this weekend my debate partner and I won a novice debate tournament.  This means more exposure through debate and individual events (more places to promote shirts).  

Also as I have stated to a lot of people, I love the idea of having a job in social media.  I love the idea of having the opportunity to go to conferences about social media, and network with people learning about this stuff.

This is the direction that I really feel my career going in and I'm really excited to see if I can secure this job.  

Tomorrow I will blog about thoughts I had from the debate tournament which should be exciting. 

I Wear Your Shirt Application

This is my video resume for a job wearing t-shirts and promoting them through social media for a year.

Too Political?

Election Day!

Finally all the ads will be gone...at least until someone ties and we have to have a run off...

Everyone gets excited about voting and who they are going to vote for, it's all fun and games; well except for the whole part where these people are in charge of making the "big decisions."

As Christians we are called to support our country.  However I feel sometimes people can take it too far.  It's my "right to vote" and it's my "right to tell you who I'm voting for" both of which are valid statements.  However, as stated be different people several times over.  If your "voice" is louder about who you are voting for then who you follow (that would be Christ if you are a Christian), then there are issues.

We are called to vote for who we feel is the best person to represent Christ for the individual offices.  However, we are also supposed to be sharing Him, above the government.  So if in November we are more vocal about who we vote for, then we are the entire rest of the year about who we believe in, then that my friends is sin.

This is something I struggle with when it comes to voting, making sure that I am partial, and don't over promote a politician above my Savior.

Think about it.

The Hippy, Hipster, Hillbilly, Hobo, Holy Gospel

Recently an article was posted in Relevant Magazine "The Gospel According to Hipsters" (pg 45) began to get the wheels spinning in my head.  Then I walked into my Introduction to Mass Communications class and my professor said he couldn't tell if I was a hipster or a hippy and that completed the creative process for this post.

There are stereotypes within generations, and ones that span the generations, that have these connotations to them that are negative.  However, there are things that we can learn from these stereotypes as well, that I believe if we took them we would be a better rounded person.

Hobo- These people have not a care in the world.  Given, they don't have a place of their own, but Jesus didn't either.  I believe that if we could live a life void of consumeristic, selfish behavior, realizing that it's not about having the best in the world; this could revolutionize not only how we look at life, but how others view our lives.

Hillbilly- So what if you only have five teeth?  These people care about their neighbors (for the most part)  I'd rather be neighbors with a hillbilly than an introverted cubicle worker, simply for the community side of it.  If we learned to not care what others think about us and put ourselves out there to be friends with the world, the possibilities are endless.

Hipster- Compassionate, Green, Revolutionizing.  Sure they may not be the most timely people and their lifestyle habits may not be the best, but these people care about our world.  They generally care more than Christians do, which is mind blowing.. I don't believe it should be this way.

Hippy- Peace and Love man! Being a hippy was about being in rebellion to the norm.  Given a lot of crazy things came out of this generation, but the promotion of love that they presented and peace is something to be applauded.  I'm not anti war, however I believe that people need to see the love of Christ from us.

Take what you may from this post, by far one of my more "fun" posts that I've had in a while...

Equipped?

So recently I have heard the quote "God doesn't call the equipped he equips the called" which is a valid statement, thrown around a lot. However, I feel that this leaves an opportunity to not change. We sit and we say "oh God will equip me as I'm called" but we stay in our sin, believing that as he calls us, we will move past the sin.  At least that's how I feel.

This isn't how it works though.  We have to be in a place where we can hear God's call in the first place.  Being there means we have to be seeking after Him.  Seeking after Him means we have to be removing sin, digging into Scripture, praying, ect.

If we just sit here, waiting to be equipped, God will use someone else.  God wants us, to want Him.  I think that that's the hardest thing for me to grasp right now.  God has amazing things, that he will equip us for, but we have to want Him to do that.  If we don't want Him to do amazing things through us, then he won't.  He will leave us in the dust, using people who are willing to do amazing things for Him.

Real Learning

Throughout our lives we hear this term cramming.  You know putting things together at the last minute to try to pull off a successful project or exam score.  When in the long run the benefits of actually learning the material is the better idea.  This is especially true when it comes to prerequisite courses.

