A quick look back at 2010

Its official, it has almost been an entire year since I started this blog. I know I missed a few months there at the end of 2010, but here is a quick look back at some of posts from last year.

Also, you can click through the links under "Blog Summaries" to read any past posts.

First Post: Introduction to the blog and my life as a student missionary.
Bookshelves: A analogy of how God can use us.
The Blue Pill: A look at 'looking back'.
God Bless America?: What being a Christian in America can mean.
Loving Life: A post dedicated to looking at how being a Christian has helped my overall life.
The Gospel: My most personally challenging post, about hiding the Pearl of Great Price.

I look forward to having another excellent year, with even better posts.

I realize I am a little late, but Happy New Year!

Plastic

People like this fictional character Ryan walk the pedway of my campus every day. It is my prayer that God will Welcome them to the Real World.

(I do not claim to own the rights to this video.)

A challenge

So I was going to write a blog post. But then God put something on my heart.

He told me to go and spend the time I would normally spend writing a blog, in prayer and in scripture. So I did. Then God told me to go and post this, so instead of taking the usual 10 minutes you would spend reading this blog post. Go spend that time in prayer and scripture.

Interview with a friend.

This blog post was inspired by my friend Joe.

Joe and I have known each other for a little while. Joe is not a Christian, and we have had many discussions about Christianity. Joe is really intelligent when it comes to religion, politics, sports, and lots more. Because of our very different opinions about faith we have certainly have some conflict in our friendship. But we have stuck it out, and the two of us have a good time hanging out. I was discussing with a friend, if Christian/non-Christian friendships work and are worth pursuing. I said definitely. Joe and I began to discuss some of the positives of our relationship and Joe decided to turn this into a blog post. He gave me permission to log the conversation and post it here. Most of what was said is a direct quote, only minor changes have been made for grammer, spelling, and context. Please check out Joe's blog here to learn some more about him.

The Interview:
(Chris will be in red, and Joe will be in blue)

In your words, how did you and Chris become friends?

Joe:  'Chris and Joe encountered each other at McKay. Joe was with a friend and Chris offered us a ride to IV. They then we found out that we were taking a class with each other in MGT 301.

I didn't talk to Chris a lot in MGT 301 and didn’t even want to ride with Chris to Herbert AZ to fall conference .Anyways I get to fall conference riding with my good friend Daniel Sloan.

Then I get grouped up with Chris’ bible study group, but I had a bad time at fall conference. He checked to see if I was alright and the seed was planted.

 Then Chris and I as well as a two others go out to the woods we encounter a nice sky with stars.

From then on we became friends.'

So how has our friendship changed since fall conference?

 Joe:  'After fall conference we started to talk more and made an effort to hangout.

Also other Christian friends didn’t have time to hangout or didn't want to.

 The experience at fall conference created a great chemistry in what otherwise shouldn't have been a friendship.'

So how have you benefited from being my friend?

Joe: 'I have benefited by learning more about the Christian way which I do have a disagreement with. The close friendship has built a bond of trust which is important. The sense of connection is strong, for instance, I can say the stupidest or do the stupidest thing and I feel like I still would have support at the least. When other friends would point negatives you don’t say ‘Shut up Joe or get over it’'

 How am I different from other Christian people you have been friends with in the past?

Joe:  'People I've talked to in the past that were Christian are sensitive, what I mean by that is if you say you like one of their friends they will go and tell them or if you say something politically incorrect they don’t want to hear it. When talking to you, Chris, I don’t feel the need to hide stuff from you. I can just be myself.'

What have you learned from me?

Joe: ' I have learned to watch what I say to people because sometimes it’s not going to benefit me. Also, Forget about the past and focus on the present. Lastly, Be more confident and stop being paranoid.'

What was your first impression of me before you knew me?

Chris: 'Ok, good question

So I remember running into Joe at IV, and class a few times, but I the thing I remember most was the first night of fall conference Joe was in my camp small group and we along with 2 other dudes were meeting in our bunk house. I thought Joe was really cool.

He told me that he wanted to be a sports announcer, and I totally thought he had the voice for it.

I actually assumed that the Joe was a Christian because it was a Christian camp, and he seemed to be just as knowledgeable as the other guys in the group'

What benefits do you see from our friendship?

Chris:  'Well my friendship with Joe has developed a lot throughout this year, but he has taught be a lot.

I benefit as a student, through Joe helping me study, and be accountable to my work.

I benefit as a person, through Joe helping me to be on time, true to my word, and listen carefully.

I benefit as a citizen, through Joe keeping me updated on social and political issues.

Also, I benefit as a Christian, through interesting conversations and prayer'

What are some of the strengths you see in Joe?

Chris: 'The strengths I see in Joe are as follows;

Joe is very passionate about certain things, he everything to things he cares about, like Phillies baseball. Joe is very intelligent, With a GPA of like 3.6 or something, and is able to think of really good points, when we are having conversations. Joe is also really loyal, I can count on him that he will do what he says he will do. Lastly, Joe has shed is fear of a lot of things he isn’t afraid to voice his opinion and takes a stand for what he cares about'

Where do you see our friendship going in the future?

Chris: 'I see our friendship continuing to develop. I foresee that we will continue to be friends, and will support each other through the rest of our college career, and even beyond. It is my great hope that Joe will one day join me in the ranks of Kingdom of Heaven, but I know that we will learn a lot from each other and both be better people because of our friendship either way.'

What have you learned from me?

Chris: 'I have learned that Scripture relates to everyone in some way. For example Joe loves sports analogies in the context of Scripture. I have also learned to be passionate about the things that you care about, and pursue them.'

 As you can see from this short interview, we have each learned something from each other. Joe and I are both better people because of each other. I am thankful for this friendship and I am eager to see how it continues to develop.