Union [count your blessings]

Sup y'all?

Hope you're having a great day. Remember, we're eating supper at the Union at 5:45ish. Please come if you can.

Thanks to everyone who’s been contributing to the email discussions lately. Remember, this list is definitely NOT something reserved for only my use. Feel free to use it anytime you have something to say or announce or request. Also, thanks to everyone who participated in the discussion in class tonight. I really appreciate it. Please also remember to study the Bible and check things out for yourself. Like on Reading Rainbow, "Don't take my word for it." In the words of my dad, "Communication is a fragile thing." I always want to make that clear when I teach. I believe I've got a pretty good understanding of the truth and the word, but I often have a difficult time putting what I believe in my head into intelligible sentences. I think I'm getting better. Thanks for being patient with me. Thankfully I've got God whose power is made perfect in weakness helping me out!

Tonight we talked a little bit about how our motives can affect whether or not we're reflecting God's glory or seeking our own glory. As we talked, I mentioned how I always like getting compliments after I speak. However, if my motive for speaking is getting compliments rather than speaking God's word and teaching others about him, I'm doing it for the wrong reasons. I can honestly say that my motive is not to get compliments. Rather, they are a great encouragement. Thanks for being such great encouragers! I truly hope that when I teach, y'all feel like you've grown or that you've at least been encouraged.

Lately, I've realized how much I've been blessed. God has blessed me far beyond what I need! A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over has definitely been poured into my lap! (see Luke 6:38) I have a loving family and very giving parents. I have a computer on which I can type emails and on which I can do my graphic design homework so I don't have to go to the computer lab. I have a 4-wheel drive vehicle which is great for getting around in bad weather and which was jam-packed full of stuff when I moved up here in the fall. I've been blessed with such health that my goal is to gain weight rather than to lose it. When I'm thirsty all I have to do is grab some juice or a Dr.Pepper out of the fridge or just walk around the corner to the water fountain. When I'm hungry all I have to do is walk across the street to Brough. If Brough is closed all I have to do is drive to Taco Bell which is open until 4 in the morning. If it's closed, all I have to do is drive a little further down 6th Street to the 24-Hour Wal-Mart Supercenter with "everyday low prices." And you know what's ever better? Even if the prices weren't all that everyday low, I could still afford what I need. I have a scholarship to the University of Arkansas and a brain capable of earning the grades required to keep it. I have you guys as friends and can think of no place I would rather be (except Heaven or maybe Cluj, Romania). Above all those wonderful things, I have the Spirit of God inside me and the blood of Christ continually cleansing me. What did I do to deserve all this?! Absolutely nothing. Thankfully, I have a Heavenly Father who loves me so much that His desire to give never ends!!! WOOOOOOW!!!!!! I have been so blessed! I know you have, too. Think about it.

However, with great blessing comes great responsibility. For, "from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (Luke 12:48b) That's tough stuff. That says to me that I've got a lot of giving and living for God to do.

Here are some verses to ponder:

"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and things that are not—to nullify things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: 'Let Him who boasts boast in the Lord.' "
1 Corinthians 1:26-31

"When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today."
Deuteronomy 8:10-18

Well, it's one in the morning so I should probably start studying for my Philosophy of Art test. You crazy kids have a great day!

In HIM,
Mitch


[Note: In no way was this counting of my blessings meant to make anyone else feel less blessed. I know not everyone has been blessed equally or in the same ways. But I know we all have plenty to be thankful for. As I said in the text of the email: think about it.]

Distractions

Howdy!

Supper...Union...5:45...be there.

Campus Encounter...Stillwater, OK...leave sometime on Fri...get back sometime on Sun...come.

Thank you for reading my emails and encouraging me to keep writing them! Who I am to think that about a hundred people care to read something I have to say every week? Please keep encouraging me. I need it.

Wake Up!
Grow Up!
Watch Out!

What's that smell? That's fried pussycat (just kidding...that's a line from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation). Naw, man, that's not fried pussycat, but we do all have a fragrance about us. Hopefully that fragrance is the aroma of Christ manifested in our love for others, whether or not they love us first and whether or not they love us at all.