I think this happens to us when it comes to church as well.  We spend each Sunday sitting in our seats, hearing the message, but do we apply it?  We spend all this time, "hearing" the message, but when it comes to applying it to our lives its missing.  In order for us to be true Christians we must be applying what we are learning to our lives.

Searching for God

We are often times more focused on being taught about God than being taught by God!

This statement was sent to me by my dad earlier this week.  I don't know if I agree fully with it though.

Sure we go to church and learn about God, typically not focusing on what God is teaching us.  However I feel that the thought is beyond that.  Within our generation it seems that we are searching for information about God and then trying to figure out how it "fits" into our life.

This seems to be the generations reaction to religion and its lack of authenticity, sometimes even lack of theology.  As they search for who God is, they miss the need to be taught by God.

Spiritual Gifts

Some of you have heard this before, everyone has individual spiritual gifts and we are called to use them in unique ways tonight we will look at what spiritual gifts are and then talk about how to apply these gifts to our lives.
We will look at 1 Corinthians 12 to gain a better understanding of what spiritual gifts are.
1Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. 2You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
4There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b]11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

1. Wisdom 2. Knowledge 3. Healing 4. Prophecy 5. Discernment 6. Miracles 7. Faith 8. Speaking in Tongues 9. Interpretation of Tongues

Understanding which spiritual gift you relate to the best, as well as understanding how the others work, is integral to your relationship with Christ as well as your position within the body of believers.   Very much like how you understand how to communicate with others, understanding these will allow you to assess how to further reach God’s Kingdom as a whole.

12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues[d]? Do all interpret? 31But eagerly desire[e] the greater gifts.
     And now I will show you the most excellent way.

In the passage from Corinthians it mentions the use of tongues and interpretation of tongues.  In our general theology (as Baptists) we see tongues as different languages.  This meaning that a person speaks in their own language (such as english) and someone is able to understand in another language.  The day of Pentecost at the beginning of Acts is where this is referenced.

As we can see in the passage of scripture read above, everyone has a part in the body of Christ.  As we assess the topic of spiritual gifts the passage in Corinthians you may have heard the gifts mentioned differently than you have before and so now we will look at Romans 12 where they have also been mentioned.


3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his[b]faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.


1. Prophecy 2. Ministry 3. Teaching 4. Exhortation 5. Giving 6. Leading 7. Mercy

You may be able after hearing these two different passages on spiritual gifts be able to understand where you fit amongst these.  You may also be more lost than ever.  There are several quizzes online built to help you understand what your spiritual gift may be.  http://www.churchgrowth.org/cgi-cg/gifts.cgi

As you gain a better knowledge of spiritual gifts, try discussing which gift fits well where, and how group members have seen gifts used effectively before.

 There are several places within the BCM even that you can connect and use your spiritual gifts, these areas include: Evangalism, OutReach, Missions (both International and Local), Noonday, FUEL, Discipleship, DNOW, Intramurals, Church Relations.  As Followers of Christ we are called to be a part of a community of believers. So please don't hesitate to get connected to people in a ministry that uses your spiritual gifts.

Supporting Causes.

So there is a phenom with my generation.  This is the "Causes" phenom.  Supporting different non profits, organizations help people such as social justice,  poverty, ect.  Doing these things make a difference.  This is exciting stuff.

There is a sad part of this however.  The church was meant to do these things.  However, they didn't.  The church did this for a while, but for some reason in recent times they have dropped the ball.  Granted there are pockets that still do, Mission Arlington and The Simple Way to name a few.

Recently I took part in supporting as well.  I purchased a pair of Toms.  But that's not special right?  I think not as well.  The Toms I purchased support bloodwater mission as well.  This is the only reason why I purchased the Toms, because it is supporting another cause, like a double whammy.

I have also recently decided to start sponsoring a compassion child.  This is going to be an exciting journey, however I will write more about that next week..

Which means, to be continued...

