As of 6:45 this morning, and having the complete lack of any desire to sleep, in the dim light of the over cast morning I walked over and throughout the campus. This is all after being awake for 20 hours now, mind you. Carrying the bare essentials - camera, cell phone, room key - I headed out for nature trail around the lake. Upon reaching the outdoors, and seeing the dismal look from the clouds I was saddened to notice that I would be virtually incapable of seeing the sunrise without Cyclops glasses. Although I was in dismay of being unable to achieve my original goal, I set out to pixelize the campus. Walking along the path, attempting to adjust me focus onto strange items that seemed to be in the lake, I saw, about 40 loons, lounging in the near freezing water. I made my way up to sem hill, and took a few pictures along the way. I love this time of day, it is beautiful, although, I am rarely awake at it. Starting to lose feeling in my fingers, I headed back to Bodien, where the heat, is now a blessing.

Last night Bethel University's Student Activities Committees, planned and carried out the 2005 Cancer Walk. Raising money for the Minnesota Cancer Research Center. We had a small turn out but an outstanding amounts of funds raised for the number of participants - a near 5 grand. The event went from 9:30pm - 2am, man walking for 4 hours really takes alot out of you. Many Minneapolis companies donated raffle prizes as well as donating food items for the participants - including Quizno's, Krispy Kreme, Chancellor Pizza and Panera. YUMMY... Although, I probably induced more calories during the walk, than I did all day prior to the event. There were a bunch of activities for team members to do while resting, like - DDR, Coloring Books, and Board Games. It was an amazing event, the majority of those walking had been effected by a family member with cancer. It surprised me to see the prevalence of it in society, I never would have guessed that so many people had been effected by an acquaintance with the disease. I want to thank all of those that took part in making this event happen, it was great working with you all, and you all are a blessing to the Research center.

James 3:13-4:10

Two Kinds of Wisdom

¹³Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. ¹⁵Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. ¹⁶For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.¹⁷But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

James 4

Submit Yourselves to God

¹What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? ²You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. ³When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. ⁴You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. ⁵Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? ⁶But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." ⁷Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

How does one discern between worldly and Godly wisdom? When living in a world that suppresses all religious thought? Although the one thought that we never seem to be able to get into our minds is...

Worldly Wisdom - Selfish
Godly Wisdom - Selfless

How often do we sit, and pray and ask God to give us something out of our own desires?? He says it right here, in James 4:3, that we will not receive our desires if they are our own, but only if it is to fulfill the Kingdom of God. But yet it never stops us from asking, like a young child, knowing that he can not have a certain toy, but yet he will beg consistently for it... Just hoping that God will change his mind. This is not right. But why do we continue to live this way?

In Verse 4:4 - It states that friendship to the world is hatred to God. That we are adulterous people becoming immersed into a poison that we can not escape. How do we take that? Where do you go? How can one live in the world yet never befriend it? Does one simple live, and yet resist to allow the world to effect their lives? How can we become a witness to the world if we do not accept that the world is changing? Are we not to use the modernized industry as an outlet for ministry? Or is it just to not be conformed? It says that the Holy Spirit envies intensely. It longs for us to give it our time and energy, for the purpose of the Lord's work. In this case would there be a complete difference between being immersed in the world and being filled with it?

Adulterous, meaning one that leaves their spouse to have extramarital relations with one other than thou's spouse. Where does one go after hearing this? How are we to react? Leaving the bride of Christ to go and sin with whatever teases our fancy. Slandering all that is holy to have fun. We are an adulterous generation, no longer can one be satisfied by one love - God - they feel that they must pillage into all sorts of sin to find belonging. Like the old saying goes, "he who dies with the most toys wins", but yet he still dies!!! What use will these bring one in eternity, that can not leave this mortal earth. Yet, the Lord calls us to be humble, to take up our cross and follow him. Not to continue on this path of self-righteousness, but on the path of righteousness.

Due to hunting season starting, the campus is at a major lack of occupancy and a major lack of interesting occupants, and activities because of this lack. Due to this stagnation, 5 girls from the other 3rd guys side, and myself decided that off-campus could be much more fun. We got all dollied up and hit the town around 8:30 pm. We had heard rumors of a posh restaurant in uptown that has amazing food, and is tucked away in the city. We finally found the Chino Latino's, even though there was no sign present for it although it is on the main drag, we were confronted with a one and a half hour wait; just to get a booth. Once we got are name on the list, we strolled around the chilly city and resolved that Starbucks could make the cold leave our bones until we got a seat. We finally got in and were seated in a nice booth to people watch from.

We took a look at the menu and noticed that not only is it "Latino" foods, but it is equatorial foods, from across the globe. I noticed the whole pineapple sitting on a close table with a stray sticking out of it, and immediately started searching for it on the menu. MMM, Pina Colda... One of the girls in our group and I decided to share a Fried Ice Cream, another great choice, I was delightful....The food was great, a bit spendy but totally worth the wait and the expense.

Last night, at our weekly Student Activities meeting, we had a pumpkin carving contest, placing all of the committees against each other. All going for the most creative carving... ever. Many groups used their committee's slogans, while others used their specialties (Seasonal Events), however, my committee vetoed this plague, and came up with a new, better idea. We integrated three SA inside jokes into one amazing quote "Clearly, For The Lovie." It was fun, ours should have won, but mad props to Seasonal Events who took home the chocolate...

Although going to this meeting made me miss out on the majority of the Bodien Hall Halloween Bash, but I think that I will recover. I was amazed at some of the costumes that people had come up with:
A Minnesota Drivers License
IPOD
A Picnic Table and Basket
Batman (child size costume on a six foot guy)
A dinosaur
Charlie's Angels
A Werewolf
An Incredible

I was surprised how many of my dorm mates decided to go trick-or-treating as well, I wouldn't have thought that they would. I wouldn't its so juvenile. And we still had candy left from Sunday when the TCO (Twin Cities Outreach) kids came and trick-or-treated through our dorms... awww, they were so cute!! I miss hanging out with the little ones every week!!!