Evangelism and reaching out has been a big theme in the RFCs since I've been here and especially lately. And rightly so, it is Jesus' command for his disciples in the Great Commission. What does it mean to wake up, grow up, watch out, and spread the aroma of Christ? It means getting past the petty distractions of life and stupid arguments. It means shedding our earthly, limited perspective and taking on a godly, eternal perspective.

What is keeping you from doing what God wants you to do? What drains your time or consumes your mind? For me it's worrying about finding a girl. I don't think the worry is caused by a lack of faith that God has someone for me somewhere down the line. Perhaps it's a lack of patience. I want her now! Why can't I be satisfied with just having God? I know and believe He's all I need. Why don't I think and act like I believe it?

For some of us the distraction is schoolwork. For some of us it's work work. Some of us are hindered by rocky friendships. (Like I asked last week, Are we treating each other like brothers? This week I ask, Are we forgiving each other when we don't treat each other like brothers? If we can't love our own family, how can we love those who are outside of it, much less God "whom we have not seen.") For some of us it's timidness or thinking we don't know enough yet or thinking that we're too sinful. For some of us it's worrying what will happen to our friendship if we try to bring God into it. Personally, I'd rather lose a friend because they reject the Word than to lose them because they die without ever getting a chance to reject it. I think what hinders us is a combination of these things and for the most part a lack of the right perspective—the perspective that many of the people we walk by each day desperately need God.

I was not put on earth to get married! I was not given life to get an education! I was not created to get a job! I was put on earth to love God, to glorify Him, to obey his commandments, and to spread His Word and his love—His aroma!!! The other things are not the focus. They're blessings that come along the way (and they are definitely not to be taken for granted).

I wanna "throw off everything that hinders"! I wanna be satisfied with just me and God!

"O God you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be SATISFIED as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me."
Psalm 63:1-8

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus"
Phillipians 3:12-14

"Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it sins."
James 4:17

"What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Romans 7:24

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."
1 John 2:15-17

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart."
1 Peter 1:22-23

"Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that God is good."
1 Peter 2:1-3

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline."
2 Timothy 1:7

Thanks for reading. These lessons aren't just for you. They're lessons I need to and am trying to take to heart as well. Hope you're ready to throw off all of the distractions and sins that hinder. Have a great day!

In HIM,
Mitch

Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2001, 3:26pm
From: Nick Ruple
Subject: RE: distractions (You can send this to everyone if you want)

Mitch,

Your emails are extremely encouraging to me. A devotional on the screen. I laid awake last night and thought about a lot of the things you said. I took a lot to tell everyone what your distraction is. I think mine might be how bad I want to have a band. I pray that God will keep me from putting my trust in my music or all the stuff I buy off eBay. That I won't get too materialistic. Your email was a shout from the mountaintops, and all of us in the valley can hear you. I was wishing last night that there was a switch that you could pull and your life would automatically be turned over to God. I would have pulled that switch many times in my life. But it doesn't work like that. With each minute comes a decision of whether or not to pull the switch. Let's not get worn down. Let's look for strength from Jesus. Let's look for strength from each other. Heaven is not the only goal. Every day is a battle in itself. We need to give support. Sincerity. Respect.

Loud love,
==Nick==

Sent: Monday, February 19, 2001, 10:48pm
From: Nathan George
Subject: Latest Discussion

hey everyone,

you know i know that God does so many things for us in our lives and he strategically puts us in places for us to meet certain people so that we can touch one person or a thousand persons and also to be touched by others. i have been so blessed in my life to know that there is a God and that he is the God that created the world and that there are no other gods (emphasis little "g") before him. i think that God also gives us tasks through the Holy Spirit. He doesn't just put us somewhere for what we can get out of it. lately i have been looking inside myself and trying to figure out why God put me here. not just here on earth, but here at the university. i haven't figured it out yet but i know that it isn't just for my benefit. start looking inside yourselves to see why God has you where you are at, or if you are where God wants you to be. also know that God doesn't just come right out and say "hey billy bob (or whatever your name is) you aren't where I want you." you have to search for him and he will be there. i need to do more searching myself instead of worrying about how little money i have or if i am in the spotlight enough. But like nick said. let's strengthen each other and instead of making mitch give a weekly devo via e-mail, we could have a day to day e-mail discussion. i like it. i know you are all busy. thanks for listening.

nate

The Time Has Come

Howdy y'all,

The time has come...

