Ethics and pre-nups

As a Business major, I am confronted with the issue of ethics in every class. Is it all right to bride lower-level officials if it is customary in that country? Is it all right to do anything for the sale if "pay roll" depends on it? There are so many choices, and I'm noticing that it comes from the conflict between morality and money. My Professional Selling professor told us that there is no "right" or "wrong," just what you can sleep with at night... but, to remember that everything has a consequence--good or bad. How interesting: you can have a good consequence right now or you can have long-term good consequences. It seems that integrity is being cheapened by the thought process of no absolutes. What a double standard: we demand integrity (particularly honesty) with our laws, yet we are teaching business students that it's always relative. More and more I see the importance of the commandments God gave the Israelites. Whoever said that the Bible is irrelevant because it's old obviously doesn't want to have to live up to its high standards.

Similarly, I heard a recurring theme from a couple of my professors about the importance of prenuptial agreements. The reverence of marriage is also being lost. I'm seeing more articles and things on TV about "starter marriages." I don't want that.


On a more positive note, the weather is changing, and it's feeling so wonderful outside. I'm excited for the fall!

Sunday school answers

I agreed to teach substitute for a 6th grade Sunday School class at TRBC this morning. I don't expect deepness... or even focus from 6th graders. What's even tougher is that the subject of today's lesson was about the Holy Spirit--a subject I didn't know or care about when I was in 6th grade. Since I was left bereft of any supplementary activity materials, I had them read passages out of the Bible. When we would "discuss" the meanings of the passages, I received the same, initial answer, "The Holy Spirit is always with us."

The significance of this observation stems from a blurb I heard on the local Christian radio station earlier that morning. It announcing a new ministry-connection point to help teens who are about to leave home remain faithful to the church. It has resources on various subjects about loneliness etc. that many teens struggle with once they are plucked from their comfortable church homes. I had to laugh. More programs. Speaking as one who is in the midst of the leaving-the-church-crisis, teens don't need to be taught more "Sunday school answers" to deal with emotional and spiritual problems. Some of these experiences are good. Imagine that. We should encourage teens to understand that their faith is something that is more than just what a Bible study or guest speaker can give you. Own your convictions. Repentance is more than just asking forgiveness. God wants obedience, not acrostics and pages of forgotten notes stuck in between Bible pages.

Well, anyway, I'll give an update about my life. God is so amazing. It seems that this past year, God has been making more sense out of life. Everything is coming together. I'm scared of change and commitment, but I know God will reward my obedience. This semester is going to be busy with new friends and classes. I'm starting to get more nervous about getting everything together for graduate school. I just gotta keep moving.

I'm pretty excited about seeing Matt at the end of the month. I miss him sooo much! So much to do, so little time!

So many options

I have decided to try new churches. I have faithfully attended Thomasville Road Baptist Church for almost the entire duration of my career at FSU. It's been a good church for me to plug into and try to make a difference, but sometimes, you just need to say, "good bye."

Why this sudden change? If you know me well, then you know that I have been struggling with this decision for several months now. I do not want to speak illy of TRBC. It's a good church with super awesome people. Change, however, is a good thing. If you never go out on faith, then you'll have a harder time trying to grow and hear God.

Shawna asked what I was looking for, and honestly, I hadn't really thought about it. So, I'm going to make a noninclusive, general list. What I'm looking for:

• Somewhere not strictly bound to protocol
• Praying is a very important part of everything
• Openness of the congregation

Moreover, you can reasonably assume that this leaves me with many options. Do not worry, I will have a different group in which I can serve, i.e. Intervarsity. Plus, I still have great roommates and great friends that encourage me daily.

I can feel the winds of change coming over me. Tallahassee has a refreshed appeal to me now, but I still feel somewhat out of place. God has a perfect plan for me, as Shawna reminded me. I just need to search it out and have faith in His guidance.