Matt Jones' Random Acts of Verbiage

This has definitely been a complex year. It was good, it was bad, it was exciting. Here is a roundup of my life this past year.

Debt, Debt, Debt
I decided to head back to school once again. The perpetual student, I am. Regent has been a great choice as I have learned a lot. I am glad the first semester is over, but really looking forward to this next one. I don’t think I will have enough money to stick around for summer term, so that kinda sucks, but I will figure it out. If anyone is looking into Christian studies, I would definitely check out Regent, there is no reason not to!

The World of Blogging
I had read a few blogs before but never really thought about writing one myself as I am not much of a writer and never figured I had much to say that people would read. After deciding to try it out, I really jumped into it. I have really enjoyed it so far and really enjoy reading what others have to say about different subjects and appreciate people giving me feedback on my posts. I also feel that Blogging is really going to change the way people see the world. The Main Stream Media (MSM) is on the downward spiral and I can’t see them really doing anything to change that. People have realized just how biased and often uninformed the MSM is. Bloggers have changed the scene. People have instant access to information that can be analyzed, verified, and passed on to many others to do the same, something that would never work with the MSM. Also, in the face of disaster (like the Tsunami that has taken so many lives), people had access to resources to help out and to be helped, also something the MSM could not do. I would now prefer to check blogs daily than watch the news or even read the newspaper. I would recommend the follow places to follow as there is a shift in power from the MSM to those “pajama wearing” writers of all sorts:

Instapundit – This is a must daily read. He provides a great jumping off place to current issues as well as some commentary. He would be the first to suggest that you should also branch out in your reading.
Ann Althouse – She is a lawyer, but I still like to read her. She seems to have her head on her shoulders and always has good things to say about a variety of subjects especially law and politics.
James Lileks – Always a fun read, he is able to intertwine his daily life with some (usually) very intelligent and insightful commentary on the world.
Tim Blair – An Aussie chap that I enjoy reading as it is nice to have a non-American perspective on things.
Bill Whittle – More of an essayist than a pure blogger, but his still qualifies. Bill has written some great essays on the state of the US. A former liberal who had a change of heart and his essays often reflect that change. He has a new book out, ”Silent America”, that is a compilation of his essays that would make a lovely present for your favorite blogger! (wink wink, nudge nudge)
Steven Den Beste – USS Clueless is a solid read at any time. Sadly, Beste doesn’t write any more, but I would still keep this as a daily read. Check his archives, his “best of” and use his search engine, you WILL find something on pretty much ANY topic.
Sound Politics – These folks will keep you updated on politics in Washington State.
Michelle Malkin, VodkaPundit, The Drudge Report – also frequent reads that are worth checking out.

There are a few blogs that I have heard really good things about and hope to start making part of my daily routine, therefore you should too!
Donald Sensing’s “One Hand Clapping”
Hugh Hewitt
Power Line
Andrew Sullivan

Ok, there are many more that I enjoy reading on a non-daily basis as well, but this has already been an overabundance of information, so I will stop for now.

Politics, me?
To the dismay of many family members on my dad’s side of the family, I am much more right-wing than left now. I don’t support everything on the right and don’t write-off everything from the left, but it has become very clear to me that while many liberals have good intent, they just don’t really manage to line up with the reality of the world. Yes, I voted for Bush. Yes, I support, for the most part, the war in Iraq (although do feel we need to leave as soon as possible). I hadn’t really been too interested in politics until 2004, especially becoming more involved in the blogosphere. I still don’t really like to argue politics much because it can really turn people against each other. I will stand up for my beliefs, but it drives me crazy when people think less of people just because they have different beliefs. There is such a double standard, people don’t like Christians because they think we aren’t open minded enough, they think that we should be tolerant of everyone’s beliefs and not be “closed minded” but then when it comes to politics, if you disagree with me, you are a moron. Not quite sure how that works…

Faith
2004 was also a great year for me when it comes to my faith. Heading to regent has been a great “faith booster” and has been great to be around people with similar beliefs and convictions. University Christian Fellowship at UW was great for me and having a lull after being involved with them was somewhat difficult to be detached. Being around a community of believers is extremely important, just as it is important to be around those that don’t believe as well. Both can build and strengthen our faith. Don’t take either for granted.

Relationships?
Oh why did you have to bring that up? Kind of a touchy subject! I guess I will have to wear my heart on my sleeve for this one! I have managed to be dumped twice this year from long term relationships! The first was good because I should have ended it before she did, I just wasn’t being honest with myself or her and that wasn’t good. We were just too different. The second is much harder because I think we were really good for each other. I am moving on, still have a glimmer of home for that one, but I am not expecting anything and recognize that she had to do what she had to do and I hope for the best for her if she doesn’t want to me with me. Ok, both are long stories and not really something I usually talk about in my blog… you know where to reach me if you feel you need to know more!