The time has come for a LONG email...

The time has come for a lot of things, and one of those things is supper at the Union at 5:45. Come if you can.

The time has also come for Tea Room. It's this Friday night at 7 in Fulbright Dining Center. It's never too late to sign up to come and it's never too late to sign up to show off one of your many talents. Dress smartly. :) (whatever that means...ta heh ta heh) It's also never too late to sign up for Campus Encounter next weekend.

Oh! Before I forget. I don't know if y'all have met him, but Lonnie has come to Wednesday night church the past couple of weeks and he gave me a prayer request tonight. He said his dad has colon cancer and Lonnie can't stop worrying about it. He asked that we pray for him and for his dad. I promised that I would have all of y'all pray for him so please do. Thanks.

The time has come for mission preparation. If you’re interested, please come to our meetings. The spring break teams meet at the student center on Tuesdays after devo. The summer teams meet at the student center at about 8:30 after Wednesday night Bible class. Personally, I am pumped about going back to Romania or wherever God wants me to go this summer and I'm pumped about the possibility of forming a more long-term mission team in the next few years.

The time has come...

The time has come for a "mini devo."

The time has come, like Travis said at devo Tuesday night, for us to GROW UP. The time has come, like we talked about tonight in class, to start taking disciplining and holding each other accountable more seriously. Is it not amazing how perfect God's timing is?! This lesson couldn't have come at a better time. Lately I've been hearing about RFCs who are disappointed with the behavior of other RFCs. It hurts me so much to hear those things and to see friendships disintegrate. I don't know how widespread this is. Hopefully it's just in a very small circle of the RFCs. The main concern of the people that have been talking to me is that they wonder what people think when they see us hanging together in Brough, the Union, restaurants, in each other's rooms and wherever else we hang out together. They wonder if the way we behave and the conversations we have are the kind of things representatives of Jesus should be doing?

I must admit that the conversations and behaviors others are concerned about haven't bothered me much. Maybe they should bother me more. I've probably taken part in them myself. If I have, forgive me, and if I have and continue to do so, please point it out. I'll try to remember, and we all need to remember, that we're holding each other accountable because we love each other and not because we think we're better Christians than anyone else.

Are we truly loving each other unconditionally? Agape? Are we treating each other like brothers and sisters?

Brothers, do we treat our sisters like sisters? Do we focus on their outer beauty too much? Do we focus on their inner beauty too little? Sisters, are you treating us like brothers? Brothers, are we treating each other like brothers? Sisters, are y'all treating each other like sisters? The RFCs isn't a social group, it isn't a group of mere friends; it's a family of soldiers with our eternities and the eternities of many others at stake.

What's the line between gossiping and expressing concern? Should I be hearing about disappointments in the way others are behaving or should those who are disappointed go straight to those they're disappointed in? Very tough questions.

Instead of the usual few verses for the week, the time has come for a pamphlet this week:

"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Matthew 5:48

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to then, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to
listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector."
Matthew 18:15-17

"But make up your minds not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict."
Luke 21:14,15

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep you spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Do not repay evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath."
Romans 12:9-19

"But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love."
Romans 14:14b-15

"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside."
1 Corinthians 5:12,13

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."
Ephesians 4:29

“Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving."
Ephesians 5:4

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive a the Lord forgave you."
Colossians 3:13

"Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity."
Colossians 4:5

"Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity."
1 Timothy 5:2

"Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will."
2 Timothy 2:23-26

"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry..."
James 1:19

"Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!"
James 2:12

"We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother."
1 John 4:19-21

"The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him."
2 Corinthians 2:6-8

"Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while—yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."
2 Cor 7:8-10

I could go on typing verses all night, but...the time has come...for me to study some economics.

Have a great day!

In Him,
Mitch