Why I write

So I have noticed a change in the way I write.  Not particularly like how I write, but more of in who I target my writing at.  This is an interesting transition.  I began writing in order to try to reach other people.  I felt that I had a message to be shared with the world.  Big dreams, right?  People actually followed too, which was a very interesting phenomenon for me.  At this point I decided to "go big." I created this blog.  It was cool I posted the same things both places pretty much, it was swell.

Then I had to blog for a grade.  This is where things got tricky.  Instead of having the time and thought to put into blogging, I was required to...Now trigger writers block...however this was easy to overcome.  Once you figure out how to blog on command it's actually quite fun.

Something changed though as I began to blog on command...I no longer wrote for others, I wrote to sort my thoughts out.  Writing to sort thoughts out isn't necessarily the funnest thing to read it would appear.  However if you are writing about relevant topics, then people still might read.  But I have noticed that people don't read as much.   Hopefully I will be able to get back to writing for people and thus increase readership.

Thoughts on Joining a church

As college students, you are becoming young adults and encouraged to branch out outside of your family and "be on your own" so to speak. This includes finding a church. 

Several things factor into finding a church, including what is the ideal church like and what should I look for in a church.

A great way to look at the church is through the Acts 2 model in verses 42-47. This seems somewhat extreme however, if you pull what comes from it other than "they met everyday" you can see things that should be evident in what kind of church you should join.

A side bar to this, if you are involved in a church you should be a member of that church, meaning if you spend the majority of your time at a church here in town, and are allowing yourself to be used by God at that church, you should be a member there and be tithing ect.

Other examples of churches in NT scripture come from Revelations 2-3.

As you look at these things, weighing what it is that needs to be evident in the church you should join consider these things.

It's not about the music. 
It's about the Holy Spirit, granted we enjoy worshipping to modern music, but if the Holy Spirit is evident in a church that uses hymns, and the other factors line up, then don't allow this to hold you back from joining that church.

Join where your gifts are being used. 
If you just show up on Sundays and Wednesdays and have no affect on the church other than your number, then you may need to question why you are there. Part of being an active member of a church is being involved there. If you know what your spiritual gifts are then that would mean using them in effective ways. If you don't know what those are, come back next week, that's what we will be talking about.

Seven Canons and how they relate to Christianity

I'm writing this for extra credit for class.  I'm going to take the seven canons of journalism and see how we should apply them to our lives as Christians.  I believe this will not only be thought provoking but also a new perspective on how the seven cannons and our Christian walks.

1. Responsibility-Must Consider Public Welfare

This is by far one of the more important canons as it relates to our Christian life.  We are called as Christians to be responsible.  God placed us here to take care of the land and animals, though not our main calling (that being worshipping Him) one of our secondary purposes in our lives is to be stewards of the earth.

We are also called to watch out for the public.  In James it speaks of taking care of the widowed and orphaned.  The church and Christians are supposed to be about watching out for everyone.  We are called to reach everyone, and I would say that this canon right here pretty much fills out that purpose.

2. Freedom of Press-First Amendment Rights should be guarded as vital and unquestionable

For Christians in America I feel we miss this canon some.  There are several things that have happened within the past five years or so that have limited things that were allowed before in relation to religion that have been taken away now, because Christians have not guarded their First Amendment Rights like they could have.

Some would argue that separation of church and state should be present and that is why these things have happened.  Granted this may take part in it, however Christians could at least have stood for the freedoms that they had, however they pretty much just let them slip away, with just small cries against it.

3. Independence-from sources, politics, and advertisers

Politics particularly fit into the Christian side of this.  According to research done for the Fermi project by Barna Group, outsiders (nonChristians) believe that Christians are too political.  I personal believe that politics should stay outside of the church.  I believe that Christians should vote for who God wants them to, but I don't believe they should push their agenda on other people, especially outsiders, seeing as it is a turning point in their focusing on Christ.

4. Sincerity, Truthfulness, and Accuracy-should be the foundation of journalism


I believe this should be the foundation of Christianity as well.  If we are not sincere in what we do then outsiders won't want anything to do with what it is that we believe.  If we are not truthful about what we do then we just feed the "hypocrite" connotation that was also strongly reinforced through the work done by the Fermi Project.  If we are not accurate in what we believe then outsiders will have a hard time believing us as well.  Lee Strobel points out that if Christians had been accurate in what they believed that he would have probably believed a whole lot sooner than he had.