Movies!
I am actually not too sure what to write about for this. I just know I like movies and have seen a lot of good ones. I have written a few posts about some movies and you can read those if you are interested ([b-386084] and [b-293131]). Of course my favorite movie for the year would have to be Return of the King – Extended Edition, how can it not be? The stuff they added was incredible and it was a great way to end the trilogy, I think Tolkien would have been proud.

Books!
Same as above. I have read a lot of good books for classes that I wouldn’t have read otherwise that I really enjoyed (as well as others that weren’t as good). I am reading a book that I got for Christmas by Michael Crichton called State of Fear that I am really enjoying so far. It is great, he is basically shutting down all the “Global Warming” people. Looking forward to how it all turns out. I like books, tell me what I should read!

Photography
Got a new digital camera that I really enjoy using. I really like photography and look forward to getting out there to take more in 2005.

Science
I haven’t really been in touch with current scientific issues and I hope I can get back into that stuff as there is a lot of really interesting stuff going on out there. Look into it!

There must be other things that I should bring up in the year end review, but I have a horrible memory and can’t think of anything right now… Please remind me if I have left anything out!

I hope you all can reflect on your year, see the good and the bad and learn from it all. God really does allow us to learn from anything we go through, don’t forget that. I pray your 2005 will be what God has called for you and not something of your own making, He knows what you need better than you (and by “you” I mean “me” too).

God bless and Shalom

[UPDATE: The original post and comments are no longer available. Sorry!]

Well life isn’t going so well right now. I probably won’t be around too much over the next week or so. Personal life is really difficult right now and the semester is coming to the end with finals and all. Prayers would be greatly appreciated.

If anyone is curious about what I read this semester here at Regent, here are the books I have read. If you have any questions about them, please let me know.

May God bless you all. Shalom.

Friday night was the anual Regent Christmas party. It was a fun night of eating tasty desserts, hearing people sing, readings read, carols sung, and reflections of Christmas heard. It was a nice break as we are in the head of the final stretch before finals and everyone is, I think, pretty tired from studying. I am going to keep this short today and will just end by saying that I pray everyone will enter in to this advent season with an open heart to God amidst the struggles of every day life – studies, children, teaching, loboring, whatever it may be – God bless.

Professor John Stackhouse entertains the crowd before the “formal” part of the evening.

If you want to see more pictures from the evening head over here!

Shalom

Hey all. My step sister (Jeni) has been having seizures for the past month or so and went in for an MRI. It showed a growth in her brain (fibrous dysplasia – connective tissue attached to the bone). Apparently she has had it since birth and it has been growing and has started to put pressure on her brain, specifically near the optic nerve. She talked to a neurosurgeon and he said that it is essentially inoperable and will continue to grow. He said that she has a year or less to live.

This has obviously come as quite a shock. She may be getting a second opinion and look in to other options. I guess surgery is possible but very unlikely to work and if it did there is a large chance that she would lose her hearning and sight. For Jeni that would probably not be an option.

Please pray for a few things. First that she would be miraculously healed by God. Second, and actually most important regardless of healing, would be that she comes to know Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Thirdly for my mom and step-dad, especially Bob. Not sure what else to say about that.

For some reason that has hit me particularly hard. I think it is because this is the first time someone somewhat close to me could die without knowing Jesus. My dad dying was extremely difficult, of course, but this is different. When my dad died, or my grandparents, they were all Christian. I knew that they would be in Glory. I will see them again. It is hard to sit back and not be able to do anything about Jeni. Please pray that she would come to know God. May God have mercy.

Shalom

Original Post [UPDATE: Original post and comments are no longer available. sorry!]

It has been a pretty busy 2 weeks since moving to Vancouver. I have enjoyed myself and am really looking forward to these two years. It was somewhat of a bittersweet start to the year because I had to leave our family vacation early to start classes. It was also a difficulty leaving Khristine in Seattle. Seattle is only 2 hours away but can feel like a lifetime when you can’t get down there. At least there are other means of communication, but it just isn’t the same. Luckilly she is strong which definitely helps me out!

Regent college is quite an interesting place. I always have a ahrd time describing it to people – “Is it a seminary?” and things like that are always asked. So here is what it is “an internation graduate school of Christian studies.” How is that? Regent is one fairly small building on the University of British Columbia campus (which has a population similar to that of UW, but a little more spread out it seems). Because it is one building, it is pretty busy a lot of the time and you see a lot of the same people around. It will be somewhat interesting to find a balance of community and schooling. As one of my professors pointed out the goal of the school is to educate you, not to make you part of a community. Although because it is a small building and has students there for a similar goal, community is inevitable. I think it is a great place to study because it helps the balance of community and education. If one can stay focused reading and studying can occur while also giving time to “hanging out” and talking to people about this and that.

I am also very happy that I ended up with a notebook computer. It is so much easier and faster to take notes right on the computer during class rather than attempting to read my chickenscratch later on. Of course this doesn’t work quite as well in Greek, but thats ok. I am also looking forward to the many books I will be reading and writing about this term. I will probably discuss them later.

