Placed on trial

This past semester, I taught senior Bible--Defending Your Faith. During the course of the year, we studied how to defend that God exists, Jesus is divine, and the Bible is true. We then focused on studying some of our core doctrines and getting solid Biblical answers for what we believe as Seventh-day Adventists. We studied four major issues which were the Law and Sabbath, State of the Dead, Second Coming, and Millennium/Hell.

I divided the class into four groups and gave them one of these major doctrines to study and defend. I told them that for their final class project, they would be put on trial to defend their faith. I reminded them that in the end of times, all of us will have to stand up for our beliefs and we may be called to stand in a court to give a Biblical defense of the truths we hold dear. A court session would help them see what it would be like to defend their faith.

The students have been studying like crazy trying to understand their particular doctrine in depth and then answer challenging Bible texts that other denominations use to contradict these Biblical beliefs. They were nervous about the court session, but I assured them they would do great. So yesterday was their day in court. I rearranged the classroom and had a long table at the front of the room for the panel group on trial. To their side sat their defense attorney, one of the pastors on campus. In front sat three jurors consisting of the principal, and two teachers. And also in front of them was me--the prosecuting attorney. I had each group open their session with a Bible study on their topic and then I began challenging their responses. Taking the opposition side was somewhat difficult because I had to try to argue positions that I knew were totally incorrect. Even as I was presenting the arguments, I kept thinking how dumb they sounded and how easy they were to disprove, but I had to sound convincing so that my students could see that these are valid arguments that people will use against them.

I challenged them on verses that use "spirit" and "soul" in the Bible and made them prove why these cannot be conscious entities that live on after death. I made them respond to verse likes Phil. 1:21,23 or 2 Cor. 5:8 that other denominations use to prove that you go to heaven at death. I asked them about Col. 2:14-16 about the law being nailed to the cross or the apparent "first day" (Sunday) worship services in the New Testament and Romans 14:5,6 of not judging a person regarding what day they keep. I questioned them about the Sabbath and the mark of the beast in the end times. I challenged them on hell burning forever and 1000 years of peace on earth after Christ's coming. I challenged them on the secret rapture, the seven year tribulation, and the dangers of believing in such a thing.

The whole court session was 3 1/2 hours, but the students loved it. They said it was so real to them of how they may have to stand up for what they believe and they better have Biblical answers to back them up. It was a nice way to end the semester and I just hope it really challenges them to dig deeper to really know how to "be ready always to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason of the hope in you, with meekness and fear." (1 Pet. 3:15).

One thing that is nice too is that this whole semester goes right along with the senior class trip to the Philippines. In just one month, myself along with several other staff and the senior class will be spending three weeks there. The students are preaching evangelistic meetings at 8 different sites. I am so excited that now they have the opportunity to share with others what they have been studying this semester. I have included the senior promotional video for you to see. We are still trying to raise the remainder of the funds to go, so if you have a burden to help sponsor them to the Philippines, we would be very grateful!

A Brush with Death...Grateful to be Alive...

When people say life is fragile, it is so true. But sometimes it is not until you come face to face with death that you realize just how fragile it is.

Yesterday was my birthday. I felt so grateful to God for giving me a new year of life to live for Him. I had hopeful dreams of what the new year would bring. Little did I know that just as I had started this new year of life, it almost ended as soon as it began.

In one of my very first entries regarding life in Canada, I took pictures of a section of road going to the nearest town called the “Big Slide.” It is a section of road that narrows from two lanes to one because there is a sheer cliff up the mountain on one side and then a sheer drop-off on the other side. The road is just carved along the cliff face. Periodically the slide is closed due to avalanches. Along other sections on the road to Lillooet, there are other avalanche slide areas that periodically have rocks the size of small pebbles to huge boulders come sliding down the mountain onto the road.

This morning, Shanuk ran out of food, so I had to take a trip into Lillooet. (Interesting side note here…Before I left on Christmas break, I had bought Shanuk 5 bags of dog food. I knew that should be plenty to last her through break and then some. But when I returned from Christmas break, she was on her last bag. I wondered at how much food she had been fed while I was gone and was shocked she had eaten so much… More on this later.) I really didn’t want to go to town since it had been raining all morning. But I knew I had to. I prayed earnestly before I left that God would keep me safe from falling rocks on my way into town. When I got to the slide, it was fairly bad. There were quite a few rocks on the road but at least it was passable. Small rocks and stones continued to fall from the cliff as I crept my way down the mountain. I got behind a snow blow along the way which was pushing huge fallen boulders off the road and into the ditch. I chuckled to myself that the snow plows here probably do more boulder pushing than snow plowing.

After running my errands in Lillooet, I once again prayed that God would keep me safe on my return. I had barely left Lillooet, when I came to a section of road that was literally covered with large rocks (6-12 inch boulders) all over the road. (They had fallen since I had driven through there a little while before.) I tried to go around them but there were too many so I drove slowly over them trying to not completely tear up the underside of my car. Then all of a sudden, I heard this absolutely horrifying blast right by my head and realized I was completely covered in glass. A large boulder (I am guessing it was anywhere from 6-12 inches across) fell from the cliff and completely shattered my driver’s side window. Knowing I couldn’t stop for fear more would come down, I crept through the remaining debris and kept driving towards home.

