Fall 2011 at SEBTS

The Fall semester has finally arrived, which means that my life and schedule returns to school mode.  The free time of Summer is now gone, and my life will soon be filled with many hours of reading and studying.  Today was not only my first day of class, but it was also my first day of work at my new job!  God has blessed me with an opportunity to work at a daycare in the afternoons, which works perfectly in my schedule.  Classes in the morning and work in the afternoons will be my schedule for the foreseeable future.  I am excited and cannot wait to see what the semester will hold.

My classes for the semester are Bible Exposition, Theology II, Hebrew I, and History I.  It is quite a load, but so far it definitely seems doable.  One thing I know for sure is that I have a lot of reading to do, which means that there are a lot of book reviews due this semester as well.  I wrote a book review and a paper back in the summer for my job/class.  Hopefully, they will soon find their way to the blog.

Now that life is back to what I call "school normal," I should have more time to post on here more regularly.  I know I said this a few weeks ago at the end of camp, but now I am officially back in school.  This blog has always been my way of expressing my ideas and views on certain issues, catch family and friends up on my life, and post reviews of books that I would recommend to others as well.  I love to write, and I look forward to getting back into a routine where I can write almost daily like I was during the previous school year.  Hopefully, this post is the first of what is to come.

Matt

Colts Kids Camp

So it has been a while since my last post on here.  I am still around, but I have fallen into my typical summer routine.  Back in May, I applied for a job at a Christian camp close by.  I was hired about a week later and have been there ever since.  As a result, the blog has once again fallen to the wayside, as is the case almost every summer.  I end up spending so much time preparing for my lessons each day, that this blog is usually the first thing that is cut out of my life.  But I have a little bit of time today, so I thought I would update the blog by letting you know what I have been up to this summer.

This camp has been an 8 week camp at a local Christian school where we have done everything from basketball to treasure hunting, field trips to art camp, and many, many more camps.  Sadly, the summer comes to a close next week with Lego Camp and Red Carpet Movie Camp.  It has been a great 8 weeks where we have been privileged to work with well over 100 students.  We have seen at least one kid come to Christ and several grow and mature over the course of the summer.  God has been at work this summer through the camp!

I always dread the end of the summer, and just like the last 3 summers I spent at daycare, I am already missing the kids.  This coming Friday is our last day, and then it will 10 months before I see some of these kids again.  This is always the hardest part about camp, but it has been a joy to get to know and work with all the different kids who have walked through our doors this summer.

Colts Kids Camp 2012 is right around the corner, and the camp list is already finished.  We will soon be revealing all the camps for next summer, and I cannot wait for the opportunity to return to camp.  I am already looking forward to May when preparations will be made to re-open the doors for year 2 of this great new camp.  Now, if I can just get through the next year!

I hope to be able to share several stories from the summer in the weeks to come.  God has done some amazing things this summer in the lives of the children that we have worked with.  I also hope to be able to continue our walk through the Bible.  We left off in 1 Chronicles back in May.  So I hope to start that back up soon.  I will also try to post some things from the end of last semester (which I never found time to do back in May).  So look for some new posts in the coming days and weeks!

Matt

Finals Week

It's been way too long since I've updated the blog, but I have been quite busy these last few weeks.  It's the end of the semester, and that means that there is way too much going on all at once.  I have been finishing up papers, which I might eventually put on here as I have done before, and I have been preparing for finals, which begin Tuesday.  As a result, this blog was one thing that had to take a backseat in life for a while. 

The good news is that I have plenty of ideas about what I want to write about when I get the time to do so again.  So look forward to first, a review of The Priest's Graveyard, which I have promised is coming.  Then, I may begin posting some of the papers that I have written this semester.  There are also a few other books that I have read and plan to read that I may post reviews for in the coming weeks.  So hopefully, as this week settles down and I get back into a routine again this blog will come back to life.

Also, for a quick update on a job, I have one!  I found an internship for the summer.  I will be a camp counselor at a school's camp about half an hour from campus for the summer.  I am looking forward to investing in the lives of many children this summer.  I cannot wait to see what God has in store for the summer.  This internship is also good for seminary credit, so I will have a couple assignments to work on as well.  But other than that, I will not have much to do this summer, which should give me plenty of time write.

Matt

Darkest Day in History

Continuing with the music theme this weekend, here is another great Easter Weekend song.  This one is "Sunday" by Tree 63.  The day of the Crucifixion (what we now know as Good Friday) was the darkest day in history.  As Jesus died on the cross, His disciples probably stood there wondering where life would take them next.  All that they had invested in over the last 3 years had come to a sudden end, and they knew that they would probably be next.  What would keep the government from coming after them?  Then, as they wok up on Saturday, probably hoping that it had all been a dream, they soon realized that He was really gone.  Sadly, they did not remember what He had taught them.  He had told them on several occasions that His death would not be the end.  He had predicted His resurrection many times.  Yet in the midst of their grief and sorrow, they did not realize that Sunday was coming.  As I said yesterday, the reason that Good Friday is so "good" is because of the Sunday that followed.  Jesus had to die, but He also gave them the promise of the resurrection.  There was hope on that awful Friday afternoon!  So consider the lyrics of this song that speaks of the hope that was Sunday morning!