I guess this would be a good opporntunity to discuss the differences between my previous education and my current education. Since my undergraduate work was in physics and astronomy, writing is not my strong suit. The writing that I have have done has been largely technical. One of my biggest worries about Regent (along with Greek and Hebrew) is the papers that I will have to write. This is a scholarly school on par with Oxford and the like. I am going to have to get into a new mode of study where I will be reading 6 or 8 books as well as text books and learning a new language. These will all have to be combined into written short assignments as well as “term papers” of a sort. Not only are they just term papers, but they are scholarly papers that will have to be written with a certan degree of expertise. Research is something I can do having done it with the scientific background, now I will have to apply that to theological research. I suppose if anything, this blog has helped a bit in just getting back into the flow of writting and not just about science stuff. I will have to see how my first paper goes!

Shalom

Vancouver is a lovely city that I look forward to exploring, that being said, traffic here is horrible. I got my U-Pass today so I can hopefully aviod driving as much as possible. As small as my apartment is, I think it will work out really well. I have yet to determine how loud I can play my music and / or movies here…

Here is what I can look forward to at Regent for this, my first semester.

Interdisciplinary Studies / Theology 515: Theology of Culture – John Stackhouse
Interdisciplinary Studies 500: The Christian Life – John Stackhouse
Language 550: Intro Greek I – Polly Long
Bible 501: Old Testament Foundations – Iain Provan

Soulds like a way cool line up to me. Let me know if you are curious about what each class is about. School starts up on the 13th so I still have some time to get settled in. Orientation is next week and should be quite fun. It will be good to get to know some people in the program.

On that I will leave you with a word, once again, from one of my favorite (oh, I am in Canada now, I mean favourite) bands:

“Oh, Canada” by Five Iron Frenzy

Welcome to Canada, it’s the Maple Leaf State.
Canada, oh Canada it’s great!
The people are nice and they speak French too.
If you don’t like it, man, you sniff glue.
The Great White North, their kilts are plaid,
Hosers take off, it’s not half bad.
I want to be where yaks can run free,
Where Royal Mounties can arrest me.
Let’s go to Canada, let’s leave today,
Canada, oh, Canada, I Sil Vous Plait.
They’ve got trees, and mooses, and sled dogs,
Lots of lumber, and lumberjacks, and logs!
We all think it’s kind of a drag,
That you have to go there to get milk in a bag.
They say “eh?” instead of “what?” or “duh?”
That’s the mighty power of Canada.
I want to be where lemmings run into the sea,
Where the marmosets can attack me.
Let’s go to Canada, let’s leave today,
Canada, oh, Canada, I Sil Vous Plait.
Please, please, explain to me,
How this all has come to be,
We forgot to mention something here.
Did we say that William Shatner is a native citizen?
And Slurpees made from venison,
That’s deer.
Let’s go to Canada, let’s leave today,
Canada, oh, Canada, I Sil Vous Plait.

Have a lovely evening. Shalom

I found out today that I have also been accepted to Seattle Pacific University’s Masters in Teaching program. I have decided that I will be going to Regent first for two years and then come back and go to SPU for the masters and teaching certificate.

The way I found out was somewhat unexpected. I had an interview today with the director that would determine if I would be accepted or not. The interview was going along, I was telling her about me and why I want to be a teacher, etc… Because her graduate student helper person is away she hadn’t had time to look at my file (she actually got the file during the interview). After we had talked for a while she took some time to look over my file and read my letters of recommendation and then said “just so you know, you have been accepted to the program.” Doesn’t that seem a little strange? It was right in the middle of the interview! It kind of caught me off guard, but was very cool. Either she really liked what I had to say or my letters of rec were REALLY good. Either way I was happy. Luckilly she did ask about me applying to other schools and I was able to tell her about Regent. I said that I would probably be going up to Regent first and then reapply to SPU in two years. She just said that she would love to have me in the program and work with her and that if it sounded like Regent would also be a good thing and would hope that I will be back after that.

Needless to say, it was somewhat of an ego-booster today. Shalom

I have decided to make it official. I will be heading to Regent College in the fall! If you want to check them out go here: regent-college.edu They are definately an awesome place to be. Not to be a name dropper but Regent has such amazing professors as Gordon Fee (“How to read the Bible for all it’s worth”, General Editor and contributor for the New International Commentary on the New Testament, member of the Comittee on Bible Translation which produced “Today’s New International Version” a revision of the NIV, and many other great books, great speaker), James Houston (“The Transforming Power of Prayer”), J.I. Packer, Rikk Watts (“Isaiah’s New Exodus in Mark”, great speaker), Iain Provin, John Stackhouse, and of course Eugene Peterson (“A Long Obedience in the Same Direction”, “The Message”, and many other amazing books.) and a long list of others! I don’t really like to name drop, but I am just really excited!

Now I just need to figure out how all of this is going to happen! I need to find a way to pay for this and I need to find housing up in Canada. It is also going to be really hard for me too because I really don’t want to leave Khristine. She and I both know it is what I need to do but that doesn’t make it any easier. I guess I will just be spending a lot of money on gas!

Ok, I started writing this about 2 hours ago so have nothing else to say right now! Shalom