5. Impartiality-News should be free of bias and opinion


I feel sometimes Christians are too impartial. This brings back my assertion in canon number two about loss of freedoms.  If we lived more partial lives that pointed toward Christ then we wouldn't have to worry about many of the other things mentioned below the canon's.  If we stepped up and cared about our beliefs, but weren't insane about it, we would affect the world in a mighty way.


6. Fair Play-Opposing views should be solicited and correct mistakes


Though I feel that we are too impartial, I also feel that we miss fair play a lot.  I think we are impartial with culture but don't enact fair play with other religions.  We see only what we believe and won't entertain the thought of other religions.  This would also point to the main reason why Christians did so poorly on the U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey. Simply because Christians won't take the time to learn about other religions and how to effectively relate to them.  If you learn to relate, then people begin to appreciate.


7. Decency-Avoid dirty details


I believe sometimes we try to sugar coat faith.  This canon I believe we should be the opposite of.  I believe that we should throw all the details in we can about faith.  The more a person is able to know the details about their beliefs the better they will be able to communicate it to other people.  This is how others will be able to be effectively reached for the Kingdom.


These seven canons can relate to Christianity.  They are specific to Journalism but can be used for so much more.  I think that looking at them this way not only spices them up, but they also put a new perspective on how we need to be as believers.

You can't write that

So in case you haven't gathered I blog for class, typically I blog about things that are on my mind, however occasionally there are things I am required to blog about.  This post is in response to the topic of "Is Corporations censoring a person or snubbing them a violation of their freedom of speech?"

I would like to look at this from a writers standpoint.  We have spent most of our time in class talking about it in relation to broadcast (radio and television) and so I would like to look on the print side of things.

As journalistic writers we are encouraged to write without bias.  So typically if someone writes a news story without bias, it won't need to be censored because it is written the way that it should be.  However when people write books they can be censored.

This can be looked at from two difference angles.

Corporations refusing to print a writers book without it being edited; as well as, Corporations refusing to sell someones book.

Though the latter is not as prevalent today, there were several books that the U.S. government banned or censored that it was illegal to own in America.  There are though books that are still censored in some places (mainly libraries) in America.  This would be the second form of censorship I was talking about.  Here is an "up to date" list.

The first one is even more prevalent.  Where editors for publishing groups tell writers that they will not be published if they don't change what they have written.  This form of censorship I feel is more of a violation than the one mentioned above.  The one above means that the books have made it past publishing.  This second one, lays out a line saying it will not be published unless it is edited.  This I feel is definitely a violation of peoples freedom of speech.  Especially when the person is not paid by the publishing company, but instead are looking for someone to publish them.  I don't feel that someone should be denied printing of a book, simply because the editor or publishing company does not want it to be printed.  Attached is an interesting article about the matter.

Friends?

So occasionally I will remark to someone "I have no friends" to which they will reply, "but I'm your friend."

The thing though is, I have many acquaintances, I have many of friends, however close, deep friendships I lack.  This is what I mean when I say "I have no friends"  This is one of those times when a word has more than one meaning.

There are two things that I believe have brought me to the point that I'm at.  Both of which I will present and then discuss some.

Being busy.  I'm constantly on go.  Most people would say that being busy would cause you to lose friends.  However when you only have a few close friends in the first place I don't believe you can lose friends or not be able to gain friends because of being too busy.  You just have to be willing to work with your friends in your schedule.  I say this with confidence because just recently I have begun having new people in my life and I believe that we are becoming friends and everything is working out even though I am extremely busy.  Which means any people I have been friends with before, have moved on either for their own reasons or because they no longer wish to try in our friendship.

The second thing would be because I'm in ministry.  This is another thing that I believe is a myth.  However everyone I know says that when you are in ministry you have few friends.  They say that people don't want to be your friend because they view you as better than them, or more nicely put, not on the same level as you.  They feel that you are no longer to relate. I believe these are things that aren't true because we are all overall considered to be ministers.

Which brings me to question whether it might just be me that's the problem