"Sunday"

Nothing’s sacred, the days are cheap
Truth is thin on the ground
Still our prophets are crucified
Nobody believes we’re stumbling
It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming

Someone’s saying a prayer tonight
For hungry mouths to be filled
Someone kneels in the dark somewhere
And darkness is already crumbling
It’s Friday, but Sunday comes

Sunday – Hallelujah – it’s not so far, it’s not so far away
Sunday – Hallelujah – it’s not so far, it’s not so far away

Broken promises, weary hearts
But one promise remains:
Crucified, he will come again
It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming
It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming

Sunday…

Matt

Good News on Good Friday

"Christ is Risen" by Matt Maher

If you have not heard this song yet, then get on youtube or itunes and find it!  The lyrics to this song are powerful, reminding us of the great hope that we have in Jesus.  Good Friday is easily both the worst day and best day in history.  While Christ's death was devestating for the disciples, leaving them with no hope for a time, they later saw the significance of that day.  Without the cross, there would be no resurrection.  Without Good Friday, there would be no Easter!  Thankfully, Good Friday was not the end, but only the beginning.  The good news is that Christ is not dead.  He is alive!  His sacrificial death has also given us life, those who come to Him in faith.  So I hope you find the lyrics to this song encouraging on this Good Friday.

Let no one caught in sin remain
Inside the lie of inward shame
But fix our eyes upon the cross
And run to Him who showed great love
And bled for us
Freely You've bled for us

Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave

Beneath the weight of all our sin
You bowed to none but heaven's will
No scheme of hell, no scoffer's crown
No burden great can hold You down
In strength You reign
Forever let Your church proclaim

Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave

O death, where is your sting?
O hell, where is your victory?
O church, come stand in the light
The glory of God has defeated the night

O death, where is your sting?
O hell, where is your victory?
O church, come stand in the light
Our God is not dead
He's alive! He's alive!

Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave

Matt

1 Chronicles 12

1 Chronicles 12

Skipping 1 Chronicles 10-11 (where we see Saul’s death and David’s ascension to throne), we move on to 1 Chronicles 12 where we get a more detailed description of David’s mighty men. The portion skipped was previously covered at the end of 1 Samuel and the opening chapters of 2 Samuel. Now, 1 Chronicles 12 goes into more detail about who these men were that assisted David in battle.


There were 30 of these men, led by Amasai. They were some of the most skilled warriors and soldiers around who were chosen to aid David in battle. They had sworn allegiance to David, promising to fight with him and never betray him. They were his core army. As David continued to go out to battle, more and more men stood by his side. These were the early years of his reign when David was a popular king. His son, Absalom, had not yet betrayed him, and the whole country of Israel supported David entirely. As a result, his army grew, for men from every tribe wanted the honor of fighting alongside David and his mighty men. This allowed David to expand the boarders of Israel. Israel was at its highest when David was their king.

The rest of the chapter lists the numbers of men that joined the army of David. Thousands of men from each tribe were numbered, making for one very large army. What is even more interesting is the fact that the text says that they were all of one mind. They supported David’s ascension to the throne of Israel and were willing to work alongside him. Never had Israel been so unified under one common purpose

This story shows the importance of good leadership and unity. The problem with Israel throughout their history was poor leadership. While they had good kings at times, much of their history is plagued with bad leaders who turned away from God and led Israel into all sorts of evil practices. As a result, this caused a rift between those who followed after the king (which was most of the country) and the few who stayed true to God. There was no sense of unity during the reigns of these kings. As for David, he had managed to bring Israel under one common goal with one common focus. They followed God, the God of their ancestors who had proven Himself time and time again. He had always been there for Israel and helped them through some difficult situations, and He had always proven Himself to be faithful. With this as their focus, Israel experienced some of their brightest days, and it was partly due to the convictions and leadership of King David. Despite his faults (which he learned and grew from), David is a great example of what a leader ought to look like.

Matt

1 Chronicles 1-9

1 Chronicles 1-9

Yes, this is 9 chapters today! If you go through and read these 9 chapters, you will quickly see why. 1 Chronicles does not just begin in 2 Samuel with the story of David. It goes all the way back to the very beginning and starts with Adam. The first 9 chapters of 1 Chronicles outline the genealogy of the human race up to the time of David. In a listing of names, these 9 chapters recount the stories of the creation, the fall, the flood, Abraham’s call, Abraham’s family, the Israelites’ time in Egypt, Moses’ leadership over Israel, the time of Joshua, the dividing of the Promised Land, and Saul’s family. Also in 1 Chronicles 9, those who returned from the Babylonian exile are mentioned, and their story is then picked up in Ezra.


The author of 1 and 2 Chronicles outlines the history of Israel through a very long list of names that can be tough to wade through. Not only do most people not know how to pronounce these names, but it can become monotonous reading through them at times. However, there are all kinds of nuggets buried within these 9 chapters. Although I am not taking the time to go through each one of them individually, thus adding to the idea that these chapters can be somewhat boring, I encourage you to read through them.

While some people are only mentioned in passing, others get a couple of verses explaining who they were and why they were important. For instance, in 1 Chronicles 4 we read the story of Jabez, who received two verses about his life and how he trusted that God could heal him. Other passages expound the roles of certain men in Israel, as some had been appointed by various kings to certain tasks. Although these stories are short, it is interesting to read about some of the other characters in Scripture that were not included in the main storyline. They were ordinary people (just like Moses and David) that God chose to use in other ways, and although we do not know much about them, it is apparent that God was able to use many of them in mighty ways.

Although these 9 chapters cannot and do not cover the entire history of Israel, they are a good summary of the first 12 books of the Bible. They outline the basic story and allude to many of the key events from Israel’s history. For those who had previously read the first 12 books, these 9 chapters serve as a quick reminder of all that had gone on before. Then, the rest of 1 and 2 Chronicles revisit the time of the kings of Israel in much greater detail. Many of these stories have already been covered in 2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings, but the Chronicler also adds new stories and new details. Writing from a different perspective, the author knew some different facts and stories from Israel’s history and includes them in these two books. Therefore, we will skip ahead and next look at a story from David’s reign as king in 1 Chronicles 12.

Matt