Since my windows have a darkened tinted film on the inside of the glass, it acted almost like tape on glass and kept part of the shattered window in the opening rather than all on my lap. (I really think this is one thing that protected me from getting more glass in the face. If that hadn’t been there, the impact most likely would have sent the entire window into my face.) To prevent it from all falling in on me, I had to hold what was left of the shattered window in place for the remaining 30+ km back home.

To make matters worse, I still hadn’t gotten to the Big Slide yet. When I got to it, larger boulders (these about 3 feet across) had fallen onto the road almost blocking the one lane. I was able to squeeze through them and prayed so hard all the way through that God would just at least get me home safe. (I am so grateful it wasn’t one of those boulders that hit me. I can almost guarantee it would have killed me.)

When I got home, I tried to shake the large quantities of glass off me (I had it all in my lap, my coat hood was filled with glass, it was down my sleeve from holding the window up, in my hair, in my shoes, and even in my mouth. Thankfully none in my eyes.) When I stepped out of the car, I realized then how God had spared my life. Along the top of the door frame was the huge dent that had taken the brunt of the boulder’s impact. Because it had hit partly on the frame and partly on the window, the boulder had bounced off the frame and back onto the road. If it had hit merely 3 inches lower, it would have come right through the window and hit me in the side of the head. Considering the size of the boulder, I either would have been dead, seriously injured, or had shards of glass all through the side of my face.

Though I tried to shake most of the glass off in the car, I kept dropping shards of glass all throughout the house. (The glass was so imbedded in my coat, I had to vacuum clean it to get it all off.) So I went to get the vacuum cleaner (in an obscure room of the house I never go to) and behind the door I saw the three left over bags of dog food from break. Someone had put them there and never told me they had done so. (So now I have six bags of dog food, a shattered window, and a very shook up psyche!)

I was very shaken by the event and when talking to my dad on the phone, I burst into tears. I realized that I very easily could have been dead after that event. It was only God’s mercy and protection that I am still here. I still am not sure what good God wants to come from this all. I know he must have some reason for allowing it to happen. If it is to help remind me of the fragility of life, it worked. If it was to challenge me to live for Christ more earnestly this next year of life, then I’m glad it happened. If it was to help my students realize that we have no guarantee about tomorrow, then it was worth it. If it was to help family and friends rededicate their lives to Christ and serve him more fully, then it was necessary. And most of all, if for some reason it was to bring glory to God in some way, then I will be grateful for it.

Whatever the reason is, I am just glad to be alive. A new year, a new lease on life. I pray I will live it for Christ.

Funny sayings...

I always enjoy spending Christmas with my family and this year was extra special since we were able to spend it with my grandparents (we haven't had Christmas with them for four years). Whenever the extended family gets together, we always have loads of fun accompanied with tons of laughs. My grandfather usually takes the cake in getting the family to laugh. I've taken note of just a few of the things that made me laugh this break.

• My grandfather ran into a friend at the grocery store last week. This individual asked how my grandmother was. My grandfather replied that he didn't know because he hadn't spoken to her in three weeks. His friend asked very seriously if they were having marriage problems. My grandfather replied nonchalantly, "No, I just didn't want to interrupt." (To which my grandmother replied later, "He is always picking on me!"
  
  
• My grandfather was proudly showing me his Oklahoma University hat that he got a while back (he is a fan of OU). Then he showed me a second OU hat made for a lady. I asked him if that was for Grammy to wear. He replied, "Of course not! It is for me to wear when I feel like being a girl." (Right! I think not!)
  
  
• My grandfather recounts a time when he was about to give a waitress a 50 dollar bill and asks her if she knows whose face is on the bill. She doesn't know so he offers her a hint: "Who is buried in Grant's tomb?" She answers, "Lincoln?" (I hope he somehow covered that with grace!)
  
  
• One night, my grandfather randomly flings his dirty socks onto the floor. A few minutes later, my grandmother goes around trying to pick them up and chides him for doing it. Later, she asks him where he put his dress shirt that he had just taken off. He replies, "I threw it on the bathroom floor!" He was kidding of course, but my grandmother was ready to get after him big time!

He never ceases to amuse us! I love my grandfather! He is too much.

Overall, my Christmas break was wonderful! I spend five days in Michigan, then I flew to Minnesota for GYC, then flew to Arizona for Christmas and New Years. Went to the Grand Canyon with my family while there. It was all fun! I will have to post some pictures later, or better yet, you can just go to my sister's blog at http://resurrectiongirl.blogspot.com. She's given the full scoop there.

As this new year begins, we find ourselves one year closer to Christ's soon return. I pray that this year will find us preparing more than ever for that great event!